SWEET program for students with individuality

The Geelong Advertiser

Danny Lannen

22Nov07

SWEET MATE: Students, from back left, Max Mitchell, Zac Janev, Sam Veal, Jason Janev, Mark Formosa, and Chia Wong Yen and, front, Chris Miller. Photo: ALISON WYND

THEY might have piercings, they might have long fringes, they might wear black and even eyeliner but don't call these teenagers emos, they're individuals.

Jackson, Chris, Chia, Sam, Zac and more, they're all part of the mix at Geelong's school for teenagers who couldn't quite find a fit in mainstream learning _ and they're over being stereotyped.

They say the way they choose to express their individuality means they are often at risk of being bullied.

``Kids in town recently tried to kick the cr ap out of me because of what I was wearing, a lot of people can't accept who you are because you look like someone else,'' Chris Miller, 16, said.

``They want you to be sheep and follow the flock.''

The kids know about acceptance because they've come from diverse backgrounds and met many personal challenges but they don't like carrying the emo tag. Emo is short for emotional and is used to describe a teen culture which is descended from Goth and characterised by the wearing of dark clothing, body piercings, lank hair over an eye and avid interest in metal and Goth music.

The teenagers from Diversitat's Success with Education, Employment and Training program, SWEET, reckon the term also comes with insinuation of depressive behaviour.

``Some people are actually proud of it (being called emo),'' Zac Janev said. ``We're not them. We're dressing how we dress for individuality.''

Many of the teenagers in the SWEET program have experienced bullying because of their choice of appearances and have lived with issues including homelessness, drug and alcohol use and mental health complications.

Trainer and youth worker Deb Isaacs said they focused strongly on respect during their studies in areas including literacy, numeracy, art, electives and environment.

``It's less school based and more jobs based, and we're all entitled to our opinions,'' Chris Miller said.

``We have this instead of dropping out of school and doing nothing. This is our corridor into the workforce.''

Tragic death of girl revealed

The UK has been gripped by news of a mass murderer whose crimes have been uncovered recently. One of the bodies dug up was that of 18-year-old goth and metal fan Dinah McNicol, who disappeared in 1991.

As Dinah grew older, she became, according to her father, a "typical teenage girl".
Her taste in music and clothes, which she made herself or bought in charity shops, was gothic and hippy. She had a couple of boyfriends, but nothing too serious. The room she shared with her sister Shauna was a complete state, he recalls. "There was make-up and clothes everywhere. They used to share everything.

"Dinah was going through a bit of a 'goth' phase. She used to wear a lot of black and was into heavy metal. She was a really lovely girl with such a personality. She could make friends with anyone."

read more...
How I planned my suicide after Dinah went missing, by her heartbroken father | the Daily Mail

The police released a different picture of her last week saying...

Yesterday police released a new picture of Dinah in an attempt to jog the memories of any witnesses 16 years after she disappeared. Detective Superintendent Tim Wills, of Essex Police, said: “This image could be important because the photograph publicised for the past 16 years is of Dinah sporting a striking gothic image in a formal pose.

“This image shows a distinctly different and more relaxed young woman and it may be enough to trigger someone’s memory.”

The man who killed her it seems was a serial killer who would kill any young woman.

Rest in peace Dinah, Vicky Hamilton and all the other victims of these foul crimes!

Bedfordshire - Fear keeps youngsters away from skate park

Sandy in Bedfordshire is latest place to be hit in the UK by the wave of violence and threats against skaters and skateparks. See our previous posts on skaters.

The Comet - Fear keeps youngsters away from skate park

15 November 2007

YOUNGSTERS have deserted a skate park saying they fear being attacked because it has become a meeting place for gangs.

The skate park at the end of Sunderland Road, Sandy, was also where a young schoolboy suffered a badly smashed nose in an attack in August.

Now many young skaters say they are too frightened to go there, especially at night, and many will only go there if they are accompanied by a parent or adult.

"I have spoken to many of the skaters who say they fear being attacked down there," said Mid Beds district councillor Ken Lynch, who led the campaign for the £80,000 skate park to be built with cash from Sandy Town Council and the Lottery.

"It is disgraceful it has come to this and the youngsters are frightened to go down there.

"One young lad has already been assaulted there and skaters fear this could happen again because two gangs go down there.

"The police need to take some urgent action. Many people are telling me about gangs roaming around the town at night and I have seen one group for myself in the Market Square. They are very threatening.

"One gang is called the SG gang, I presume after the town's post code."

Cllr Lynch says the only way to make the skate park safe is to erect floodlights which will make it easier to police and deter gangs from meeting there.

Sandy beat officer Pc Lee Prutton said he will investigate claims of gangs at the skate park and in other areas of the town.

"When I was on duty I did see groups at The Mushroom and by Budgens in the town centre and they were well behaved and not causing any problems," said Pc Prutton.

"I will keep a watch on the skate park and speak to any groups of youngsters who are gathering there. The Comet - Fear keeps youngsters away from skate park:

Meanwhile in Crewe a new park is being built because the old one was vandalised in a familiar pattern:

Work starts on £80000 skate park
Crewe Guardian, UK - 12 Nov 2007

SKATEBOARDING teenagers could be trying out their skills on a new skate area in Alsager by Christmas.

Work has begun on creating a skate park in Milton Park to replace one which was vandalised and used as a late-night drinking den.

The £80,000 skate park is being built on the same site, which has been opened up to deter anti-social behaviour.

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The area is part of planned improvements at the park, which include a new children's play area and a CCTV camera.

The skate area should be much more popular than the previous one because local skaters were involved in its design. The new equipment will be made from concrete, which is less noisy than the metal ramp in the previous skate park.

"The number of local skaters has dwindled because of the lack of a skate park in the town," said Alistair Cook from Groundwork Cheshire, which is overseeing the project.

"However those numbers will grow with the opening of the new facility.

"The need for facilities for young people in Alsager was mentioned by an overwhelming percentage of local people last year. A new skate facility in Milton Park featured highly in the wishes expressed by young people when they were consulted in October."

