INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — An Indiana gay teen on Wednesday faced a private school district review board, an effort to expel him after he discharged a stun gun on school property to discourage an attack by school bullies.
Darnell Young
Darnell “Dynasty” Young, 17, a student at Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, said that classmates repeatedly cursed at him in the school hallways, taunted him with homophobic slurs, following him home from his bus stop, and threatening to beat him up, reported the Indianapolis Star.
One night, as he walked home from his after-school job, they threw rocks at him.
When the 17-year-old and his mother, Chelisa Grimes, told school officials, she said, teachers and administrators seemed to blame Young for being openly gay.
His behavior and the way he dressed called attention to himself, they said.
He accessorized his outfits with his mother’s purses and jewelry. And he loved to dance.
His dance routine to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” won second place at Tech’s talent show in December.
“They said that the problem was he was too flamboyant, with his bags and his purses and his rings,” Grimes said.
Desperate to protect her son from bullies, Grimes gave him a stun gun to carry, just in case.
“I had to do something,” she said. “They throw bottles and rocks at him.”
Now Young faces expulsion from school.
Young said he carried the stun gun in his backpack for a few weeks without using it. But on April 16, as he walked between class buildings during a passing period, Young said six students surrounded him, called him names, cursed and threatened to beat him up.
He said he pulled out the stun gun, pointed it in the air and fired it so it would make the noise, causing the students to retreat.
But minutes later, school police officers caught up with Young at his next class, handcuffed him, and found the stun gun — Young was suspended and recommended for expulsion.
The school and Young were scheduled to testify today before an independent arbitrator, who will review the case and make a decision within a few days on whether Young will be expelled.
Today’s meeting today was closed to the public.
According to Young and his mother, the had previously filed at least 10 formal complaints about the bullying incidents, but school officials formally investigated only one complaint, which resulted in the bully being suspended.
Grimes said that in most cases, principal Larry Yarrell told her that her son should “tone down” his appearance.
“If they weren’t going to protect him,” Grimes said, “I’ll protect him.”
Grimes said she settled on the stun gun because it did not seem as dangerous or illegal as a knife or gun, and are not classified as deadly weapons under Indiana state law, however they are prohibited on school property.
Under Indiana law, a person must be at least 18 to possess a stun gun, and it is a misdemeanor to give a stun gun to a minor. Grimes claims she didn’t know that when she bought the stun gun.
Young’s mother told the Star that she knew her son was gay starting at an early age, and said she has always been supportive of his sexual orientation.
“Everybody in my family knew he was (gay), so we just loved him,” she said, adding that if Young is expelled, she will appeal the decision.
Filed under: Indiana
Florida teen fighting criminal charges related to same-sex relationship
Harvey: Gays deserve to be fired for displaying their lifestyles to everyone
Anti-gay marriage activist commits suicide on alter at Notre Dame cathedral
Texas judge enforces ‘morality clause’ to split up lesbian couple
Candidate for Va. Lt. Governor warns same-sex marriage leads to bestiality
ACLU, attorney condemn prosecution of teen who had sex with minor girlfriend
Sex and the teenage girl: The Kaitlyn Hunt tragedy
Transgender student skips graduation rather than wear female gown
UPDATED: Police call fatal New York City shooting an anti-gay hate crime
Attorney implies suspect’s child sexual abuse was a factor NYC killing
Iowa anti-gay activist explains his opposition to gay marriage: ‘It’s awful’
Details emerge in case against teen accused of lewd behavior with girlfriend
Lesbian teen charged in relationship with underage girlfriend rejects plea deal
BREAKING: French president signs marriage equality bill into law
Everything is bigger in Texas – even the homophobia
Sue!!! :-{P}
to be honest, at least it was a stun gun and not one with bullets
If a student feels threatened enough to use such a device in self-defense, then how about the faculty be put under review instead?
In all fariness, shooting someone with a stun gun at school is not the right way to go about it :/
this story’s crazy, why the fuck are they expelling him for self defense? if the kid jumped in front of a bus to kill himself, none of those “bullies” would’ve been expelled. I say expel THEM.
Its is a good thing its was only a stun gun. We have witnessed all to well when kids are pushed to far.
^The article said he didn’t shoot anyone. He just fired it into the air so it would “make the noise” and scare them off.
uh…. yeah that mother was an idiot. stunduns…. in school, not a good idea. no matter what.
they got off easy I would have shocked em’ all… lol!
Still to many teens have been bullied for being gay in school like me I’m glad he used a stun gun because he will be one less person who will commit suicide
Im sorry but im glad he defended himself … We have to many young LGBT youth getting killed by ignorant people … I would have done the same for my son.
So the victim gets reprimanded and not the bully/bullies? What a crazy justice system we have, ladies and gentlemen.
Violence is Violence. It doesn’t matter if you use words or stun guns. My question is where are the adults here? His parent knew and why did the school allow this issue to escalate to the point where one has to result to violence to protect them self.
What the fuck is wrong with school?
