Watching someone get beaten to death is heart wrenching. When that someone is beaten by more than one person — say four or five — sadness just might become anger. One might wonder, “What is wrong with these people?”
Thoughts like these have to be a common reaction to the video of 16-year-old Derrion Albert being beaten to death a few weeks ago by his fellow schoolmates. Fittingly, this tragic death has left many people angrily searching to place blame.
Albert, a sophomore honor roll student at Chicago’s Christian Fenger High School, was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
On his way home from school, he was caught in the middle of a gang fight between students of rivaling housing projects. While he was not affiliated with either gang, he was the only one who died.
A recent video of the attack showed Albert being struck in the back of the head with a wooden railroad tie. The unexpected blow knocked him to the ground. As he attempted to get back on his feet, he was again struck; this time in the temple, rendering him unconscious.
The beating did not stop there. His schoolmates continued to beat and kick him — almost in amusement. When did violence become a pastime?
Rather than this question being answered, people are beginning to play the blame game. Who is responsible for the actions of these ruthless teenagers? Some parents fail to teach their kids how to take responsibility for their own actions, so are the parents to blame?
The police, the parents, the mayor of Chicago and even President Obama have been blamed for the beating. I find this absurd.
People still have not learned to take responsibility for their actions. Whoever acts is responsible for the said act.
The people responsible for this brutal death are the ones who committed it, whether they are young or old. Neither the mayor, Obama, nor the police can be blamed for Albert’s death.
Teenagers, like everyone else, should be held accountable for their actions. If a teen is capable of committing crimes, then they should be held responsible for it.
A few parents of these teenagers claim their children were not involved in the murder. All I can say to them is, “Watch the tape, please. Stop lying to yourself. Grow up so that maybe your child can grow up as well.”
Yes, it is sad for a parent to see their child tried as an adult for murder. Yes, it is sad for a parent to see their child jailed for a large portion of their life. But look at it this way: their child is “here,” in jail. Albert is not “here” at all.
Lala Thompson is a sophomore interpersonal communications major and a contributing writer to the Daily 49er.