Well said. I'm a big believer in following the law to a t also. You break the law you do the time.

I wish my mom named me Genarlow.

It looks like he was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, aggravated sodomy and aggravated child molestation. That came with a mandatory sentence of 10 years.

The other males involved seem to have agreed to a plea deal. Five males even admitted they had intercourse with the girl. There was used condom evidence to back that up.

Because the girl was underage, once she and her mother approached the police about the incident, the police no longer needed their consent to press charges against these guys.

This case can best be described as a condundrum.

Society has been pro-active in going after child sex offenders and even passing mandatory sentencing laws regarding sex with minors. It also makes no difference if the minor is consenting.

I do feel bad for this guy. The girl was a whore and he was only 17 and she was 15.

The guys were also HUGE fucking idiots for video taping the whole thing.

Regardless of any feelings in this case, I'd like to know why ESPN even gets involved in things like this. They are supposed to be a sports network. It should be sports and nothing else but sports. They shouldn't be taking sides on any legal issues. I don't care if a high school athlete is involved. Let one of their companies sister channels tackle the issue. Does every media outlet these days have to get involved in activism? Even the Weather Channel is now a platform for political advocacy.

If they all did illegal drugs, then yes. I have to agree with great pyr-hauler. I had no problem following the law in college. In my opinion, doing illegal drugs in college or anytime is idiotic.

You have to take into account though the prosecutor's statements in the article; "the other boys took their medicine..." It seems like just because Wilson decided to take it to trial, the DAs office hammered him out of spite. Anytime someone is made an example of in the justice system, it has a very dangerous potential to become "injustice". For example, this seems like a case of Wilson being made this example for fighting the charges. What's funny, to those of you who say "that's the law, he broke it, therefore he's a child molester", had he committed this offense in several other states (Pennsylvania, for example) it wouldn't have even been a criminal offense.

I've worked in the justice system for seven years now and have come across several prosecutors who often do the wrong thing in a case to p[rove a point or make an example out of someone. Spalind, the fact you can so easily say someone is a loser and deserve to be in jail for 10 years because they got a blow job from a 15 year old girl when they were only 17 themselves, in a party environment when they were not the only one engaging in the activity says a lot about your level of compassion for your fellow humans. What if it was your son who was the "offender".

You should hear his take on what our mideast policy should be.

Hint - it involves many many nukes (seriously).

I think this whole thing is ridiculous. It is absurd for a 17 year old to get 10 years for this. I'm only 1 year older than he was at that time and I can tell you first hand that 1 grade gap in high school means very little, and kids are getting older younger every year. Also to those of you who consider anyone who has every used an illegal drug as a "druggie" I think you need to look more carefully at that. I have never used any drugs (except alcohol, which is of course illegal for me at this point) but plenty of my friends smoke pot occaisonally. They do it for fun, just like the rest of the kids drink. In no way are they druggies, they just like to experience a different buzz from time to time. Also to those who said they NEVER broke the law in college, you guys never had a drink before your 21st birthday?

Just to point out a small problem with your example, and a reson why this can be seen as an unfair issue (not exactly sure on the GA law).

I know of 2 kids who were arrested at the age of 15 with the crime of Statutory rape - for having sex with each other.

You see, the MA law on Statutory rape (underaged sex) does not concern itself with the age of the accused, only the age of the "victim."

Now the really interesting part is the charges against the girl were dropped within a few days, and she was sent off to a program for troubled youth.

The boy, on the other hand, went to trial and was convicted, although he shortly later had the conviction overturned on appeal.

They both broke the letter of the law, so why should the two kids have been treated differently?

BTW the GA law on Statutory rape: From the CYCC in GA
And the law under which Genarlow Wilson was convicted appears to be the following (the law has been upadted since then):
Found here... Notice this law does not specify the age of the person committing the act - thus a 15 year old could have be charged and convicted with the same crime Genarlow wilson has been. (that is no longer the case since the law has since been modifed, although not retroactively as the article points out)

Does that make sense, even though the 15 year would would have also broken the law?

Uh...do you know who you're talking to, pal? This room isn't filled with Rhodes Scholars, in case you hadn't noticed. Try using logic on people with whom it is effective. You can't explain Wadsworth to a sunflower, and for your logical queries, you sure as shit ain't gonna get more of a response than an angry, bitter, emotionally driven rant from some overcompensating moron whose Daddy hit him too hard.

