25 Chicago Students Arrested for a Food Fight

Just when I thought the country couldn't get any crazier, I see this in today's New York Times. I'll leave it to the rest of ATS to provide colorful commentary....

www.nytimes.com...

25 Chicago Students Arrested for a Middle-School Food Fight


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By SUSAN SAULNY
Published: November 10, 2009

CHICAGO — The food fight here started the way such bouts do in school lunchrooms most anywhere: an apple was tossed, a cookie turned into a torpedo, and an orange plunked someone in the head. Within minutes, dozens of middle-school students had joined in the ruckus, and spattered adults were ducking for cover.

By the end of the day, 25 of the students, ages 11 to 15, had been rounded up, arrested, taken from school and put in jail. A spokesman for the Chicago police said the charges were reckless conduct, a misdemeanor.

That was last Thursday afternoon. Now parents are questioning what seem to them like the criminalization of age-old adolescent pranks, and the lasting legal and psychological impact of the arrests.

Un. Be. Lievable.

The world has gone insane. Like this is the biggest problem Chicago faces.
Although I'm sure it is likely a hyper-sensitive over-reaction due to the rampant violence in Chicago area schools which has resulted in many student deaths.

Still...

When I was in high school I had an unfortunate incident with a fire-cracker (I won't go into details... ) that I'm quite sure today would likely result in some sort of terrorism charges. Thank God people had a sense of humor and a bit of perspective then.

And I guess I turned out okay, depends on who you ask.

jesus is this ever unnecessary.

a food fight? criminal? isn't it a right of passage to be in at least ONE big food fight in your life? it's right up there with touching the door of the creepy house on the block.

these authorities need to get their stuff together...it's ridiculous. unheard of.

sorry i can't really form a coherent thought on this..only real response i have is...

NO! *slaps the cops and school admins on the nose with a newspaper*

Are you flippin' kidding me?

How about a little reality here... A foodfight? Harmless is one way to describe it.

Arresting them? Taking them out of school? What an utter and complete over reaction.

A foodfight? Gee, when I went to school the penalty for a food fight in the cafeteria was the following: 1) You got detention. 2) Your parents were called. 3) You were suspended for a day. And 4) Those who started the food fight had to clean the cafeteria up from the mess of such. That was all and nothing more, no cops, no criminal charges, nothing. Welcome to the modern day era.

Certainly with what they put in food nowadays it could be considered bio terrorism. Might as well up the charges, send them away. This is some serious stuff.

Food fights in jr. high, panty raids in college....

Those things are indeed "rites of passage"....memory makers...stress busters.


Now these things are a crime?
If this is the new definition of terrorism....no wonder 700,000 americans are on the list!

You know, I hate to keep seeing taints of rascism everywhere but the Auburn Gresham neighborhood is 99% black, and because of cpd policy which does not allow officers to patrol their own neighborhood (presumably because of possible conflict of interests-this was a big problem back in mafia days around Taylor street) 99% of the officers are white. Chcago police are notorious for racially motivated beatings and arrests, which is the main reason residents of the south and west sides usually do not report crimes and the "silence" so oft reported recently in the media by members of these communities.I've seen first hand victims turned into perpatrators by the cpd many times. Anytime the cpd is called out-everytime- for any type of domestic disturbance they always say "well someone has to go to jail, you called us out here". Not sure if thats official policy though. Just try teling a cop he doesn't have a legal right to search your person. You'll get your skull knocked sideways and searched anyway. This is not to say the officers only display predjudice against blacks, to the contary white people in black neighborhoods are assumed drug addicts and are also beaten. Chicago remains in the top 3 list of most segregated large urban areas in the U.S.
This enviroment is hard for most non-Chicagoans to understand, yet is a major force in the city culture. These conditions are not present to such a degree in more homogenous cities like Portland Or where black white and vietmanese can all live in the same apartment complex. Such things were unthinkable 10 years ago in the city, but there is hope in neighborhoods like Pilsen and Uptown where people of all races live side by side. I remember while traveling on a greyhound from LA to Chicago years ago once the driver got on the p.a. system and announced "now leaving the United States, welcome to Chicago!" as we entered the city. Thinking back, how right he was. Chicago has a horribly corrupt political system ruled with an iron fist by mayor Daley. The Chicago machine is A machine, and unfortunatly her residents get ground in the turning of it's gears, like these school children. Now I remember why I moved....

As mentioned here, the real problem now is the arrest record.

It effectively renders many of them unemployable, limits their housing choices and even places their current living circumstances at risk.

We criminalize everything.

WOW!!

What a way to start your life at 11-15 years old. . . Going to JAIL for a food-fight!!

I'm fairly sure this has made a strong impact FOR THE WORST for these children. Some of them might think jail isn't that bad, and go into a life of crime. Others might think jail is horrible, and be paranoid their whole life about it, scarred permanently. In either case, it's on their record, and will be haunting them forever.

Like some others said, this is more of a right of passage. I'm disgusted.

I understand that Order within the School Cafeteria must be maintained and that such disruptions are not to be tolerated (although who hasn't secretly fantasized about being involved in a Food Fight at School?).

When I went to Middle School we had to fear the Nuns who carried whipping canes, and the East German Lunch Ladies who would have made Ahnold Schwarzenegger tremble with fear. The threat of punishment at their hands was enough to keep us savages in line.

I can understand that in today's Politically Correct environment where Corporal Punishment is no longer allowed in schools, that school administrators no longer wield the fear they once did to maintain Order within their confines. (Besides, there just aren't enough Catholic Nuns and East German Lunch Ladies to go around.)

However, having children arrested for being mischievous children is going not just a little, but a lot, overboard.

