High School Attack Havoc: Feedback Friday

A huge thanks goes out to all of our loyal H-F Patch Facebook fans and users who participated in commenting on H-F stories and events this week. H-F Patch's Facebook now has 562 readers who "like" it! Don't forget to tell your friends to like H-F Patch on Facebook! 

The  and the H-F Patch Facebook page were filled with H-F Patch readers' contributions this week. This week, readers have been extremely focused on the .

Here is what :

: 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.....

: 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.

: I just graduated from this school in 2011, and I go to Prairie State right now. It's honestly not as bad as a school people make it out to be! I was in College Prep classes, yet I'm not heavily bruised!! You know, I wonder how many people actually go to this school...I still visit it. Fights happen at EVERY school. I lived in Naperville...fights happened there! ALSO: Most of those people from Homewood Days? Yeah. They don't go to H-F.

I wish people would recognize our school and our area isn't that bad.

: 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

: 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.

: 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?

: 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!

: I'm one of the victims of the incident this past Friday.. Lately, I've noticed a common misconception, which is that HF isn't acting upon this situation as quickly as they could. I've been in constant contact with the principals, detectives, etc.. and although I expected them to take action RIGHT AWAY.. I now understand that they're just making sure they know every single detail in order to execute the right decision. By no means am I justifying these boys' actions... no matter how hard I try I can't comprehend their thought process.. un-provokingly beating us. Regardless of the inevitable racial controversy, and despite the town these boys live in or what school they go to- no one should should feel the need to beat innocent boys....and me, a girl. They're being charged with hate crime & battery.. at the very, VERY least. The school and the HFpolice are joining statements.. when normally, their penalties have nothing to do with each other. A principal's meeting will be going on tonight, so my mom and I plan on marching right into the principal's office first thing in the morning. It's very hard for me to be cordial in this statement.. us students are physically and WILL BE emotionally traumatized for a long time.. but sadly that wont get us anywhere unless we FIGHT until the end, staying true to the FACTS! But, HF is not sweeping this under the rug. They're laying low on their statements until, rest assured, these awful people are out of our school. Please fight for us!!!!!

: Thanks R. Speaking for myself I feel that (generally) government and school administrators are often slow to act unless the community puts their feet to the fire, and the sentiments on these boards help them gauge whether there is a sense of community outrage -- it's safe to assume that school and local officials are well aware of what is said in these forums. So perhaps school officials were already ahead of the community on this one, or perhaps they were only reacting -- it can't hurt to let them know where we all stand. Best to you, and I hope the trauma fades quickly for you and your friends.

Readers also commented on the :

: This is teenage stupid youth crime - This isn't what everyone is angry about. People have flew out of the area to Indiana or the southwest subs in droves. The towns of HF are left standing with nothing but a little welcome sign that says here we are come play & live in our town - the problem is those new people who are playing and moving in are not all making the community better. Officials in Homewood and Flossmoor need to answer ONE important question. Why would I want to move here? Get off your butts and make the area a destination! Do something! Get ideas going! Use the great resources you have and make it a model community. Example: "Where do you live? Im living in Homewwod...Homewood?....Yeah Im going to the Golf Academy there. There's a Golf Academy? Yeah they have 8 Golf courses and the best Golf Academy in the Midwest." (Im not even a golfer but I know kids would flock to an Academy like that every year and live in Homewood) - Start creating ideas and solutions for people to WANT to live here...Its Not Hard!

: People won't leave. They will want to but you can't give your house away. I have a student at HF and I the she has been well served. Unfortunately, I wouldn't keep any younger kids in the system. I don't blame anyone. I think Illinois collective problems are a bigger issue. We can't produce a job here to save our souls. The business climate here stinks. When will we get it right?

: Hopefully this won't be the watershed moment to give all of the white families the excuse not to send there kids to the HF public schools anymore and to send them to private schools. Just like in the neighboring rich township. If so everyone loses. Property values suffer more, quality of schools may decline, etc. I think it's important for the administration not to play into this. These type of things happen and it's high school.

The white and black issue is becoming real one out here. Whites are not moving here and this area is fast becoming predominantly black. Or has it already become predominantly black? Still a very nice area no doubt. And honestly, I believe the blacks are not at fault here. I am an area realtor and the majority of my clients purchasing homes 250k and up these day in the area are black families. There are still pockets of white home buyers on the lower end under 200k. But, if not for affluent black homebuyers this areas home prices would have gone downhill much further.