New Jersey high school graduation ends in violence, as police break up fights involving students and adults.
By Eileen Griffin
Both parents and students were involved in several fights during a high school graduation in New Jersey.
At Westwood Regional High School in Bergen County, New Jersey the graduation ceremony ended in chaos, News 12 reports. Physical attacks within the crowd resulted in multiple injuries. One person was sent to the hospital.
It is not clear what initiated the multiple fights, the New York Post reports. Law enforcement was notified and broke up the brawls.
Washington Township police responded and collected video evidence to pursue criminal charges against the agitators.
Video posted on X show both students and adults engaging in the violent behavior. Several women were involved, despite wearing dresses for the event. School officials attempted to intervene but were unable to get control of the multiple fights.
“Unfortunately, this type of behavior is occurring more often than not,” a Washington Township press release states. “As we work to prosecute those responsible, it is a great time to speak to your children, family members and friends about how to act appropriately.”
“This behavior is not new,” Rafael Mangual, a policy analyst with the Manhattan Institute, told Heartland Daily News. “We are seeing more of this type of activity because so many people have cell phones readily available to take video.”
The cultural and political antagonism toward police, and law enforcement in general, has also impacted the youth experience with anti-social, disruptive behavior.
“The push to get the police out of schools, the strong movement to push police out sends a message,” Mangual said. “School resource officers are more likely to be injured than the other way around.”
Chicago Public Schools made the decision to eliminate all police officers from campuses by the start of the 2024-25 school year, as Heartland Daily News previously reported. They intend to replace them with civilian security personnel.
Criminal behavior among juveniles has been growing in cities like Chicago, New York, Baltimore and D.C., The Daily Caller reported in February of this year. Children as young as 13 years of age have been arrested for vandalism, robbery, and car-jacking .
“The soft-on-crime mentality that is pervasive among elected Democrats is failing our young people and destroying our cities,” wrote Jessica Anderson for the outlet. “Years of defunding the police, declining to prosecute criminals and ignoring low-level crimes have created a culture where the rule of law is meaningless and an expectation that there are no consequences for bad behavior.”
Children often acquire the habits and behaviors of their parents. Observing the current lawlessness and criminal behavior of adults without fear of reprisal teaches children that the type of behavior they see in the streets and on television is acceptable.
“Family has been the most important factor,” Mangual told Heartland Daily News. “Kids living with single moms are supervised less and experience situations that create chaos, resulting in conduct reflecting anti-social dispositions.”
“The available data make crystal clear that encouraging an even greater shift away from traditional families, in which children are raised by two married biological parents, is utterly indefensible,” Mangual wrote in January for the New York Post. “The undeniable reality is that intact families are absolutely crucial to stability and success in life.”
Family support and stability along with modeling and managing appropriate behaviors is key to success for children. Both youth and adults learn when desired behavior is encouraged and bad behavior is punished.
“Elected Democrats have long tried to convince us that soft-on-crime policies are compassionate and kind,” Anderson wrote. “Tragically, it is our young people who suffer most when our communities spiral from lawlessness.”
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