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Free Eric Hainstock!
Free Eric Hainstock!
Who is Eric? A human being. A fifteen-year old freshman at Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wisconsin. On September 29, 2006, he shot and killed school principal John Klang. He has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder and faces life in prison.
Why should we support him? Because in his own way, Eric had the courage to fight back against a school system that psychologically molests us every day, deprives us of autonomy and freedom, runs our spirits through a conveyor belt of discipline and coercion to spit out obedient workers and slaves. Eric followed his heart’s fiery anger and struck back with the desperation of caged animal, against the system that confined him and dominated his life. Unlike many other school shooters, Eric directed his gunfire up the hierarchy at a figure of authority, at someone who was directly responsible for the oppression of youth. He may not have destroyed the school system by assassinating a single principal, but his gunshots certainly have shaken the system. Let them reverberate in our hearts.
What can we do? Unfortunately, there is not much we can do for Eric personally. We all know that society will wreak its vengeance upon Eric, that he will be sentenced to life imprisonment within the Justice System’s cold dungeons. Perhaps you could write a letter to Eric, communicate to him as a human being and express your solidarity with him. Unfortunately, we cannot find his mailing address at the Sauk County Jail. Let us instead destroy the school system, the prison system, and the entire modern society that oppresses every individual within it. The most important issue in the world is that we arm our desires and make them reality, fight passionately against those that seek to control our lives, and give love and support to our friends and allies as they embark own their own journeys. We send Eric Hainstock our full solidarity and sincere best wishes, as we struggle to create freedom and joy in our own lives. Sometimes, the longing for freedom speaks loudest through the barrel of a gun. But the spirit of anarchy sings whenever you take your life into your own hands, whenever you create and discover for yourself a moment of freedom, joy, life.
Why should we support him? Because in his own way, Eric had the courage to fight back against a school system that psychologically molests us every day, deprives us of autonomy and freedom, runs our spirits through a conveyor belt of discipline and coercion to spit out obedient workers and slaves. Eric followed his heart’s fiery anger and struck back with the desperation of caged animal, against the system that confined him and dominated his life. Unlike many other school shooters, Eric directed his gunfire up the hierarchy at a figure of authority, at someone who was directly responsible for the oppression of youth. He may not have destroyed the school system by assassinating a single principal, but his gunshots certainly have shaken the system. Let them reverberate in our hearts.
What can we do? Unfortunately, there is not much we can do for Eric personally. We all know that society will wreak its vengeance upon Eric, that he will be sentenced to life imprisonment within the Justice System’s cold dungeons. Perhaps you could write a letter to Eric, communicate to him as a human being and express your solidarity with him. Unfortunately, we cannot find his mailing address at the Sauk County Jail. Let us instead destroy the school system, the prison system, and the entire modern society that oppresses every individual within it. The most important issue in the world is that we arm our desires and make them reality, fight passionately against those that seek to control our lives, and give love and support to our friends and allies as they embark own their own journeys. We send Eric Hainstock our full solidarity and sincere best wishes, as we struggle to create freedom and joy in our own lives. Sometimes, the longing for freedom speaks loudest through the barrel of a gun. But the spirit of anarchy sings whenever you take your life into your own hands, whenever you create and discover for yourself a moment of freedom, joy, life.
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from tessa
Millions of kids go through the same thing this loser did, but not all of them kill teachers.
You're a fuc**** idiot for even posting this.
GET A LIFE
If anyone out there still loves Eric then I think he could use our support. Why don't we write him just to let him know that there's still people out there who care for him, even complete strangers like myself. I'm sure he could use the cheering up. Thanks, James
http://justiceforjuveniles.org/
Society is to blame for what happened to this child. We as American citizens can not let this child be thrown to the wolves. We need to ban together to save Eric; the boy society has turned their back on. It is not to late.
Visit our forum. Go into Erics topics and meet all the wonderful, dedicated people from throughout the country and United Nations who want to help the child forgotten.
Cari Barichello/ Administrator
http://www.justiceforjuveniles.org
I'm sorry that you feel like he should "rot in prison" even after reading all these posts i.e. some of his friends wrote in to say how much of a sweet person he is and that he was picked on alot. He is just a child who didn't have all the resources we all had, and that should be taken into consideration. You have a right to your own opinion though. Respect.
For anyone who wants more info on Eric Hainstock there are two more websites available:
http://www.kidsincourt.net and http://www.whoopassforjustice.org.
Written by Jen strubel
Secondly, I would like to thank everybody, especially Jen Strubel for their USEFUL comments. We need to bring light into this case to help others who might face this in the future, rather then saying, "Yay! Free Eric because anarchy is wonderful!"
The life sentence seems crule. To be imprisoned for life is as bad as death. Life sentence, no. Freedom? I have to say no on that as well. Anybody who grows up with that kind of thing in their lives becomes just as dangerous, if not worse as the previous person. With that father of his, he would need serious, SERIOUS therepy. It would take years, possibly decades to reveres the damage inflicted in his fifteen year lifespan. I would like to believe theres hope for this young man. I would like to think there's hope for everybody. But, the deed's been done and recompense still has to be paid. No matter what the situation, he still did wrong, and there has to be a price.
Whatever the outcome, I think our energy should be focused on preventing this sad and far too familiar story from occuring again. I know that's easier said then done, but it would be a worth while endevour. And while were at it, we need to get people who will do their jobs right. From the Coach, to the Principal, to the Police who simply don't care enough. Once again, easier said the done.
I'm sorry about this predicament, but if it inspires change in all the systems, then not all of it's a waste. I wish I could say more, but not being closly related to the situations presented here, I can only draw conclusions from these comments.
No one needs a gun to inspire change.
Even though id never met u, i know he were a great person...to give up his life to save those of ur fellow staff and students....i just wish eric would have had someone to talk to...sure he had me until 2nd grade when his dad tore him away.... then it all went down hill...running away ,anger ,violence...NOW THIS....i wish i could have been there to stick up for him when people were picking on him like when we were younger...sure everyone hates him now...but if u just knew him b3 that....ur heart might give a little for him....don’t get me wrong what he did is UNEXSCUSIBLE and no one should ever be pushed that far....so next time ur calling someone a fag or spreading rumors... i hope u think of this exsprience...or next time one of ur friends picks on someone that u stand up for that person...even if u don’t like them....BE KIND... u never know wut that person is going through at home...and in there head how they plan to deal or deal with that stuff...if someone would have just been nice... stuck up for him, ate lunch with him... maybe he wouldn’t have gone so far....so plz just think about it net time before u pick on someone or spread a rumor.....just remember what can happen and then we can all learn something from this horrible exspirience
My heart and soul goes out to EVERYONE ,students everywhere...those who knew Eric And Mr. Klang.....
written by jen strubel. sept 29th. 10:48 pm
Get on the bandwagon to treat him and every kid as a kid by fixing what is wrong with the juvenile system because believe me a life without parole sentence is the slowest and most cruel type of aggrevating death behind those cold prison walls and NO KID deserves to have that thrown on them because a kid with no hope is the most mentally abused person in our broken system. Check out our sites to change the laws to protect every kid and it just might help save someone that you love.................Bill King
I understand that Eric's parents are partly to blame for what happened, but remember that he took 2 guns to school on that fateful day, not to his fathers bedroom. What was troubling him was his situation at school.