Let's stick to ignorant, reactionary tirades. It's what we do best.

Thanks.

If he was white, and a member of the chess club, I'm betting this wouldn't be a story.

People have an image of a black man with a large penis, forcing their daughters to have sex...

...sometimes, those daughters want it.

A friend of mine, couldn't understand why her daughter liked and dated athletic black guys, only...

... I explained it to her... she was a little surprised.

What does it have to do with political correctness? It's not PC. It's merely exposing this case for the complete and utter bullshit it is.

This girl is two years younger than him. They are both in high school. Aggravated child molestation? Are you fucking kidding me?

That was the crime he was sent to 10 years in the clink. He was 17, not 47, for fuck's sake. Two years difference, and he deserves 10 in pound-me-in-the-ass prison?

Yeah, he "broke the law". Nobody's denying that. The fact is, the law is bullshit, and that's what ESPN is pointing out. They're not saying he's innocent, no one is, not even Wilson himself. But the law is a joke, and even the legislature said it was by changing it almost immediately after his case was resolved.

His true crimes are being black, smoking some ganj, standing up for himself to the DA, and maybe being a cocky prick in high school. Hardly things that merit a decade in the big house.

Is a 3.2 in high school something to brag about? Not necessarily. Is being a somewhat decent athlete? Nope. Is being the man in high school all that great? Not really. But shit, how many true deviants really come from those roots (athlete part notwithstanding)?

Is the 17 year old slinging crack on the corner before school getting a 3.2 GPA? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccckkkk no. He could just as easily been a gangbanger who dropped out in the 8th grade. Sitting around with 5 kids that he never sees or pays child support for.

But nope, he was nothing more than a decent kid, by all accounts (except the DA) who maybe lived on the wild side just a little bit. No different than a good solid percentage of high schoolers all across the country, white, black, yellow, red or brown. No different than me. I smoked weed, drank, partied, etc. But I grew up, became a man, and I'm a decent hardworking citizen. I pay my taxes, take care of my family, don't go out killing people.

Wilson didn't get that chance cause of a stupid mistake, one that he regrets, as he is as ashamed of his ways and attitude when he was younger. Would he be so repentant if he was never thrown in the slammer? Maybe, maybe not. But that's not the issue here. He seeked to change his attitude, and from the article, he has.

But he still hasn't gotten his chance. He didn't "molest" anyone here. There was no innocent victim.

That's bullshit. That's the injustice.

And the law under which Genarlow Wilson was convicted appears to be the following (the law has been upadted since then):
Found here... And, the really Bullshit part of all this is extremely unfortunate:

If he had had sex with the girl:

It would only have been a freaking misdemeanor. That's practically a slap on the hand!!

But, nope. The GIRL gave HIM a blowjob, and so instead, he was convicted under a "child molestation" law, and given 10 years in prison.

Poor guy should have just fucked her, to put it bluntly.

Whodathunk that if you're 17, fucking a 15 year old is LESS of a "crime" than getting a blowjob...

Even an idiot can see that doesn't make a whole helluva' lot of sense.

And that's why this case is an extreme injustice.

The white female teacher having sex with her student pisses me off more then anything else. How is it that a white female can have sex with a young boy only to marry him when he's finally legal and barely get any (if at all) prison time. Meanwhile if the roles were reversed the guy would be sent to jail for many years and shunned by people forever as a child molester.

Also a 17 yro having sex with a 15 yro is nothing new. When I was in high school there were juniors dating freshman, sophmores dating seniors etc... all the time. When you are in school age doesn't make too much difference. Think about the first time you did anything with a girl (bj, hj, sex, etc...) and then think if this same situation could have fallen on you. I bet a lot of people on this board have broke the law specially when it doesn't matter how old the person doing the crime is. This girl gave two guys a bj, if that isn't consent then I don't know what is. She might have been drunk who knows. It seems like we should outlaw BJ's. President Clinton got fucked by one and now this kids life is ruined because of one.

If the plan is to lock up every teenager who has oral sex, they're going to need bigger jails. The entire case is ridiculous and an embarassment to the state of Georgia.

