It's the clock kid all over again.

[Admiral Yi]

All I've seen so far on the bully accusation is the cousin's assertion.

[Martinus]

Bully takes advantage of police incompetence to fuck with people? Sounds like that SWATing deal from the other thread.

The article Brazen posted says that the kid admitted, when questioned by the police, that he had joked about the bomb to the "bully".

Other than the assertion of the cousin that the accuser is a "bully" (which is not corroborated in any way by any element of the story, but I guess is bad enough to deem him entirely unreliable - "bully" these days being worse than "would be suicide bomber" apparently), there is nothing to support the story of the cousin. On the other hand, even if the "bully" may have deliberately misunderstood the joke to rat on the kid (again, no reason to believe he did, other than the aforementioned assertion), and the police may have overreacted by locking the kid up for 3 days in a juvie, he should know better not to make jokes about having a bomb in his backpack, no matter his skin colour.

[The Minsky Moment]

the police may have overreacted by locking the kid up for 3 days in a juvie,

You think, maybe?  Just a little bit?

Contrary to what some may think, terror suspicions are not a get-out-of-the-Constitution free card for law enforcement.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Bomb threats are pretty illegal, so I'm not sure why they would need to burn the constitution or whatever if he told someone he was going to blow the place up and they want to toss him in juvie for a couple of days.  It's not like they sent him to gitmo and pulled his toenails out.

Hoax bombs are also illegal, so for example when some dumbass brings his disassembled/reassembled pencil case clock to school, gets told it looks like a bomb and to put it away, then plugs it in and sets the alarm to go off in class, he gets to talk with the cops too.  You don't actually have to have a bomb or blow something up to get into some relatively deep shit.

[The Minsky Moment]

Bomb threats are pretty illegal, so I'm not sure why they would need to burn the constitution or whatever if he told someone he was going to blow the place up and they want to toss him in juvie for a couple of days.  It's not like they sent him to gitmo and pulled his toenails out.

Exactly who said what and when is disputed.  What is not disputed is that it was immediately apparent  upon apprehension that there was no bomb.  At that point, denying right to counsel, not contacting parents, and detaining him overnight is a bit like Gitmo, though probably with less professionally managed facilities.

If they want to charge him with reckless endangerment, fine: but then do it the normal way - gather evidence, file an information etc.  You don't hold a minor incommunicado for 72 hours on such a charge.

[MadBurgerMaker]

At that point, denying right to counsel, not contacting parents, and detaining him overnight is a bit like Gitmo, though probably with less professionally managed facilities.

Did they actually do all that though? 

[The Minsky Moment]

The parents found out when they contacted the school, ergo law enforcement did not inform them.   He was detained for three days, therefore a least 2 overnights.

[The Minsky Moment]

Meanwhile, Martinus, usually quick to denounce improper treatment of minors in the US criminal justice system (and often for good reason) is curiously blasé on this one.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Did they?  We didn't hear about the cops kidnapping a 12 year old from a school until some Facebook posts from a cousin (and the brother, who deleted some of them) several days later?  The principal of the school had no idea where the local police department might have taken a student from his/her school, and gave them so little information that they had to call 911 instead of the actual police department?  The Arlington PD just grabbing a kid and tossing him in a cell and not telling anyone anything about it (and also stonewalling the principal and everyone else in the front office not seeing or knowing anything about it I guess) is possible, sure, but it's really more likely that they weren't able to get a hold of the parents, who weren't listening to the principal when they finally called because they were freaking out, and then just called 911. Don't you think?

[Martinus]

Meanwhile, Martinus, usually quick to denounce improper treatment of minors in the US criminal justice system (and often for good reason) is curiously blasé on this one.

I disagree. If the reports of the kid joking about having a bomb are true, then this is a slap on the wrist - a bit too heavy-handed, perhaps, but nothing to get your panties in a bunch over.

Even if the reports are not true and the kid did nothing wrong, then this is injustice, but of a magnitude so low it is almost inconsequential. If you want to denounce improper treatment of minors by criminal justice systems, then take a look at Saudi Arabia, where a teenager is being sentence to crucifixion over holding an anti-government sign at a protest. And do something about it - sign a petition, go to a protest, stop working for Saudi clients.

[Barrister]

Meanwhile, Martinus, usually quick to denounce improper treatment of minors in the US criminal justice system (and often for good reason) is curiously blasé on this one.