A victim of bullying myself, the times that other kids stepped in to defend me (or adults for that matter) were few and far between. I cannot begin to stress the importance of sticking up for victims of bullying, but at the same time it's important not to put your own life in danger. If you see someone being called names or beaten up, talk to your teachers. Talk to your parents. And make sure that something is done about it. All kids deserve the right to concentrate on their education without having to worry about how they are going to avoid getting beaten up by Billy Bob after school.
Kudos to you Jen, and to all others who are able to get something positive out of this heartbreaking story.
A quick response to those inevitable pissed-off idiots: yes, "millions of people" have been oppressed by the system, Eric was one of the few people who lashed out. I support him. You don't. Big surprise, you shit-licking lapdogs.
Also somewhat inevitably, the whole thread seems to have been hijacked by fucking liberal reformists. "Too extreme" Complaining about how he's going to be tried as an adult, teasing within schools, blah blah blah. Has it ever occured to you that the entire school and justice systems are fucking oppressive in and of themselves? That there might be more to learn from this story than "bullying is bad, snitch on bullies?" You're sympathetic to Eric, but you don't support what he did. Such a half-assed typically leftist position. Anyways, I'm not here to convince you of anything, only to challenge your ideologies, raise disturbing questions, and perhaps inspire some people to live their lives passionately and well.
A little more food for thought: the only reason I'm not instigating everyone to gun down their principals is that it doesn't work TACTICALLY, and there are far better ways to attack the system (sabotage, anyone?). Morally, I have no objection to someone killing their oppresser. I don't think that Eric should be jailed AT ALL. When I wrote "Free Eric Hainstock," I meant it; I know that it will never happen unless a prison riot or jailbreak or industrial collapse happens, but I believe that he (and all other living beings) should be free. Justice is the cold gauntleted hand of a judge striking down those who direct their gunfire up the hierarchy, while supporting those who massacre and oppress those beneath them. There is no justice, it is just us. Who is anyone to decide what he "deserves," and force him to do that? Better that you act from your own heart, without invoking any morality, viagra for those too cowardly to act otherwise. Every action has it's consequences to be sure. But even a bunch of vendettas and blood feuds is better than the vengeance of the state, though not much better. We need to abolish the fucking system--civilization--that breeds heinous atrocities such as mandatory education, wage slavery, abusive personal relationships, courts of "justice," police, and all other institutions of domination.
Free Eric Hainstock! Long Live Anarchy! DESTROY the System, don't waste your time trying to reform it.
Now for you, YLF. What the heck is the matter with you?!? "Long Live Anarchy"!?!? Are you insane?! A society cannot exist if everyone is doing what ever they want! If such an oportunity opened, we would blow each other to bits! If we had been living in total anarchy through out history, I doubt we could even be having this disscusion. (Take that last bit the way you like, it has many meanings.) Unbelivable! You think that having "ultimate freedom" is the way to a glorious future? Let me tell you something, anarchy does not give freedom, it takes it a way. People would start killing each other off, because everyone is concerned with what-ever desire he or she has in mind. If anyone got in the way of that the desire, all they would have to do is kill him and continue what their doing. By killing a person, they have taken away their right to live, which is a freedom everyone should have.
Also once you desolove government, everything else desolves. Economics, education, science, education, ect. It would send the human race into a dark age. Once again I ask, how can you support such a thoughtless and STUPID ideal? So there may be some gray stuff involved and there may be some who'd want to live in peace, but there wouldn't be enough. The odds are that they would be the fist ones to be shot in an anarchy.
Eric's Principal had a right to live. The ideal you support would force us to become animals, and I think that everyone, even YOU, are better then that.
Role that around in your mind.
http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
i am goin to try to put a pic of eric up on this site.
The jocks were defended by their coach and gym teacher.and why? What they were doing to this boy is indefensible. But Jocks have been bullying kids for many years. Even when I was in high school 30 years ago, jocks thought they were better than everyone else. Who ever defended Eric???
Someone else here called you Lap dogs> Thats a fair description. You can sound so tough now talkin about a kid that cant fight back. So to use the language that is bein used her all over Where the fuck were any of you when yo could have made a differance. You could have reported the abuse You could have stood next to him an supported him when he desperately need help from some one.
Already in this cas a judge has screwed up monumentally. That placed on the top of you people who knew an did nothin is what should also be on trial here not eric
An if you want to cll me a liberal scum , all I can say is comon over. I'll let you try to take away My Purple Heart,BSM,Combat medics Badge an the arcom with V.
Its easy for jerks like you to just jump on a bandwagon and spew lies that you hear that in many cases are not true. I also would like to see how you react If I walked up to you every day an slapped you across your foul mouth. Followed you around all day callin YOU a Faggott,Punchin YOUin the back of the head. All of that done by real brave punks that chose to hide in a crowd.
The ones who should be on trial here are all the ones like you! Not Eric
You people up there live in a dream world. Go back to sleep! JIM >
Someone else here called you Lap dogs> Thats a fair description. You can sound so tough now talkin about a kid that cant fight back. So to use the language that is bein used her all over Where the fuck were any of you when yo could have made a differance. You could have reported the abuse You could have stood next to him an supported him when he desperately need help from some one.
Already in this cas a judge has screwed up monumentally. That placed on the top of you people who knew an did nothin is what should also be on trial here not eric
An if you want to cll me a liberal scum , all I can say is comon over. I'll let you try to take away My Purple Heart,BSM,Combat medics Badge an the arcom with V.
Its easy for jerks like you to just jump on a bandwagon and spew lies that you hear that in many cases are not true. I also would like to see how you react If I walked up to you every day an slapped you across your foul mouth. Followed you around all day callin YOU a Faggott,Punchin YOUin the back of the head. All of that done by real brave punks that chose to hide in a crowd.
The ones who should be on trial here are all the ones like you! Not Eric
You people up there live in a dream world. Go back to sleep! JIM >
http://www.PetitionsDirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
This petition IS NOT for him to be "Freed" and released. What he did was WRONG,we all can agree on that. But he MUST be tried as a juvenile and transferred to a juvenile detention center. He is only 15 years old. Thank you.
Obviously, 1st Degree Intentional Homicide is not the correct charge in this case. Neither is charging Eric as an adult. He was a Special Needs student, working at an 8th grade level and was unmercifuly bullied by classmates. His only friends were in a youth group at a Quaker Church he attended. They did not go to his school. But they did care about him and have raised money for his account. They saw the bite marks on his stomach from his obviously vicious step-mother and took pictures of the wounds. They witnessed the tirade of Shawn Hainstock when he came to get Eric and threatened him. There is much more to this case then has been reported in the newspapers. Eric needs support from the community if this sort of thing is ever going to stop. Exaggerated news stories and vengence by the District Attorneys officeand Eric rotting in prison, is not going to bring back Mr. Klang. Trying to find out what really happened and why will be the best solution. Maybe starting a fund for Mr. Klang's children would be a good idea. I don't think vengence is the answer.
No one knows the mental state of this child, prior, during this incident. "ONLY", a medical physician expert in the field of anatomy, physiology/psychology of the "growing child" can determine this child's mental state. To "assume" is not facts in evidence.