The new skate park will include seats, litter bins and cycle racks, and will boast a mixture of street features and curved ramps.

Work should be completed by the end of December, and a celebration event is planned for early next year.

Skatepark Will Have To Go (from Harrow Times)

Byron Skatepark where a teen was recently assaulted is to be closed despite the complaints of local and international skaters. Look at the range of comments on the first article.

1970's skate park 'irreplaceable'

By Jack Royston

Tuesday 20th November 2007

A SKATEPARK due to be built over by the council is irreplaceable according to a professional BMX rider. James Hitchcox, 30, is the head of a Users Association for Byron Skatepark, off Christchurch Avenue, and is campaigning to save what he says is one of the best facilities for skaters and BMX riders in the country.He said: "I have to be optimistic about saving it because it is what I have ridden for so many years. I was not that interested in school but I used to go down to the skatepark and one day I got noticed. That skatepark is what started my career. There is so much history and culture in the skate and BMX world. I have had riders come from Australia and America and stay at my house just so they can ride in a 1970s park."

The park was hand-crafted by a builder in 1976 and has attracted people from across the country ever since.

It is being demolished to make way for a new leisure centre and will be replaced by a new £300,000 facility in the centre of the park.

Councillor Paul Osborn, portfolio holder for strategy and business support, said: "The skate park has to move - there is no question about that. The whole project depends on it.

"I do not think it is fair to say that we cannot have a brand new leisure centre just because of this skate park."

The Harrow Times website has been inundated with calls to save the facility since the decision was made but Councillor Anjana Patel, portfolio holder for community and cultural services, has defended the plans.

She said: "We are not closing it, the new park will be a better one. This park is very old and the new one will be designed by the young people who use it. The youngsters will get what they want."

The council held a meeting on Tuesday night at Byron Park Leisure Centre to hear suggestions from users about what the new park should be like.

James has been riding since he was 12 and has used the skatepark for the past ten years. He said: "If you ride in the park it is not perfect but that is what we like about it. Modern skate parks are made off site and they have no querkiness or originality. You cannot find someone to remake it. That park is a one off thing."

Do you have fond memories of the skatepark? Leave your comments below...

Skatepark Will Have To Go (from Harrow Times)

21st November 2007

A LOCAL skatepark will have to go but more money could be spent on its replacement, skaters and BMX riders were told at a meeting last night.

Councillor Chris Mote, leader of Harrow Council, told the Byron Skatepark Users Association the current facility at Byron Park, off Christchurch Avenue, will definitely be demolished.

He said: "The existing skatepark will have to go - I have got to make that absolutely clear.

"We will never please everyone all of the time, this is not utopia, but we want to take an approach that is fair to everyone."

The skatepark will be demolished to make way for a new leisure centre and replaced with a new facility on a different location in the park.

Members of the users group told Cllr Mote the existing park would cost more to replace than the £300,000 the council has already promised.

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They have also said health and safety restrictions might prevent the council from rebuilding the current park to the same design.

Mark Langston, a BMX rider who lived in Harrow for 34 years, said: "On the old concrete you don't slip. The new parks are made out of polished metal or polished concrete that's screened and shined.

"There are a lot of things in that skatepark that the Health and Safety Commission do not agree with but we've been riding it for years."

He added: "There are people talking about this meeting in America because they do not want this site to go."

But Cllr Mote hinted more money could be made available if needed.

The users group suggested a number of other sites for the centre but all were either already up for sale, too small or were privately owned.

James Hitchcox, head of the users group, said: "I just think that 30 years ago, when the park was built, they went to so much effort to make skateboarding a part of our culture and I really hope they do that again.

"It could be a piece de resistance."

The meeting was held to help Cllr Mote and council officers work with skatepark users in designing the new facility.

Police seek man who held gun to skaters

Salem, Oregon October 28, 2007

Salem police are looking for a man who forced two skateboarders to the ground at gunpoint Friday night.

The incident occurred about 9:55 p.m. at Sunnyside Road and Creekside Drive SE, said Salem police Lt. John Hoffmeister.

The victims, a Stayton man and Mount Angel man, told police they were skateboarding in a rural residential area when another man driving by stopped and confronted them. The suspect, armed with a black semi-automatic handgun, forced the pair to the ground and interrogated them about graffiti spray-painted on his fence, Hoffmeister said.

The victims told police that the suspect pressed the gun to the back of each of their heads. They said he smelled and talked as if he was intoxicated and spoke with what sounded like a Russian accent, police said. The suspect got back into his car and drove away after questioning the two.

The suspect is described as white, in his 40s, with black hair and a beard. He was wearing a plaid jacket. He was driving a bluish-silver Nissan sedan with unknown plates.

News - StatesmanJournal.com

Oct-29-2007

Salem Man Arrested for Menacing Skateboarders with Handgun

Salem-News.com

The man is charged with two counts of Menacing, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and two counts of Coercion. A pistol was also seized as evidence.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem Police arrested the man they say is responsible for the menacing of two skateboarders last Friday just before 10:00 PM in south Salem.

Lt. Steve Birr with Salem Police says investigators received a tip that 44-year old Mikhail Kotenko was the suspect they were looking for, wanted in connection with an incident last Friday during which two skateboarders were threatened by a man with a handgun.

Birr says officers went to Kotenko's south Salem home Sunday around 1:20 PM, after receiving a tip from a citizen that he matched the description reported in the news. Following a brief investigation, he was taken into custody and transported to the Marion County jail.

Birr says the incident began late Friday night when a Stayton man and his Mt. Angel companion were skateboarding in south Salem. They told police they were stopped and confronted by a man armed with a handgun.

The skaters allege that the man had forced them to lay on the ground, and while holding the weapon to the backs of their heads, interrogated them about some graffiti that had been spray painted on his fence.

"Neither of the victims knew the suspect," Birr added. "After terrorizing the two, the suspect had gotten back into his vehicle, described as a bluish silver Nissan type vehicle, and drove away."

