Fed Up Friday- Misguided Parenting

Here in Chicago we have two VERY different newspapers that attempt to give us a nonpartisan view of the news. I read both, but I am notorious for going to the "conservative" newspaper (Read: Chicago Tribune) first to see if they say something that I need to argue with. Today, after reading an article in the Trib, I wasn't upset with the staff writer (for once). I decided to be all therapeutic with my "yelling" and write this new kind of entry where I tell why I am fed up (hmmm- isn't that what this whole blog is about?) I digress. So, while I was looking for something in the Trib to dispute, I ran across this article about the sentencing of a young man involved in the beating death of the Fenger Student in 2009.

Eric Carson- now 17- pled guilty to one count of first degree murder and was sentenced today to 26 years in the Illinois Corrections Department. For those who have seen the video, he is the youth that actually hit Derrion Albert with the two by four, which sent him to the ground and precipitated his death. After the sentence was handed down, 1- several people raised their hands in salute and 2- some chick yelled "26 years, that's crazy!" And here is the fed up Friday rant:

Is that chick mentally disturbed?? What does she mean that is crazy? He KILLED a 16 year old boy. He pled guilty to first degree murder. What the hell is crazy about 26 years in prison? Are the people saluting him as he walks out some sort of cult? Why do you salute a murderer? What about saluting a boy who died... A boy who everyone has agreed was just on his way home from school??? Salute my ass. I am SO peeved.

Is it unfortunate that another young, black man is going to spend time in prison? Yes. BUT, dammit- keep your fucking hands to yourself!! In the video, Derrion Albert was walking down the street. He was not bothering Eric Carson. Carson came up and hit him from behind- in the head- with a two by four. His ass deserves to be in jail- forever. Derrion is not coming back. His family will never see him again, and some stupid bitch in the courtroom thinks that 26 years is crazy?

I have said it before, we as a neighborhood and a community need to know what our children are doing. We need to network, like the old days. If I did something wrong, my parents knew about it before I made it back to my house. We need to be able to correct behavior, or know that parents are actually going to do their job and correct these children. Saluting bad behavior is NOT how you handle this. Crazy? Crazy was Eric Carson picking up a two by four and using it to hit anyone. Crazy is someone saluting him on his way to prison, or thinking that just because he fessed up to taking a life, he should get it easy. He shouldn't. He took a life and now my tax dollars are going to go towards him having housing, three meals a day and health insurance (which I don't even have right now). Crazy is he fucked up, his parents fucked up and now I have to pay for it. End of rant...