Patricia A. Barrett ........ District Attorney SAUK COUNTY COURTHOUSE
515 Oak St.
Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913
(608) 355-3280 Victim Witness Unit (608) 355-3281
FAX: (608) 355-3282
http://www.co.sauk.wi.us/contact.htm
It seems our world is lacking in empathy and the death of Mr. Klang may possibly be the unintentional result of just that. The uncivilized and mean-spirited bullying of Eric may be at the root of what happened and has happened in other school shootings. Let's clean up our act folks. Show some compassion, and also try to heal by not going after vengence, Charging Eric as a juvenile and getting him the help he needs but also setting up an account for Mr. Klang's children, will go along way healing and forgiving. What would the Amish do? They would forgive. If anyone has any ideas on a fund for the Klang children, please let me know.
All I am saying is that Eric should be charged and tried as the juvenile he is. He should get rehabilitation and counseling in the juvenile system, not the adult system. Vengence is not justice. The fact still remains that Eric was abused, bullied and abandoned. Those facts cannot be denied, covered up or swept away. There are two sides to every story, and what you are reading here at this website created FOR Eric, is the other side. Eric's side. You may not agree or even care, but nonetheless, those facts remain. There is alot more to this tragedy than the press is reporting and the officials are revealing. Please keep an open mind. Eric deserves and is guaranteed a fair trial and a vigorous defense that is based on truth and fact. The job of the prosecution is the get to the truth, not to go after revenge and retribution in a lynch-mob mentality on a 15 year old troubled boy.
BTW, is "prolly" a word? I had no idea that high school aged kids thought prolly was a word. I think your school could at least use a new spelling and grammer teacher. Are you a special needs student by any chance? Is that supposed to be "probably"? I'm hoping your post was typos and not spelling errors. Holy cow, something is off. What grade are you in?
i keep this picture on my ipod and i look at it everyday. he is always in my thoughts
YOU are the one who needs to get involved with your own children, and pull your own head out of your ass!
Kids who are bullied at school start to get into trouble because they no longer want to be perceived as a "fag" and want to put on a tough image, anything so other kids will stop picking on them. If you're a responsable parent you should have done some research on school shootings and bullying before going online last night and writing all that hateful crap.
And so what if your children have to live in fear for a few months? Did you ever stop and wonder what it must have been like for Eric who had to live in fear every single day of his life? Did you even read the comments on this page? Close friends of his say that the bullying at school was "real bad" and abuse from his father even worse. Are you saying that these girls are liars?
Yes I do feel bad for your children "Mom" not because they have nightmares but because they are obviously being raised by an ignorant bigot like yourself. I wonder what kind of adults they will turn out to be knowing that their Mom goes online to attack a 15 year old boy when he's down, wishing him to spend the rest of his life in an adult prison.
Would you be so irate, if this had been YOUR son or daughter? I do not think so, Has your girls READ this posting of yours? Am sure they would be ashamed to let anyone know their MOM wrote such negative, nasty things here. It is only nature for all of us to be angry, but the anger is taken out on the wrong person, Eric is where he is today, because of the "adults" and other children in his world. He did NOT get there ALL BY HIMSELF. The "underlying factors" in this case, drove this child to do what he is alledged of doing. Anger, bitterness, vengful words and acts are NOT the solution. Tho many children DO get into trouble, they are still "children", and should NEVER be charged with ADULT SANCTIONS, but as a CHILD, he is. Where was his father? Where was his mother? The judge is a contributing factor in this case, as he is the very one that gave custody to the father, even AFTER abuse charges against the father, THEY WERE DISMISSED!! Perhaps if the judge had helped this child THEN, this incident would never have happened. Now this same judge is the one that has Eric under a 3/4 million dollar bond!!HELLOOOO!!!! The judge back then, should have placed this child in a structured enviornment THEN, so he could have gotten some help, he so desperately needed. Who is there for this child?
The emotional trauma is staggering for many to include ERIC. This incident could have been avoided, for he was desperately in need of help, and it is so obvious, NO ONE LISTENED!!!
Not saying at all, he is without fault somewhere here, but to "destroy" this child, is barbaric!!
Has society and the officials of America become so cold, so callous, so non caring for there "fellow man", that they are willing to yet "destroy" another life??? That is "state sanctioned murder".
people say bad things about him hes awesome the people that talk smack about him dont know the real eric
i dont care who hates me for posting this but i feel the same way about people who say hes nothing but an idiot
i fell like smacking them so before u type somthing about eric think of how many people u r hurting!!!!!!!!!!!!!
next time whatch what u type!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
idiots who say he is a jerk u can kiss my butt because hes the best guy
in the world so whatch your freakin mouth befor u talk about my
sweetheart so any one that has beef with this e-mail me and ill give u
a piece of my mind i wont exprese on here because its a public site
so a gain whatch what u say got me
Suggest to NOT waste your time in the negative posting here, and concentrate on how you can help Eric, your friend. Why not write the newspapers on how you feel, using tact of course, but letter writing to the officials, the judge, attorneys, newspapers, and of your friends that support Eric as the "child" he is, urge them to write letters as well. Young people ARE U.S. citizens, and come under the "constitutional laws" as well....innocence here UNTIL PROVEN "guilty, and even then, he is a "child", who should be "governed" in a "juvenile court", NOT as an adult, he clearly is NOT.
The "underlying factors", any and ALL factors must be brought forth, in seeking "justice" for this child.
Please consider using your time in a postive manner, to do what you can, to help your friend.
leave him alone u guys that say hes an idiot u dont know shit about eric
u keep the bullshit small talk 2 yourselves u people who say that he sucks
u get that shit from the damn media and the t.v. u guys who really know him hes nice so whatch what u say
Jamie, you are wasting your time here, why NOT use that time in a positive way, as I posted before, if you want to help your friend, do something about it in a positive way, instead of mouthing off here negatively, a total waste of your time. If you do indeed support your friend, Eric, then put together those positive thoughts and write them to the "officials", newspapers, the attorneys and the judge in this case. Unfortunately this forum board has turned into nothing more than people throwing negative postings at each other, NOT a solution, and DOES NOT help Eric.
o and whoever the knight is u can stop trying 2 be a boss and mind your own freaking
buissness and i will talk however i please so buzzzzzzz offffffffff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One preventable tragedy turned into yet another
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Eric's parents were divorced in September, 1995, when he was just a little boy. The presiding judge indicated in a written opinion that an "innuendo" of child abuse had emerged during the proceeding but provided no details.
In September, 2001, Eric's father, who had been awarded custody, was charged with felony child abuse for allegedly inflicting a series of bizarre punishments on the then-11-year-old boy. According to the criminal complaint, his father kicked him multiple times in the hip and poured hot peppers and sauce down the youngster's throat.
The abuse case was resolved when the father pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was ordered not to have unsupervised visitation with Eric, a directive that lasted only a year and a half.
According to sources quoted by the Wisconsin State Journal, other extraordinary punishments were meted out to Eric by his father. On one occasion, the child tried to say something at the dinner table, but because he interrupted the adults, his father reportedly made him stand for a half- hour with his nose touching a wall and his leg elevated and contorted behind his back so that it rested against his buttocks.
Witnesses stated that on other occasions the father consigned Eric to the dark basement of the family home, humiliated him in public by calling him a "retard," struck him on the head, and forced him to run around the driveway of the family's rural home 50 times until he turned beet red.
This past September, Eric showed members of his youth group a human bite mark that had been inflicted on him at home. One source told the newspaper that it was as if Eric could do nothing right, and another stated that the boy was treated like a dog that is kept tied up.
Eric didn't fare much better at school.
