There are conflicting stories about who and what instigated the dispute that led to this prearranged fight so perhaps it’s best for the generally uninformed, myself included, to let the actual facts emerge before embracing or making accusations that may be false or even libelous.. This is after all the age of hasty reporting that sometimes lays out a storyline that is later change after proper investigation. As far as students attending and videoing, many seem shocked and disappointed by that circus like happening. Unfortunately this is the environment that our kids grow up in where social media is extensively used and sensationalized., a generation where UFC and Kardashian type entertainment reigns . Thankfully, some students appear to have interceded after the injured boy collapsed after a second punch landed .Here ‘s the reality : Fights, raging parties and hard drugs happen here in Ridgewood, most times they don’t lead to bad injuries, outcomes. or overdoses. When they do, there is a knee jerk reaction with much condemnation and efforts to place blame. .The only certainty right now is that we all should be praying for the injured boy to fully recover.
Waiting for the “facts to emerge” sounds like the correct approach, but we’ve seen over and over how the passage of time allows the “facts” to get distorted and manipulated by powerful interests who have a vested interest in shaping these facts to fit their positions.
This story prompted by the family is so bogus it’s laugable.
The facts are definitely needed, but no matter what the final “fact” is, no-one should be beaten that badly. There are many other ways for students to show their dissatisfaction with another student besides trying to beat him/her to death. Regardless of “the facts’ the beater should not receive absolution for the crime he/they committed.
I would question if that has already occurred given the narrative that was quickly established and picked up by the various medias. I also question if there are any shining knights here and believe that many have quickly rushed to judgement based on the ugly outcome that could have easily been reversed without knowing what led to this. I also perceive some undertones in a few comments elsewhere which perturbs. I do trust that the authorities will uncover the facts because this was not a spontaneous incident and then hope that there will be public disclosure though that divulgement may be more likely to occur in the courts.
If the younger boy is guilty of what he has been accused of doing, he was in the wrong. That’s “IF”. However, the punishment was not appropriate. You don’t try to badly injure someone no matter what they did. He would definitely have deserved punishment, if true, but we have laws for that. However, most, or at least many, angry kids do feel they have the right to take the punishment in their own hands as they fear the law will not punish to their satisfaction.
The injured boy could also have refused the second fight. Sometimes it’s better to be perceived as a coward than to lose an eye or other severe injuries.
Or was it the boy who lost the first fight who demanded the “rematch”? It’s usually the prerogative of the person who won the first fight to agree to a second fight or turn it down as a waste of time. A lot of “egging on” on social media could quickly push the decision needle toward “yes” as it begins to look like a matter of pride, particularly in the eyes of an inexperienced young person.