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Huge Brawls between Somali students and Lewiston, Maine high schoolers
Lewiston Sun Journal ^ | September 12, 2002 | Lindsay Tice

Posted on 09/12/2002 8:28:18 AM PDT by gulfwarvet

School officials fielded anxious phone calls from parents Wednesday, one day after a fight between a Somali student and another teenager broke out at Lewiston High School and turned into an afternoon melee off school grounds.

“What we’re trying to do now is assure parents that we have a very safe school,” said Principal Patrick O’Neill.

Record-setting heat and community friction have caused tensions to rise recently in the 1,250-student high school, officials acknowledged. But, said Superintendent Leon Levesque, “The school has been very calm.”

On Wednesday, disruptions to the school came not from fights but from rampant rumors about weapons and further fights following Tuesday’s brawl near Marcotte Park, in which police arrested two men, neither of whom was a Lewiston High School student.

“It’s completely consumed our day,” said Levesque.

Lewiston police patrolled the area around the high school after school let out Wednesday afternoon. There were no fights.

“Everything was very peaceful and smooth,” said the school system’s Somali community liaison, Mohammed Abdi. He expected similar patrols to continue through the week.

As scheduled, Lewiston High School students will spend this week talking about Sept. 11, its aftermath and effect on Americans’ attitudes toward Muslims and immigrants. No special assemblies or events were planned to address Tuesday’s incident.

According to O’Neill, the confrontation started when a teenager who did not attend Lewiston High School followed a Somali student into the school’s lobby and taunted him. O’Neill said he interceded as the argument became physical and the Somali boy tried to restrain the other teen.

As is school policy, O’Neill suspended the Somali student for three days for his part in the fight. He told the other teenager to leave school property or he would be arrested.

According to police, the high school fight generated a large brawl at 2 p.m. near Marcotte Park. That one involved more than four dozen people.

Levesque said the high school has worked hard to combat rumors and to ease racial tensions there since Somali immigrants began moving into the city a year-and-a-half ago. But friction within the community has begun to cause renewed tension within the school.

While Levesque couldn’t predict whether such friction would lead to more battles at or around Lewiston High School, he hoped to see community leaders identify the issues causing the most contention and come up with resolutions soon.

“I think probably we need to look at this from a community perspective,” he said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Maine
KEYWORDS: lewiston; maine; somali
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To: gulfwarvet
Maine will eventually change its name to New Somalia.
21 posted on 09/12/2002 8:54:47 AM PDT by Consort
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To: hellinahandcart
If you're still on good terms with her...

I'm not, plus Mrs. CD would probably open a can of whoop-a$$ on me if I did call her.

BTW, my ex is a psychiatric nurse... a good job for her.

CD

22 posted on 09/12/2002 8:55:57 AM PDT by Constitution Day
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To: ZinGirl
I'm afraid this is policy in some schools.....even if a student did not start a fight, he is still suspended for "his part" in it.
I wonder how many states have laws codifying the right to self defense? In those that do, these policies could be taken to court and overturned, IMO.

In my high school this policy would have caused the "dirtbags" to intentionally start fights with the jocks and college prep kids, especially if they were black. The 'bags didn't really care if they got suspended.

-Eric

23 posted on 09/12/2002 8:58:44 AM PDT by E Rocc
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To: gulfwarvet
As scheduled, Lewiston High School students will spend this week talking about Sept. 11, its aftermath and effect on Americans’ attitudes toward Muslims and immigrants.

Yep. This is the important lesson of 9-11: How is made Muslims feel.

24 posted on 09/12/2002 9:00:21 AM PDT by Guillermo
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To: Ohioan
...since the educational establishment decided that mixing the races in the schools was a positive idea

You saying it wasn't?

25 posted on 09/12/2002 9:02:18 AM PDT by ArcLight
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Comment #26 Removed by Moderator

To: gulfwarvet
"He told the other teenager to leave school property or he would be arrested...."

...OR (!!) he would be arrested??? Why wasn't he arrested on the spot?