Enrolled in a program for children with emotional and behavioral deficits, he was often relegated to wearing the same clothes for several days in a row. One student told the Wisconsin State Journal that Eric may have been the most picked on student in the entire school. Eric, himself, bitterly recounted the relentless bullying to which he was subjected, and his constantly being taunted as a "fag" and "faggot."
A FATEFUL DAY
On the morning of Sept. 29, 2006, 15-year-old Eric Hainstock allegedly walked into Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wis., armed with a shotgun and a handgun. Although a custodian managed to wrest the shotgun from him, Eric allegedly shot and killed Principal John Klang with the handgun. The boy is now charged as an adult with intentional homicide in the first degree and if convicted, faces life imprisonment.
Eric reportedly told police that he was pushed over the edge by the constant bullying and wanted "to confront the students and teachers and principal with guns to make them listen" to him.
Emotional abuse is more insidious in nature and protracted in consequence than physical abuse. The reports emerging in this case strongly suggest that Eric Hainstock was routinely subjected to a concurrence of both.
In this regard, it's cruelly ironic that the judge who insisted on fixing bail at $750,000 for this mere child, was the same jurist who presided over, but never followed through, on the "innuendo" of child abuse that arose during the course of his parents' divorce case.
On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 fellow students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colo., and then committed suicide. Both of the young shooters had been the targets of thuggish bullies who derived perverse pleasure out of making their lives miserable.
If somebody -- anybody -- at that school had intervened to offer Harris or Klebold meaningful protection, or, perhaps even the hand of friendship, that terrible tragedy might well have been averted. Instead, people who could have helped simply looked the other way until blazing guns commanded their attention.
After the Columbine incident, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education launched the Safe School Initiative to determine what could be done to prevent future school shootings.
Focusing on 37 such incidents, the study made several not-so-surprising findings. For example, three-quarters of the young perpetrators had suffered severe, ongoing bullying. In many of these cases, the resultant emotional damage had a significant impact on the attackers and was a key factor in their decision to strike out against the school.
Another important finding was that the incidents were rarely sudden, impulsive acts. Rather, most attackers displayed some behavior in advance of the occurrence that clearly indicated a need for intervention.
PREDATOR BULLIES
Future school shootings are going to occur even if the best conceived strategies are diligently implemented. Still, the number of such incidents can be significantly reduced if schools stop viewing bullies as an unpleasant but inevitable part of an adolescent environment. They are, in fact, dangerous predators and should be dealt with as such. Their victims almost necessarily become kids at risk who, at the very least, are entitled to be protected by the same government that forces them to attend school in the first place.
Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin, Eric Hainstock has finally gotten people to notice. Most, however, won't get past the fact that he shot his school's principal. So as prosecutors con people into believing that an abused kid is an adult killer, people will sit idly by as they systematically turn one preventable tragedy into yet another.
Daniel Leddy's On The Law column appears each Tuesday on the Advance Op-Ed Page. His e-mail address is JudgeLeddy [at] si.rr.com.
© 2006 Staten Island Advance
© 2006 SILive.com All Rights Reserved.
Judge Leddy is a retired Juvenile Judge who writes a twice monthly law column in the Staten Island Advance.
I think that Knight didn't mean to be "bossy" to you. I think she was just pointing out to you that there's other websites with people who really care about Eric. Did you go to http://www.justiceforjuviniles.org yet? Look under modules/forums/15 year old..." and you'll see a forum dedicated to Eric.
Also, did you sign the petition to have Eric tried as a juvenile instead of as an adult? If not, here you go: (if you don't want to read it scroll down to bottom of page)
http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
So Jamie we'd love to hear from you over on justiceforjuveniles.org And don't worry there's nobody saying anything bad about Eric there.
Have you heard from Eric lately? Do you know if he's doing ok? Please come and let us know. From, Jamie C.
he would do somthing like that so please can u guys forgive me???
i hope u can.
sincerly,jamie carlson
Pain and heartache, unfortunately comes in many forums, this one is no different, many are in pain and ache for this child. He indeed needs his friends and supporters more than ever. As suggested by Pam, write to him, as you can, let him know you are "out there" in his support.
Your comments are important to him, let him know "you care". Please also utilize the contact info for officials, writing them, in support of keeping his case in "juvenile court", for the "child" he is. It is understandable for you to be upset and lash out, and am not angry with you, and suggest to "focus" that energy on things that would be positive for Eric, because he is your friend. Thank you, your notes are appreciated. Drop by sometime and visit Eric's my space page ok? http://www.myspace.com/erichainstock
Thanks
Knight
p.s.dont be shocked if i dont talk 4 weeks bye 4 now...
p.s.s im going on vacation thats why im not going to be on bye bye
site u need to be nice or u wont get far on enternet life we are all going through a bad time just be nicer to people because noone needs attitude right no k....
I've been trying to email you but your address won't work.
My advice to you is that you talk to an adult who you can trust. There are also many hotlines you can call. And if it comforts you at all please know that if you're really down in the dumps then there's only one place to go from there, and that's up!
I understand why you feel depressed. Some of these people are vicious and heartless. You are better than them Jamie! Don't let them bring you down. They are just pathetic ignorant bigots so don't give them the power to control you. Try to stick with those of us who share your opinions and ignore all the assholes. Maybe if we ignore them enough they will go away.
Anyway hang in there Jamie, and try to enjoy your vacation! And most importantly, try to talk with someone about how you're feeling. Your friend, JamieC.
sincerly, jamie carlson
Glad to see that you're feeling better. We all need to be strong if we're going to support Eric.
I never did see you around at http://www.justiceforjuveniles.org but I guess I can't force you there can I.
I write to Eric every week so next time you talk to him tell him Jamie in Canada says Hi and Write Back!
Eric's next court date is Jan. 30th so wishing him luck! Until then...
Putting him into an adult prison for life with no parole isn't going to bring back Mr. Klang. I understand your frustrations that nobody here seems to be discussing the fact that so many people lost a dear loved one, but there are so many factors in this case that need to be considered before just deciding for yourself that "Eric killed, so he should rot in prison", the first being that he's a minor.
Also, am I the only one who finds it ODD that someone named SUE gets called "faggot" at school? Are kids these days calling little girls "faggot"??? Or maybe you're a "boy named SUE" like that good old song by Johnny Cash?
Listen Sue, I respect your opinion, but your argument is that Eric should have sat down and talked to Klang. So now that you know that he DID talk to Klang about his problems first, with no results, have you changed your opinion? Do you REALLY honestly believe that a 15 year old should be in prison with adults, regardless of his/her crime? Let me know...
"Another friend of the family who insisted on anonymity said Hainstock suffered most from being the victim of a broken home, "a situation that made it very difficult for him to feel loved."
"You know the saying 'It takes a village to raise a child.' It's so false," the friend said. "It doesn't take a village; it takes two loving parents, and Eric doesn't have that."
Or aunts or uncles or grandparents to adopt him either I guess? Family abuse correlates to criminal behavior alot more than teasing does. We would all be criminals if that is all it takes to commit an act of violence. Everyone has been teased, been the victim of name-calling, harrassed, bullied at some time in this life or atleast most people have. It is not a criminal activity so if you people are so upset about bullying going on in America, why not try to make laws making it a criminal activity. I don't see anyone doing that! Family abuse is a criminal activity and so is killing someone.
Indeed many good people "out here" ARE campaigning to get the laws changed "governing" "children", to include this "bullying", which many adults are so guilty of as well. There are many child justice support organizations around the world, to include Amnesty International, fighting for these children each and every day. Yes, indeed, we care, it is a criminal activity, and laws should be in place to govern this barbaric act. What ever happened to "compassion", "mercy" and the right to be a "human being".?? We campaign for Eric and all the children to be treated as the child they are, NOT as an adult, with adult sanctions.
