CAUTION Retards in Area

[underpants]

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=374518

A cardboard sign is hanging in a tree, directed at a boy with developmental disabilities, and the boy's mother isn't happy.

Neighbor: "I'm not taking the sign down, last night was the first night of peace we've got in a long ----- time."

13-year-old Colton Heaton is developmentally delayed. His mother says he is more like a three year old.





Neighbor: "I've been harassed for six months, my daughter has been assaulted."
Sam Penrod, Eyewitness News "By who?"
Neighbor: "The young boy, we got pictures and everything and they would not press charges because he is handicapped."


The neighbor claims Colton threw a rock at his young daughter. Other neighbors told us they have frequently found Colton wandering onto their property.

Still, the Disability Law Center says using offensive words is the wrong way to handle a difficult situation.

[Guaranteed]

1. Sigh....this is outrageous. nt

[PA Democrat]

2. Dupe.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1712938&mesg_id=1712938

[underpants]

9. OOOPS! EVERYONE please see PA Dem's original thread on this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1712938&mesg_id=1712938

[babylonsister]

3. Disgusting. nt

[BlueIris]

4. Thanks for a post that mentions the Disability Law Center.

That's a resource I wish more people knew about.

And ew. Do the people with that evil sign think it's 1951 again?

[TheFriedPiper]

5. The only way that sign would be justified....

...would be if there were a lot of Bush/Cheney signs in the neighborhood.

[acmejack]

6. You meet the nicest folks...

Wanna bet that they voted for *? Just looking at their SUV adorned driveway, I would guess that & given the fact they are in Utah, it is a safe bet. Nasty, nasty people.

[Rosemary2205]

11. They own an SUV so they must be scumbags???

Who the hell are you to make that kind of judgement? You don't know what they do for a living. You don't know if that pick up and SUV are used for purposes a small car would not serve.

In addition, I live in a VERY democrat area and there are SUV's all over the place. By far the most popular choice around here. Very few of these folks use it for off roading or camping. Making a comment that only Bush voters drive SUV's is just not reality based.

Yes, SUV's are problem, but if you think only asshole Bush voters buy them -- or that EVERY SUV owner has no use for it -- well you'd better think again.

[Guaranteed]

13. No, they're scumbags because they put up a sign that says, "CAUTION:

RETARDS IN AREA."

They ALSO own an SUV. And I bet they did vote for Bush.

[acmejack]

17. Give me a fucking break!

My gosh, back off! They are scumbags for their attack on the kid.

edit: in retrospect, I am sure you will realize just how socially irresponsible your SUV was spewing it's 8 TONs or so of CO2 a year (the average vehicle emits 12,000 lbs/year), so be sure to do your part to warm the planet. Don't get righteous with me, while you merrily destroy the planet. I don't need to be lectured about how the soccer mom's simply MUST have the SUV to ferry the children about, not when a fuel efficient minivan can to the task as well, albeit in a much less macho and keeping up with the Jones manner.

[JuniperLea]

24. I call it gluttony

People should be smart enough to be embarrassed to drive them.

[JuniperLea]

23. People should be embarrassed to drive SUV's

Unless someone has a huge family or uses the vehicle for work, it's pure gluttony.

When I see one person driving around in an SUV it spells glutton to me.

[zanne]

27. Isn't he just the picture of an open-minded guy? nt

[rubberducky]

7. The seeds of hatred

have always been around. This is proof of some people`s ignorance.

[DemonFighterLives]

8. I think the arrow points the wrong way

It is meant for the non-compassionate rednecds.
:argh:

[HughBeaumont]

10. Who's Retard, and why is he/she in the area?

"Retard's in area"?

At least be grammatically correct before putting up a sign shitting on someone ELSE's intelligence.

[Ilsa]

12. As the mother of an autistic child, I think the boy's family needs

help caring for him. He may have the mind of a three year old, but he has the hormones of an older child, and these kids do develop sexua awareness. For his own safety, he shouldn't be allowed to wander alone.

Hey George W, where are those compassionate religious communities that are supposed to help now that state and local govts have don't have the funds?

