In my last blog I discussed the failure of O. E. Green Middle School officials to step in and do their job when they witnessed acts of unwanted sexual advances by 14-year-old gay student Larry King towards15-year-old heterosexual male student Brandon McInerney.
Whether or not King's actions led to his fatal shooting by fellow classmate McInerney, we'll never know. King's flamboyant homosexual behavior and feminine clothing may have nothing to do with his tragic death. However, we cannot squelch the fact that school officials knew a volatile tension was building in the school between King and other students. In step with the breakdown of values in this country, the O. E. Green school staff did nothing to intervene.
Fingers are pointing at Assistant Vice Principal Joy Epstein for not doing her job of enforcing the California educational code regarding sexual harassment in the case of Larry King. Epstein, a lesbian, was more concerned with gay rights than she was in the safety of O. C. Green Middle School student. With Epstein the gay rights agenda took precedence over the greater value of protecting a student who was crossing the line with his display of sexuality. Epstein did nothing to enforce the school dress code in the case of the gay student though King's teacher's complained about the student's outlandish behavior.
According to Brandon's history teacher, Arthur Saenz, the day before King was shot, Brandon displayed a lot of anger and rage in his conversation with his friends. It might have been due to the fact King had asked Brandon to be his valentine, and McInerney's friends were making fun of him.
While McInerney was raging to his friends on the school grounds, Assistant Principal Epstein surveyed the scene, and according to Saenz, Epstein wagged two fingers at Brandon and said something about "rights." Was she supporting King in his unwanted sexual advances towards McInerney? Would she have done the same thing if a heterosexual girl was being sexually taunted by one of the boys? Furthermore, what does sexual harassment by a gay student have to do with "gay rights"? As you can see, Epstein's favoritism towards King is very explosive as well as another example of our moral breakdown.
Saenz was asked in the Chatsworth courtroom if he thought King was sexually harassing Brandon, why did he fail to report it as required by state law. "I thought Ms. Epstein was handling that. She's an administrator and it is her job to handle that situation, not mine," said Seanz.
Not all fingers should point at O. C. Green Middle School. A dark deep shadow is also cast over the McInerney family and their failure to protect Brandon.
According to the August 4th edition of the Ventura County Star, Brandon's half brother James Bing testified that Brandon was sexually abused as a child by a cousin.
Billy McInerney, Brandon' step-father, now deceased, expressed his belief after the shooting that his son shot King because of the abuse.
Unfortunately, the abuse Brandon McInerney experienced did not stop with his cousin taking sexual advantage of the boy. Bing also detailed instances of physical abuse that Billy McInerney would level on his stepsons, including putting Tabasco sauce in their mouths while they slept and beating them with a bar of soap inside a sock.
When Brandon's half brother was asked by Maeve Fox, Ventura County senor deputy district attorney, why nobody ever called police over the sexual abuse, he responded, "He's still family."
The commitment to protect the family unit was more important than protecting Brandon from a sexually perverse relative. Hence, another example of the breakdown of values in America. but now in the family unit.
Assistant Vice Principal Dawn Epstein and James Bing are guilty of the same failure to protect the innocent in order to support another set of personal priorities - gay rights or family reputation.
On Thursday August 5th Brandon's aunt Megan Csorba, sister of Billy McInerney testified her brother would sit on his son until he couldn't breathe, pull his thumb back until he screamed and punch him in the face.
Brandon's aunt added that the boy's step father would verbally abuse his son, berating him and calling him names. Billy McInerney, according to his sister, was often smoking pot and popping pills. The abuse of his son would grow worse when he was on drugs. Csorba also testified that Kendra, Brandon's mother smoked crystal methamphetamine when she was pregnant with Brandon.
The real kicker came when when Fox asked Csorba if she ever called the authorities after witnessing the abusive craziness at the house. "No," the aunt commented. "I was going through my own abuse, and I was not going to do that to my brother." Another adult who failed to act in a mature, responsible fashion and report abuse that was happening to a minor. She'd rather protect the abuser and ignore the victim.
If you put this all together, it's clear that a group of adults were passing the buck, protecting themselves and making decisions out of total self interest.
Teachers failed to report King's overtly gay dress because they were concerned about their tenure and being politically correct about their views on homosexuality. These teachers had no problems giving special treatment to Larry King because he was gay. The same treatment was not offered to heterosexual students when they broke school dress code rules.
Finally, we witness family members who dropped the ball on reporting both physical and sexual abuse taking place to one of their family members. Instead, they chose to protect the abuser out of a need to protect the reputation of a seriously dysfunctional and amoral family.
Is there something wrong with values in America? If you look hard enough into the details of the McInerney case, you can't help but notice this trial is a microcosm of the loss of values in America.
6 comments:
Great articles on the McInerney trial. I am amazed the Star was willing to print your piece.
@Tradtional Thanks for the encouragement. I was just as amazed about the VC Star printing my editorial piece. I know the column contains material that can be perceived as politically incorrect etc. but if the reader truly focuses on what I'm saying, I am arguing that the school did not deal with Larry King on the basis of equal rights. Rather, they treated him with special privileges. In fact, on Friday the McInerney family therapist commented that Brandon was growing more upset with King's unwanted sexual advances and the fact the school was not doing anything about it. What if a high school girl complained that a guy was making unwanted sexual comments or advances? The school would slap a sexual harassment charge on him. I know this for a fact. So why did King (God rest his soul) get a pass?