This is a much better and direct link to the site.
This whole incident has caused broken hearts and shattered lives, and no one seems to care at all about Eric........we have not walked in this child's shoes/or his life at home or school. Anger/bitterness/hurt/heartache override everything else. I hope in time, the healing process will begin, and soften hearts, and take away your pain and anguish. Just please remember also, we have NOT walked in HIS SHOES/his life!!!
You can use your energies to help make things in your school and community "better' for other children, helping others in a variety of ways, to make yourself happy as well as others, help with an anti bullying program, talk to your friends, start your own group club to help other children, perhaps good therapy for the soul, uh?
http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/today/480.htm
Jamie Carlson
YOU have NOT walked in HIS shoes< there will come a day, YOU may want and need help, what if NO one listens???? Anger, bitterness and hate overpowers one's sense of "reasoning".
I hope you NEVER have to go thru what Eric has, in his young life.
Appreciate the fact you have YOUR freedom, and strongly urge you to CHERISH IT EACH DAY.
Why don't we have the judges of shows like American Idol do a public service announcement "not to try this at home or school" before every show because I don't think kids or adults really see that as the same thing that we expect them NOT to do to others?
Or Rosie and Donald and their ongoing bully fest and name-calling? Really, how do parents or schools overcome that influence with anti-bully programs when the latest polling shows most kids want to be rich and famous first and foremost?
Why don't we all challenge shows like American Idol or celebrities to make a difference in America?
We are all hypocrites in my opinion. If you really feel that juveniles aren't mature enough to use good judgement then perhaps it is because of the media influence. At what age can children distinguish from TV or movie bullying and real life do you think? It would make a big difference if we all really objected to bullying shown on TV, Internet, Movies, --they all play a really big part in the lives of teenagers these days. Probably more than school officials or anti-bullying policies.
We are all hypocrites in America. Anyone who watches American Idol and decries bullying is a fooling themselves.
guess what i was in his shoes and guess who was the one bulling me ERIC WAS!!!! and day after day i would take it AND i didnt kill Mr John Klang or any onelse for that matter and last but not least HE KILLED SOME ONE IF YOU HAVENT NOTICED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God Bless you All.
First, I'd like to clear up a piece of misinformation that has really been bugging me personally. Those abuse charges that were brought against Eric's father were dropped for the simple reason that they were untrue. Eric had lied to a teacher, claiming that a bruise was from his father, with whom Eric was angry at for sending him to his room the previous day. The bruise however, it was determined, was from a fall that happened when he was outside playing. He eventually told the truth and it was verified by another person. A social worker kept an eye on the household until it was determined that there was no abuse in the house. On a more personal level, the many times that I was around Eric and his father (my uncle), I saw absolutely no abuse, and nothing out of the ordinary between the two.
I am not stating that his home life was perfect, or even as comfortable as yours or mine may be. But I think it was far from the nightmare so many jump at the opportunity to paint it as.
I personally hope they don't try Eric as an adult, but I do feel he needs to be away until he's at least 25. I don't think he will be able to appreciate freedom unless he lives without it for awhile. At the same time, he will be missing out on valuable opportunities to learn how to deal with the harsh realities of life properly. The opposite could be argued, however, that 10 years in prison would allow him to recieve the kind of rehabilitating treatment that will help him re-establish a successful and productive role in society (I bet the original poster is burning mad at that comment, but I believe it's truely necessary in our world).
I guess I don't know what the right answer is, but I believe at 25, he will have grown older and missed out on enough to understand the gravity of his actions, but hopefully will still be young enough to be able to have a successful restart to his life.
All I know is that we (the Hainstock Family), would like you to keep John Klang, Erick Fitchel (the Weston boy killed in the car accident that morning),thier families, and the families and friends of all of those affected, in your thoughts, and if you so choose, your prayers.
I'd also like to ask for the same for Eric Hainstock, even if you think "he should rot". He was a 15 year old boy when this happened. It's not excusing his actions by any means, but what 15 year old boy ever thought rationally? I know I didn't when I was 15. For whatever reason, he just got too wrapped up in what was going on and lost touch with reality. So please, pray for him too.
Thank you.
he should rot in jail for what he did
Name-calling is a fact of life. No one should have to go through it, but it happens. Someone is inevitably picked on more than others, but grow up- you need to grow a thick skin and move on with your life. High school is not socially easy for many people. Life itself is not easy. Bringing a gun to school and killing someone does not solve your problems. People like Eric who make such foolish decisions should be in jail. People like that should not be allowed to walk around with other people who would even consider harming someone. He is a danger to himself and society. And don't tell me that he never meant to hurt anyone- he brought a GUN to school. A GUN is a WEAPON and it is meant to HURT people. That is it's primary and sole purpose. If yout think otherwise, you're as big of a tool as he is.
S2089 Birdd Dr
La Valle, WI 53941
608-985-8247
by foreverchanged9-29-06
Saturday Oct 21st, 2006 1:11 PM
Eric Smith, 13, murdered 4-year-old Derrick Robie.
Robert Thompson & Jon Venables murdered James Bulger, 2 years old
Diane Zamora & David Graham - Murdered a schoolmate.
Lionel Tate 12 years old Murdered a 6 year old girl
Robert Tulloch, 17 James Parker, 16 - Stabbing deaths in Dartmouth, NH.
Chad O'Connell - Stabbed a person in street fight
Timothy Scott Sherman- Killed mother and adopted father
Willie Bosket - 15 year old
Mary Bell 11-year-old
George Junius Stinney, Jr 14 years - Murdered 2 young girls.
Barry Loukaitis - 14 years old - Murdered 3 people
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold - Columbine High school, Littleton, CO
Juliet Hulme helped Pauline Parker kill Pauline's mother, Honora
- here is a quote that sums it all up -
There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other - unknown
There is also a good chance, which his attiude... a fellow inmate will kill him on the inside anyway... either way, this kid doesn't have much of a life left to look forward too... but again... that's HIS fault...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6928935.stm
Regardless of what Eric's rational was, if any, his actions were criminal. He must be punished.
I would love to hear a YLF-type open up his own home to a murderer, rapist, or other criminal. Gee, they don't do that do they? Of course not. They talk the talk.
Eric's life is forfeit. He should either be executed or spend the rest of his life in a labor camp.
This kid made bad decisions and, having been convicted by a court of law, is now going to pay for those decisions for the rest of his life. That principal did not deserve to be murdered. Period. The ironic thing is that now, Eric will be held responsible for his actions, while many of the people that allegedly contributed (friends, relatives, teachers etc.) to his meltdown will never acknowledge, much less take responsiblity for, their bad behavior.
As someone with more than two dozen years of experiance in the education system, I have seen students, and in some cases teachers, behave poorly to their fellow students and teachers, then shrug off the responsiblity for their behavior as "well, everyone else was doing it." I expect better. Unfortunately, I am often quite disappointed.
If you've taken offense to what I've just written, it may be because you recognize youself as one of the people I've described. I've taken no position on Eric Hainstocks case specifically, but instead ask you to ask yourself what you could do to prevent this type of tragedy in the future. Take responsiblity for yourself and for your actions, and consider how your behavior and comments could result in unintentioned consequences. Without making excuses, if we look back at the tragic events that have occurred over and over again in our society with mass pedicide, some of the strongest motivators, as cited by the perpetrators, are bullying, harrassment (both verbal and physical) and exclusion. When YOU see these behaviors taking place, don't just sit there, DO SOMETHING TO STOP IT! The life you save may be your own.