Birr says Kotenko was charged with two counts of Menacing, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and two counts of Coercion. A pistol was also seized as evidence.

salem man arrested for menacing‏ skateboarders with handgun

Alternative Magazine

Alternative Magazine

The Nov/December issue has a good article on Sophie Lancaster.

Derelict-Day of the Lost - Alternative Weekender suuported by Liverpool Capital Of Culture

The Liscard Alternative has been given a grant as part of Liverpool Capital Of Culture 2008 Celebrations. For a Subculture Day/Alt Festival called Derelict-Day of the Lost (in memory of Sophie Lancaster and all Alts and LBGTs that have lost their life in the past year).

"Feb 2008- Derelict-Day Of The Lost: a WEEKENDER of discos,bands and stalls in Wallasey!! The aim of this big gig is for awareness and Remembrance for the alternative and TG community who are no longer with us due to bullying, bullycides and fatal attacks, and for animals suffering cruelty, who also have no voice. The weekender covers: goth rock metal cyber emo skater biker rivethead 80s punk LBGT etc etc etc...

The Liscard Alternative is a charity (based unsurprisingly in Liscard in Wallasey) to provide a drop in, media,culture,lifestyle/lifeskills,advice and retail facility for all young persons aged 11-25 who are being bullied or getting abuse for the way they dress and/or their sexuality. This remit covers Alt kids and LGBTs mostly,but anyone who is suffering bullying and abuse is welcome to come along. We have a community bank account with Barclays who are very supportive of our project."

They are also hosting regular fund-raisers and trying to establish a local alternative/LGBT centre. More details at their livejournal and myspace pages.

Elecric Ballroom under threat - again!

First the Stables market now the Ballroom which only survived in 2005 by the skin of its teeth:

Camden New Journal - Forum: Why it could be the last dance for our Electric Ballroom

November 17th 2007

One of Camden Town’s most famous music venues looks set to face a new threat of demolition after fighting off the bulldozers two years ago, writes Kate Fuller

CAMDEN Council agreed a controversial planning brief at the start of October that clears the way for the heart to be ripped out of Camden Town.
Councillors ignored 87 letters of objection and a 400-signature petition. They agreed a new policy that means London Underground have a green light to come up with plans to demolish all the buildings in the triangle behind Camden Town Tube station. Buck Street Market and the Electric Ballroom would become history.
If the previous plans they put forward in 2005 are anything to go by, London Underground’s vision for the future of Camden Town is an anonymous glass shopping mall full of high street chain stores that could easily be in Basildon or Croydon as in Camden.
No one denies that the Tube station is crowded and could be improved, but it’s the potential flattening of an entire section of the centre of Camden Town that shows London Underground – and the current leadership of Camden Council – just don’t understand what makes Camden a special, indeed unique, place.
London Underground doesn’t seem to grasp that the reason why Camden Town Tube station is so busy is because of what is above the ground here: markets and music venues.
The last time they tried to do this, in 2005, they were seen off. I thought I could get on with what I do best and love doing: running a popular, successful music venue with a great history and heritage. Little did I realise that, like Groundhog Day, I’d have to fight the same battle to save the Ballroom all over again.
We are determined to fight on to save the Electric Ballroom.
I recognise the need to improve the Tube station to ease congestion, but London Underground’s ideas for the site would change the nature of the heart of Camden Town and actually reduce the number of people coming to the area. It would turn the centre of Camden Town into a building site – a ground zero – for years.
This would be a nightmare for residents and businesses.
Camden Town doesn’t need a bland, arcade-style shopping mall above its Tube station. It has a unique character that needs to be defended.
My family has run the Electric Ballroom since the 1930s. My dad Bill Fuller took over the Ballroom, then known as the Buffalo club, in a run-down state and transformed it.
Eventually, he had a chain of Ballrooms covering England, America and Ireland. His venues became renowned all over the world as places for young Irish couples to meet and fall in love.
Over the past 65 years the ballroom has come to epitomise all that is Camden Town. As well as our long association with London’s Irish music scene, we have a reputation for hosting top musical talent such as Paul McCartney, The Killers, Oasis, U2, The Clash, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Public Enemy and many more.
We have just refurbished the Ballroom, investing a large sum of money in upgrading the venue. We do not want our premises demolished and our business frogmarched out of the heart of Camden Town to make way for a shopping mall.
We are particularly disappointed at the way in which Liberal Democrat councillors fought the 2006 borough elections in Camden Town and Primrose Hill ward, using leaflets that implied they opposed the demolition – now that they are running Camden they seem to have backtracked.
I have written to Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who opposed the 2005 demolition proposal, appealing for his support in fighting the new proposals.
I would urge local residents and everyone who loves the music scene in Camden Town to contact their councillors and put pressure on them to reverse this crazy policy.
In the meantime – despite the axe hanging over us – we are getting on with running and improving the Ballroom. These proposals could take years to come about. We have defeated them once and we can defeat them again.
The best way the music-loving public can show they want us to stay in business at the heart of Camden Town is to carry on coming to gigs here.

Shocked letters...

camden-letters-ballroom

I have visited the Electric Ballroom on many occasions over many years and seen some great gigs at one of the best medium-sized venues in London.

Farewell Goth Help Us

Been to draft this post for a while.

Goth Help Us International folded at the end of Ocober and was a campaigning organization which only started in April 2006 by Rebecca K Hohm. They had their detractors in recent times, but they also did some good things and help raise awareness that goths can be useful members of the community. Considering the hugely negative press goth often gets, especially in the States they have to be applauded for that. The San Diego branch appeared in this report on the local news.

This is part of the introduction to what was their website before it was taken down:

Goth Help Us" was founded in April 2006 in the United States and is a grassroots effort to help humanity. Hopefully we'll help the world realize that goths are much more than strange or odd people. We want to try to prove to everyone that goths are also compassionate, loving, and extremely caring people. We also know that depression plagues many of us, and the only true way to rid yourself of depression is to go out and help other people. Maybe by helping others, we'll find our smiles again.

This organization is about wanting to help people and to network with other goths in hopes of trying to help humanity in general. We are organizing blood drives. We are helping the homeless. We are making dreams come true for sick children. We are helping fund animal shelters. We are helping to beautify our cities again. We are helping each other and helping others.