27 posted on 09/12/2002 9:03:00 AM PDT by Mr. K
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To: scouse
Scouse is right. Neil Boortz reported recently on his radio show that a radio station in Atlanta is urging the fairly large Somali population there to move to Lewiston, Maine where the WELFARE benefits are better than in Georgia. They are advised to move just a few at a time so as not to attract unwanted notice.

It looks like they are now getting unwanted notice.

28 posted on 09/12/2002 9:03:25 AM PDT by Malesherbes
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To: bankwalker
STILL trying to get even with those damn yankees.

Neal Boortz on WSBS, my AM listening choice. Reverse carpetbagging, I love it!

It's not Neal's fault all those bleeding heart leftists in New England like to give big welfare checks, the Yankees brought the welfare bum Somali influx on themselves.

29 posted on 09/12/2002 9:04:07 AM PDT by putupon
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To: scouse
You're right. A few weeks ago Neal Boortz, whose home station is in Atlanta, talked about this on his radio show. Plus there was a lengthy article in the AJC. Neal contacted a city official in Lewiston and she didn't have any idea that these people were coming from Atlanta.

Some good-hearted people in Lewiston were even giving these people "care packages" thinking they had just come from Somolia.

30 posted on 09/12/2002 9:05:29 AM PDT by Atlantian
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To: hellinahandcart
Right on! Eff the leeches infecting Lewiston. If they don't like it, they should go back to their beloved pre-Stone Age toilet of a country.
31 posted on 09/12/2002 9:07:53 AM PDT by gueroloco
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Somali Migration Transforms Lewiston
32 posted on 09/12/2002 9:14:43 AM PDT by hellinahandcart
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To: justshutupandtakeit
A non-student comes into school, harangues a student and when the student reacts, the student is suspended. As most people know I am no defender of Islame or Islamaniacs but this doesn't sound right.

Heck, if they found nail clippers on him he'd have been expelled. School officials aren't authorized to use their judgement on these things anymore. The punishments are automatic.

33 posted on 09/12/2002 9:15:01 AM PDT by Snuffington
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To: ZinGirl
I'm afraid this is policy in some schools.....even if a student did not start a fight, he is still suspended for "his part" in it. In other words....I guess he is supposed to tow the liberal line and offer to sit down and talk about the situation over a nice cup o' tea.

You are to take your beating, or bullet, while pleading "please don't hurt me".

34 posted on 09/12/2002 9:15:38 AM PDT by banjo joe
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Comment #35 Removed by Moderator

To: gulfwarvet
“Everything was very peaceful and smooth,” said the school system’s Somali community liaison, Mohammed Abdi.

What did the school system's AMERICAN community liaison have to say?

36 posted on 09/12/2002 9:22:14 AM PDT by jackliberty
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To: gulfwarvet
The melting pot is boiling over.

Thank you Bill Clinton.

When deep-frying chicken, every well-trained chef knows that the pan shouldn't be more than one-third full of hot oil when you add the first piece of chicken, because otherwise the volume of the oil is going to expand rapidly as you add the chicken and you're going to have a fire. Then you'll have to start over, maybe even start over re-building your house.

So said Emeril the other day . . . BAM!

So along comes that dumb hick, Bill Clinton, and his even dumber sidekicks, and they proceed to fill the pot clear full of hot oil right up to the brim and then dump a five-gallon bucket of chicken into it. "Why, shoot, city slicker, it's just like boiling roadkill, ain't it? 'Cept we're using grease."

Thanks, RATS.

Now GET OUT OF OUR KITCHEN!

37 posted on 09/12/2002 9:22:54 AM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: Black Agnes
My thoughts exactly about all the benefits these people receive who've never fought a war for us and many of whom have never been a legitimate taxpayer. The idiots that have designed these socialistic welfare giveaways are stealing from our children!
38 posted on 09/12/2002 9:30:07 AM PDT by american spirit
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To: gulfwarvet
Still Yet Another Multicultural Bump
39 posted on 09/12/2002 9:30:09 AM PDT by StockAyatollah
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To: american spirit
Stealing from our children to buy votes from socialist 3rd world immigrants. They can't get socialism fully entrenched here with the current voting population, so they're importing a new voting demographic.
40 posted on 09/12/2002 9:32:13 AM PDT by Black Agnes
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