How about a description of the attackers?? jms

Should this come as a surprise to anyone, this type of thing happens all the time after H-F football games. Firstly, why the heck did the kids park on Braemar Road? H-F has many secure parking lots they could have easily parked at instead. Secondly, as a community we need to recognize that HF is not the safe little Hamlet that past generations grew up in...walking to a remote side street at night is just asking for trouble.

Third point that needs to be "figured out", was this a hate crime...or simply a random act of violence? This is all super serious; nobody wants their child, brother, sister, cousin etc. to be attacked just because they went to a football game.

This thing happens all the time? So we should accept this -- and blame the victims? It is not inevitable that HF turn into Corliss or Fenger. Please keep on this story Patch. Let's see that the animals are caged.....

the "animals" you are referring to are also HF students.

Students that "unprovoked" attacked a group of kids walking either home or to their car. Beat one so severely he had to be taken to the hospital. Because my friends daughter was one of the ones attacked (yes, girls were not spared by the hoodlums), I am aware of details about the attack and attackers. Please investigate this, bring it to light and lets deal with a serious issue we have here in the HF area instead of pretending it doesn't exist.

Hate Crime?? What will the HF Board and Administration do? There was a day this was never tolerated.

The Administration is aware of at least two of the eight attackers. One of the girls beaten knew them from class. Curious to see what will be done. FYI - there is a Principal's meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, at 5:30pm.

It would seem H-F is sweeping this under the rug, why did the school not make a statement? These are there students, and as such they should be more active with stopping future incidents. If we don't take this more seriously, then I fear the next attack could be worse.

One more question about the attackers, where are they "from". Are these local kids or are they gang bangers from the city?

JJ it is possible to be a gang banger from the city AND a HF student. Dual residency, "stay" with Grandma, live with Aunt, mail sent to a vacant home, etc. Number of city residents at HF is in the scores if not hundreds..... When is the next 233 SB Meeting?

I hope a Patch writer actually goes to this meeting, I (and most HF residents) would rather hear about this incident then some pole dancing show....

My child goes to HF and just yesterday, she informed me of some little punk being disruptive in the lunch room while the aids just looked on. I am tired of this ghetto behavior. If I wanted my child to live in the jungle, we would of moved to the West/South Side. The South Suburbs is getting worse by the day. I am tired of this hood behavior.

H-F is not the blue ribbon school it once was, theft and fights are a daily occurrence. And if your child ends up in a College Prep class, well good luck to them. I have been commenting on Patch from a distance lately, as I am attending University.

I love HF, but you never really realize how much safer the outside world is until you live it. I still have friends at HF, and I worry for their safety. Parents don't want to accept that the school is not what it used to be, and these type of gang banging incidents will only continue until the entire community says enough is enough. The area is changing, remember all the "outside" people you saw at Homewood Days...those are your students classmates.

People who are not in-district should not be attending HF. Anyone who notices kids coming via train or being dropped off to get buses should call the school and report it

All these issues lay at the feet of the administration and Board......

This is HATE crimes & intimidation front and center. I've been around a long time, generations of my family have seen this over & over. If you don't see it & we don't make a stand to keep this town what it should be, a safe & desirable place to raise families, you probably are part of the problem. If left unchecked, we'll decay like other cities before us.

As a parent of one of these kids that we're jumped - I can tell you that this attack was UNPROVOKED! In fact, one of the pieces of CRAP that was involved said aloud to his "gang" to leave my son and friends alone - that they were "good". Clearly his gang of CRAP didn't listen and attacked anyways - they were going out of their way to beat up on someone. My son had 3 of these pieces of shit on him. In order to avoid the typical chaotic mess of the HF parking lot, the girl that was attacked simply parked across the street which is her RIGHT! She, nor anyone else should have to worry about being jumped ANYWHERE, much less right across the street! After having spoken with both the Principal as well as Police today- there are only two people "of interest" at this time. They will ALL be caught though and the States Attorney WILL be pressing charges. It's really a damn shame that all because of these pieces of SHIT, our kids can't even go to a damn football game without having to fear their safety! I'm one pissed parent and cannot wait to find out who exactly was involved - they need to be taught a lesson because clearly their not learning SOMETHING at their own homes! And anyone who has information about FILTH going to HF that has no business being there needs to speak up and stop being part of the problem by not saying anything!

