North Oakland rabbit killings

I'm shocked that animal rights activists would campaign to bring felony charges against a thirteen-year-old child. Anyone familiar with the foster care system would understand that this kid has undoubtedly been through serious emotional trauma - abuse or neglect, removal from his family, being shuffled around among temporary homes, etc. He needs counseling and a loving home, not jail time. And no one who seriously cares about preventing cruelty would send a young boy into the hands of the California Youth Authority, recently on trial for beating and torturing its charges.
Come on, people. No one likes to see bunny rabbits harmed, but it's far more disgusting to see privileged white liberals launch a campaign to ruin the life of an emotionally disturbed North Oakland child - in the name of ending cruelty! It's this kind of narrow, bigoted thinking that gets the animal rights movement a bad name.

Children who practice Wanton Cruelty to animals often grow up to be serial killers, ( for instance Gacy and Dahlmer). Childhood cruelity to animals is a trait that is almost universal among psychopaths.<p>
I don't think anyone should go into the present juvinille or adult correctional system, but this is a <b>very</b> seriously disturbed kid.

I am a rabbit owner, and I even think this is harsh.

Asia from the RABBIT HOUSE SOCIETY, YOU HEAR WHAT THE FIRST POSTER SAID? YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!

Speaking as someone intimately familiar with the foster and group home system in California, not to mention juvenile detention facilities, I recommend you take a step back in your shock and outrage here for those who want this matter taken as seriously as possible. And people should be a little more cautious about throwing around the word "shame" when they have no direct experience with such matters. I worked for a half dozen years with SED (seriously emotionally distrubed) children and learned quite a lot from the experience.

First of all, yes, the child does need love and counseling. All children do. But the sad fact of life in California today is that budgets are being drastically cut for these types of services (people don't wanna pay too much tax on their cars or houses) and it has been that way since the Wilson administration. Things are getting worse faster now, though, with group homes closing across the state. There pretty much has to be human blood drawn to end up in juvenile hall these days (no car thieves, etc.), and you just about have to kill someone to end up in CYA. Even kids in Juvenile Hall or Byron's Boys Ranch or CYA deserve counseling, but the state is simply not rushing to lock kids up willy-nilly as that costs money taxpayers don't seem to want to spend (kids are more expensive to lock up than adults as they require at least the appearance of reform efforts).

As for if love and counseling will be enough to turn around this child's life, that's impossible to say without knowing the child and following his life for the next several years. Only time can tell there. Quite simply, and sadly, there are quite a few children children who have been so severely physically, sexually, and/or mentally abused that no amount of love or counseling can help them lead "normal" non-destructive lives. They are destined for a life in jail. (Paradoxically, the ones who may not have been molested, raped, or beaten but endured mental torture can be the cruelest to animals and are the most likely to cause deadly harm to humans.) The idea is to break the "cycle of violence" with counseling and positive and negative reinforcements, including the use of authorities. If the cycle is not broken, those who were once abused, especially boys, will become abusers themselves leading to miserable lives for themselves and those with whom they have contact until they end up dead or in jail.

Having worked with dozens and dozens of such kids in "the system" myself, I can assure you that many times law enforcement is a valuable part of their treatment and counseling. Not throwing away the key, mind you, but getting them on probation when they commit a serious offense and having the law keep a watchful eye on them as they work their program in a foster or group home, with the threat of being locked down hanging over them if they do not make steps toward personal growth. It might sound creepy and authoritarian, but until you work with these children you will never understand. I had trouble with using authorities to help shape kids' behavior at first, but after years and years of seeing what works, and as a counselor your interest is in keeping the kids and those with whom they come into contact with safe, you see that firm limits are what many of these kids need to actually get better and move past the horrors of their childhoods. Oftentimes a trip or two to juvenile hall actually turns many kids around as they have grown up in chaotic environments and never had anyone set effective limits on what is appropriate behavior. If no one is willing to set such limits now, odds greatly favor the child behavior becoming increasingly violent and escalating to serious harm against humans eventually.

As for the misdemeanor vs. felony thing, know that a felony will not "ruin" a child's life that is already in the foster care system. Certainly, this child will not be sent to Byron's Boys Ranch or CYA for this offense. Largely, all a felony means at that age is a longer period of time on probation, which from all outward appearances in this case (none of us knows the specifics of this child's life) seems quite appropriate. Wanton cruelty against living things needs to be taken seriously and this child, who probably lacks the ability to self-regulate with an internalized moral compass at this point in his life, needs to know that society will not tolerate such behavior. It is seriously doubtable that a felony in this case would mean anything more than a relatively brief stay in juvenile hall, if even that. The older youths who recently tried to explode and drown a rabbit received community service and probation for their felony convictions.

A close friend of mine who still works with troubled youth was recently struck in the head with a chair leg by a "lost" child. Fortunately, she only required stitches and was not made blind, have any bones in her skull broken, or worse. For this felony battery against a petite female, that kid (16 or 17) got six months in juvey. Quite appropriate when he very well could have killed her with such a blow (and he was attempting to strike her again when other staff and kids intervened). There is no way that his sentence, which will also include lengthy probation, will "ruin" even his life. This batterer has a chance to think about what he did and turn it around before he turns 18 and society basically cuts him off from all services. At 18, it's "sink or swim" in California and you better have learned your lessons about violence on others before then. If this child's life is ruined, it will have been from the abuse his parents and surrounding adults committed on him as a young child and choices he makes as an adult not to break with that violent familial tradition.

