Mass. high school girls fight on tape, dozens suspended, charges loom

By: Barry Leibowitz
Topics: Daily Blotter

Image from video of two girls at Massachusetts' Lynn English High School fighting, faces blurred

(Credit: CBS Boston)

(CBS) LYNN, Mass. - Twenty-nine students at Lynn English High School north of Boston have been suspended in the wake of online videos showing two girls fighting.

Dozens of students stood by cheering the girls on while they recorded the brawl with cell phone cameras. Criminal charges could be coming for the students who brawled, CBS Boston reports.

The video clips, which were eventually taken down from several websites, showed a savage fight between two young women at a playground.

Investigators later identified 27 spectators and the two girls in the brawl, which led to the suspensions. Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy's chief of staff told CBS Boston that the suspensions are of varying length.

The fighters' punishment was expected to be longer than those of the spectators.

CBS Boston says criminal charges are likely for the two combatants.

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by JustThink123 February 29, 2012 9:59 PM EST: I'll oblige you, caljack--this is absurd. "In my day," the two fighters would have been suspended for three days and the rest shooed off.

Tongue-cluckers remind me of William Golding's Lord of the Flies--people fight, ya know? We've got troops around the globe at the moment and lost 42 soldiers this year in Afghanistan. http://icasualties.org/oef/ But we get upset about a schoolyard fight. Good grief.; Reply to this comment


by Mike_in_USA February 28, 2012 12:53 PM EST: Wow. So many levels.
If kids are arrested for fighting in school, no wonder a person is arrested and charged fore defending him/herself when they get older.
Now it is a crime to 'WATCH'? No one tried (I assume) to break it up or they would be suspended too.
And we wonder why no one helps each other anymore?
And the article doesn't say, but the REASON for the fight is important and should be considered regarding any punitive action.
And lastly, NEVER defend yourself, ALWAYS whine and cry for help. Give the poor criminals a break, huh?; Reply to this comment


by Irby32 February 28, 2012 12:30 PM EST: Why were they suspended?; Reply to this comment


by JavMD February 28, 2012 12:27 PM EST: oh how i wished the 70's hippy generation would have had more impact... of peace and love.

I wish SCHOOLS would modify the studies in the pre-school and elementary schools to stress... character building traits and skills... every class 5 minutes a day... PRACTICE RANDOM Acts of KINDNESS; Reply to this comment


by Kovacsmaster February 28, 2012 12:04 PM EST: I remember as a school age boy it bothered me how much the other
kids seemed to relish witnessing a savage fight between 2 other
students, and I was one of the participants on many occasions,
usually the under dog fighting when bullied and had no other
alternative except to turn tail and run. Perhaps one of the
best punishments would be to have the children who were spectators
watch the video stream with their parents, siblings and perhaps
grand parents......; Reply to this comment

by caljack430 February 28, 2012 10:02 AM EST

I'm sure all the comments about how this stuff has been going on for generations will be posted shortly... but I'm actually happy someone is cracking down on this stuff. Maybe we need to start punishing people (kids) more for being just plain stupid like this entire group obviously was. The internet is a dangerous thing, kids need to wise up and realize that just because your parents didn't get caught fighting when they were in school doesn't mean you won't now since you're dumb enough to record it and put it on the internet. *face palm

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