Boston-area student goes from ‘Make a Wish’ kid to knockout game suspect
Source: Raw Story
Boston-area student goes from Make a Wish kid to knockout game suspect
By George Chidi
Saturday, February 8, 2014 22:10 EST
A Boston-area college sophomore and hockey player has been charged with multiple assaults after allegedly punching three students in the head without warning as part of an apparent knockout game.
Police say Dillon Destefano, 19, of New Jersey, sucker punched all three Endicott College students within an hour of one another, injuring one seriously enough to require his jaw be wired shut and a titanium plate for his face, according to the Daily Caller. Another victim sustained a fractured eye socket while a third only received minor injuries.
Destefanos right hand swelled up from hitting people as hard as he did, the Boston Herald quoted a prosecutor at the hearing Thursday. Witnesses, two other apparent accomplices and Destefanos apparent bragging about the incidents led police to arrest Destefano.
Destefano who has been diagnosed with Crohns disease, met hockey legend Wayne Gretzky in a televised Make-a-Wish Foundation special on ESPN ten years ago, according to the Cliffview Pilot.
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/08/boston-area-student-goes-from-make-a-wish-kid-to-knockout-game-suspect/
jsr
(7,712 posts)LisaL
(44,974 posts)marble falls
(57,204 posts)Terminal Stage of Crohn's...
http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=17&m=1619549
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)My best friend from middle school had a son who nearly died from Crohn's a few times when he was younger so I'd say it's a life threatening illness, which qualifies it for Make-a-Wish.
6000eliot
(5,643 posts)Fake news. It's what's for dinner.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)I suppose that's something...
LisaL
(44,974 posts)Are you saying this guy didn't actually punch anyone?
Recursion
(56,582 posts)People suckerpunch people all the time. Every few years a journalist decides to name it something.
LisaL
(44,974 posts)Where do you live that it's happening all the time?
Recursion
(56,582 posts)It doesn't happen quite so much where I live now, but America is a pretty violent country.
Demenace
(213 posts)No developed mind would engage in the line of thought you are expressing, dude!
Recursion
(56,582 posts)I'm 37; I remember the mid-90s, when violence was a lot worse than it is now.
In the US's 10 largest cities, the simple assault incidence is 27 per 1000 per annum. I don't see why it's so distressing to people that I keep pointing out that random assaults do in fact happen every day in cities in the US.
Demenace
(213 posts)... it is your reasoning level that is in question here. Hoping to make some point when folks are responding to an individual who decided he needed at assault three other human beings, is what is bring your maturity level into question.
So, I will spell this out for you, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL THIS!
6000eliot
(5,643 posts)My point exactly. This "story" isn't about reporting on violence. It's about demonizing young men, and young Black men in particular.
Demenace
(213 posts)Sometimes, some of you around here post while drunk, I believe. What is wrong if the story has the facts of the actions this said 'young man' is accused of? This story had no generalized statements about 'young men' or 'young Black men', it dealt specifically with this particular 'young man' who was engaged in a horrible assault on other human beings but all you want to talk about is some fiction version of a news coverage.
This 'young man' was engaged in a 'HORRIBLE' act against others, period! We do not care what it is called or whether you approve of the story as titled.
Demenace
(213 posts)So we should move on as there is nothing to see, right? We do not care what it is called, this is a horrible thing for anyone to be engaged in and that my friend is why, we adults are talking about it as a News story!
marble falls
(57,204 posts)call it "Sucker Punch Game" if you'd like. The truth is it isn't racial. Its about premeditated unprovoked bullying and race has no connotation in the game, though 'homeless', 'single victim vs two or more attackers', 'weaker' or 'isolated from other people' do.
So what did they call this the last time? I lived in times and places where sucker punched happened regularly. I've been sucker punched. I've sucker punched. This is not a "normal" sucker punch.
Demenace
(213 posts)A 'Sucker punch' is when someone you clearly have an issue with blindsides you with a cowardly punch. It has never been honorable and will never be.
But what we have here is the targeting of totally random and defenseless people, complete with a premeditated intention to commit an assault while filming it for future amusement. These qualities fit the terms of a game as in when Hunters pursue animals for the game of it.
For those objecting to the term 'Knock Out game', you need to realize you are not making any sense because even if those who participate in these assault incidents have not called it the 'Knock Out Games', we, the general public, have decided to call your activities just that!