People should go to the next board meeting, contact board members, and also keep the press involved, not only in the matter of the fight, but in the larger issue of out-of-district kids at HF.

There is a meeting scheduled tomorrow; however it is to talk about some surveys. That is one reason why I am reluctanct to go. I am tired of the non-sense that is going on with these kids. Why can't kids be kids? I agree with the posters, why are kids allowed to attend HF if they don't physically live in the area? Please keep the ghetto behavior in your neighborhoods. If you don't want to make anything out of your life, don't bother the children that want to.

http://www.hfhighschool.org/hfmain/board/boe.html

The out-of-district issue is a concrete one that is a violation of policy and costs all Flossmoor and Homewood residents money, so I think it is a good area in which to demand action.

This group has been there forever, a couple more recent ones put there with support of the teachers union but except for that these know-nothings vote 6-0 on almost issue. The "Whatever Laura wants" Board is now the "Whatever Von Wants" Board. There is not a single independent thinker, a taxpayer advocate, or a person of courage on this Board. Nobody willing to stand up to reverse the long slow slide into mediocrity......

We all are responsible to "watch the watchers," Juvenal. Do you attend board meetings? Do you speak to board members or other school officials? Have you raised any of your concerns to anyone other than through obscure anonymous web posts? Just curious.

From personal experience, I know that HF investigates residency concerns. Last week, during my morning walk through my neighborhood, I noticed a car letting some kids off at a corner, presumably to wait for the bus that stops there. I let HF know of my concern. (I believe the Assistant Principal's office handles these questions. Two days later, during my walk, I noticed a car driving slowly through my neighborhood. A short time later, I saw that the car had parked. Being curious about cars that drive slowly and park in my neighborhood, I asked the man behind the wheel if I could help him with something. He was wearing an HF polo shirt and told me that he was following up on some residency concerns.

If you see a line of cars with Indiana license plates or City of Chicago vehicle stickers, call HF. They'll look into your concerns.

Who watches the watchers? WE ALL watch the watchers. That's part of being a member of a community.

As an alum of HF and a parent of students at HF and close to those involved I am dristressed by some of the comments on this site. Random acts of violence are just that, random. They can and have happend at many quality schools across the nation. Trouble is trouble no matter what the color or their skin is or what neighborhood they hail from. It is a travesty that this occured and it is one for all involved attacker or victim. The school and police response was immediate and thorough.
HF football games are not known for their incidents. Who says so is mis-informed. Their games are attended by much of the community even those without children still enrolled at HF. It is the enpowerment of community that has us living here and returning here as 2nd and 3rd generation families. Our kids should absolutely be able to cross Governor's and walk down Braemar to their homes and the homes of their friends post game or any other time prior to curfew. It takes a village and we live in that village! Where the children are OUR children and we embrace each other and enjoy each other and pain for each other when things like this occur.
I attended HF from 81-85 and we had our share of crud even back then.I remember the school going on lock down because the girls of the Latin Kings were coming to do something...25 years ago people.
We have to do our jobs at home and in the community to support each other and our children and our schools.

JJ - your reference to HF being on the Academic Warning List (albeit, as you admit, going alittle astray) is eye-opening. Not to be too techincal, but HF is on "Academic Early Warning" according to the Illinois Interactive Report Card. This means that HF has failed to make "Adequate Yearly Progress" on the Illinois standardized tests for 2 consecutive years. It is also noteworthy that, as a district (not by individual schools) Flossmoor SD 161 is also on AEWS.