We just want to spread peace and also try to help stop the violence against goths.

We collaborate with already well-established charitable organizations, such as The Red Cross, The Humane Society, and Habitat for Humanity. We are NOT a charity. We are a humanitarian organization. We are a peaceful and compassionate sect of people and now we're proving it to the world.

Here are some of the projects they were involved in.

* Drivers for ride shares in a Need-A-Goth program for people under the influence
* Escorting and assisting grieving elderly individuals at cemeteries
* Food service at homeless shelters for adults and children
* Blood drives
* Toy drives
* Beach clean-ups
* Housing cleanup for the disabled
* Animal care for the Humane Society as a volunteer caregiver walking and exercising animals, in food preparation, or even protesting of animal cruelty

Goth Help Us were involved in the early stages of the aftermath of the Sophie Lancaster case and helped tell people about it. Their collapse came about partially over arguments over the implications of the whole Hate Crimes debate which the death of Sophie caused. It was Goth Help Us who originally raised the idea of using Hate Crime legislation to address the issue and promoted it. Their campaign got somewhat carried away in some of the imagery they used. As we noted here before that whole issue aroused strong feelings both positive and negative see Hate Crime and Subcultures - the debate.

It was from that idea the more successful hate crimes campaign in the UK developed.

From what I understand it seems that in raising the issue prominently the organization became internally divided. You can read a little about this here. The group also had external critics.

It is sad that an organization which in its short life did much good fell apart in such a way.

The San Diego Branch was particularly active and its organisation was prompted over a particularly nasty case of assault on some local goths:

Synchonicity is the best way to describe the chain of events that occurred to make Goth Help Us San Diego happen as it did. A negative act with positive repercussions. Goth Help Us as a whole is still a new organization and at the precise time that was necessary to get everything moving in the right direction, a wrong was done. Jim Howard, the current president of Goth Help Us San Diego, and a small group of friends and family were accosted on the street by a number of drunk, belligerent people. As Jim was assaulted it was made clear that he and his group was chosen due to their subculture affiliation. This can be otherwise known as a “hate crime.” The courts will not recognize this attack as a hate crime at this time.

This act came as a blow to the San Diego Goth community as the people that were involved in this attack were well respected members of the community. Alongside the choice of target, the Goth community is appalled that the courts will not recognize subcultures as a motivation for hate crime. Jim was, unfortunately, rushed to the hospital and had to undergo surgery in order to repair the damage that was done. Rather than acting in a similar fashion and attacking others, verbally, physically or any other way, Jim decided to act out and motivate the San Diego community to work together and help dispel the negative image that Goths have.

Here is the report on the case from Angst zine in September:

As many people in the Southern California region are aware, there has been a problem with violent crime against the Gothic community. None of us are certain precisely why this is, but we can guess; bad press, bad public image and misinformation undoubtedly top the list. The most notable California violence was the attack on 4 San Diego Goths. Outside of the United States, two young Goths were attacked in the United Kingdom and one lost her life while the other, at the time of this writing, is still comatose. Alongside these two attacks there have been many other attacks large and small across the globe. The first thing that should be stated is that this is clearly hate motivated. There is no rationale that can be used to defend these mindless acts. In San Diego, California, though, justice has been served and a blow has been struck against the would-be attackers and dangers to the Gothic community.

After a year-long wait, the four Goths from San Diego finally found justice in the courts. They were attacked by a Navy man and his brother, which resulted in the hospitalization of Jim Howard, the current Goth Help Us - San Diego Chapter President. As of the end of August, the Navy man that attacked Jim, his wife and two friends was found guilty by a jury of his peers on 4 related counts, 2 of which were felonious. The brother is set for a trial potentially for 2 felony counts. Furthermore, the San Diego District Attorney should most definitely get a mention as they fought for the rights of the attacked and the San Diego Gothic community. *

Here is an article on the group and an interview with its founder.
The Denver branch is continuing as an independent organisation as is San Diego under San Diego’s Gothic Volunteer Alliance (GVA). So locally the good work will continue.

Blackburn - Goths and emos found a place to go

After all the earlier Blackburn fuss in October about the "dangers" of goths, metalers and emos on the streets alternative venue The Cellar Bar and pub The White Rose are now offering them a place to hang out safely. Much kudos to the managers/landlords involved.

It was Doddy who commented on the SOPHIE campaign page:

"i dont know if you know , maybe its old news but two pubs in blackburn town centre shut their doors to over 18's on a saturday afternoon to let in the goths n emos or whatever to give em somewhere to go , form 12 til 6 i think . one week it is the white bull and the next is the cellar bar . i think these landlords/ladys should be applauded for their actions because i presume that they will be losing a bit of cash by stopping serving alcohol."

Another great looking gig.

Thugs use goon bag to bash goths - Queensland - BrisbaneTimes

Thugs use goon bag to bash goths - Queensland - BrisbaneTimes

Christine Kellett | November 14, 2007 - 2:32PM

Two men have faced court over a violent assault which saw a group of goths bashed with a goon bag.

Luke Anthony Harrison, 21, and Mereki Ian Pryor, 19, were each sentenced to jail for the attack, which left five members of Brisbane's gothic community nursing cuts and bruises.

The District Court today heard Harrison and Pryor had been drinking goon - or cask wine - in a park at the corner of Wickham Terrace and Ann Street in Fortitude Valley about 10.30pm on July 30, 2005 when the group walked past.

After shouting insults such as "freaks" and "faggots", Pryor approached the three women and two men, aged between 19 and 24, asked them if they wanted to fight and began throwing punches and kicks.

Harrison, carrying the bag of goon, also became involved, using it to take a swing at one of the women, knocking her glasses off her face. Another woman was also hit.

Crown prosecutor Chris Minnery said one of the group managed to grab the cask.

"F*** off or I'll break the goon," she said while threatening to stomp on the bag.

The attack stopped when the group managed to flee to safety at the nearby Orient Hotel. None were seriously injured.