I disagree. If the reports of the kid joking about having a bomb are true, then this is a slap on the wrist - a bit too heavy-handed, perhaps, but nothing to get your panties in a bunch over.

Even if the reports are not true and the kid did nothing wrong, then this is injustice, but of a magnitude so low it is almost inconsequential. If you want to denounce improper treatment of minors by criminal justice systems, then take a look at Saudi Arabia, where a teenager is being sentence to crucifixion over holding an anti-government sign at a protest. And do something about it - sign a petition, go to a protest, stop working for Saudi clients.

Really?  Detaining a 12 year old kid with no charges, and without notifying the parents, is "almost inconsequential"?

[MadBurgerMaker]

He is being charged with some sort of "terrorist threat" thing, apparently.

[11B4V]

Meanwhile, Martinus, usually quick to denounce improper treatment of minors in the US criminal justice system (and often for good reason) is curiously blasé on this one.

I disagree. If the reports of the kid joking about having a bomb are true, then this is a slap on the wrist - a bit too heavy-handed, perhaps, but nothing to get your panties in a bunch over.

Even if the reports are not true and the kid did nothing wrong, then this is injustice, but of a magnitude so low it is almost inconsequential. If you want to denounce improper treatment of minors by criminal justice systems, then take a look at Saudi Arabia, where a teenager is being sentence to crucifixion over holding an anti-government sign at a protest. And do something about it - sign a petition, go to a protest, stop working for Saudi clients.

Really?  Detaining a 12 year old kid with no charges, and without notifying the parents, is "almost inconsequential"?

and why keep him three days. This shouldn't have been taken so far by the police.

[grumbler]

The article Brazen posted says that the kid admitted, when questioned by the police, that he had joked about the bomb to the "bully".

Other than the assertion of the cousin that the accuser is a "bully" (which is not corroborated in any way by any element of the story, but I guess is bad enough to deem him entirely unreliable - "bully" these days being worse than "would be suicide bomber" apparently), there is nothing to support the story of the cousin. On the other hand, even if the "bully" may have deliberately misunderstood the joke to rat on the kid (again, no reason to believe he did, other than the aforementioned assertion), and the police may have overreacted by locking the kid up for 3 days in a juvie, he should know better not to make jokes about having a bomb in his backpack, no matter his skin colour.

You are remarkably willing to accept the statements of the police at face value, for someone who pretends to be this skeptic/rebel type.

We have no idea what the kid "confessed" nor the circumstances under which he confessed.  We do know that 12-year-olds will "confess" 100% of the time when taken into police custody, unless the police follow the law and have a child's advocate present during all questioning.  There's no evidence that that happened in this case (and it absolutely didn't happen in the case of the clock kid).  This "confession" is worth nothing and so is all analysis based on it.  Especially yours.

[The Minsky Moment]

Did they?  We didn't hear about the cops kidnapping a 12 year old from a school until some Facebook posts from a cousin (and the brother, who deleted some of them) several days later?  The principal of the school had no idea where the local police department might have taken a student from his/her school, and gave them so little information that they had to call 911 instead of the actual police department?  The Arlington PD just grabbing a kid and tossing him in a cell and not telling anyone anything about it (and also stonewalling the principal and everyone else in the front office not seeing or knowing anything about it I guess) is possible, sure, but it's really more likely that they weren't able to get a hold of the parents, who weren't listening to the principal when they finally called because they were freaking out, and then just called 911. Don't you think?

Well let's go by what the Arlington PD said to the press:  http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/12/arlington-isd-says-12-year-old-sikh-student-arrested-for-making-threat-family-disputes-account.html/

Two interesting facts here:
1.  The school claims to have tried to contact the parents.  But not the PD.  It is the arresting officer's responsibility.
2.  The police admit to conducting a custodial interrogation without the parents present or even knowing; no attorney is mentioned and presumably not present.

That plus a 3 day "preventative" detention of a 12 year old after it became clear there was no danger.

Yes bomb threats are no joke but back when I was at middle school if they jailed anyone for making jokes about M-80s in the bathroom, half the school would have been in the clink.  We are talking about a 12 year old.  This should never have gotten escalated past the principal.  Hard to lecture a kid about bad judgment when it is being displayed so spectacularly by adults all around.