Yes, it's horrifying to hear that a few high school kids were jumped after a football game, especially since it sounds like the attack was unprovoked. But many of you are making terrible assumptions based on a rare incident. If you're not assuming that the "thugs" are sneaking into the district from the "ghetto" you are making unsubstantiated claims that the school's scores are down and fights are up. Neither is true. For those of you blaming the board or superintendent, what could they have done top stop an attack that could have happened after any high school (or NFL stadium) in the country?

Nice one Bubbles!

Stupid is stupid, bust these dumb ass kids and send them to jail, period...but make no mistake. The FPD should be checking ALL CAR AND RESIDENCY OF EVERY STUDENT! Have the community officer do that instead of directing traffic at the strain station or checking if the grass is the correct length or if dogs have tags. Think crime does not happen at Lincoln Way...DON'T BE FOOLED! I have defended more Frankfort kids on drug and criminal charges than I can remember. But their parents money equals silence. Flossmoor is a great community but get the non-residents out of our school. If FPD got an incentive to bust non-residents, they would find a way to do it. And lets be clear: Black students do not equal crime! That is the theme above (Ghetto, living with grandma, thugs). Indirect racism is worst than direct racism! With direct racism, at least you know who does not want you around.

Per Above, Ryan and the Patch team will have people at the meeting.

Thank you Patch, if we learn the full story we can all form less biased opinions.

HF sent a letter home today about the incident. The letter claimed that other than that incident, the campus and game were "essentially incident free" that day. According to my two boys, there were several fights at the game, including one incident where dozens of students went running because they thought somebody had a gun. I wonder how they define "essentially incident free."

it's not the administration. once these non-resident kids get in - it's legally very difficult to get them "out" - and when real residents assist them and lie for them to get them in - it's almost impossible to get them out. the community needs to step up and blow the whistle on these liars - and turn them in to the high school. hf ltakes those tips very seriously - and many of the teachers and administrators also want to get the non-resident kids out.

also - there were more - and worse - fights with the last superintendant then the current administration - fyi.

We need to 1) have zero tolerance for violence. I am happy to hear that the students involved "will not have a future at H/F". 2) get anyone stealing our tax dollars out of the school. If you see cars waiting for buses with Chicago City stickers--report it, there is no question...it is theft and allowing it to continue puts our children at risk.

Now is time to stand aside, and let the admin and board react.

As an HF grad and current resident of this community, I feel it is important to note that not all students who behave in such a terrible way are non-residents. In fact, a number of students who have resided within this community their whole lives have made terrible choices too. We need to move the focus off of residency and back onto the issue at hand, one's safety to attend school and after school events. Kids and teens used to be able to play outside well after dark, and even walk to their cars or homes after footall games, not anymore. It is time that we have faith in Dr. Pitcock! As a community, we need to make sure that our schools are run with the moral and ethical values that govern our community. Remember, we elect the school board that governs the HF Administration, so we too have a responsibility in making sure HF returns to the Blue Ribbon status. School board meetings are posted on the schools' websites and are open to the public. Instead of complaining, take a stand, attend a school board meeting!

Thanks Teri - we're looking forward to when this can be put behind us. I'm confident that they will catch the remaining culprits and so far, the school has been wonderful to us. They have called me three times since the incident and are keeping me abreast on what's happening which is very appreciated so I have absolutely no complaints with the board or any school reps. There is alot of concern though about kids attending HF that are not in the district but in this case anyways, and until we know for sure who did it, we really don't know. For all we know, they could live down the street - we have to wait until more facts come out. As I learn more from the police and the school, I will continue to post updates but from what I understand from both, there are only two people of interest and still many kids to interview. Until things are proven and charges are ready to be filed, I won't devulge the names of the two people of interest. In this case too, we parents will not be filing charges as the Flossmoor Police Dept will be doing that on behalf of the city - once they do, they will turn the case over to the Sec of State for action.