She said that her husband was her high school sweetheart and that she can't recall a time in her adult life that he wasn't there. Klang said that her husband was her best friend and the love of her life and his death has left her with horror and agony."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, seriously.... you can call for solidarity and freedom for this idiot after reading a thing like this? This twit ruined her life! A totally innocent woman who developed this love with her husband over her whole life, and now that was completely destroyed cause "eric was mad, and just freaked out". Utter BS.
Not to mention there is one less good person in the world, and one more bad one that the rest of us have to pay taxes to support. And that's why, when you look around, you see the world getting a little darker and colder every day.
If it were up to me I've had this kid executed in public in a most grotesque fashion to serve as an example for all the other wannabe teen thrill killers. Rampant barbarism can't be tolerated by a civillized society.
But what brought this kid to that state of mind? It's parents and schools who push push push this mindless competitive mantra. And if you don't participate in football or whatever, you're some kind of outcast. Yeah, life is tough, it's a risk, but I've seen kids get bullied, and that, coupled with a dysfuntional home life, and on top of it, maybe you're gay - society reaps what it sows.
There's no end in sight either. These asshole fathers and teachers (gym teachers esp.) who have some sort of testicular deficiency and push kids into this mindless sports crap are basically teaching violence. They encourage competitive kids to beat up on the ones who have better things to do than an activitty that has nothing to do with making a better world.
If these "sports fathers" were as involved with their kids doing creative things like art, music or dance, they would be helping to create a much more beautiful world. But, they would read this and think of me as some kind of wimp.
Well, I am, I'm a knee-jerk, liberal, sports-hating faggot.
But to all those kids out there who are victims of getting picked on in school - just wait it out. When you graduate and turn 18, you can tell them all to kiss your ass goodbye. And go live in a place where you'll be accepted.
Ther is much evidence to prove this pleas visit youtube under pharmaceutical or druging children and then ask the parents of this young man if he was using any type of drugs prescribed by a sychotris or doctor. Pleas fight and sind any petition that bands any drugs given to public shool children that are dangerous and alter the though and imotion of students. Before many other teen angers start using theis drugs and start killing even their own parents. Also find out about codex in youtube.
Thank you. GodBleess you and whatever you do don't sell your soul to the Devil Jesus will always be thier to help. Amen.
The idea of everybody acting out their frustrations on everybody else is frightening. Imagine if our government and others decided to do that, but used nuclear arms instead. We might as well start carrying around clubs and move back to caves. I would like to think that we are evolving past fight and might makes right.
The idea of banning manditory schools and so on is done in other countries. Except the people there are ruled by dictators and would give anything for education. You are only "ruled' if you allow yourself, your inner self, to be. I do agree with the quote "Question All Authority." But I also know that a civilazation needs rules and regulations or there will be chaos. It is not weak to give a person respect. It is the opposite. The same goes for following rules.
I didn't know the principle. I do know what it is like to deal with systems and people that don't listen and seem unable to be changed. But, I have to work at changing the systems in place, and learning tact with the people I have to deal with. It is difficult. Keeping myself calm when dealing with a complete idiot that is also your boss is one of the hardest things in the world to do. You learn to control yourself, change the situation if you can, or move on. You do not resort to violence. Once you begin to yell or punch, the battle is already lost for both sides.
I can only hope that anybody that reads any of the posts about Eric will take the time to get involved with the next "odd duck" they come across. Say hello, offer a water glass, intervene if there is any bullying going on. Keep intervening and calling higher and higher up the ladder until you get a response. Just don't give up.
If we all decided to find a way to help each other first instead of trying to find a way to help ourselves first we might actually be able to live in a time of peace.
Maybe I wouldn't have to worry about anybody picking on my son.
First of all, every one has their opinion. And TONS of people on this page have a very closed mind about the Eric situation. I went to Weston, I knew Eric, I knew Mr. Klang and his family. Most of you are trying to point the finger at "jocks." If you knew ANYTHING about Weston, it's that there are no jocks. Seriously. At least not the stereotypical jocks. I was in sports, participated in most of the clubs, AND i was in band. What does that make me? And thats how most of the kids at Weston are. We can't be classified. We just ARE. So blaming Eric's behavior on the jocks is rediculous. It just goes to show how judgemental kids are. The students are Weston are all just kids going to school, from some almost non-existent towns, smack dab in the middle of some cornfields. They don't jam thoughts in to our head to make us think what they want us to think. They don't force their opinions on us. Before this, I always wanted to bring my children to Weston because I liked it so much.
I personally always had a soft spot for Eric. I would see him in the hall almost every day and ask him if he was behaving. Although it's hard for most people to imagine him having a heart, he always had a smile on when we talked. Seriously. And to have people say that they favored Mr. Klang over Eric because we liked him better?! That's rediculous. You have no idea what you are talking about.
When I heard last night from my family that Eric was going to spend his whole life in jail, a series of feelings came over me. I wanted to cry for him and I also wanted to sigh in relief. Eric is a child. I'm sure this case was incredibly difficult for the judge to decide. On one hand, you want his family to be able to finally move on and have Mr. Klang rest in peace, but on the other hand, Eric is only a child. Is he a murderer? Yes. but what about years from now? Who will he be? We will never know.
For all of you expressing your opinions, go on and do it. But don't be so close minded about it. You have no idea what you are talking about. Unless you knew him, or Mr. Klang, you are merely just another person drawing conclusions without facts.
This site is actually quite rediculous. I feel as if you are promoting more school shootings. Isn't America already doomed as it is?
phil spector shot lana in the face and he is still a free man american justice sytem sucks
im from australia and we all think eric shold be free and recieve treatment for any problems he may have
not only was he abused as a child but now the judges are doing the same abusing a child by jailing him as if thats going to teach him not to hurt the people who hurt him
the principal most likely did not protect eric from bullies
teachers need to take children seriously when they are approached by a student with a com[laint and do something about it
I have no respect for anyone who doesn't kill themself after having done something like this. I mean honestly, you know what you're doing at 15 years old. African nations have entire armies that are made up of soldiers younger than 16.
So life in prison for this jerk is a slap to the face of the widow of the man he killed. Why should she have to think about how comfortable is the person who robbed her of a husband for the rest of her life? What about closure for that victim? The REAL victims. Eric ought to be executed, and furthermore, he ought to die the way he chose to kill -- by firing squad.
An old saying: "Live by the sword, die by the sword". Goddamn pinko leftist commies trying to muck that simple principle up with namby pamby, feel-good psychobabble designed to shelter the unproductive weak at the expense of the working strong. Well look around.... that's why nobody else in the world has respect for the tribe of America!!! Oh sure they do what we tell them, but only out of fear, not respect. But every King, Pharoah or President that has ruled out of fear rather than respect has been deposed, and rightfully so. You want to save this kid now only to reintroduce him back into the free world late on then you are going to, to use another famous saying from the good book; "reap the crop which thou have sown".