Yeaaa - It pissed me off too. Why the hell didn't I have a hot blonde teacher try and screw me when I was 15 - Dammit.

My take on this is, its ridiculous to go after him. I played football in high school and college and it wasn't until I got to college and heard a coach lecture us on "statutory laws" etc. In high school, there were plenty of sophomore girls who would do anything to date a senior. Anything...

The immature bravado of most senior football players is, "I'll date a senior cheerleader, but if a sophomore wants to slobber on my knob, that's cool."

That being said, I did indeed attend these sorts of parties, but I didn't "get any" because I knew better. So... we're going to prosecute this kid because he didn't have good parental role models, or pastorship or really any mature adult influence? You doom him as an adult forever. I don't believe he's a career criminal, but we sure went a long way toward pushing him in that direction...

There's bigger fish to fry. There are PLENTY of real child molesters and rapists to go after.

Incidentally, what sort of lesson is being taught to the young girl? "Cry to daddy and he'll fix it?" She'll be syphlytic AND pregnant before she ever learns.

Georgia legislator takes this on .

From the story:

Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) left a state prison about 60 miles south of Atlanta convinced he's doing the right thing.

He visited the prison this week to talk with Genarlow Wilson, a 20-year-old Douglas County man whose 10-year sentence has sparked controversy and received national attention.

Wilson's crime?

At age 17, he had consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl.

The football star at Douglas County High School had a 3.2 grade-point average and no history of trouble with the law. Yet a jury convicted him of aggravated child molestation, and a judge sentenced him to a maximum 10 years in prison.

State legislators decided last year that such offenses should be punishable by a maximum of one year in jail. But Wilson was sentenced before the new law took effect. It does not apply retroactively. So Wilson remains in prison — even though jurors thought the sentence was too harsh.

"How can this happen?" Jones said.

He has filed a bill that would let judges change or suspend sentences for such crimes. The proposal would give judges a year to reconsider the punishment in cases they heard before July 1, 2006, when the new law took effect.

If it passes, the bill would let the judge who sentenced Wilson impose another punishment. It's possible Wilson could go free if that happened — he already has served 23 months.

"Finally it seems like there might be some prayers that might be answered," said Wilson's mother, Juanessa Bennett. "Every night I pray ... I know that this is going to be OK."

OK, this is too good not to share. An attorney in Texas named Laurie Higginbotham wrote Georgia State Representative Dan Lakly in January 2007 urging him to free Genarlow Wilson. This is Representative Lakly's response - verbatim - as it appears in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitiution (their site is down or I'd link to it):

"I am appalled by your ignorance! Get a life! If you are in fact an attorney, you should know that this punk refused a plea bargain. A jury convicted this young man and we abide by the rule of law in Georgia. You Sir, are a MORAN!"

Good grief, where to start. The idiotic refusal to consider the possibility of having made a mistake (*cough*G.W. Bush*cough*), addressing a woman as sir, misspelling "moron" - yes, that's the caliber of person representing Peachtree City, GA in the state legislature. Take a bow, Representative Lakly. :rolleyes:

A judge has finally thrown out the sentence. Sadly, proscecutors have filed an appeal , which is keeping him in prison for now.

The appeal is ridiculous...let it go for God's sake.

Hate to use the race card, because I normally get pissed off when people do that. But I've been to Peachtree City, and can say almost w/ certainty that he's only been prosecuted, imprisoned, etc., because he's Black. If he were white, in that town, I would expect he would have never even had charges brought against him.

(BTW: I'm white. So don't even start shit w/ me saying how it isn't a racial thing. Go to Peachtree City, and tell me how many black people you find. I was there for a weekend. Didn't see more than 1. And that 1 was my adopted nephew.)

Doesn't mean shit. I live in MN... According the latest census data, only 1.7% of my entire county's population is black. Doesn't mean we discrimminate, it just means black people don't like Minnesota, I guess. This is as liberal, politically correct, and "open minded" a place (politically) as I have ever been. There just aren't many black folks here. Very few asians and hispanics either. Just leftover Scandanavians who don't mind the cold.

