Investigators work to identify redheaded students’ assailants in Calabasas

L.A. County sheriff's investigators are meeting with officials at a Calabasas middle school today to try to identify the students who injured at least three classmates after a Facebook message urged them to attack redheads.

The victims suffered minor injuries Friday when they were kicked and hit by a dozen classmates at A.E. Wright Middle School in assaults that may have been inspired by an episode of the television show "South Park," according to investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Detectives believe the attacks may have been motivated by a Facebook message telling them Friday was "Kick a Ginger Day." A 2005 episode of the animated comedy "South Park" focused on prejudice against "gingers," a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin.

"We know the why, we know the how, we just need to find out who is involved," said Lt. John Benedict of the Sheriff's Department's Lost Hills Station.

Officials are investigating the incidents as possible assaults with a deadly weapon but do not consider the attacks to be hate crimes. No arrests have been made.

--Tony Barboza

Comments

[Deanna]

Why is it not a hate crime? They were beat because of their skin color and hair color, it should be a hate crime. If they had a different skin color it would be considered a hate crime.

[LV]

Secret sources have told me that the ringleader is white, 9-11 years old, exceptionally heavyset for his age, with wide eyes, wearing winter wear with a beanie. And he also eats a lot of cheese flavored crackers

[sandee]

How is this not a hate crime????

[Seth Lutter]

I do believe that if a group of people target another group based on their ethnicity, religion, or skin color that is considered a 'hate crime'. So, is it not a hate crime to assuredly and meticulously attack someone based on the color of their hair? If the kids beat on a Mexican child merely on the fact that he was Mexican, that would cause stirs. How about a black kid? Indian? White? Why is beating a specific group more costly and news-worthy rather than beating another? If it's a targeted and planned attack on a specific individual, than that is considered a hate crime, no way around it.

[Bec]

I am a "ginger" and this infuriates me!!! This Most definetely IS a hate crime........

[ADW]

The "South Park" program is a totally obnoxious program in my opinion, it surely contributes to the bad behaviors of kids who watch the show and think it is "cool". Watching bad behavior can result in acting out bad behavior....the parents should be more aware of what their kids are watching. Parental controls ar available through most cable carriers.....

[logan]

it's a hate crime if it were a black student or a latino, or an asian student. white students and whites in general, are not allowed to use the 'hate crime' law. it's funny because if you kept track of crimes against whites because of their skin or hair color, it would far outnumber the other 'hate crimes' combined.

[Karen]

It's sad, but my 5th grade son had SELECTED this middle school to go to. We were going to work on how to get him there from Ventura County. However, once he heard about this he said he was unwilling to go to school with people who would be so willing to harm others. What has the school's response been?

[CRYS]

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.......DAMN KIDS THINK CRAP LIKE THIS IS FUNNY! WEAR ARE THE ADULTS WHILE THIS GOES ON? "OH MY KID WOULD NEVER BE INVOLVED IN THINGS LIKE THAT" I BET THATS WHAT THEY SAY WHEN COMFRONTED. ABSOLUTE CRAP I TELL YOU. IF HALF OF THESE ADULTS DIDN'T DEPEND ON TV AS A BABY SITTER THEY WOULD KNOW BETTER, WHY BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY TEACH THEM MORALLS AND SPEND TIME WITH THEM.
i'M TELLING YOU TAKE THE TV, TAKE THE VIDEO GAMES, TAKE THE DARN CELL PHONES, TAKE THEM ALL AWAY. tELL THEM TO GO READ A BOOK!

[Ellen Vincent]

There are not enough redheads in the world for anybody to care if we get beat up.

[George]

Hate crime, really? I don't know if all inflicted injuries are crimes. Kids target other kids and do harm to them all the time. Should they all have a criminal record? No!

Should these kids be charged with crimes? I don't think so.

I do think the severity matters, but without knowing any more than this story has to offer, I would say not a crime, just stupid kids.

[Sonya]

These kids didn't get beat up because they were White, because they were Jews or because they were handicapped, or gay.

They were victimized for having freckles & red hair-- that's why it's not a hate crime.

It's definitely assault though. Those kids should know that South Park isn't really cool anymore either.

[mary]

I pray that the remaining students and faculty of A.E.Wright unite in solidarity for the kids victimized and show up to school with their hair dyed red.

Okay, the students won't do it because the parents will get fussy BUT the teachers and staff should consider it.

[Ms Espinoza]

how sad, these are just children beating children, what awaits them when they grow up

[Ms Espinoza]

how sad, children beating children, what awaits them in the future

[Jennifer Scott]

This is definitely a hate crime

[lisa johnson]

I find it absoulutely insane that as parents or adult models we should make excuses for these kids. It was not the show they watched or the thing they read it was their choice!!!! Continuning to allow people to blame others for their actions will never make things better. I have six children I would not accept that and I would expect them to be punished to the full extent of the law. they are responsible for their actions.

[Peg]

How is that not a hate crime? Seriously??

[Peg]

South Park is clearly way above the intellectual capacity of these middle-schoolers, and some of the people commenting here. South Park was referencing a real phenomenon, discrimination against "gingers" in the UK. Why is it OK to pick on someone who is redheaded and freckled but not gays, blacks, Jews, the handicapped, etc.? This is just so ridiculous that South Park will likely do an episode making fun of it, and that episode will likely go over your heads as well.

South Park does not "contribute" to the bad behaviors of kids; it MIRRORS them, with biting sarcasm. It's not a kid show, people.

[Zach]

Sonya is right, there's a big difference between being beaten up for your ethnicity and being beaten up for your hair color (etc.), though both are terrible things for which there should be consequences.

As for the race-baiters here, give it up, appearance is not race or ethnicity and every case that involves these things is not a hate crime. It's also a lie to say "white students and whites in general, are not allowed to use the 'hate crime' law," because the wording of the law in no way excludes us.

[Timothy]

OMG, kids are beating up other kids just for being different? What has the world come to!

Seriously, the massive overreaction to this incident is worthy of another South Park episode. I wouldn't be surprised if Trey and Matt are already sketching out the script for Gingervitis II.

[Jake]

it isn't a hate crime...it is only considered a hate crime if it is a crime committed against someone based on hatred of their sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion. look it up if you don't believe me.

[Patrick]

First off Peg has got it right.
Also, you can not blame a show, TV, video games, or music for the choices people (or children make). Unless you freely want to admit that you are letting these things raise your child unguided?
As for this being a hate crime, yes it is, as a group was singled out and attacked. I find it odd that the school did not stop the attacks; clearly they should have seen a trend unless you want to tell me that the students moved with such stealth and guile that the school missed it. In all I do think it is the parents that need to be charged, as it is they who failed to properly instruct their children.

[Butters]

This is definitely NOT a hate crime! If you hated South Park, you wouldn't even know what this story was about!

[Next dor to AEWright]

Seriously, this is about some stupid trouble-making kids who goaded each other after the hilarious SATIRE of South Park's anti bigoted/racist episode that used redheads to drive home that point, and these dumba**es took it literally, which tells me a) the LVUSD isn't doing a good job at fostering critical thinking and b) there's some really stupid kids going to AE Wright.
All the rest of you hand-wringers crying "hate crimes" are ruining this once great country where kids learned how to weather jerks, bullies and morons and learn SURVIVAL skills like standing up for yourself and fighting back when warranted.
Too much parenting, too many excuses and too much government combined with WAY too much TV, computers, handheld devices and excuse making. FAT AND STUPID coddled kids are the result. Let kids be kids for crissakes.