Man goes to Jail for mocking handicapped girl

[Zeta333]

I think its the fact he repeatedly did it, at least that's what I gather from the words the mom used...making it a mild case of harassment.

omg someones feeling got hurt call the police, people to need grow a pair and suck it up. Bunch of cry babys in the world we live in.

[Laize]

I disagree, freedom of speech does not give you the right to persecute and infringe upon the rights of others. He is welcome to mock the disabled, but it's not acceptable to do so in public. That girl has the right to live in society without fear of being mocked and ostracised. It falls under disorderly conduct and the guy got a judge who clearly felt a sentence was needed, good for him I say.

He's not persecuting anyone nor is he infringing on their rights.

It's not the government's place to determine what you are and aren't allowed to say as long as it doesn't materially harm someone else.

[Auloria]

I'm all for Freedom of Speech. Unless I disagree with it.

[Annihil8or]

29 days is nothing. He should have gotten years.

[Zeta333]

29 days is nothing. He should have gotten years.

why? becuase he made fun of someone? If we start doing that might have to start watching over your shoulder for big brother becuase thats the path that we will be heading down.

[Elmillia]

The first amendment protects against censorship from the government. It is not a license for verbal assault, or public disruption.

What is the difference between hurling insults at someone, or swinging your fists? There is no difference, They are both assault. BUT aiming insults at a 10 year old crippled girl is just low. She already feels bad about who she is. I would. SHe doesnt need to be reminded that shes not "normal".

[Zeta333]

The first amendment protects against censorship from the government. It is not a license for verbal assault, or public disruption.

What is the difference between hurling insults at someone, or swinging your fists? There is no difference, They are both assault. BUT aiming insults at a 10 year old crippled girl is just low. She already feels bad about who she is. I would. SHe doesnt need to be reminded that shes not "normal".

There is a huge difference. Getting made fun of is part of growing up, if you cry to the police everytime someone does it then the world is going to be fully of crybaby ass people. Learn to grow thick skin, yeh it sucks he made fun of her but who gives a shit, shes only effected becuase she allows herself mentally to be. I know kids who get constantly made fun or or were made fun of and they just blocked it out. And who said she feels bad about who she is? Seems your the one insulting her there. Grow a pair and stop acting like a bunch of children, Thickskin will get you places crying about it wont.

[Letmesleep]

I feel like people are being way too emotional about this. They see the truly abhorrent behavior of the father and want vengeance. While I think this guy is a piece of human wreckage, jail time is insane. I support free speech not because I think all speech is valid (I'm sorry, mocking a handicapped child is not a valid use of free speech), but because protecting all speech allows us to live life like the imperfect human beings we are. It protects us from looking over our shoulder after everything we say.

I'm pretty sure most of us who use this forum have insulted one another at some point. What if we could be jailed for the things we said? Where do we draw the line? Are we going to start having people suing their neighbors left and right because someone insulted someone else? If adults have an issue, you talk it out. If that doesn't work, you write the person off and move on with your life. In this case, the adults should have come to a reasonable solution that didn't involve the law. Believe it or not, approaching conflict from a place a calmness diffuses anger. If the child's parents couldn't convince the father to stop insulting their child, then they could have taken it up with the school board. Don't get me wrong, a man who mocks a handicapped child is an absolute bastard, but jailing him sets a very dangerous precedent for everyone.

[Raphtheone]

I wouldn't say what the man did was illegal, but I do agree with the sentence. With Freedom of Speech comes an obligation, you have to wield it with responsibility. Imagine if everyone acted the way the man did, it would make more sense to remove that freedom than to keep it. That sentence was made to protect the Freedom of Speech, not to protect the man practicing it.

[Deleted]

And then everyone felt entitled to judge who was right or wrong without knowing the full story!

Yes, bullying in any form is wrong but just because you have a video of some guy limping, doesn't immediately make him jerk of the year. Someone who would go to court over talking with the man and settling it like an adult sounds like a Grade A Idiot, I could completely see this childs parent being one of those self-righteous holier-then-thou blowhards that are impossible to be around, and one piece of lip back and they go mad. Of coarse the man could of also been this type of person and deserved what he got, it doesn't make it your problem to decide if jail time was required or not.

You have to look at this subjectively, an arrest record can do terrible things to your life. You can lose your job, it can cause trouble at home, many many bad things. Can you imagine if this happened to you based on a spur of the moment decision? I'm sure at some point in your life you've met one of "those" parents, the ones who let there kids run wild and with scold anyone that disagrees. What if on a particularly bad day you run into someone like that, and their kid is hopping all over you, you ask them to stop but they don't. And their parent just ignores them and you completely. The kid starts pulling your hair and you grab their hand to stop them. Parent flips around, snaps a picture of you grabbing their kid and then what, go to jail for assault? I know that it is completely different then what is going on here, and that either way the guy is in the wrong in some form. But jail time? Really?

