Boy Arrested After Allegedly Threatening Bullies, Father Outraged

[Kadie]

Boy Arrested After Allegedly Threatening Bullies, Father Outraged
March 3, 2011 6:43 PM

YUBA CITY (CBS13) – A Yuba City father is outraged after his 11-year-old son is arrested, photographed, and finger printed, all for what he calls standing up for himself.

Jose Peraita was still enraged Thursday, days after learning his 11-year-old son, Brenton, was arrested this past week for allegedly threatening three students.

“He’s been punched and abused for a year and a half, and the day he finally stands up for himself and says ‘I wish you bullies were basically out of my life’, he gets arrested,” said Peraita.

Peraita says his son, a child who enjoys playing the guitar and classic rock, has been the target of bullying for more than a year at Riverbend Elementary School.

more...
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/03/03/boy-arrested-after-allegedly-threatening-bullies-father-outraged/

[Dawson Leery]

1. Sounds familiar.

[Exultant Democracy]

2. We arrest everyone for everything these days. Another symptom of a prison industrial complex

[NuclearDem]

3. Glad to see they arrested the bullies too

Oh wait...

[bluestateguy]

4. Without speaking to the specifics of this case (which we know little about)

I will say this, and that is that children who are victims of bullies must be allowed to defend themselves. It's all fine and good to expect the adults to rein in the bullies with discipline; I'm all for that, but when the punches are thrown, children must have the right to defend themselves without fear of punishment.

[texastoast]

5. File charges against the bullies

I'd have my kid walk home as bait, hide in the bushes (or whatever), videotape them, and call the police with the evidence.

When did self-defense become a crime?

[NuclearDem]

6. You'd put your own child out as bait?!

[texastoast]

9. Yep, and I'd be right there with him

He would be in no danger, and he would feel confident. I remember when my mom took up for me. It made me feel just huge, wonderful, safe and protected.

[JVS]

17. It's not as though the kid isn't going to have to walk home at some point anyway.

[flvegan]

8. The bullies have been arrested (according to the article

I wouldn't use my kid as bait though. Videotaping my son getting the crap beat out of him isn't something I could do.

[texastoast]

10. Oh, it would so not come to that

I would be right there. I had to deal with bullies with my older son, an artistic child in a football school. We won.

[cpamomfromtexas]

12. Glad to hear it, we did too, but it took 18 months and a lot of money

My attorney's assistant recommended israeli self defense for the kids, I put all of them in it. I made sure the private retired Marine coach knew the problems we were having with bullies and the school administration's unwillingness to do anything (even though the latest incident meant knives had been taken to school- slashed bike tires were proof). He taught my kids exactly what they needed to know. My 80 pound 7th grader was able to use it to defend himself against overly confident kids 40 pounds heavier.

My kid was reluctant to defend himself since the "rule" in Texas is to expel both kids and he was afraid it would affect his grades. I wrote a detailed memo for the principal on the entire 18 months of torment but privately emailed a copy to the coach where most of the attacks took place. That information got my kid a get out of jail free card. The next time, he was attacked, he grabbed the bully and bashed his head against the bleachers. I love the Krav Maga phrase "so that one may walk in peace".

[ProgressiveProfessor]

19. Krav Maga really rocks

It is not what I would teach as a entry level martial art, but the techniques are just devastating.

[kirby]

13. an 'artistic' child? n/t

[Dappleganger]

18. That's crazy...

and please tell me you don't have kids.

[Initech]

7. This is getting to be one sick fucking society we live in.

:grr: :mad: :argh:

[Tsiyu]

11. There have always been bullies

But we haven't always had law enforcement ready and willing to defend the bullies against their victims.

That is a new, sick twist.

[Edweird]

14. Self defense laws can be tricky. Threats are always a no-no. "Warnings" are a bad idea as well.

Do what you gotta do, but make sure you're on the right side of the law.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Sounds eerily familiar, 'xept for the arrest part

after that... yep... been there, done that.

[lumberjack_jeff]

16. Being a bully is easy.

Bullying is never punished because it doesn't become assault until someone retaliates, at which point it becomes the victim's fault for "throwing the first punch".

There's no percentage in pacifism.

[TalkingDog]

20. Ya know... that's just what Ghandhi and MLK said.