OlderRemembering Lawrence King
CNN host Anderson Cooper just blogged about a shooting at a junior high school computer lab in California that happened two weeks ago. Consequently, as a result of a hate crime, 15-year-old Lawrence King was shot to death.
Anderson, 40, posed the question, “When does bullying become a hate crime?” Here’s his entry:
“We are focusing on a story that hasn’t received the attention it deserves. The story is about a young man named Lawrence King. He was 15 years old. On the morning of Feb 12, a classmate of Lawrence’s allegedly walked into the computer lab in front of some two dozen other students and shot Lawrence in the head. He was declared brain dead later at the hospital. According to authorities, this was not a random killing, it was a hate crime. Lawrence had recently told people he was gay, and apparently wore clothing that was viewed as effeminate. According to many accounts he had been bullied repeatedly, and some parents have even claimed students knew of threats to Lawrence’s life. At this point it doesn’t seem clear how much school officials knew of the bullying, but a full investigation needs to be done. If this had been an African-American student bullied by a teenage skinhead would it have received more attention? Would school officials have taken it more seriously if it had been a Christian campus leader attacked by another student because of his/her religious beliefs? I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I do think they are worth asking. Bullying is a problem in schools across the country. We’ve seen this time and time again. Is enough being done to stop it?”
In response to this hate crime, both Democratic presidential candidates released statements regarding this tragic event:
Said Hillary Clinton, “I was deeply saddened by the recent death of 15-year-old Lawrence King who was killed at his school in Oxnard, CA. No one should face intimidation or violence, particularly at school, because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender identity.We must finally enact a federal hate crimes law to ensure that gay, lesbian and transgender Americans are protected against violent, bias-motivated crimes. We must send a unified message that hate-based crime will not be tolerated.”
Barack Obama is on the same page, adding, “It was heartbreaking to learn about Lawrence King’s death, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. King’s senseless death is a tragic example of the corrosive effect that bigotry and fear can have in our society. It’s also an urgent reminder that we need to do more in our schools to foster tolerance and an acceptance of diversity; that we must enact a federal hate crimes law that protects all LGBT Americans; and that we must recommit ourselves to becoming active and engaged parents, citizens and neighbors, so that bias and bigotry cannot take hold in the first place. We all have a responsibility to help this nation live up to its founding promise of equality for all.”
The L.A. Times also has a write-up of last week’s memorial service for King: “At a memorial attended by more than 500 people in Port Hueneme, Lawrence “Larry” King was remembered Friday as a sensitive child who liked to draw, paint and crochet. One Christmas, he helped his mother crochet hundreds of scarves so that U.S. troops in Afghanistan wouldn’t be without a holiday gift.”
You can also visit the website that King’s family set up: RememberLarry.com.
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96 Comments
Heartache
Absolutely despicable. The kid who killed him needs to be tried as an adult and locked up for the next 20 years at least. He knew damn well what he was doing when he shot that poor child.
Interesting that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have spoken out against this crime, but no word from the other side of the aisle yet. Or maybe McCain is afraid of offending the right-wing crazies if he speaks out against gay-bashing?
NICOLE - I live in L.A. and the news stated that his family had changed him from many school because of bullying.
I don’t think anyone could expect this could happen to their child just for coming out.
How can one person loving another person of the same gender cause so much anger - enough anger to commit murder?
This just makes me sick to my stomach! I can understand not agreeing with a way of life. I cannot understand killing someone for no reason except for their sexual orientation. He was 15! He hadn’t even begun real life yet, and now his life is over and the kid who shot him will be in prison for life (hopefully).
What a waste of life. I can’t even imagine what his family and friends must be feeling right now.
Also, to the person who said it was Anderson’s job to let us know. He’s not the only newscaster in America. Responsibility falls on all of us for change, not just the “important” people. He brought up the African American and religious points to show that civil rights have come a long way….and we’ve got a long way to go.
I am not from the US and this is the first I hear about this heartbreaking story…I think it has yet to go this far where I live, but somehow I just think that, that is only a matter of time…sad! I really love Anderson Cooper and think it’s wonderful to see someone using the newsplatform for something usefull for once!
hate crimes happen everyday in america because our country is full of hate, but the crime only matters if it’s a white gay male.
it is unfortunate that this kid was killed but do not make him a martyr just teach the people around you to open their hearts to change.
this just makes me wanna cry :[
Lawrence is now in God’s loving arms. He is safe with Jesus.
Rest in Peace Sweetheart.
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*********** you fcuking murderer.
Thank you so much Jared!
Seriously, if it hadn’t been for your site, I wouldn’t have stumbled upon this tragedy. It’s incredible and mindboggling to me that this isn’t a national story yet. UGH! Please continue to post relevant and timely news stories like this along with your usual entertainment news. I really appreciate it.