Pryor's defence barrister, Megan Robbins, put her client's behaviour down to alcohol abuse, telling the court that at the time he was drinking up to three litres of cask wine a day.

"His judgement was obviously impaired to a significant degree," Ms Robbins explained, prompting Judge Julie Dick to fire back: "His liver can't have been too good either."

"This is public violence on a group of people who were just going about their business," the judge told the pair, who both pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm in company.

"They are entitled to dress and look how they like as long as they don't interfere with the rest of the community."

Pryor, who is already serving a three-and-a-half year prison term for unrelated offences, had an extra six months added to his sentence, but will be eligible to apply for parole today.

Harrison received a 12 month term and was released immediately on parole after Judge Dick accepted he had played a lesser role in the assault.

Another articles adds a few new details:
Men 'bashed goths with wine cask'
NEWS.com.au, Australia - November 14, 2007

By Christine Flatley Two men have faced court over a vicious street brawl where a cask wine bladder was used to beat up a group of "goths" in Brisbane. ...

Pryor - who had a severe alcohol problem at the time and was drinking up to three litres of wine every day - approached the group and began to provoke them before hitting one of the men three times in the head.

The court was told a fight erupted, with Pryor and Harrison kicking and punching the men and the women, who tried to defend themselves.

The court was told Harrison picked up the wine bladder at one point and used it to smack one of the girls across the face.

Pryor and Harrison then knocked one of the men to the ground and kicked him repeatedly.

The group managed to escape and took refuge in a nearby pub.

They suffered bruising and cuts to their faces and bodies.

Harrison and Pryor pleaded guilty to four counts each of assault occasioning bodily harm in company.Pryor also pleaded guilty to one count of common assault.

Mix it up Day - USA

It was Mix It up day in the States yesterday an attempt to break down divisions between racial and social groups, including subcultural ones. It is a long standing idea in the States starting in 2002. Now more than 10,000 schools are involved.

ABC News 4 Charleston - Mixing Up Racial And Social Divides At Hanahan Middle School
Tuesday November 13, 2007 5:40pm Reporter: Renee Williams

Hanahan, S. Carolina - Hanahan Middle School participates in Mix It Up at Lunch Day, a national social experiment aimed at teaching students tolerance.

Think back, way back to your middle school lunch time. You’re sitting with the same friends, day in and day out and being a part of your group. Now imagine this- taking all of that and turning it upside down.

“Students are going to come in. They're going to take the initiative to sit with someone they don't know well,” Elizabeth Scarbrough says.

She’s the one who organized the school’s Mix it Up at Lunch Day. In other words, they’re mixing it up and changing who they talk to everyday. The students are also making new friends while breaking up old cliques.

“Some kids are left out they don't have many friends and then you have some groups who are friends with everybody,” eighth grader Nick Zerbst says.

Mix it Up at Lunch aims to break the harsh social divide of middle school.
The experiment tries to melt the jocks with the goths and the popular kids.
It’s not always easy to just strike up a conversation with someone you don't know. To help break the ice, the kids came up with questions to ask each other like do you like Clemson or Carolina or do you play sports? Even with the ice breakers the nerves are obvious.

“People are trying to be popular. People feel left out they can't really make friends because they're all shy,” adds eighth grader Kenneth Spear.

Whether they’re shy or not, more than 200 students pledged to give it a try. “Here's the 6th grade doing it. It’s really working well. Maybe someone in a higher social status can bring them up,” Zerbst says.

Middle school kids typically divide themselves along gender, racial and economic lines. They learn those divides early on. So these kids are pledging and promising to cross age old boundaries, if only for one day. “These prejudices and these cliques actually start to form at age three to its very important that we catch them at the middle school age,” adds Scarbrough.

SPLCenter.org: Millions take part in fourth annual Mix It UpDecember 2005

Fourth- and 5th-graders in Sweetwater, Texas, embrace the spirit of Mix It Up.
(Bruno at Holly Kuper Photography)
SWEETWATER, Texas -- When 350 intermediate students Mixed It Up here, spirits rose as high as their red, white and blue helium balloons

"That's what I love about 4th- and 5th-graders," said school counselor and Mix It Up at Lunch Day facilitator Melissa Howard. "They are still so into everything."

In 2005, the number of participants also rose -- dramatically. Across the nation on November 15, and estimated four million students at 9,000 schools took part in the fourth annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day. That's a 50 percent increase from 2004, when 4 million students took part nationwide.

Mix It Up, part of the Center's Teaching Tolerance program, asks students to swap seats in the school cafeteria -- one of the most self-segregating settings in the nation. Football players sit with football players; cheerleaders, with cheerleaders. Band members at the table in the corner; Goths at one table; Spanish-speaking students at another.

Consider how a high school senior from Phoenix described her school cafeteria on this year's Mix It Up at Lunch Day: "That section over there is where the jocks usually sit, and this part by the benches is where the skaters are, and then the gangs are all along the walls."

A 9th-grader from Oregon took part in a discussion about school cliques on Mix It Up at Lunch Day and came away with a deeper understanding.

"I learned they (various school cliques) don't really talk to each other," she said. "It's important to get groups to mingle. In the real world, you have to mingle whether you want to or not."

On Mix It Up Day, clearly, some do not. In Philadelphia, one high school student called it "annoying." In Florida, one student called it "childish," labeling participants "losers."

"The resistance is a clear sign of why the program is so important," said Tafeni English, director of the Mix It Up program. "Mix It Up is about social boundaries, and those boundaries don't dissolve in a single day or a single moment. But every time we get some students talking and thinking about the boundaries, we're taking steps in the right direction."...

POEM: Vegetable Soup

April 19, 2006 -- Two students at King George High School in Virginia write about the various social cliques in their school.

by Katie Newton and Laura McKinnon


King George High School is full of cliques

"The Wall," the Goths and the hot chicks.

It's hard enough to be a teen

Without having to deal with these kids - they're mean!

First of all, you've got "The Wall"

A sea of darkness, always having a ball.

Getting their kicks from picking on us

They laugh and they point, and they even cuss.