Wouldn't calling their parents and suspending them for a week from school have sufficed?

I've heard of "Tough Love" before, but really this is a situation where the punishment hardly fits the crime.

The Chicago School District is just begging for a Class Action Lawsuit for the way they handled this incident.

Originally posted by fraterormus


The Chicago School District is just begging for a Class Action Lawsuit for the way they handled this incident.

Just a bit of clarification (btw I agree with the sentiment) the incident took place at Perspectives charter school. Chicago charter schools are private schools with their own curriculum and special emphasis. Most are 501 (c) 3 class organizations. Some are geared toward music, some agricultural sciences, in the case of Perspectives the education is based on integrating world culture and multicultural understanding. Perspectives operates several schools around the city and, interestingly, their logo is an eye with the world for a pupil.

Here is the school website. No mention of the food fight of course.


calumetmiddle.perspectivescs.org...

Originally posted by siahchi
Just a bit of clarification (btw I agree with the sentiment) the incident took place at Perspectives charter school. Most are 501 (c) 3 class organizations.

Thanks for the clarification. I guess I missed that part.

I know that Illinois has slightly different regulations of Charter Schools than other States of the nation. These are generally the destination of At Risk Children or those with Developmental Disabilities (read: Troubled Children that the Public Schools don't want to deal with). As such, especially Chicago, people tend to turn a deaf-ear to abuses that occur in Charter Schools. I remember an incident a couple weeks ago where a student at a Charter School in Chicago was physically attacked by an LEO, strangled and tasered for walking away from the LEO. Because he was at a Charter School that somehow made it alright because the child had a Developmental Disability (again, read: Troubled Child).

501(c)3 Status gives them a bit of legal indemnity too. It's easy convincing a jury of wrong-doing when it is a Public Institution, but it's far more difficult convincing a jury to aware monetary damages when the entity is a charitable, private foundation Non-Profit Organization. People are naturally sympathetic to Charities and Non-Profits, and will rarely award monetary damages against them.

ok, have you seen the food in the schools lately? If its anythign like what was in there back when I was in school, it probably could be considered a bio weapon.

then again, with the utter lack of parenting over the past decade, I'm sure these kids are no angels either.

I'm not for criminalizing this either, it should be handled internally, then again, with all the sue happy parents out there as well...

I've never visited Chicago, so thanks for the background information. Our society seems to be criminalizing children for basically acting like children and it's setting a dangerous precedent.

Originally posted by siahchi
You know, I hate to keep seeing taints of rascism everywhere but the Auburn Gresham neighborhood is 99% black, and because of cpd policy which does not allow officers to patrol their own neighborhood (presumably because of possible conflict of interests-this was a big problem back in mafia days around Taylor street) 99% of the officers are white. Chcago police are notorious for racially motivated beatings and arrests, which is the main reason residents of the south and west sides usually do not report crimes and the "silence" so oft reported recently in the media by members of these communities.I've seen first hand victims turned into perpatrators by the cpd many times. Anytime the cpd is called out-everytime- for any type of domestic disturbance they always say "well someone has to go to jail, you called us out here". Not sure if thats official policy though. Just try teling a cop he doesn't have a legal right to search your person. You'll get your skull knocked sideways and searched anyway. This is not to say the officers only display predjudice against blacks, to the contary white people in black neighborhoods are assumed drug addicts and are also beaten. Chicago remains in the top 3 list of most segregated large urban areas in the U.S.
This enviroment is hard for most non-Chicagoans to understand, yet is a major force in the city culture. These conditions are not present to such a degree in more homogenous cities like Portland Or where black white and vietmanese can all live in the same apartment complex. Such things were unthinkable 10 years ago in the city, but there is hope in neighborhoods like Pilsen and Uptown where people of all races live side by side. I remember while traveling on a greyhound from LA to Chicago years ago once the driver got on the p.a. system and announced "now leaving the United States, welcome to Chicago!" as we entered the city. Thinking back, how right he was. Chicago has a horribly corrupt political system ruled with an iron fist by mayor Daley. The Chicago machine is A machine, and unfortunatly her residents get ground in the turning of it's gears, like these school children. Now I remember why I moved....

reply to post by diabolique


No problem! It's often hard for people to understand if they've never been there. However, do not let me discourage anyone from visiting! It is still a cultural gem in the world. Many people who have changed the world for both good and bad have learned to do so in Chicago. It's weird, but you get the best and the worst of the world there. Staggering wealth and just a few blocks away nearly third world poverty. Courageous souls who fight for freedom in the world and the most corrupt politicians in the world. The past three governers of illinois were all sent to jail with a fourth on the way (though from what I've seen the current governer Pat Quinn is a miracle worker and genuinly good person. Quinn in 2010!!! I've met Blagojevich several times and he always struck me as the worst type of snake oil salesman. Clammy handshake too.) Chicago has some of the best musicians to ever live as her own (lot's of inspiration) and some of the finest museums in the world. It's also the most surveilled city in the WORLD outside of London, cameras with flashing blue police lights watch you from every other corner. Malcolm x and Milton Friedman changed the world from Chicago.
The Daley family has ruled Chicago politics forever yet Chicago produced one of America's first Black mayor's Harold Washington . Jane Adams did her good works here. Upton Sinclair bravely showed the world real corruption. Todd Stroger and Richard Daley can give the NWO lessons. The Taste of Chicago is the best public gathering i've ever been to. Do visit! The city is like a microcosm of the world in an entirely different way than NY or LA. Just don't ever visit in the wintertime! I'll even bet one of the arrested youth view this as life changing and use the experiance as a catalyst to be the change that they want to see in the world. Chicago has always birthed revolutionaries.

[edit on 11-11-2009 by siahchi]