You can't just "make examples" of people when you feel like it, that is not how the law works. If you got a speed ticket and went into court to fight it, and they revoked your license "to make an example of you", would that be fair? "Well thats completely different", well is it? Going to jail does a lot more then waste X days of you're life, you lose a lot of opportunities just because its sitting there on your record even when you're out and "reformed".

I just dont understand how you can start to somewhat defend the person. "it can destroy someones life" yeah it can but why be an asshole at all? Its not that hard to be a normal person. And you said it might be a spur of the moment. I highly doubt that as they get it on film so they probably bully her a lot.

Im not sure you could speak normaly with a 40+ year old that harras a 10 year old. Its his own damn fault he gets it coming. Dont start the buhu he will lose his job. THEN DONT FUCKING BE AN ASSHOLE. Ppl really think because of 1 judge the whole country will start to do the same? And as you said u probably dont know the whole story behind the man either how he have been in the past.

This was most likely the only way a grown man would understand you dont harras a fucking kid, though he probably dont get it anyway.

[Arkuri]

By all moral standing, I say he deserves it, and possibly even more.

But a legal standing... Wtf? Really? Would love to see this court battle in action.

[Deleted]

Deserved. Maybe the next guy will think twice about doing it. Is it really worth upsetting someone for a cheap gag? Nope.

Maybe other people will think twice.

Freedom of Speech isn't meant to be abused to say things along the lines of "nigger fag", but rather so that you may claim that you do not believe in Santa.

[Elmillia]

There is a huge difference. Getting made fun of is part of growing up, if you cry to the police everytime someone does it then the world is going to be fully of crybaby ass people. Learn to grow thick skin, yeh it sucks he made fun of her but who gives a shit, shes only effected becuase she allows herself mentally to be. I know kids who get constantly made fun or or were made fun of and they just blocked it out. And who said she feels bad about who she is? Seems your the one insulting her there. Grow a pair and stop acting like a bunch of children, Thickskin will get you places crying about it wont.

That girl deserves respect. Everyone does. This asshole is mocking her and deserves a jail sentence.

Telling someone to "Grow a pair" or "toughing up" is immature and selffish. Plain and simple.

Bullying is something we need to crack down on. It gets you detention or suspentions at school. It needs to get you jail time in the real world. If bullying leads to suicide, it needs to be treated as murder. Life in prison.

I'm sorry if this sounds a little harsh, but people need to realize they don't have the right to say whatever they want. They don't have the right to treat people like shit.

The law freedom of speech protects the media from censorship by the government. The concept freedom of speech protects your opinions and your right to express those opinions. It does not protect your right to bully someone. It's about time we all take a stand against bullying. At school, online, in the real world, in the workplace. It needs to be dealt with. It's a crime. Verbal assault. And needs to be dealt with as a crime.

[semaphore]

But a legal standing... Wtf? Really? Would love to see this court battle in action.

He already pleaded no contest.

[someotherguy]

By all moral standing, I say he deserves it, and possibly even more.

But a legal standing... Wtf? Really? Would love to see this court battle in action.

seems that he threatened to choke her with a chain, and got sentenced for it. Not for bullying.

[caractacus]

seems that he threatened to choke her with a chain, and got sentenced for it. Not for bullying.

Yes, this thread is getting lost again. He got a fine for the mocking behaviour or what they called a "minor misdemeanor" and he got jailed for threatening to choke the mother with a chain.

[smelltheglove]

Yes, this thread is getting lost again. He got a fine for the mocking behaviour or what they called a "minor misdemeanor" and he got jailed for threatening to choke the mother with a chain.

i blame the travesty of an article posted in OP. the worst kind of "journalism"

[Ethes]

So much for everybody is equal as I'm sure this wouldn't have happened if she wasn't disabled. Sure, this guy is an asshole beyond belief for doing what he did. But this man didn't violate any laws and if this girl wants to be looked at like any other kid, she should take it like any other kid. Sucks, but life is hard!

[Ashnazg]

That girl deserves respect. Everyone does. This asshole is mocking her and deserves a jail sentence.

Bullying is something we need to crack down on. It gets you detention or suspentions at school. It needs to get you jail time in the real world. If bullying leads to suicide, it needs to be treated as murder. Life in prison.

Nobody deserves respect unless they earn it. Respect is not something you get by the virtue of being born.

Bullying can be a problem in school, I won't deny it, but once you go into the adult world - if you can't handle interactions with other humans and you opt to check out of life - good riddance. The world would benefit from less crybabies.

To even suggest that someone's suicide should be another person's murder charge is lunacy of such degree that I am reluctant to treat it as anything other than a troll attempt on your part.

[Shadee]

Is it just me or does anyone else think what the guy did was pretty funny?