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Penn State Students Riot, Tip Over Van, After Joe Paterno Fired (Video)
Thousands of students riot on Joe Paterno's behalf.
I was in State College, Pennsylvania last night. I didn’t go anywhere near the rioting, I did much more exciting things like attend a Kindermusik class with my daughter, but I’m sure I would’ve been annoyed if I had seen a bunch of clueless students tipping over a news van in support of a coach who pretty much DID NOTHING after being told young boys were being raped.
But it’s what happened. As Yahoo reports, after Penn State did the right thing by kicking coach Paterno and University President Graham Spanier to the curb in the wake of their handling of horrific sex abuse allegations against a former coach, thousands of angry students flooded the streets of downtown State College to shout stuff, tip over a news fan, and throw rocks at a news photographer.
Click here to see video of the students rioting and tipping over a news van.
Officers in riot gear used pepper spray to control the crowd while students chanted “We want Joe! We want Joe!” and kicked in the windows of the overturned van.
Yesterday Paterno announced regret about not having done more after he learned of the sex assault allegations. Here’s what my colleague has to say about that and I completely agree.
“…let’s not forget Paterno, a football coach, actually understands the value of hindsight. In his business, hindsight is known as Monday morning quarterbacking, and it’s generally regarded as meaningless. To wish he had done more implies that Paterno had done something, anything. The truth is, he did nothing.
Paterno was a revered, important and powerful person not only in college football, but at Penn State and in his town. It was in his power to stop Sandusky, to bring him to justice. Joe Pa knows this now and he knew it then. But when a graduate student assistant told him that he had witnessed Sandusky raping a boy in the locker room showers, he didn’t go to the police. He went to the university president. Even after it was clear the president wasn’t going to the police, Paterno sat on that information. He covered it up.”
You can take your crap football and shove it where the sun don’t shine, Coach Paterno. The lives of countless little boys were ruined and you could’ve stepped in and stopped it. I hope getting fired is the first in a string of bad things about to happen to you.
As for the dumb students rioting on Paterno’s behalf: kids can be idiots. Here are just a few quotes from students rioting last night:
“I don’t see what damage could be done by him staying to see the end of the season.”
“I don’t think how they let him go is fair.”
What damage can be done? Yeah, the damage is already done, boy. And fair? Are you serious?
I remember getting all worked up about some cause or the other and walking out of class. Most of the time it wasn’t about the cause, it was about the excitement of actually rioting. I’d like to think that if these kids really stopped and thought about what coach Paterno ignored, they wouldn’t be out in the streets turning over vans on his behalf. As it is, this video makes me sick to my stomach. Students, all worked up over football.
So far no arrests have been reported but State College police say they’ll be addressing the protests later in the day. What are your thoughts about the students rioting?
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10 Comments
Little Frogs commented on Nov 10 11 at 8:16 amShame on those students and shame on that coach but I have to wonder how long Penn State has sat on this.
jeneria commented on Nov 10 11 at 8:37 amPenn State sat on this for at least 9 years.
.
I think it’s pathetic that students won’t protest things like escalating tuition, student loan debt, increasing class size, classes being taught by first year grad students, lack of adequate technology, astronomic book prices, etc but they will protest the firing of a coach who inadvertently protected a child molester.
Brandi commented on Nov 10 11 at 10:33 amThis might ruffle some feathers but here goes:
The focus of everything right now should be on Jerry Sandusky first and foremost; the man who committed such horrific crimes against children who couldn’t defend themselves. But the focus isn’t on him. It is on Joe Paterno.
Then the focus should shift toward the foundation, The Second Mile, a charitable non-profit organization established to help c…hildren; A foundation that ultimately ended up harming children. But the focus is not on the Second Mile. It is on Joe Paterno.
The focus should then shift to Tim Curley, Graham Spanier and Gary Schultz for covering up these acts of sexual abuse. Then the focus should be on Joe Paterno, Mike McQueary and all others with knowledge of the situation(s).
Granted all parties involved have let society down by not taking the necessary steps to prevent future incidents and all of them should be removed from the university immediately.
But right now the media is focusing on the most common name, Joe Paterno. It is a name which everyone across the country and around the world can relate too. However he is not the person who is ultimately responsible for ruining countless lives. That man’s name is Jerry Sandusky.
I am just sick of looking at a newspaper and website or listening to a sports talk radio station and hearing “Joe Pa, Joe Pa, Joe Pa.” Joe Paterno did not sexually molest adolescents. Jerry Sandusky did.
Joe may be the face of Penn State University and may have done wrong but what Joe did is nowhere near the atrocities of what Jerry Sandusky has committed. Focus on the root of the problem here, the heinous individual that Jerry Sandusky is.
michelle commented on Nov 10 11 at 10:56 amWhat Jeneria said. Most of those rioting students will be unable to find a job after graduating, but that’s apparently OK with them.
Nina Ruffin commented on Nov 10 11 at 11:28 amBrandi’s comments are 100% correct in my opinion, and leaves nothing else to be said. Anyone that knew or even may have heard that this was taking place should be held accountable.
Suzie commented on Nov 10 11 at 12:09 pmI agree to some extent, Brandi, but with great power and popularity come great responsibility. Paterno could have used his god-like status and influence to shut this shit down.
DRo commented on Nov 10 11 at 1:06 pmBrandi — can we not focus on more than one thing at a time? Paterno, Second Mile, and Sandusky all should (and will) be dealt with. Firing someone happens fast. Trials and investigations take longer.
jeneria commented on Nov 10 11 at 2:14 pmI also want to know why the interim coach who happens to be the grad student who saw the rape and reported it (one day later) to Paterno hasn’t been fired.
Jill commented on Nov 15 11 at 8:21 amPaterno should have been fired, as well as any other employee of Penn State who knew about the pedophile and failed to report it to the police. I would bet money that Mike McQuery has not been fired, and has only been placed on administrative leave, because he is cooperating with police, and Penn State wants that cooperation to continue. He is the only person who witnessed a rape, and the only person who can corroborate the boys’ testimony. McQuery’s testimony will be crucial in any upcoming trial. As for Monica’s question, the rioters are idiots. Sandusky RAPED preteen boys (read the grand jury testimony), Paterno was told about it, and rather than report it to police, he sat on the information to protect an institution and a game. Shame on him. I don’t know whether Paterno committed a crime for which he should go to jail, but I do know Paterno should have been fired. The fact that these kids can’t or won’t see that is pathetic.
Also, Penn State should honor the scholarships of the current students for their remaining school years, and immediately dismantle its football and other sports programs.
TBerry commented on Nov 15 11 at 1:37 pmI don’t think it’s wrong to fire Paterno but McQuery should have been fired too. He was some kid who saw it happen he was an adult graduate student. Heck, why didn’t he pull the guy off the kid. Even if he informed Paterno, he is also complicit in the coverup because he didn’t go to the police when the school didn’t do any thing. Instead, he is even suspended, he was only kept from the game because they feared he would be attacked.
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