Finally, as for bigotry and narrow thinking, I saw no mention of race or socio-economic status of the 13 year old perpetrator, rabbit owner, DA, nor activists in the article, so you are making quite an assumption on that point. Maybe your hunch is right, maybe it's totally wrong. But definitely no one quoted in this piece called for *ruining* this child's life forever, just that the matter be taken as seriously as possible which could very likely be in the child's best long-term interest at this point.

>Certainly, this child will not be sent to Byron's Boys Ranch or CYA for this offense

That is *far* from certain, especially these days. If he does end up there, it will almost certainly ruin his life.

Imprisonment in the CYA, especially for a mentally disturbed youth, is cruel and unusual punishment. He will definitely be beaten and probably raped. If he resists rape, he will probably be subjected to gang rape. In that case, he can expect to to be infected with HIV. In that case, due to the abysmal state of health care in California’s prison system, he will almost die a slow and painful death. Even if he lives through his prison experience, he will come out of it mentally and spiritually scarred. He will be even more disturbed than he already is, and will be an anti-social plague upon society until he eventually lands back inside forever, warehoused in a living hell at the tax payers’ expense.

You have called for a child who is clearly in need of therapy, not to receive the help he desparately needs, but instead to be put at risk for rape, torture and a hideous death. And for what? For killing two rabbits!?!

Rape, torture and death for child for killing two rabbits!?! You’re sicker than he is.

Yeah, you *should* be ashamed. You’re an embarrassment to every Californian. Redeem your honor, and ours, by calling instead for adequate mental health and education care for all who need it.

What this kid in particular needs is his own pet rabbit, a baby that he can raise and bond with under adult supervision. That will teach him how to love. Prison teaches only hate.

Or maybe make him do community service by studying the feral rabbits who live across the canal from Laney. Give him a clipboard, a stop watch, binoculars and a camera and teach him how do do science. Have him write and publish regular reports on what he is learning. Give him a regular column in the Tribune to do it in. If not that, then a thread on Indymedia.

But *anything* but prison. This is a *child* fer chrissake! He needs loving care, not a virtual death sentence. Where is your compassion?

plain and simple, you speak from ignorance

"That is *far* from certain"

it is as certain as everything I know about the true state of the juvenile justice and mental health systems today. if I were rich, and a betting man, I'd easily put everything I own on it (and I'd win the bet)

"especially these days"???

I just told a story about a kid cracking a staff on the head with a chair leg and not going to Byron's or CYA. that was two months ago. you think a rabbit killer is going to Byron's? you make me laugh

especially these days, with the guvernator in charge, kids are getting the rawest deal ever. it's been getting worse for a decade in this state, but services offered to children are rapidly declining. group homes are closing fast. there are virtually no long-term hospitals to care for disturbed children. they're not going to lock-downs either. increasing numbers of kids are on their own, more or less.

not sure who you're talking to, or think you are, but I did not call for this child to receive not treatment. (and it doesn't say that in the article or any comments here, either.) I specifically noted that even kids in CYA deserve counseling and I always advocate for more funds and care for troubled children (healthy ones as well). but it is the troubled ones people tend to forget about the most. and the workers who dare to try to help these children are rewarded with near poverty wages despite being required to have college educations

you're bunny observation therapy is cute, but it clearly shows you have no idea about the treatment of SED children. and a column in the Trib?? maybe you plan to volunteer your time to help this kid's journalism skills? I doubt it

how many years have you worked with SED children, btw? how many of your current friends work in the system treating them and how in depth are your conversations with them about what's *really* going on in children's mental health treatment these days? your positions seem awfully detached on this, strangely disconnected from reality and self-righteous at the same time

you should be ashamed for spouting an opinion so vociferously and namecalling on a subject with which you are obviously very ignorant. sadly and unfortunately ignorant, for the children and for yourself.

as someone who has worked for years with emotionally disturbed youth in the system it appalls me how narrow and misguided this campaign is. It is hard enough for children in foster care to get the services they need even when they are doing well. with a felony charge on this kids record he will probably be shuffled around even more than is usual in the foster care system.therefore he will have even less support and stability which is obviously needed for a child who is acting out in this way. I have seen many "labeled" kids shuffled around to more than 20 foster homes by the time they are 18 who have never had the chance to stay in one place long enough to get the "theraputic" services people think he will "automatically" get being part of the foster care system. I think the activists in this case should start campaigning for foster care reform becuase it would have a much more positive impact than locking this kid up. in my experience i would guess he will more than likely not even get thrown in cya for very long. but if he does the focus will not be on rehabilitation it will be on punsihment. I agree that he needs to take responsibility for his actions but not through the juvinile justice system. Also in respose to the other persons comment it is actually It is quite common for abused, sexually abused and neglected children to be violent to animals but it does not mean they will grow up to be serial killers! the focus should be on what we can do for this kid to help him not what we can do to him!