They are sending a message to “not be bullied” as oppose to “don’t bully”
His mom broke the law and he broke school rules. Schools have always been immune from bullying prosecution, lol.
I think he should have shot them in the balls
why are the bullies not being reviewed or expelled? What about staff whose mandate is making sure school is a safe learning environment for students? Self defence is now grounds to be expelled and assailants walk away having been given a ‘win’ as a bully?
You don’t like it here, go to another school!
Soooo…self defense isnt a good enough reason? If they are gay they should let themselves get beat up?
@chuu mong i know it isnt morally right, but sometimes it is the only way to teach the staff and the bullies a lesson
Um…deadly :0
i do see and accept your point, however
He was standing his ground.
No kidding Robert! The amount of bullying going on–due to sexuality or otherwise–is insane. Administrators need to crack down on it.
Who ever he shot probably deserved it, for pushing someone far enough to shoot them in the face with a stun gun…
i think you should not be expelled i think the school board needs to be fired for there lack of efforts to stop bullying i am also a gay male who is bullied the school board needs to make an effort to stop bullying i am tired of being bullied
Look, EVERYBODY in this “thread” has made a well-argued point. That said, mom giving the kid a stun GUN was NOT a logical solution.
Do I think the kid should be expelled? Personally, I think the kid deserves to be SUSPENDED for a lengthy time, rather than expelled. The zero tolerance policy regarding weapons in school HAS *very* strong roots FOR JUSTIFIABLE REASONS (Columbine, Paducah, et al.).
Stun guns CAN kill, too, y’know… just sayin’.
Noone in this country should EVER have to dear for their own safety in any learning institution.
Welcome to the “great” state of Indiana. I grew up in Indiana and was bullied my entire life, not ONCE did I have ANY faculty members stand up for me. The education system in Indianapolis (specifically) is a monumental fuck up. NO child should EVER have to feel like they would rather DIE than be picked on and made to feel like they should have never been born in the first place. SHAME ON YOU TO EVERYONE THAT IS TRYING TO EXPEL THIS BOY FOR TAKING A STAND AND FOR TRYING TO KEEP HIMSELF SAFE!!!
well said LISA …
I agree, I’m glad he defended himself and I would have done the same for my son too. Across the world there is a never ending epidemic of hate. And for what? I say fight back with every ounce of strength in you honey. You never know how far they might take it. My ex girlfriend and I were jumped by a group of men a few years back, we both ended up in the i.c.u… If it wasn’t for someone seeing it and calling the police, they could have easily beaten us to death. I wish I could have defended us but they were just too big and strong. But believe me, I never leave the house without some kind of protection anymore. I’m prepared every time I step out.
You must be one of the bullies of your school then, since you have such a smart ass comment to make about it, Connie
Did the mom break the law? yes. Did the kid break the rules? Probably. But this is what terrorizing people does to thier logic. Its called fear and it is a powerful weapon.
What’s possessing America’s school officials to side with bullies?
To Mong: It was self-defence. Besides, he fired it SKYWARD to scare the bullies away!
To Deysenroth: Not only are the school officials taking the bullies’ side over Dynasty, they’re him by suspension and an expulsion trial! No wonder our k-12 schools have been compared to prisons these past few years! School officials act like favoritist wardens instead of doing their jobs!
Apparently Indiana doesn’t have a “stand your ground” law! Good for him and his mom – I hope they sleep well at night knowing that they are right!
He probably got expelled for having a stun gun. Not because he was defending himself.
more children need to be tazed, and often.
Brave kid for having the courage to wake up each day and go to that hell hole. He even had compassion enough for his assailants to merely scare them rather than strike them. Best of luck, Mr. Young and Ms. Grimes.
THIS DISGUSTS ME! HE WOULDN’T HAVE HAD 2 BRING AND USE A STUN GUN TO SCHOOL IF SOMETHING WAS BEING DONE ABOUT BULLYING!!!! >:-|
In all Fairness Chuu Mong, the school should have protected him, not told him to stop being who he was.
GOOD FOR THIS YOUNG MAN! Don’t sit back and take any bullshit from anybody.
He could have brought a different kind of gun to school. Like the ones the kids at Columbine used. And Virginia Tech.
Zero Tolerance rules don’t do enough when it comes to ‘protecting’ certain victims.
Good for him! I would have used it to!!!
https://www.facebook.com/events/250811461680804/
Society pisses me off.
The school officials are ass for telling him to change who he is. Unfortunately the schools now excuse the bullies by telling the victims to “change” instead of taking care of the problem….from the elementarys through highschools…..because nobody wants to get off of their asses and take care of things. Punish the bullies…..do your jobs and protect the kids.
As he should.
Kids wouldn’t bring weapons to school to defend themselves if the schools provided a safe environment for all students, rather than the select few. They should be spelling the kids he fired it at as well.
Sometimes ya just gotta take matters into your own hands…
Good I’m glad the momma bear protected her baby lol awesome . Shame on the school, bullies , and bullies parents .
As much as i hate the bullying, the stun gun went too far.