Or I don't know, maybe it's a better idea to lock this kid up for 30 + years, ignore his violent, sexually repressed mindset and call it rehabilitation, and then put him back out on the street all loaded up on antipsychotic medications which he won't be able to afford on his own once he's an ex-con with no insurance. That way we could also solve the pressing problem of not having enough mixed up, addled brained idiots with nothing to do walking around aimlessly collecting welfare. Right? Sounds like a winner of a social program to me. Where's Hillary Clinton when you need him...
Teenagers do not know how to express themselves, a lot of them feel that the adults do not respect them or feel that their worries or concerns are worth their time. Speaking from experience, there were many times I wish I knew how to fight back in school, I was picked-on beat-up many times for being different. Somehow I managed not to commit suicide or kill anyone, lucky for me.
I can see how his pent anger could drive him to feeling that his only recourse would be to bring a gun to school to make folks listen to him -- that he was sick of it. I read the one clip in here that someone said he was a bad kid because he smoked....that is not knowing the facts, I smoked but I did because it allowed to be with other kids that did and I did not get picked on when I was with them, it was my escape...I am not sure if that is why he did it, I am not sure if at the time that was how I thought, I just wanted to fit in with someone. I wish at times crimes would be punished from the root up....start at the father, then the bullies, then the faculty. I feel bad that someone got killed, I do, but I think this should be a wake up call, I think if you are going to be a teacher you also need to be able to see when I child is having problems and if you ignore the child you should be suspended without pay for a period of time. Eric needs help, not prison, he needs to know that people do care!
"Frontier Justice
by Wyatt
Monday Aug 6th, 2007 1:17 PM"
First off, it does not appear that his intent was to go kill anyone, just to show that he was serious!....Second he could not have killed himself if he wanted too, not that I advocate it, but they wrestled the gun away from him!
I do not think the man he killed was a real man, he did not stick up for Eric! Unfortunately it cost him his life, maybe the next principal/teacher will open their eyes an help the kids who do not know how to handle everything life throws at them.
I realise you can not listen to everybody or always see trouble signs, but from what I have read his school knew he was being harassed and did nothing, or very little. The real criminals go free(father, teachers, the other students) , except for the principal, Eric gets 30 years in prison.
I think he deserves some sort of punishment, but not 30 years, maybe 5 to 10 for endangerment but that is all.
And as far as African nations go, I feel sorry for them. They are kids, they do not know what they are doing, they are doing what they are told for reasons that are not just. It sounds to me like you are advocating giving 16 year olds gun to go kill in the name of a Nation, is not killing - killing?.....sounds kind of barbaric to me.
"Any society which does not insist upon respect for all life must necessarily decay."
-Albert Einstein
The real criminals are the fathers, teachers, students? That is simply amazing. What freakin planet are you from?
I don't advocate 16 year olds taking up arms and killing in the name of anything, just pointing out that in place like Sierra Lenone, Congo, Angola, etc, kids younger than 15 are expected to be soldiers, and they have little to no education. Hainstock had a good first world education, was well fed and clothed, had a house and lots of stuff to play with... and he was 15, and he knew full well what he was doing. That's the whole point. He goes to prison for life because he knowingly took a human life without provocation. Klang was not on trial for being a decent human, or a good guy, or whether or not he deserved to be shot. Hainstock was on trial for being a murderering SOB.
He is the criminal. He is the savage, life taking murderer who left nothing but misery and tears in his wake. The other kids might have harassed him, but at least they didn't freakin KILL him!
Not to mention if you look up harassment in Wisonsin law it entails a little more than calling someone else a fag in public. Eric suffered a little humiliation and he turned rabid because of it. My point is, when he gets done serving 30 years in prison he will have endured all sorts of humiliation and "harassment". So you want him walking around again... maybe kill your spouse next time he freaks out? I don't. I don't want him anywhere else but confined to a cement 6'x8' cell until the day he dies. And I only say that becuase I'm feeeling generous today. Most days I'd say just euthanize him and let's all get on with life without the fear of some brat coming into our place of business and murdering us while we work cause he's a little hormonal today.
When I saw Eric on the stand, I didn't see evil or malicious. I saw a boy that was very emotionally immature and probably somewhat intellectually immature also. I did not interpret his lack of emotion as malicious or cold hearted but rather very immature. Developmentally, kids begin life as selfish beings and learn to share, feel compassion and think of others...it’s in any child development book. Besides, in some ways Eric had to think about and look out for himself when he was growing up because he was the only one doing so. And is it any wonder he hasn't yet developed socially given his "role models" or lack thereof? There's a reason human civilization has evolved so that children live under the guidance of their parents until they're ready to live on their own and it's not just for material necesities and comforts. There's a reason kids aren't left on their own to essentially raise themselves like Eric was.
Now I am not saying he doesn’t need to be punished for what he did and I am not saying the Klangs aren’t victims because they absolutely are without a doubt. But to trace the problem and stop at Eric’s guilt is to miss the root of the problem. And the danger in that lies in the fact that it will only be a matter of time until the next kid who is abused, emotionally abandoned and left to fend for himself with no guidance does the same thing or worse (since I do not believe he had the intention of taking lives when he went to school that day). Simply locking Eric up and throwing away the key may address this particular situation (although I don’t think that he deserves that) but it certainly won’t stop the next. Despite the “message” the new principal thinks this case has sent to the youth of America, I highly doubt children at the end of their ropes who feel they have no other place to turn are all that worried about prior precedents. Put another way, I do not see this as a case of one bad apple but rather as evidence of a sick tree.
I think this case is a tragedy all around. And the worst part is that it’s a tragedy that could have been prevented if this kid hadn’t fallen through the cracks.
If you read the trial transcripts, you'll see how hainstock lied about how many times he fired the pistol, and lied about the gun "just going off" when Klang went to restrain him. No, ballistics show that the gunshot wounds Klang received were from a distance of greater than 20 feet. Meaning hainsock began firing in order to take him down before Klang ever reached him. Eye witnesses account how hainstock came in through the front doors and declared he was about to kill someone and that he was serious. What more evidence can you ask for. No clearer case of first degree, intentional homicide can be found. And then to underscore his profound sense of detachment, he eats a sandwich with his victims blood still on his hands as if the whole drama might have just been another day at the park for him. Trust me, if you "free Eric" then in ten years from now he'll be setting kittens on fire, or whatever equivilant depraved act gets him his jollies.
And why did this happen? Cause widdle Ewick got his widdle feelings hurted by the big kids, waah waah.
He's not crazy, so he goes to prison. Prisons punish, not rehabilitate. So in 30 some odd years, he'll be ten times the remorseless, cold blooded killer than he is today. Sure the prison shrinks will teach him how to act the part for the parole board and some dumbass liberal whackadoo judge will set him free. But you just call him a faggot once, and watch how the act drops and the monster comes back out.
In this world there are hundreds of sources of frustration and anger. I don't want some unfeeling, uncaring, emotionally unattached brat in a man's body to be the cause of my death because someone cut him off in line, or fired him from a job, or looked at him the wrong way.
Free Eric Hainstock? Sure, free him from this whole world with a short drop and a quick stop. No, the article ought to be entitled Fuck Eric Hainstock, fuck him up his stupid ass. Fortunately what with the prisons systems being the way they are, that is far more likely to happen than him being set free.
should think what if you was in his place. Think about it...you were getting teased, put in lockers,and the rest.I dont know him but I see where he comin from.The principal didnt do anything about it neither did the teachers.Wouldn't you wanna second chance.
FREE ERIC HAINSTOCK
He had the opportunity to apologize at sentencing, but he didn't. Doesn't sound like he has any remorse for what he did.