If anyone participating in this activity thinks this is not an accurate term for what you do, then please feel free to tell us what you would like us to call your assault on unsuspecting individuals!
marble falls
(57,204 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)When a 78-year-old Jewish woman was walking down the street in Brooklyn earlier this month, the last thing she expected was to be punched in the face. Tragically, that's exactly what happened. The elderly woman was apparently the victim of what authorities are calling a "knockout game" -- where, according to police, an attacker or attackers aim to knock out a person with a single sucker punch. It is an alarming trend that is spurring outrageous incidents across the country. It is deplorable, reprehensible and inexcusable. It is insane thuggery, and it is unequivocally wrong. These kids are targeting innocent people, and in many cases specifically targeting Jewish folks. We would not be silent if it were the other way around, and we will not be silent now. This behavior is racist, period. And we will not tolerate it.
Several of these "knockout" incidents have already been reported in New York, and around the country. Many of the New York victims appear to be members of the Jewish community, but even in cases where race/ethnicity/religion aren't factors, it is still unconscionable. As I often state, no one -- black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, male, female, the elderly, children, gay, straight or anyone else -- should ever fear walking down the street. We live in a free and open society, but we also live in a nation where laws protect us from such vicious behavior. A 28-year-old Brooklyn resident was recently arrested for allegedly punching a 24-year-old in a reported "knockout" occurrence. We encourage police to thoroughly investigate each and every case, and bring these perpetrators to justice.
There is nothing funny or even remotely entertaining about attacking innocents walking down the street. This is not a "game"; it is inhumane behavior that has no place in our country or the world. When you start condoning it and you start to act like there's something funny about these types of actions, you set up the kind of crisis that leads to the demise of everyone. Diversity is one of the greatest strengths of this nation, and we must respect one another in a way that preserves and further develops this diversity. Therefore, when an injustice happens to anyone, it is the duty of all to speak up. Silence is akin to tacit acceptance.
This week, I will be meeting with other leaders to address our next moves regarding this crisis. As one who has fought for greater civil rights for all, I cannot watch this travesty unfold. We can discuss the many factors that may lead to this sort of destructive behavior, whether it be poverty, unemployment, etc., but at the end of the day, there is no excuse ever to bestow violence on others. There is no justification for brutally punching or attacking a person in this manner. These kids must be held accountable, and then they must receive the right guidance and mentorship to halt any further damage. In our own communities, we must work harder to spot disastrous behavior and intervene before anything horrific like these attacks take place. All of us need to push for better schools, job opportunities, after-school programs, recreation/community centers and more.
- Reverend Al Sharpton
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/knockout-games_b_4340317.html?utm_hp_ref=business
FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)There is no knockout game. It is simple assault. No one is making a game of it. If they are, it is NOT called the "Knockout Game". But they're not. People get punched, sometimes they die, but it has been happening for years, so no BFD!
I think Make a Wish and Wayne Gretsky are imaginary as well.
Demenace
(213 posts)...or why else would you think people getting punched is something we should just get with?
Dude, you do not get it so I am going to lay it out for you and any other person with your line of thought.
WE DO NOT CARE WHICH NAME YOU GUYS CALL THIS, IF THE AIM IS TO KNOCK AN UNSUSPECTING INDIVIDUAL TO THE GROUND, WE WILL ACCEPT THE NAME 'KNOCK OUT GAME'!
Please, get back to us when you guys who go around assaulting people have decided on a better name you want us to call your actions!
FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)Being a somewhat sarcastic smart-ass who wants the best possible life for the greatest number of people is.
Demenace
(213 posts)Sometimes, there are issues that do not mix well with sarcasm and this is one of them. It is important to reflect on one's action and just like these individuals out there preying on unsuspecting people for fun when it is not funny getting assaulted, it is not funny when we bring sarcasm to a serious discuss, just saying....
FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)Trust: My heart goes out to the victims of these attacks, and the victims of every other brute and bully in the world. I wasn't diminishing them...I was zinging the people with blinders on who refuse to acknowledge a serious problem because of some uncomfortable political issues that it brings up.
After a certain point, if you are not careful, the pains and problems of the world will wear you down to nothing. Sometimes, a bit of "gallows humor" is what it takes to keep out of a useless, self destructive "Arrrrghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People are evil!!!!!!!!!!!!" mode.
Your mileage may vary.
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)Riftaxe
(2,693 posts)who filed complaints with the police in jail and under what charge?
What evidence do you advance that the victims are lying?
JI7
(89,264 posts)anasv
(225 posts)marble falls
(57,204 posts)olddad56
(5,732 posts)This fucking thug belongs in prison.
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)olddad56
(5,732 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)RandiFan1290
(6,242 posts)When are the white leaders going to say something about this?