Beating of white teen becomes 'community issue' in Rifle

[ALIPAC]

Why do I not see Hate Crime in this story?

By Ellen Miller, Special to the News
March 8, 2007
The beating of a white 14-year- old Rifle High School girl, allegedly by several female Hispanic students, is the latest indication of rising ethnic tensions in this fast-changing community, school officials said Wednesday.
The friction in this working- class town, which is becoming increasingly Hispanic, has drawn interest from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and Garfield County School District Re-2 has asked for help from the Colorado Mediation Coalition, Superintendent Gary Pack said.

"It's a community issue," Pack said. "Rifle is changing from predominantly Anglo to predominantly Hispanic. Whether it's bullying or ethnic harassment is what we're looking at.' "

He said one of the alleged attackers has been suspended pending an expulsion hearing and others could be disciplined, depending on the results of the school's investigation.

Rifle police said a summons for assault was issued to a juvenile, but they declined to discuss the case further because juveniles are involved.

The girl who was attacked suffered multiple injuries, including a broken nose, two black eyes, separation between two of her vertebrae, a bruised collarbone and scratches over her face in the Feb. 23 incident, said her father, John Kuersten. He said his daughter is recovering after surgery but will not return to the school.

"My daughter was attacked by a big girl and several other girls. She wasn't fighting," he said. "We are outraged."

Rifle Mayor Keith Lambert said he had received a call from the U.S. Department of Justice, inquiring about the incident.


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/l ... %2C00.html

[jecg_97030]

Absolutely disgusting, this is wrong on so many levels.

If you haven't been to Rifle, it's a place that should be immune to this kind of stuff. It's a small town that is full of hard working people that have been there for generations. I hate the pandering nature of the article, no mention of the fact that the city is being invaded by criminals. No mention of the fact that if it were white girls attacking latinos, it would be a hate crime.

The friction in this working- class town, which is becoming increasingly Hispanic (overtaken by illegal criminals with no regard for law or decency)

(MOD EDIT)

Please, somebody post Ellen Miller's email address or phone number. She needs to get an earful.

Our government is disgraceful!

I want to cry, scream, puke and hug this poor little girl and her family. This is a tragedy, this poor, poor girl!

[MountainDog]

Rifle Co. is a small town and I don't think thoses boys out there are going to take kindly to this.

[dragons5]

Seperated her Vertabrae? she is lucky she isn't paralized.

[MountainDog]

What I would like to know is who is this idiot Gary Pack? And what does he mean by they don't know if it's a bullying or ethnic harassment, this girl was beat severly and is underoing surgery just what the hell does he think is going on????? A crime took place and a person is injured and he wants to call it ethnic harassment?
What a moron he is!
Where do people like this come from?

[Jean]

Rifle school responds to violence

By MIKE McKIBBIN The Daily Sentinel

Thursday, March 08, 2007

RIFLE — The alleged attack on a 14-year-old Rifle High School female student by another, older female student last month was one of several incidents parents described to school board members Tuesday night.

Rifle High School Principal Todd Ellis said Wednesday he hopes facts eventually will surface to show the details of some of those incidents were untrue. He also said steps were taken Wednesday morning to address student safety.

The alleged Feb. 23 attack is under investigation by police, and the suspected assailant was issued a summons for assault, according to police records.

Also under investigation are a claim by a female student that another student shoved her on Feb. 20 and a verbal altercation overheard by the school resource officer on Feb. 21.

School bus tires were reported punctured, and wallet and purse thefts were reported at the school before and after those incidents, according to police records.

Ellis said he couldn’t respond directly to allegations aired at the meeting because of ongoing investigations and student privacy issues.

“Some of the things that were said were untrue, and I don’t mean to say they were necessarily said untrue on purpose,” he said. “There are some things that I hope will come out that will help clear some things up.”

Ellis and other principals in School District Re-2 met Wednesday morning to “set things in motion” regarding student safety and report back to the school board, he said.

“We have already stepped up our observations and made sure the no-tolerance policies are enforced,” Ellis said.

More teachers were posted in the hallways or common areas in passing periods, he said.

According to those who spoke Tuesday night, the alleged assailant was allowed to board a school bus after the Feb. 23 incident and allegedly tried to harm another girl until Cory Murr, another Rifle High School student, intervened.

“Common sense said that ain’t right,” Murr told the board. “The school should have pulled her out right away instead of let her ride the bus and cause more problems.”

Murr was then apparently the target of a group of up to 15 boys who met the bus at Roy Moore Elementary School in Silt. The bus driver, Brenda Jones, said she called police, and the group left.

Ellis said recent incidents alluded to as racially involved were similar to others he was aware of over his 19 years with the district.

“I don’t recall any of them turned out to be anything more than isolated incidents” and not gang-related, he said. “We will take steps to prevent things like this from happening again.”

Some parents said their daughters had told them they had felt sexually harassed when they walked down a narrow hallway referred to as “The Border.” It is apparently where one group of students congregates and verbally and physically harasses female students that walk by, according to the attack victim’s father, John Kuersten.

Students were reminded recently of the school’s sexual harassment policy, Ellis said.

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/ ... lence.html

[Jean]

Summons issued in attack on Rifle girl, 14
By Ellen Miller, Special to the News
March 7, 2007

A Rifle High School student has been issued a summons in the Feb. 23 attack on a 14-year-old girl, and several other students are under investigation in the incident.

Rifle Police Lt. J.R. Boulton said today the juvenile summons for assault has been served on a female student. He said he couldn't provide more details because it is a case involving juveniles.

The injured girl's father, John Kuersten, said this morning said school officials didn't call him or his wife until nearly two hours after his daughter was jumped by several students and beaten severely, and he blames a ``gang mentality'' that has gone unchecked at the school.

``She's absolutely not going back to Rifle High School,'' he said. ``She's doing well, but she'll have some scarring.''

He said his daughter's injuries included a broken nose, two black eyes, scratches over her face, whiplash, separation between two of her vertebra and a bruised collarbone.

``We had to take her to the emergency room and file a police report ourselves,'' he said. ``The school didn't do anything.''

A call to the school principal was not immediately returned.

Kuersten and his wife, Alice, told a crowded school board meeting last night that violence is a big problem in the high school, but he said the district ``downplays every incident. The teachers are afraid for their jobs and everybody's trying to keep it quiet.''

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/l ... 49,00.html

[MountainDog]

Alleged attack??? There is a girl in the hospital and this fool is calling it an alleged attack. What does he think happened to her?
How far do these people think they can go with their BS PC crap?
I've been to Rifle and I don't think we have heard the end of this story.

[Jean]

I noticed that too MD how often they kept using the word "alleged."

Amazing how pc the media is isn't it?

[WhatMattersMost]

Alleged attack??? There is a girl in the hospital and this fool is calling it an alleged attack. What does he think happened to her?
How far do these people think they can go with their BS PC crap?
I've been to Rifle and I don't think we have heard the end of this story.

It's just a matter of time before Americans get totally fed up with this entire situation everywhere. This issue is a ticking time bomb.