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Loading ...Larry King’s family blames school for murder
08.15.2008 11:11am EDT
(Oxnard, California) The parents of 15-year-old Larry King say he would never have been killed if the school had enforced the dress code. King was fatally shot in February by another student in an Oxnard school.
The King family is suing the Oxnard school district claiming its failure to enforce the dress code led to King’s death. King reportedly wore feminine clothing and makeup to school.The suit seeks unspecified damages.
In a notice of claim, Dawn and Gregory King allege that administrators and staff at the school knew their son had “unique vulnerabilities” and was subject to abuse because of his sexuality.
The school district has not commented on the suit.
Last week, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney pleaded not guilty to killing King. McInerney is charged as an adult with first degree murder and a hate crime for the Feb. 12 shooting.
McInerney faces 51 years to life without the possibility of parole if convicted.
King was shot in the head during a morning class. More than 20 other students were in the room at the time. McInerney was arrested shortly after the shooting.
King died in the hospital after his mother agreed to have life-support removed.
McInerney’s attorney also has suggested that some of the blame for the murder must rest with the school. He told the Los Angeles Times earlier this year that while the school allowed King to explore his sexuality, it did nothing to quell the unrest among other students.
“Brandon is not some crazed lunatic,” Quest told The Times. “This was a confluence of tragic events that could have been stopped. If there is partial blame in other places, let’s not throw away Brandon for the rest of his life.”
King was honored earlier this year at schools across the country as part of the National Day of Silence.
I could see holding the school responsible for not intervening in a hostile situation and talking to the boys (on both sides) about harassment and such. But to blame the school because they let a kid express himself? That’s almost as bad as saying that King himself is to blame for dressing the way he did. Ridiculous.
This is an odd circumstance. While I can certainly appreciate the family’s pain and fury - there are other issues at play here. For instance, if a child wants freedom of “gender or identity” expression and yet another child’s parents sue that same school for allowing it to occur - who has the stronger argument? Did Larry King’s parents not know how he was acting in school? Is it the school’s responsibility, the parents or a combination of both? Ultimately, we are talking about MURDER and the person who is ultimately responsible for this MURDER is the MURDERER. A pre-meditated murder at that. McInerney is the guilty party here - 14 years old is not 7 years old. He is responsible, he should be punished. It sounds more like King’s parents are looking to place blame - which is understandable on some level and there’s probably a good case to be made for spreading it around - but ULTIMATELY - the murderer is responsible for the murder.
If the parents want to blame the school then the question must be asked: did they not allow their son to go to school dressed in “feminine attire” and makeup. If the school is to blame for this child’s death in that regard, then so are the parents and ultimately, so is the victim. What would the parents have the school do? Send the boy home and tell him to “dress like a man” in case someone shoots him in the head? Absolutely ridiculous! Schools apparently can’t win either way. You’d hope at least, that the parents of the victim would honor him by recognizing a school for allowing him to be who he was.
Both jibii and Chris have valid points. The Fact’s remain: Brandon shot King. Sounds like the Lawyers are trying to muddy the water by trying to lay Blame and there or blind or at best confuse the Judicaial process’s.
Why in this day and age were ther no Metal Detectos at the school ? Where are the Responsibilitys of the parents in disicipline and Control? Here now you will have now a Reversal of “Feedom of Expression” because of this tragedy. I can see in the past it was more than likely argued in Kings favor for him to “Epress Himself.” Now lets see what happens, you can not have it both ways. FOCUS ON THE FACTS. MURDER, PREMEDITATION ?, HATE CRIME ?. (Playing Devils Advocate here) Did Brandons sexuality feel threatned because of latent homosexual feelings that frightned him into acting out? is Brandon scared of some inner demon or is / was he considered an “Alpha Male” in school? These should be asked in a Seperate portion called Sentencing after the Trial. Loss of Any Life is a Tragedy!
“”If the parents want to blame the school then the question must be asked: did they not allow their son to go to school dressed in “feminine attire” and makeup.”
No because he was in a group home and not living with his family.
The parents of Larry King should be ashamed of themselves for trying to get money from the death of their child that they couldn’t be bothered with while he was alive. The father has made statements the Larry was not gay, but just confused or flamboyant (what straight male is flamboyant?). It’s apparent by Mr. King’s attitude toward the fact that Larry himself claimed to be gay that he is homophobic. And, that’s what this lawsuit is about – Mr. King wanting to prove that the school allowed his child to appear to be gay, when he wasn’t really. Larry King was living at Casa Pacifica because he was abused and/or neglected by his parents. Where was their guidance throughout their son’s life? They never visited him while he lived at Casa Pacifica, so their neglect continued until the day he died. Isn’t it always the way abusive and neglectful parents behave? Blame it on someone else – blame it on the system – it’s the schools fault today, it’ll be Casa Pacifica’s fault tomorrow. They can sue, but in the end they are 100% responsible for putting their child in the position he was in.
In the end the only person who is at fault for the death of Larry King is Brandon McInerey. He thought about it, planned it, brought a gun to school and lay in wait to shoot Larry, not once, but twice. Where did Brandon learn that the way to settle an argument was to do so at the other end of a barrel? From his father, of course. His father pulled a gun on his mother right in front of him. Like father, like son.
So, the way I see it, the parents of both these boys failed them. Not the system, not the government, not the school - the parents. Somebody ought to sue them.
Blaming the school because they did not enforce the school dress code is far inferior to me. What was a student doing with a gun in the school and what type of security does this school have? If King was killed during a class with other students present, then the school is at fault for gun possession.
Here here Michele!!!! Well-Said. I am in complete agreement with your views on the matter. Both families should be ashamed and NOT looking to cash in on the tragedies of either child.
How about the parents enforcing a dress code. After all, they dressed him for school.
Michele in California: My thoughts exactly.
Regardless of how one regards a boy cross-dressing and going to school in girl’s clothes and makeup (I am an old man who is more used to cross-dressing being on some stage for entertainment where the performer does his drag queen routine and then leaves the costume and make up behind before going home)and not used to the idea of a boy going to school where he could be bashed and bullied for cross-dressing. But regardless…most sane people would agree that schools should be held answerable to the safety of all their students all the time. Someone should be on staff at all times that anyone can go to either if they are bullied or if cross-dressing, gay, lesbisn, bisexual, trans issues and identities are not well understood, such things can be explained to those struggling to make sense of things like these that they have difficulty getting used to and run against everything they’ve been brought up with like boys born biologically male normally dress in traditionally male shirts, belts, trousers and shoes and not in dresses and makeup.
How assinine. This sadly laughable suit should never even be allowed to make it to court.
I was a feminine male also,but I kept the clothes and makeup for after school.I knew I would of been beaten or worse if I had flaunted myself too much.I was also alot more shy than larry.Still noone had the right to take his life,that to me is a hate crime.
This has been posted by others, but, to reiterate: LARRY DID NOT LIVE WITH HIS PARENTS. HE WAS REMOVED FROM THE HOME BY DCFS, DUE TO CHILD ABUSE.
Unfortunately, Lsrry’s parents are coming across like money grubbing idiots being manipulatyed by a savvy ambulance chasing attorney. I could understand if Larry’s parents complained that his school did not allow their son to cross-dress or to appropriately deal with students who may have hasassed him as a result of his crossdressing. But Larry’s parents complaining about the school taking a progressive and enlightened attitude about their son’s crossdressing is, at best, pathetic.