I know the teachers aren't hearing impaired

But they won't say anything 'cause they're too scared.

The Goths are the next crowd; they stay to themselves

Some dress like vampires, and some like dark elves.

They hate their lives, and the world, and us,

They won't be happy until their wounds seep pus.

The hot chicks are last because they're the worst

If you're not skinny and blonde consider yourself cursed.

Malibu Barbies with their fake tans

Always succeeding in stealing our "mans."

I want to break free

And then there are ones like me.

I have a friend in every group,

Like a giant pot of vegetable soup.

Carrots, peas and noodles, too,

I like being vegetable soup.

What kind of soup are you?

Some interesting comments from kids involved in the past. Lots more here:

Don't hate what you don't understand
Keala

Every one knows how the "goths" and the "preps" have hated each other for so many years now. I am considered a goth at my school, but I have friends from virtually every clique. I hate how people think if you are a certain way, you have to be friends with just that group! I dislike how the jocks make fun of my friends and how they torment us because we have an opinion. Most people think "goths" are suicidal, and that they worship Satan. Satanists worship Satan not "goths." I judge people but it's because when they hang out with others they become like that friend. I just hate how everyone hates "goths." Just because we are different doesn't mean you have to hate us. A great man once said "To be great is to be misunderstood" (Ralph Waldo Emerson) just as being different is to be great!

Another way to Mix It Up
Lindsey
It is true there are many cliques at our school, like the so-called 'gangster table' or the 'nerd table', but our lunch is only 25 minutes long, so one day would not create friendships. If it were my idea I would have it happen at least one Tuesday a month because once a year really wouldn't cut it, if you think about it. If it was held every Tuesday, then you would be forced to talk to them or exclude yourself, which shouldn't happen by the way. But instead of sitting at a new table every Tuesday, you could sit at the same color table and create friendships with those people, and after like 3 months they switch everyone, something like that.

Mix doesn't work
Bob
I HATE MIX IT UP DAY! ITS STUPID AND IT NEVER WORKS!

It was hard, but I did it
Jackie
Today at my school we had Mix It Up Day. It was very fun because we got to meet new people! Usually, I sit with my best friend, Marilyn. We always sit at the same table. It was very hard to do this but I did it. I am proud that I was brave enough to sit with totally different people whom I didn't know. Thank you for making this day exist!

Being judged sucks
Kim
In my school, people judge you by one thing: where you shop and what you wear. It's not, oh, you are so nice, or eh, you're really mean to everyone, or, you annoy me on purpose, it's that you shop here. I for one, shop at Hot Topic, a store that has been deemed rather "Gothic," but yet, has more leather alternatives than places like Wet Seal and Mervyn's, and most of the makeup in there has not been tested on animals. I am a vegetarian, in case you were wondering why I am talking about that sort of thing. People think I'm Gothic just because I shop there.

Most cliques in my school, really aren't defined by a name, it's just certain people. There's the normal people, who are more often than not popular; the freaks, who are just plain rude to everyone; the loser/skaters who made do good in school, but half of them are just, well, rather, odd; there are the skaters, the people that I hang out with some; the preps, the people who will do anything to make themselves look perfect; the potheads, people who do drugs; the sugar junkies, people who are just plain crazy; there's the jocks, who are obsessed with any kind of sport; fashionistas, people who love clothes; and then, there's what I've been defined as, a Gothic. Really though, I am a punk rock enviro skater. These cliques, aren't people I have judged. It's just where they fall in my school according to what they wear and how they act. I wear bondage pants (the big pants that have D-rings and straps on them) and because of that I'm Gothic. If you noticed, I put nothing down on Environmentally Conscious people, that's because I'm really the only one who cares about that in my school. I'm just me, and being judged differently sucks. It sucks hard.

Don't make us do it again
Damien
I'm using this little thing to tell you what I think about Mix It Up. I think its a waste of time and is not going to do anything but cause more problems. NO student I have talked to bout this said it was a good idea. There is talk of skipping lunch to avoid having to participate and also talk of deliberate defiance. I am one of the students who will NOT participate. I won't be forced to sit with people I don't like. I don't like people, not because of their differences, but because of their personality. If I was someone who sat by myself at lunch I wouldn't want people to sit with me because they had to, rather because they want to. I know I speak for a good 75% of my school when I say this is lame... don't make us do it again.

Lowest social group
Brittany
Mix It Up Day was ok for some students, but let me tell you, Mix It Up Day at Lunch did not go so well for me. I tried sitting with the "preppy" kids. But they just made fun of me and told me to go away. It doesn't matter how much you think it's a good thing, when a "goth" sits with a "prep" it doesn't go over very smoothly. It was a success for the older kids to sit with freshman and everything - kids sitting with other kids that aren't really different than them. But this was just... yeah. When the lowest social group sat with the highest at my school, it was not a good lunch.

PeaceJam brings food to Mix
Cornelia

I go to school at Tohatchi High School in New Mexico. I am in 11th grade. My group, PeaceJam, brought food for the people to eat in the classrooms. The students said it was nice to meet different students at our school. We got all the athletes, skaters and Goths to sit with the people they don't know. We had a good time with the students. But some of the students said they were shy because they don't know the students they were sitting by.

Mix was awesome
Kileigh

Mix-it-up-at-lunch day was awesome at my school. We each got a buddy to walk around with, and to hang out with in different groups. It was so fun. Everyone crossed the boundaries of preps, jocks, Goths, geeks, African Americans and those types of things. I met new people and have so many new friends now that I will never forget. I met some awesome people I would never have had the guts to go up to, and hang out with, on a normal day. It makes school such a better atmosphere when you know more people. I learned that all these people are so cool in their own ways and they all have their own types of fun. I hope this day becomes a tradition for my school district. I'll never forget this day! Thanks so much for the great idea!!

Racism and Religious Bigotry
By J.S.

I am a daughter of a United States Marine and because of that I have moved around the country a lot. I have seen and experienced many different things.

I have experienced racism, not from my white classmates, but from my black classmates. I have seen people blamed for things that are not in their control like a Wiccan at my school, who is harassed not only by kids, but in less obvious ways by teachers.

