"The kids were consequenced"

Several Minnesota students are in trouble for streaking and mooning at three separate St. Francis High School football games.

"The kids were consequenced," District Superintendent Edward Saxton said, adding that the students, all boys, were suspended for anywhere from one to 10 days...Immediately after one of the games, a road contest Sept. 18 in Fridley against Totino-Grace, three boys ran from one end of the field to the other "while the stands were still full ... and through the neighborhood," said police Detective Jennie Markham...The two 17-year-olds were accused of trespassing and disorderly conduct, she said. However, because of one of them "had no clothes, as in not a stitch [and] showing his genitals to people under the age of 16," a charge of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct could be leveled, Markham said.

I'm not sure if "consequenced" is even a viable word, and this bastardization of the English language comes from a school superintendent?

Even more disturbing are some of the comments to the article, including one person who compares the streakers to child rapist Roman Polanski, and another who believes that throwing the teens in jail and imposing sex-offender status on them will straighten them out. Someone even offers that "there is no constitutional right allowing a person to show their genitals". Last time I checked the constitution, there was nothing in there banning genitals, either. Some comments are supportive, calling the sex-offender charge "horrific", and not to ruin the kid's life over a harmless prank. One commenter blames the overreaction on our "PC liberal society", and another blames the "crazy conservatives."

Back in the seventies, when I was in college, streaking was at its peak. One evening about 50 students ran around the campus in the nude, another day a group of young men streaked the dining hall, and the fad was so widespread that Ray Stevens had a hit song called "The Streak." What has happened over the past 30 years to turn something so harmless and funny into a criminal act? Roll back the clock a bit and decriminalize streaking and sexting. These excessively harsh punitive actions against our own children expose our society's deep-seated fear of our own bodies.

UPDATE: Here is another report which claims that when one streaker was captured, between 500 and 1000 people surrounded the police, yelling and throwing things to try and prevent the arrest. One protesting student was shocked with a stun gun. They also busted him with marijuana possession.

The school principal is quoted as saying that streaking is "a lot bigger issue than it was in the 1970s and it won't be tolerated." He is also quoted as praising the police officers, saying they did a "fabulous" job, and warned any further protests could be dealt the same penalties as the streakers. Whose side is this principal on? Does he really want half his student population in jail?

Good for the kids in protesting this idiotic persecution of streakers. They should all go on strike until the charges are dropped.