Murphy Brawl Could’ve Been Prevented

Assault Mobile Police Department News Five has learned two teens charged in Wednesday's Murphy High School brawl would not have even been at the school if the principal had his way.

by Jessica Taloney

Published: Wed, March 26, 2008 - 7:25 pm CST Last Updated: Sat, March 29, 2008 - 6:02 pm CST

Four teenagers were arrested and one teacher was injured in an early morning brawl on a high school campus.
Police responded to Murphy High School around 7am Wednesday. Investigators say four teenage girls used a broomstick, a piggy bank and a bottle to beat each other up.
Two of the teens were taken to the Strickland Youth Center. They face juvenile charges.
The other two are charged as adults with felony assault.
Police say Dynesha and Dykesha Harris, both 17, injured a teacher who was trying to break up the fight.
Murphy High School principal Doug Estle says he saw this fight coming. Estle tells News Five the Harris kids are involved in an ongoing dispute with another family.
The twins are the sister of a former Murphy High School student, Dominick Harris, who was charged with assaulting a teacher last year. Dominick Harris was expelled from Murphy after the attack, and Estle attempted to have his sisters transferred to another school. But, the transfer was stopped by Mobile City Councilman Fred Richardson.
Richardson wrote letters to the Mobile County School Board, the school superintendent and the NAACP, calling Estle's reason for wanting to transfer the twins "inadequate" and saying it "lacked substance."
Richardson refused to do an on camera interview with News Five after the girls were arrested Wednesday, but on the telephone he said he simply wrote the letters to help a constituent.
Dynesha and Dykesha Harris face up to 10 years in prison if they're convicted of felony assault.
Dominick Harris is in jail awaiting a trial for the May 2007 teacher attack that seriously injured 61-year-old Melinda Rudisill. Dominick Harris also faces an unrelated reckless endangerment charge for a drive by shooting earlier this month.

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UBASA Says:

Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 12:02 pm

We can talk race all day as most Americans love to do, but the fact is that we are cheating our poor and middle class kids. What do we require of them in the after school hours? Where have we set aside for them to hang out and learn new skills at an affordable rate.

Face it, Half of your kids live on myspace but can’t open Ms Word to do a report. And as far as NAACP, AL Sharphair, and that other old guy is concern…Hey buddy the only thing that I would like to hear from you is “America, I would like to introduce you to the young person to whom I have been a mentor and now it’s time I pass over the mic”.

I hate to see kids go to jail, but at some point they need a Good ole American big floks time out to think about their actions.
UBASA

working4u Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 10:10 am

Looks like Councilman Richardson made a bad judgement call. There is nothing wrong with helping a consitituent. Elected officials do it every day. But when you narrow that help to certain individuals in a situation not related to your function it may seem transparent that a favor is being made of self interest for a friend or a relative. Voters do not elect officials to the City Council of Mobile to use that position for this purpose. Transfering students to other schools for different reasons is not unusual especially in this case. I still cant see what the NAACP had to do with anything. We are talking about disruptive kids and the negative disruptive atmosphere created by a bad situation that should have been addressed as originally initiated by the school adminstration. All elected officials need to concentrate on their position function and stop trying to use their influence to do favors for undeserving parties or consitituents.

asda Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 9:57 am

And where are these kids parents? ——I know pretty soon they will be visiting all of their kids in Jail. Way to go on raising productive members of society. And this is not about race. It is about Parents controling their children and teaching right from wrong.

asda Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 9:53 am

Old Freddie is not saying much right now after the whole Atlantic Marine and Thrussyen Krupp comments. This is the same guy that told them that they could leave our city if they did not want to show up for his meeting. Why did he even get elected?

fartman Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 9:34 am

What get’s me is that good ole Fred wrote a letter to the NAACP. Does he think it was a “RACE” thing? What a puke!
I’m surprised he’s so quiet about this. I’m wondering when Jessie and Al will converge on Mobile and call it a racist city.
With people like Fred in a position of “authority”, it won’t get easier Mobile…VOTE him out!!

primate502002 Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 9:06 am

allow me to write my own retraction.. ‘them’(the harris girls) didn’t beat up Ms. Rudisill ...it was their brother dominick…

primate502002 Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 8:42 am

ohh yes.. just in case your ‘constituent’ forgot to thank you ...‘THANK YOU’ Mr. Fred Richardson..because of your ‘help’(meddling)..the two girls that would have been helped most by the transfer now face the possibility of ten years in prison and a criminal record for the rest of their lives..not to mention the poor elderly lady that was beaten by them…your ‘constituent’ and the NAACP must be ecstatic…

primate502002 Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 8:32 am

we pay school principles and teachers to evaluate the threat of one student to the others.. and expect..no…demand that they do whats in the best interest of the student body as a whole to protect them from violent students..we also have a school board to evaluate the decisions of the school employees.. it is not something we elect council members to do..and why in the hell would anyone with an ounce of common sense.. call the NAACP concerning a couple of rogue students that beat up a 61 year old woman teacher..regardless of what started the fight.. there is a chain of command in every facet of American life..the students should have dealt with it through the proper channels..ones I’m sure they are aware exist..

fartman Says:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 7:14 am

Could’ve been prevented had not the GREAT councilman Richardson stepped in. That dude is a piece of crap!
He mentioned that he did it for a constituent? Please?! Is he in the same district as the constituent? Probaby not.
I hope the voters of his district see what a fool he is and vote for the other guy/woman next time! It’s time to get rid of crap on the council and move on.