Posted on 11/10/2004 6:14:18 AM PST by brbethke
BY TAMMY J. OSEID
Pioneer Press
Three zoo school students face charges for using a bat to beat another student who taunted them about being John Kerry supporters days after the contentious election.
The 17-year-old Apple Valley victim was assaulted Thursday in a Minnesota Zoo parking lot near Apple Valley's School of Environmental Studies, better known as the zoo school. Chad McKay, also 17, stood over the victim attempting to protect him.
"It's a good thing to see young people interested and excited about politics," said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. "It's obviously very disturbing to see this kind of violence over it."
The argument began earlier in the day Thursday with a discussion about candidates the minors had supported for president, Backstrom said. The two victims supported President Bush.
"We were sitting in the computer room at school, and there was kind of a political debate," said Chad McKay of Arden Hills. "Some people said only gay people vote for Bush." Chad said the victim said "only gay people would vote for Kerry because he supports gay marriage."
Backstrom said the victims then "called the other guys some names."
Chad said later in the afternoon when he and the victim were walking to their cars they heard their three senior classmates yelling at them, according to the police report.
Chad got to his car, but the three 17-year-olds attacked the victim, he said, hitting him in face, including with a baseball bat and kicking him. One boy had a padlock wrapped around his finger, Chad said.
"I got out of the car, basically got on top of (the victim) telling them to get away," he said.
The suspects ran to the car and fled by the time Apple Valley police arrived at 2:20 p.m.
The victim, a senior, was treated for cuts and bruises at a medical clinic and released. "He got pretty messed up," Chad said.
The juvenile with the bat was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. Another was charged with misdemeanor fifth-degree assault for fighting and a third with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. "He was a bystander who jumped into the fight," said Monica Jensen, spokeswoman for the Dakota County attorney's office.
All three will appear in court on the charges within three weeks.
It's believed to be the only election-related beating in Dakota County.
Any assault is also unusual at the 400-student magnet school at the Minnesota Zoo for students interested in the specialized science and environmental programs, principal Dan Bodette said. Juniors and seniors from the district's four high schools apply for spots at the magnet school, which offers classes in marine biology, ornithology, eco-architecture and indigenous philosophy.
Minnesota Zoo zookeepers teach some classes, and many classes use the zoo grounds for field research.
For all the cries of "Bush is Hitler" and "Republicans are Nazis" and all that rot emanating from the left, the only folks I see who are acting like brownshirts and Hitlerjugend are Democrats.
That's because they both define "peace" in the same way: We'll have peace just as soon as you surrender and forsake everything you believe in.
No, they only expel kids who bring in obviously toy weapons or legal prescription drugs. Some poor kid got expelled last spring for bringing in his G.I. Joe's tiny plastic rifle. Another kid got expelled last week for bringing in a toy derringer as part of his Halloween costume.
You'll note that is happened among 17-year-olds, within the perimeter of a public-school/guaranteed defenseless victim zone.
Perhaps the reason it hasn't happened among adults is that Minnesota passed concealed carry in 2003 and Republican adults were lining up to take the carry classes.
It won't. Remember the 1960's? The more marginalized the left are, they more violent they become. After all, the end justifies the means.
Well, journalism *can* be intellectually demanding. In fact, prior to becoming a professional scientist, I was editor of two successive newspapers, so I know what that field is like. [Don't try to proof my posts relative to AP style, though, since (a) I hate AP style and didn't use it, and (b) I'm writing for fun now! ;-)]
I also know that many of those who go into that field mean well and think they are doing good for the world, not even realizing the extent of their biases. It's often the higher-ups who have the knowing bias.
Still, lots of damage can be done by those with "good intentions," and so I'm glad you've seen the light and moved away from the "Dark Side" in recent times! :-)
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