Right now my worst battle is not with anyone I know from school. It's from my mom. She thinks some of my friends are devil-worshippers just because they are goth, and when I told her some of them are actually Christians, she acted surprised!

When I told her that goths are actually some of the most tolerant and peaceful people I know because they don't care what religion, color, sexual orientation you are, she told me to shut up.

How's that for tolerance?

By C.

In my school there aren't many different groups such as freaks, geeks and wannabees, but there are some such as myself, a goth, and preps and the "in betweens" who really don't care. But even though there aren't that many groups there are A LOT of coflicts between us.

For example, when everyone found out I was a goth some preppies wanted to fight me that used to be my friends. I'm the only goth in my school and it's not surprising considering it's unfortunately a Catholic school. The reason that I go there is because I live with my aunt and uncle.

People are getting used to the idea, but I'm still hated by many people but I learn to ignore it!!!!

I'm a Pagan
By M.

I'm a Pagan. I live in a small town in Wisconsin. Everyone in my high school knows I'm pagan. At least the people who know who I am do.

I've gotten a lot of guff for being the religion that I am. I've been called devil worshiper, blair witch, Mrs. Cleo, etc... I've had people walk around me singing hymns from the Bible just to make me angry.

I believe they make fun of me simply because they are afraid of what they believe i stand for. None of them actually took the time or effort to understand what my beliefs were. I can't even count the times I've told the same people that I can't worship the devil when I don't believe he exists.

I try to explain to them what I am, but it just goes in one ear and out the other. All I want is to go to school not having to wonder what new name they're going to come up with, or what new plan they have to try and humiliate me with.

I don't think asking for the ability to go to school without having to defend my religion to everyone I meet is too much to ask, do you? I just want to make some people aware that pagans aren't bad, sure we have some people calling themselves witches who give us a bad name, but if you talk to a pagan -- a true pagan -- you'll find out otherwise. As our creed states "an it harm none, do what thou will." Thank you for reading my story, I hope you come away with a different point of view.

Don't judge lunchmates by their appearance
Amber

Everyday is a new experience for me! I used to sit at the same old lunch table day after day, but now it's a whole new change! I sit with a girl I met in named Kiritie, who now I am really close with. It's a Goth table with lots of unique people — very friendly — and I feel happy to sit and make new friends. I always look forward to sitting there. They make me feel at home! It's not all what you look like on the outside, it's what you have on the inside that counts. So don't just judge people and not consider sitting with them just because of the way they look and dress.

More details here at website which organises it.

Punk children's book

Rocker's a hit with real punks

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub, Chronicle Pop Culture CriticTuesday, November 13, 2007
The scene at Bookshop West Portal in San Francisco looks like your typical punk rock concert. The musicians carry their own instruments and socialize with their fans before the performance. Members of the audience dance with no inhibition. And even though a couple of people may be spitting up in the back of the room, everyone still leaves having had a good time.

This is the latest side project for Bouncing Souls lead singer Greg Attonito, a veteran punk rocker who teamed up with his songwriter wife, Shanti Wintergate, to write a children's book. The tattoos worn by their target audience may be temporary, but the music is very real for the pair, who have been traveling to book stores and elementary schools across the country - playing original children's songs and reading from "I Went for a Walk," which Wintergate wrote and Attonito illustrated while touring with his band.

The songs are kid friendly but parent accessible, and the artwork in the book has an edgy, almost dreamlike quality that wouldn't look out of place on the front of a punk rock album. Wintergate and Attonito said they had the offspring of punk fans in mind when they wrote the book and the songs.

"It's not just a parent telling their kid, 'Here's something that I'm stoked about,' " Attonito says. "I think of this as a bridge between what the punk rock fan likes and what their kid is stoked about."..

Attack story – a complaint - Whitby Today

Attack story – a complaint - Whitby Today:

"From: Leona Cowap, Falcon Terrace, Whitby

I am writing to complain about the story “Thugs tore of my ears”, which was on the front page of Friday 2 November’s paper. I was extremely disappointed to read that they were not actually his real ears. I find the headline very misleading as I thought there had been a really quite serious attack. I agree it wasn’t very nice of the ‘attackers’ to push him about and swear at him but I wonder if I am the only person in Whitby who found “They ripped the bald cap and false ears, tore them to pieces and stamped on them” actually quite hilarious. Also, I know if Stuart had been unfortunate enough to have his real ears ripped off in the centre of Leeds on a Saturday evening it probably wouldn’t have even made it into the paper, let alone front page. 08 November 2007 "

See original story here:
Goth's ears ripped off by thugs - Have YOUR say on...

Sophie's funeral footage and photos

Sophie's Funeral

Sophie's boyfriend Rob Maltby

Final tribute to murdered Goth

Manchester Evening News
12/11/2007

HUNDREDS of mourners gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of a 20-year-old woman who was kicked to death in a park. Sophie Lancaster, of Bacup, suffered severe head and facial injuries during the brutal assault in August.

Miss Lancaster and her boyfriend, Rob Maltby, 21, who survived the attack, had been targeted in the past for being dressed as Goths. Her family have since launched a campaign to highlight the hostility which Goths face.













The Stamp Out Prejudice Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere (Sophie) memorial fund aims to raise money to teach young people about alternative cultures and to respect everyone.

Their campaign, run via the myspace website, has attracted wide support from the online Goth community and many are expected to travel from around Britain to the service...

FOND FAREWELL FOR MURDERED WOMAN Express, UK November 13th

The humanist funeral held in Whitworth this morning, celebrated the life of the young woman who was brutally kicked to death as she walked through a park with her boyfriend.

Miss Lancaster, who was from Bacup in Lancashire, slipped into a coma and died in hospital 13 days after suffering fatal injuries to her head and face.

Her partner, 21-year-old Rob Maltby, also fell into a coma but survived the horrific attack. He suffered bleeding on the brain and is still recovering from his injuries.