Correction - States Atty, not Sec of State :-)

Hi C.S. - please do keep the postings up. I will be able to check them while I am gone. Take care.

Talk, talk, talk, babble, babble, babble. If everyone would actually do something instead of writing and bitching, then something could be done. I have been getting on the Village of Flossmoor Board's ass about waking up and look what's going on for a while now. I could use some help. I think the mayor and board are only there to meet as a boys club, but they don't do anything to help the community or see that it is going downhill. Too many good residents are selling their houses at giveaway prices just to get out.

I am an HF grad and have been a Flossmoor resident for over 30 years. It is really time to take action with the village and the schools. We are the ones who vote in the people who actually can do something. Time to elect people who aren't only there for a title, but who actually give a damn. I can see similarities of what happened to Roseland in the 60's and it is the same pattern happening in Homewood and Flossmoor. When the police and policy makers refuse to enforce local ordinances, like they are doing now, that is when the problems begin.

Over the past 20 years, I have also seen a decline in the areas, however, nothing like Roseland. I don't understand the comments about the police and policy makers not enforcing local ordinances; please update. I have always found the FPD helpful and cooperative. In fact, my husband (Cook County law enforcement) has on several occasions assisted in keeping our streets safer. We as citizens must make them aware before we can expect them to do something.

Flossmoor Village Board Meeting is Sept 6. They let the citizens speak first....

R ~ Yes, you and your friends were victimized by a horrible crime and I pray that you and your friends will get through this. You are right with your understanding that this will take some time to sort out and you are right when you say that that our police departments as well as administration will do the right thing. These thugs will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I actually know who you are and I have a daughter that goes to HF and believe me when I tell you I feel your pain as a parent and concerned citizen. Take care and may God be always with you.

I heard last night that a student was hit by a car the other day, while the student was crossing Gov's Hwy at the school The car did not stop. The student is OK. No significant injuries. (It was daylight, by the way, and there were witnesses, and a police report was filed.)

J.J. I suspect you are not a student. How much time do you have on your hands while your away at school to follow the patch and comment constantly. I appreciate your comments, but maybe you should try and make some friends while your away at school. FYI, I am an alum and have kids that have graduated and currently attend HF.

What I find interesting is that no one is mentioning the student section at the game that night and how rowdy certain students were. Perhaps what happened after the game was motivated by the behavior I (and several other parents) witnessed at the game. Students throwing items (cups, coins) at other students seated below them and yelling/chanting as a group unintelligible phrases... all while wearing the school colors of red and white. One parent was hit with the items and the "security" person never addressed it. The parent moved, but before the game ended I approached the parent and we discussed the rowdy behavior and sending emails about it to school officials that night. Sadly, regretfully, I did not. Perhaps some of the comments stated here would not exist if I had done so. Is it REMOTELY POSSIBLE that what happened after the game was a direct result of incidents that transpired during the game? I feel badly for all of the students. Many are being involved, possibly the accusers, definitely some of the accused, simply by their presence -wrong place, wrong time. It would be great if the ones that were throwing things would come forward and admit that their behavior had something to do with creating this problem. Getting beaten is unacceptable. Getting falsely accused is equally unacceptable. Creating truth out of rumor is unconscionable. Shame on our community for falling into the trap of blame based upon ignorance/lack of knowledge.All guilty parties come forward. PEACE!

I am thinking about sending my daughter to HF because of the art and music programs... should I think twice. We are moving to Homewood or Flossmoor for that purpose. Any advice? Are there any Fine Art Magnet school's in the area instead?

Has anyone heard what happened in the aftermath? Are the students who were attacked ok now?

I heard the students have been expelled.

Thank you for the advice Mary... I just want my daughter to be safe, however I am not giving up on HF just yet....

I go to HF and this was an isolated incident by teens. There isn't any racial tension at HF and it still is the top school in the south suburban area.