Shirlee Smith: Karma police, arrest the parents, too

If parents could control their children's destiny Harvard would be the only university.

It is certainly true that some parents don't do enough, but it is also true that children do things that their parents can't control.

The parents of the children involved in this crime may have been negligent, or powerless, not enough is known yet.

OK, do you have kids?
This is a horrific aberration, but parents do not live for their children.

Just a correction...it was not Mendez, but Bent that was in juvenile detention for stealing the bike and it was Bent that emerged from detention seeking vicious revenge on Micheal Brewer. Bent was the leading factor in this crime being committed against Michael brewer...the rest were following his commands.

I think a better plan might be to properly fund schools so that children can learn in small groups, get one-on-one student-teacher attention as necessary and have the opportunity to receive mental health services as necessary. Lets change employment laws so that parents have enough time to participate in parent-teacher conferences, have enough time to help with homework and have enough money to provide a decent living environment and decent meals for their children. If you really want to fix our society, start by fixing the conditions of the working-class. Your approach is a simplistic, police-state, feel-good-by-punishing-the-sin ners approach that makes communities nastier, not healthier.

Well Hilary, some people such as yourself, simply do not understand that there are people whom are just evil. With 300 Million people in the US, we don't need these types of criminals. Execute all criminals that commit any type of violent crime. And do it within a year of the convection. With them gone, expensive police, courts and prisons could be reduced.

Then you'll have your funds for teaching the decent people.

I agree I am a mother I think the boys that did this should get the death penalty they are useless to society if they can have such blatant disregard for life. I am donating money to the fund to help Michael Brewer you can donate to ANY Bank of America location in his name!! Please help this poor family.

unpopular wrote:

If parents could control their children's destiny Harvard would be the only university.
It is certainly true that some parents don't do enough, but it is also true that children do things that their parents can't control.
The parents of the children involved in this crime may have been negligent, or powerless, not enough is known yet.

I'm stumped! Just what exactly would render a parent powerless?

Bob....as drastic and radically nutty as your suggestion is, I agree wholeheartedly. People who commit violent crimes deserve to be removed from society permantently. Why risk reabilitating them only to have others harmed in the future. I would actually expand your suggestion to include people who willfully defraud others ala Bernie Madoff.

Some kids aren't extensions of their parent, but think and act independently. Since it's illegal to chain them to their beds, there are times that children will misbehave in ways the parents can't control.

Illtryagain wrote:

OK, do you have kids?
This is a horrific aberration, but parents do not live for their children.

The hell they don't...maybe thats why they are so screwed up, thier parents aren't living for thier kids!

Whats up with the parents are not responsible attitude. If those kids were not living at home, then I might think; thier on thier own it's thier fault. Right now! the parents are at fault, as well as those pieces of crap that should be knocked in the head . <<<

Illtryagain wrote:

OK, do you have kids?
This is a horrific aberration, but parents do not live for their children.

I would think unless they could they shouldn't have them. It's not that difficult really. It is a committment some parents aren't willing to make.

This is so fitting as this little monster was in his parents "control" at the time of the attack.

Many of the posters here aren't getting the message of the article, and that is that a responsible parent would have done the responsible thing of teaching their scumball, lowlife, destined for a life of crime boy a lesson by not allowing him to be "hangin' with his boys" the day after he decided to steal a bike. These scum kids have no remorse, no ethics, no conscience regarding respect and common decency, and it's no wonder they recommit so often.
Here's the deal: Johnny the wealthy valley boy who commits a crime is punished, taught the very real consequences of his actions, given one strike, and never does something similar again. On the other hand Matthew Bent the scum hood rat commits a crime, goes unpunished, realizes no consequences, and goes on to live a life of crap, crapping on all of those who come in contact with him.
This is reality, believe me, I'm on the front lines dealing with these scumballs from birth to the penitentiary. I would estimate 85% of the <18 criminals I arrest go on to commit bigger and badder crimes. The kids are to blame, but the parents, and I hesitate to even call them that, are direct accomplices.

Teena wrote:

This is so fitting as this little monster was in his parents "control" at the time of the attack.

I agree ...

Unfortunately, I think that some people have kids because they want love and as soon as that kid starts to develop a sense of independence and pull away from their parents, the parents think this is a act of betrayal and just give up on that one and have another one.

Parenting is a completely selfless job that lasts a LIFEtime. But it is also the most beautiful job in the world. Like the saying goes: "It's the toughest job you will ever love."

Illtryagain wrote:

OK, do you have kids?
This is a horrific aberration, but parents do not live for their children.

If u do have kids and do not dedicate ur life to raising them well and at the same time steering them in the direction of being a positive contributor to society and this country then u have a very diffrent idea of what being a parent is all about or u just have terrible kids..