Her white coffin was covered in messages from friends. One read: “I would love to hug you right now – see you in my thoughts and dreams.”... read more


Sophie's final goodbye
By Camilla Sutcliffe
Lancashire Evening Telegraph

MOURNERS wrote goodbye messages on the coffin of alleged murder victim Sophie Lancaster as condolences from around the world were shown on a projector screen.

Hundreds of people from across the country gathered at The Riverside Centre, Whitworth, for the humanist funeral ceremony, which celebrated diversity and difference.

Sophie, 20, died in August after she and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were involved in an incident in Stubbylee Park, Bacup. Police said the Bacup couple were attacked because of the way they looked.
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Portraits of former Haslingden High School pupil painted by Robert, 21, who survived the attack, decorated the funeral hall.

After the ceremony guests were invited to write messages to Sophie in black marker pen on her white coffin as music by the Beatles, Jeff Buckley and Marilyn Manson was played.

Poems by Christina Rossetti, Brian Patten and one written for Sophie by Robert, were read out during the ceremony.

Mourners then walked in procession led by a lone piper, to Whitworth Cemetary where poetry by Keats and Shelley was read before the burial.

At the service, officiator Sue Davies said that Sophie's "painful, cruel and tragic" death had shocked everyone, but that she would not want to be defined by the way she died. She said the funeral was very personal but,most importantly, welcoming, safe and inclusive for everyone.

She said: "Sophie Lancaster was an original - a remarkable and true individual. An exciting, fierce woman of high intelligence and understanding.

"Sophie's death is a profound tragedy of humanity. It is the tragedy of dehumanisation. It is the tragedy which unfortunately, despite all efforts, recurs again and again and is still with us today.

"With actions which are so atrocious, so incomprehensible that we are left struggling to make sense of the insensible. But we must never allow violence to be the final word."

She added that Sophie's three-year relationship with Robert was one which enriched them both.

After the ceremony friends said that it had done justice to Sophie's life. Close friend Joe Greenwood, 18, of Haslingden, said: "It was a beautiful service and it was wonderful to see so many people here to celebrate her life."

Paul Mannion, 23, of Hall Carr, Rawtenstall, added: "She was always happy, always laughing and always making other people laugh and see what life is really like. There are no ways to say what a shame it is to lose such a person."

Flowers were laid on her coffin by all mourners and donations have been made to the family's charity campaign SOPHIE (Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere). Further donations can be made through the campaign website at www.myspace.com/inmemoryofsophie Five youths will appear in Preston Crown Court on March 10 charged with Sophie's murder.

[Another article no new details but appears in a popular and widely distributed free paper Metro.]
Tributes to goth who was brutally killed
Metro, UK -

Not Like Everyone Else - TV movie

This interesting sounding film highlights some of the problems faced by high school people bullying others,

Not Like Everyone Else
Randee Dawn

June 30, 2006

9 p.m. Monday, July 10 Lifetime There's a lot going on in Lifetime's new original movie, "Not Like Everyone Else," about the real-life struggle of Brandi Blackbear (Alia Shawkat), an Oklahoma teen expelled from school in 1999 for practicing witchcraft, who enlisted the ACLU to bring suit. In part it is a nightmare about teachers policing students; in part it is about civil rights; in part it is about "Mean Girls"/"Heathers" bullying outsiders/freethinkers; and in part it is a father-daughter reconciliation. But since it's a Lifetime movie, it really has to be about a woman standing up for her rights -- possibly the least relevant angle of this busy yet inert film. Executive produced by Lifetime regulars Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein, "Everyone Else" has moments. Brandi's mom (the delightful, earthy Illeana Douglas) accepts her Gothic, budding horror-writer daughter, and judicious use of handheld cameras lend scenes a documentary freshness. But "Everyone Else" fails to find its focus, and flat acting and tin-eared dialogue turn those scenes into an extended "Unsolved Mysteries" re-enactment. Blackbear's story -- which exposed the draconian measures visited on teens post-Columbine -- has a larger message to impart about jumping to conclusions in the skittish wake of tragedy. But next time, filmmakers should let Brandi write this particular horror story herself.

BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Park attack victim's funeral due

Includes video footage

"The funeral of a 20-year-old woman who died following an attack in a Lancashire park is to take place later. Sophie Lancaster was walking with her boyfriend in Stubby Lee Park in Bacup when they were attacked on 11 August. Her family have said they want as many people as possible to attend as part of their campaign to stamp out prejudice. Miss Lancaster and her boyfriend had earlier been targeted for dressing as Goths. The service is at the Riverside Centre in Whitworth at 1100 GMT. Mourners will be asked to write farewell messages on her white casket while her favourite music is played."
read more
BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Park attack victim's funeral due



Sophie's funeral to take place today
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 48 minutes ago
Police believe she and her boyfriend Robert Maltby, who survived the attack, were targeed because of their "goth" style of dress. ...

Petition Against Violence Gains 1 500 Signatures (from LancashireTelegraph)

"AN online petition - launched in memory of tragic Bacup girl Sophie Lancaster - calling for violence against goths and emos to be made 'a hate crime' has attracted more than 1,500 names. The petition comes as Sophie's family and friends today (MON) prepare to celebrate the former Haslingden High School pupil's life in a humanist service at the Riverside Centre in Whitworth. It has been lodged on the Prime Minister's website and urges Gordon Brown to consider extending the definition of hate crimes to include violence against goths and emos. advertisement The petition reads: 'We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to widen the definition of hate Crime', to include crimes committed against a person or persons, on the basis of their appearance or subcultural interests...read more"

Petition Against Violence Gains 1 500 Signatures (from This Is Lancashire)

The article is mistaken in saying it is just about goths and emos but I suppose it is an easy mistake to make. The petition is now at over 1600 signatures and is around number 143 out of more than 8000 petitions on the site. This may be the first time the petition has been mentioned in the media. I think there will be a lot more media coverage round the trial in March of the accused in the Sophie Lancaster case when the petition will be almost finished which should be interesting. One wonders what difference such legislation would have made in the case of the killing of Dele Little for instance.

See earlier posts on hate crime for more background on the petition.