On February 12,
2008, 15-year-old Lawrence King was shot in a classroom
at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., by
classmate Brandon McInerney. In the year since his
death, the trial against McInerney has been a constant
ebb and flow of postponements and appeals. King has since
become the poster child for protecting LGBT children in
schools -- The Advocate devoted a cover story to the life and
senseless murder of Lawrence King, and in
the days leading up to the one-year anniversary of his
death, blogs devoted space to
reflecting on what has been learned in the aftermath and how
far educators still have to go.
A study by the
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network released on
Wednesday revealed that 90% of gay students have been the
target of homophobic slurs, and 42% have been
physically assaulted or harassed because of their
sexual orientation or gender identity.
Prosecutors say
that leading up to the shooting, King and McInerney
engaged in their own ebb and flow of rivalry, exchanging
barbs in the hallways, eventually leading to McInerney
threatening King’s life. According to
prosecutors' statements, McInerney told one of King's
friends, “Say goodbye to your friend Larry because
you're never going to see him again.”
As details about
the case were released, the public learned that both
boys had troubled pasts, with possibly difficult home
situations. King lived at Casa Pacifica, a group home
for abused, neglected, and troubled youths.
Prosecutors say that McInerney, who was 14 at the time of
the shooting, grew up with white-supremacist
influences.
Prosecutors are
pressing for McInerney to be tried as an adult, which is
possible under California law, but defense attorneys are
fighting to get his case heard before juvenile courts,
where he could be held until age 25, if convicted.
Sentencing in adult court could land him in jail for 51
years to life. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In the days
leading up to this poignant anniversary, Advocate.com spoke
to a few people involved in Lawrence’s life and the
time after his death.
Vicki Murphy, director of development and
operations for Casa Pacifica
We had a group of
volunteers who came out from our local church, and they
were helping us on our sacred space. It was designated for
kids to go be quiet and not have staff hovering over
it. Larry loved the idea of sacred space and was
helping the volunteers one weekend to clear the brush, and
they painted paver stones. One of the other kids helping out
painted a stone that said "kill" on it, and a church
volunteer asked Larry to fix it. He ended up painting
over the stone with hearts and flowers. It was
beautiful, but it was sad because it was the last Sunday
before his life was taken from him.
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