More blaming the victim. Although yo seem to be an equal opportunity blamer, wrapped up in a so-called moral compass. You are blaming everyone but the one who fired the shot and who enabled him to have the weapon he used to kill.
It’s really amazing to me how many ignorant people speak out about this case. Amazing, so many people blame the kid who is now DEAD forever, no coming back. So because there may have been advances made or because he dressed like a girl or whatever that was enough to have him killed? Really? We aren’t talking about a boy fight at school here, we are talking about a bullet in the back of his head! Jesus, and the documentary shows how many of those ugly women on their speaking as if he deserved it. It’s honestly disgusting. Yes, maybe the school and parents failed in certain areas. Yes maybe something should have been said in different scenarios. But sorry Brandon was wrong. Period. End of story. I was abused as a kid too, I had it hard too, maybe even harder. I’m gay too. I may have flirted with a couple chicks I shouldn’t have at 14. None of them hated me, none of them killed me. I haven’t used my poor abuse story to go commit murder. Like Jesus Christ, people write about what is wrong in America as they stick up for rapists and murders. It’s fucking insane. You people are the damn problem here. Just like Brandon wasn’t fucked up with white hate too right? I’m sure that’s okay too though. According to one of the idiot women jurors in the documentary he was just “doodling” like are you people serious? He was doodling? Funny, cause I would put money on the fact that Brandon would have done shit like this regardless in his life. A real man wouldn’t kill someone because they got hit on by another man. If our men have that much of a problem and can’t deny the advance and move on, America has a bigger problem here. It’s sick. You aren’t real men then. I’d love to see how someone would feel if this was their child it happened to, bet you wouldn’t be sticking up for Brandon then. Poor Brandon was abused? That is fucking irrelevant. This case just brought out peoples true colors. Gay hate. Uncomfortable. Not accepting. Negelect. Evil. It’s amazing and really makes no sense. But....guess what? Brandon will rot in there until he’s 40 yrs old! Ha ha ha! He should have rotted longer. But at least he will never experience life from 15-40. So I rest my head at night.
It’s amazing to me how many twisted people come out during a case like this. Amazing to me, how many people are blaming the DEAD kid. The one who will never be able to come back to this world ever. Amazing, how their twisted words are in ways actually blaming him, or trying to say he kind of deserved it. He deserved to be killed? Really? That’s America’s view? Wow. So because there may have been some flirting or he was asked to be someone’s valentine, we should have him killed? What kind of twisted shit is that? He wasn’t being sexually fucking harrassed here to the point of killing someone. Let’s be real. I don’t care what his past details are, I don’t care if he was abused. That is no excuse or reason. Frankly I don’t think that had anything to do with this. It was merely a defense. An excuse. Plus, his abuse didn’t sound nearly as bad as half the people endure in this life. Speaking from personal expierence, just because I was abused and badly I might add, I’m not going to kill someone. So lay off this pity shit. Brandon was pissed of, period. We aren’t talking about a boys fight in the schoolyard here, we are talking about a bullet to the back of this kids head! Funny though, I wonder how many of you sticking up for Brandon would have done so if it was your child that was killed. Your child that was gay. All those ugly women on that documentary blaming Larry? It was sick. I wish nothing less on them then to have a gay kid or maybe a gay kid killed. Would they have the same opinion then? I highly doubt it. We don’t need our country to be full of bible thumping, close minded assholes either. Because that’s why so much tragic shit happens. Try having a soul. Just like Brandon wasn’t beginning his life of white hate either right? He was just drawing that shit because he what? Oh that’s right, according to the idiot woman juror in the documentary, he was “doodling” like are you people serious?? He was doodling? And then you ask what’s wrong with America? Do I really need to answer that? And the other ugly woman, who said not only did she want to do the same thing Brandon did, but then proceeded to be upset about the gay pride parade after Larry’s death. You people are what’s wrong here. Not Larry. Yes maybe he could have been helped to be himself while not having an issue happen, maybe they could have explained to him some people don’t want to be apparoached. Maybe Brandon could have been talked to. Clearly adults here did wrong in certain scenarios for these kids. But regardless, again must we remind everyone that murdering someone is not okay, it’s not up to you to take someone’s life. If it was such a problem, go to someone about it, don’t kill someone. Brandon should have been rotting in jail for a lot longer. However, I do get the scarification that his life from 15-40 is over. He won’t expierence any of that good time in life. The times we cherish the most. Why? Because he’s a piece of shit and honestly thought he’d get slapped on the wrist and so did all the stupid people supporting him. What a fucking joke. As long as these people are here in this life, we are in trouble. And if I have to hear about god one more time? Because I’m sorry, this is not what god wanted for us. No. He didn’t want nazi murderes and then people backing them saying it’s gods way. If you think that, you are severely mislead and disappointing your “god” because if there is a god? He wants love, kindness, take care of your neighbor. Not what we actually create in this world. This was a hate crime. Period. Open your fucking eyes. But I’ll rest my head for now knowing that piece of shit lost the good part in life. Just like he should.
No sticking up for the murderer. No blaming the victim. This piece is merely stepping back and looking at these two young men and how the adults surrounding them were negligent and were focused on their issues rather than peering into the special circumstances surrounding these two young boys.
In no way does this piece advocate that King’s behavior excused his uncalled for and tragic death. Furthermore, McInerney’s abuse does not absolve him of being a murderer.
What he did in taking Young’s life is reprehensible and his jail sentence was justified, but not enough for senselessly taking a life because he felt uncomfortable with Young’s alleged unwanted sexual advances. .
Thanks for your comments.
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