Eric Hainstock should spend the rest of his life behind bars because he decided that his needs superceded the needs of the people around him. His reaction to being forced to live by the same rules and standards as others was to kill a man whose duty was to attempt to make something positive out of this miscreant. STOP MAKING EXCUSES for anti-social behavior and start worrying about the victims and their families, instead of the killers and criminals who cannot function outside of a jail cell. Cage this animal!
Maybe the problem is that these kids live out in the middle of rural, useless nowhere. Or that they're a generation of selfish, joyless kids who've been bred from clueless parents?
Being a teenager is tough, but no tougher than it was 10 or 15 years ago. It's just that people are getting more moronic and incapable of dealing with adversity.
Either way, taking someone's life because you're frustrated and angry is WRONG.
Yeah Eric did wrong. So did a lot of the ones involved,starting with that walking piece of shit Shawn Hainstock. He deserved to be punished but still the sentence was excessive. Its a wonder any one could crawll out from under all that snow to even attend the trial.
I 'm gonna leave here now before I puke. I'll leave Ya'll to your inbred little world!
Yes he was provoked, but cmon, ever hear of parents, police, or heres a good one how about a lawyer and sue the bullies for all their worth. I mean seriousally if he would kill because of it, lets take that potential energy and use it on sometning constructive.
Fucking morons i swear. Go slit u wrists or play in highway traffic and get the fuck off the internet!!
(go ahead email me on this, and ill give u another piece of my mind)
So if The Youth Liberation Front is still an organization, you all should be disbanded as you are probably a bunch of snot nosed kids who think you know it all. Dumb asses!!!
I believe that you are a child or a teenager the way you write and construct sentences. Only Eric pulled the trigger. No one else made him pull the trigger. It is not anyone else's fault. It is his own fault. Too many people today fail to take personal responsibility for their actions. Rather than admit that they are the problem, they blame someone else. These people who constantly blame someone else for their lives being messed up usually end up being poor, unemployed, unhappy and/or in jail.
Like the woman who has children at that highschool, whose children are probably well adjusted, who live without the threat of physical harm at home and know to be scared of such an event...I have some questions for you and everyone who is clearly responding from the same very personal and unempathetic stance.
Do you think if someone under your watch had sexually abused your children at the age of 4 that all would be well in your children's world? And as a result of being sexually abused, they were taken from you (rather than the abuser being forced to leave). Do you think had their father, who is suppose to protect them from monsters, was in fact a monster and abused and berated your children from toddlerhood on, after you had abandoned them, and all the while, school and social workers enabling it, that your kids would be ok? Nope, not even yours.
And to the apple-cheeked teens writing about Eric as if he was "just mad" and wanted to get back at people: I look forward to reading your comments in 20 years, when you have actually lived with any responsibility whatsoever, possibly have children and have lived a little more life to understand how YOUR childhoods have affected you. Eric was forced to have more "adult" responsibilities regarding his own safety at 4 then you probably have now, in your teens. Is that your fault? No. Was it Eric's? No. It was his dad's, his mom's, his teachers, his social workers, his judges and I am sorry to say, possibly his principals too.
This child, Eric, was nearly destroyed by inaction and an underfunded social work system. If parents in our community are not doing their job (including rich alcoholic unavailable parents), then we need someone to to the job in order to protect innocent children, including Eric and including our own. And the fact is, we gotta pay for it unless we just want to sit back and complain about it until a principal gets shot. It's our choice I guess.
Eric was 15 when he shot his principal, a child still. Not in control of where he lived, or what happened to him there or anywhere. Every adult making the bad decisions regarding his safety and his general well being are responsible for the death of this principal. His absent mother, his despicable father, and the social workers and judges who helped return him to their abusive arms , the parents of his bullies who also like the work "faggot" should all be called to the stand. This is a result of short cuts, short sightedness and a general "not mine" sort of attitude on the parts of his community and they owe it to this boy to pour all of their time and resources into helping him become a balanced and well functioning human being because, as most prison happy people forget, someday, he will get out.
What I am most impressed with are the children who have the depth of understanding to "get" that Eric's experiences as a 4 year old, and the "pinball machine life" he has had has everything to do with the day he brought guns to school - and kids are able to "get it" without condoning the murder. Good job- you will make great parents instilling empathy in your children. You give me, a parent of a toddler, hope for our future.
As for Eric now, it is unfortunate that in a quest to terminate his former life as a physically and emotionally tortured child, he had to take someone else's life too. It is unfortunate that because Eric had so little value to those in his family and community, that the 15 year murdering of his childhood did not evoke any kind of effective or long lasting response until someone of great value to family and the community was murdered. Now we act effectively. Now we are listening and all is not lost. It is not too late.
In honor of Mr Klang, lets do better in finding and saving the 4 year old Eric's out there.
Readers.
This is SO surreal
This is so surreal
Someone pinch me…
I must be dreaming…
This is just one big nightmare
This must be a joke…
When is someone
Going to pop out and say
GOTCHA!!!
This is so surreal
Who could do that…
Who could push someone that far
Seeing it on the news
Seeing people cry
It must be true
This must have happened
Or how do u describe why
Im feeling this way…
Like there is no hope
This is so surreal
We used to be so close
I knew his secrets
I knew his pain
Then he was dragged away
He didn’t feel like anyone cared
And when none would help him
No one would stick up for him
So He turned to violence to stick up for himself
Since no one was there for him like I was
BACK THEN
This is so surreal
What if I would have been there
Could I have helped?
I don’t know
But now we never will
What’s done is done
There is no turning back now
But the memory will live on
Of this horrible day
written sept 29th, 2006 9:48pm by jen strubel
I personally feel that no child should be charged as an adult. Granted, the crime is just as heinous as any adult crime, he is not an adult.
From what I've read on other websites, he is doing well and has a mentor in prison. His cell mate helps him, looks after him and is helping him write letters and such. I think it's a horrible situation for anyone to be in. I myself was bullied in jr high and high school. I didn't go around proclaiming evil thoughts on anyone (like killing them) but I do know how hard it is to be in that situation, and because of that situation when there was someone being picked on, you tend to join up with the people picking on them. I've said my fair share of harsh words and I'm sure made people feel bad. It's just how it happens. CHILDREN do not know or realize how strongly their words can come across. So if a child isn't knowing, how can they be convicted like that? They know that the words coming from someone else hurts, but in retaliation, it really isn't thought about. Just my opinion.
I DO think his sentence is too harsh. I think forms of help could have been offered to him, yes he still should have been locked up, but for life? with adults?? I think that's just way too much. He needs help, he doesn't need to be hardened in prison or broken down anymore. Why are officials so blind to this?
Yes, maybe Clang (God rest his soul) should've taken more decisive action, and it's a shame he didn't do so, but did that really warrant a death sentence at Hainstock's hands? The bottom line is that a principal/husband/father was taken from his students and loved ones, who will feel that loss every day.
Oh, and if you did some research, you'd see that Hainstock's adjusted well to life in prison: he can learn and study in peace, any attempts by inmates to mess w/him are immediately dealt with, and he doesn't have to deal w/his SOB father making his life miserable. Who knows, maybe he'll even be released sometime in the future, once he's paid his debt to society and experts are convinced he can function well in the outside world. But in the meantime, he needs to serve his sentence and contemplate the error of his ways...what he did was not "sticking it to the man", it was an act of cowardice that was rightfully punished.