11 year old girl - felony charges for rock throwing

When I was a kid, my brother constantly had me in rock fights with boys I didn't even know. I didn't like it, but, once they landed around me, I felt compelled to throw one or two. I guess by today's standards we would have been labeled gangs and been charged with deadly conduct. Not that I condone rock fights, but, there are times a kid will throw a stone or two.

Well, the kid who was hit was getting his head stitched up. I wish they'd say how many stitches to give an idea of scale, but a rock to a head can cause a concussion, if thrown hard enough. It's not a pleasant thought, but her actions could have killed the other kid -- it's quite an escalation to go from water balloons (harmless, really) to rocks.

Still doesn't sound like that big a deal. They're thinking without the gps bracelet she's going to sneak out and throw another rock?

I agree she used a bit of overkill, but a, a felony? I don't see it.

Now, if she stood over him, and pounded his head with a big rock. . . .

For some reason she felt she had to hold her ground and retaliate instead of retreating.

I'm curious as to why in a urban neighborhood, rocks were available?

There is the possibility that this was not her first encounter with the police that that at eleven she has a record of accelerating rather than diffusing hostilities.

Note: Her lawyer, not her parents, spoke to the media.

Well, we don't have all the facts, as is usually the case in the initial stories. I would guess that about twenty to thirty % of kids throw a rock or two at someone in thier time.

Re: 11 year old girl - felony charges for rock throwing


How many boys were pelting her with water balloons? How does one little girl repel a gang of menacing boys? Was she trying to get away from them? Were they chasing her? What good is fleeing or retreating if your attackers are chasing after you? The girl was being assaulted. Why should it make any difference that the boys were pelting her with water balloons rather than their fists? Children have the right to defend themselves from an attack.

What happens now as this girl gets older? What will happen when she's a teenager and surrounded by a bunch of boys who intend more harm than pelting her with water balloons? Can she pick up a rock then? If a little girl is not allowed to defend herself by the only means available to her against an attack, we might as well throw all justification defenses out the window. By prosecuting their victim, the little menacing thugs will be unduly empowered and believe that they can run roughshod over all the other neighborhood children without consequences.

It had to happen sooner or later. I'm agreeing with Debra_Law.

For chrissakes, it's a 9 year old girl! So she threw a rock. Big deal, she was probably trying to protect herself. And I find it HIGHLY unlikely a 9 year old girl could kill someone by throwing a rock. If the rock was heavy enough to do that damage, she's not going to be strong enough to throw it.

When I was a boy, we could line the street up with machine guns and shoot the people, just because. And the officers would just tell you to be home before the street lights came on. Now those were the good days.

9 year old boys can be such sh*ts

Without knowing what this 11 year old girls rap sheet look like, I say good for her!

Water baloons can hurt like hell.

I'm glad she stood up for herself, not taking some rotten juvies crap.

some kid started throwing objects that sting like hell at me, with probably about 10 of your friends egging him on, the last thing I'd worry about is giving the kid a concussion.

Reyn, like in your 'swarm' mentality thread, who knows what this could have developed into if this girl hadn't defended herself?

Reyn?

I am agreeing with Debra on this one too, as far as the few bits of info I have.

Power to the pebbles!

I thought she is eleven. What a transitional time. A lovely damsel would surely just take the waterballoon(s) as butterflies. Perhaps she was throwing the rock at the balloon and not the boy. I dunno. Was it boy or boys, balloon or balloons.

Sad thing is, it might not have been aggression, entirely, but a kind of teasing that was going on. Hell, I don't know enough. (But then, I don't watch tv... is this on tv?)

I haven't found an update as yet.

I remember specifically Kit chasing me around some bushes in the snow when I was about eleven - I had a wonderful time and didn't know why, exactly, but I hadn't played with boys or a boy before, except at recess in the game, heh, Over Cross Over, or in Sister Mel's so called recess, which was a short baseball game, with her pitching.

I remember my friends saying some things I didn't understand, after I walked home after that front yard play - no big deal, except I found it wonderful. No, nothing untoward... I was just really pleased. I can almost feel it now - no, not sexual turnon - but the snow and the bushes and my friend. I don't remember anything ugly at all, it's clear it wasn't. (dead eye dick here, I tend to confront stuff, and if I say it's clear, it's clear).

That was long ago and most ten year olds in the US now would think of sexual attraction, though I am guessing I was elevenish. I cannot begin to explain how that was new to me as a concept, then.

Um, so my Neighborhood Years were mostly populated with girls, not by design, except that that whole set of houses only had girls............. six of us. That was formative for getting a clue about girls, and I still write letters with some of them, but no help at all re playing with boys, from 8-13. So.... the chasing in the yard was - looking back - a bit of excitement, and I suppose there was concerned talk (I say with glee) but I didn't hear about it.

Hmmm, wonder how he's doing now....

Point is, this kind of subtlety is long gone for the stone throwing girl. What a mess.