As for the neighbors, their time would be better spent finding help for their neighbors instead of planting rude signs.

Good thing they aren't around me. I would have to intervene for the child's sake.

[acmavm]

14. I don't even know what to say about this. I hate the phrase

'typical white trash' but I do believe I'll be using it in this instance.

These people are upset because the kid wanders onto their property? I notice they don't indicate that he's done any damage.

And one really has to wonder what that disgusting slob of a man's daughter did to the kid to have him throw a rock at here.

What a family.

[mcscajun]

15. The sign is down...

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4083657

...neighbors have complained for some time about the 13-year-old boy, whose mother, Carrie Heaton, said has been diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities and functions at a 4- to 5-year- old level.
"Mostly they complain that he goes into their homes, rifles through their things and eats their food," Bowles said. "There are a lot of people in the area who are frustrated with this boy."
He said the police department considered asking prosecutors to charge the boy when he hit the Galbraith's 10-year-old daughter in the knee and elbow with rocks last November, but decided against it because the boy would be unable to understand what that meant.

[greguganus]

20. Well....

"Mostly they complain that he goes into their homes, rifles through their things and eats their food," Bowles said.

Those lard asses don't look like they're going hungry to me!:nopity:

[mcscajun]

22. Well, the neighbors aren't limited to the couple we see in the photos

and the issue isn't about 'going hungry'; it's about privacy in your home.

ANYway...the Point is, the sign is down; the couple who put it up backed down after the most recent police visit.

[Ilsa]

26. It's also about the child being unsupervised. Someone should be

caring for this kid, especially if he only has the mental capacity of a 4-5 year old. I don't understand why social services hasn't stepped into this before the kids gets hurt either accidentally or on purpose.

[Jacobin]

16. Is this the official Jerry Springer thread?

:wtf:

[lonestarnot]

18. lookin' like it. LOL

Poor boy will not have a chance in this world will he?

[peekaloo]

19. When does this episode of 'Cops' air?

Jebus.

[lectrobyte]

21. Didn't Reno 911 do this on season 2?

[NoodleyAppendage]

25. Grammatically incorrect sign. Possessive modifier of "Retard"

So, these hicks are saying that the "Retard" owns "in area" ???

Why am I not surprised that those who are racist, bigoted, and generally "retarded" themselves would pull this sort of stunt?

J

[AngryAmish]

28. What would you do?

For arguments sake, assume these folk's story is correct. There is a 13 year old boy who is mentally handicapped but full size. He throws rocks. He has no problem walking into another house unbidden. Assume further that his parents don't do much about it or are unable to do much about it.

The sign is a bad idea. However does one have no right to a quiet neighborhood?
Would you seek to institutionalize him or put him in jail? Or would you move?

[zcflint09]

29. Next week on Maury/Jerry Springer/Blah blah blah

Looks like a classic episode of that. The family with the mentally disabled child probably needs help in how they supervise there child, but at the same time, the sign is completley unwarranted and cruel.

Does look like a classic episode of Springer, though...

[treestar]

30. How does the sign give them any peace?

It's not like the kid is going to read it and stay out of their houses as a result.

It does sound like the kid should be better supervised. But then the neighbors could have more compassion for him, too. Comes in and eats their food? Why aren't they nicer about it? That's an option for them. One they chose not to take. They chose to play the part of self-righteous victim. Not very attractive when they have it so much better in life than the poor kid and his family do.

They could have just gone and talked to the mother about it in concern over the child, not concern over the privacy and their food. The kid wasn't really trying to hurt them. They act like he was.

Legally these people may be in the right. As to having love for their neighbor, well, I would bet that these idiots, ironically, call themselves Christians.

[NaturalHigh]

31. The sign was undoubtedly disturbing...

and I'm glad it's been taken down. I have to admit, though, I would be more than a little pissed if the kid threw rocks and hit my daughter or went rummaging through my house. It sounds like a little more parental supervision might be in order. I can't imagine my autistic nephew ever being allowed to do something like that.