Now, that being said... I've been to Georgia a few times and I agree that race certainly (and most probably) did have something to do with that kid's plight. Maybe I jumped to reply to your post too quickly, but you made it sound like all the black people in GA got "run out of town" or something. I'd like to think the majority of this country are "bigger" people than that.

What's Peachtree City have to do with anything? The kid is from Douglasville, which is 20 miles west of Atlanta and nowhere near Peachtree City.

This basically happened because of a quirk in Georgia law. Intercourse between underage teens was a misdemeanor while oral sex was a felony. The jury dismissed a rape charge thinking they were convicting him on the lesser of the two charges - aggravated child molestation. As the original article says about the sentence:

Indeed, when the jurors found out there was a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence, several were incensed.

Now, whether he should have been convicted at all is another question and I have no idea whether race played into that. Supposedly the girl initiated all this and where were this drunken 15-year-old's parents? All things considered, seems there should be a huge pair of quotes around "victim" in her case.

That's where the asshat Representative that threw in his $0.02 worth into it all with is positional response to a lawyer's letter. Guess you didn't read the thread.

Douglasville is only 1 county over from Peachtree City, which is south west of Atlanta, hardly "nowhere near".

And for the Minnesotian... Race may not be an issue in the Great White North, but it sure as hell is below the Bible Belt. It's a whole different country in the South. Come down and visit sometime...

My parents have many adopted black children. Mom is a short, white blonde, and you should see some of the things that we've gone through when we all go out as a famdambly. Hell, I've been standing in line at a store with Mom and my little bro, while the cashier stared straight at us, but wouldn't budge to checkout our stuff. Then as soon as we moved over to the other aisle, she starts checking out the person that was standing right behind us. That was at a Nike Outlet in Tennessee.

I've had servers that would serve us at restaurants, but yet they have no problems serving tables right next to ours, even when things aren't busy.

Trust me. Racism is a live and well in the South. If you can't see it there, you aren't looking. It's pathetic.

And yes, this kid is suffering because he's black. Plain and simple. If he were white, it wouldn't have ever gone to trial. I have no doubt about that at all, knowing the area, and having been born and raised in the South.

Just curious how old are the folks who are outraged by Wilson's behavior. Let me break something to you -- the parties like the one described in the article on ESPN are nothing new. If you were to apply the law to every single high school senior who *partied* like that, we'd have a good chunk of current current students behind the bars. This is called being a teenager. I double dare you to spy on one of your kids' parties. You may be surprised what your straight edge Johny is doing to the girl next door while you're out.

You party, hook up with some girl and possibly bang her. Okay, let's skip getting to her after your friend's turn How many high school boys would refuse to get beer and pussy? Seriously, what is happening to us? Apparently it is okay to send kids to war, but it is not okay if they have some fun. Kids have sex. Get used to it. I have several friends who engaged into this behavior in high school. Today they're bankers, doctors and financial analysts. They are far more valuable to our society when compared to a poor guy behind the bars. How is making license plate a contribution to this country?

The chick was never raped -- she was basically dick hungry that night. If a tape of her finishing guys off does not say it, then I do not say what does. Is it wrong for a guy to stand by while a chick is asking for some dicking? My point is that those kids are innocent. They should be slapped for not taking care of the girl (in a good sense) and dumping her s/o any clothes and then given a lecture about how weed is bad (and blah blah blah). That is it. Done deal. This is a story of a sexual intercourse gone wrong and nothing else. I'd check all of them for STDs just in case.

In my opinion this guys is simply guilty of being in a wrong state at a wrong time with a wrong group of people and who the hell are we to debate whether his 3.2 GPA was good, bad or average. Unless we change our laws to reflect current norms, we are going to see more and more cases like this one. Waste of taxpayers money at its best.

Cya~

Hey Porsche, it's 33 miles from Douglasville to Peachtree City. Whether that's "nowhere near" is a subjective question but whatever.

As for racism, nobody said it's not alive and well in the south or anywhere else, but...having lived many places, I can tell you it's a two-way street.

One troubling aspect about this case is that in November 2004 I was on a jury in Douglasville. It was an aggravated assault case. Race wasn't an issue since both the accused and the "victim" are white.

The proscecution's case was such a load of BS that it didn't even take us 20 minutes to acquit the guy. Doesn't generate a lot of confidence in the D.A.'s office out there.