Sarah
Hate crime legislation is a crock of crap. Yesterday a boy was shot in the face for throwing a snoball. The man who was hit by the snoball went all the way back to his apartment, got his gun, came back and shot the kid point blank in the face.
The gay kid was killed because he way gay. The snoball kid was killed because he threw a snoball at a guy. A kid down my street was killed last month by a drive by shooting. It is IRRELEVANT what the reason why these kids were killed, they are all horrible, senseless murders, committed by MURDERERS. To say that the gay kid is more important than the other two kids, just because he was gay is a disservice to the other victims of murderers. Hate crime legislation does NOTHING except attempt to make the same type crimes committed against non-minority/special interest groups seem more important.
Are the cops going to work harder to solve a murder/assault/crime against a gay/black/latino/etc. just because it was a hate crime? No.
We need to look at bullying as what it is, it’s about power, about keeping someone else down to keep yourself up. Murdering someone in a public building at point blank range may make you feel powerful for a second, but in a bully’s long term goal, he knows he’s going to get in trouble, and the trouble for a very well witnessed murder is not worth the thrill, at least not if the kid has any level of sanity.
Maybe the poor kid who was the unfortunate victim was gay, but calling it a hate crime seems more a motive for a back alley murder than anything else. I think there had to have been a bigger motive here.
really sad! my prayers are with his family and friends!
I honestly ffel for him and his family.
There is something really wrong with your american schools—-
My heart is saddened for this and any hate crime victim and their families. I wish there was hope for this world, i’d like to think there is, but stories like this and others, make me believe their may not be.
I read about this story and could not believe it when i did a few weeks back….Heartbreaking. Thank You A.C. and Just Jared for being bold enough to bring this to America’s attention. The sad fact is , very few actually care. The world is in a sad state.
Hate? Hell, I would think that anybody that attempts to murder and/or shoots another person in the head probably “hates” that person. Any murder IS a hate crime, or else they wouldn’t murder them. At what point can you start prosecuting someone for what they were “thinking” when they commited a crime……..now that’s a scary door to open up.
Thanks for posting this JJ.
Please post more important stuff like this!!
I never heard about it until now.
Really sad.
;__;
CNN host Anderson Cooper just blogged about a shooting at a junior high school computer lab in California that happened two weeks ago. Consequently, as a result of a hate crime, 15-year-old Lawrence King was shot to death.
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Jared if you write the paragraph like this (as you did) it means that the teenager was shot because Anderson Cooper blogged. Please take out the word “Consequently”.
While riding the subway in Toronto the other day I wached a pack of mixed teens playfully knock up against each other before leaving the train. “You’re such a ***” one says to the other while the rest laugh.
It’s hard to believe there was much malice there but at the same time Lawrence King’s tragedy probably began with a similar begining. It all begins with language.
It’s too bad the high school in question didn’t have these sorts of character students looking after their community.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2007/09/18/pink-tshirts-students.html?ref=rss
The main pic is misleading. I thought that was Larry but
it’s a classmate.
R.I.P L@RRY.
May you Rest in Peace.
Poor little darling. Makes me sick to the core.
well, some people were making bigoted comments about t.r. knight and his boyfiriend on another thread. do they not understand that whether you shoot the gun or use hateful words, it is all the same at the end of the day - it’s bigotry! god loves all people. don’t judge what you don’t understand or is different. and thanks for those comforting words barack: obama ‘08! may this child’s soul rest in peace. how sad. how tragic that we kill people for being different. how sick.
I also don’t think there is a need to ask “of it had been a black kid or a kid of another race would we pay attention to it as a hate crime”. That sort of question can be fodder for division. Blacks as hate crime victims have nothing to do with this story. They are also victims too with a history of lynchings, burnings, etc so to ask thatquestion is to possibly suggest to those who can’t understand it better that blacks are getting preferential “victim” treatment. It is just that hate crimes against blacks and against jews are more rampant so we have a language or a predecessor for it. In NYC, there were a ton of swastikas found in a temple. This happens all the time but it is not because crime against Jews is seen as more valid.
The bottom line is ALL people who are attacked for their race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation should have the right to challenge it as a hate crime. We are all equal - let’s stop pointing to our diffeences and look toward our similarities. We bleed the same way and poop the same way. We are equal. God has been trying to tell us this for millions of years and like bratty children, we refuse to listen to him/her. How sad.
Walked into a computer lab in a school and SHOT HIM IN THE HEAD?!?! Because this boy was brave enough to come out? Why are there children today who are taught or believe that this is okay? Are we so polarized and so afraid of diversity that such an extreme reaction - MURDER - to something that had NOTHING to do with the shooter is actually a viable option for some people? I am sick to my stomach. This makes me want to cry.
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