The car was not on the lawn it was on a deck, there was no damage to any sprinkler system. Only damage was to a couple of boards broken on the deck. Hardly $3,000 worth of damage.

still
the times they are a changing
things are getting hot
pranks are funny for some
a [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] nuisance for others
don't be suprised when the authorities overreact
just like mom and dad do
sometimes
when they've had enough
somebody could get hurt
an eye poked out
fly out of a bus
and file a lawsuit
all kind of stuff can happen
when kitty gets out of the bag
the days of tom sawyer are long gone
welcome to the terror dome!

Well if you reread the article, it states Sgt Brown got arrested. ;^)

"Brown was arrested for felony vandalism and removal of the VIN number, a misdemeanor, and booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose. "

Perhaps this article was written poorly.

However driving a heavy car onto an elevated wooden deck sounds like a judgement error that requires the prankster to be "educated" and have a real consequence.

When I was a senior, we had two pranks:
-Several burly boys place a early 70's Honda Civic on the roof of the school.
-a friend of mine (very short with very small feet) streaked with wet painted feet throuhg a common area of the school

They were caught along with the rest of us who helped in the planning. There was damage. We had to repair the damage or we did not graduate. We did so. The burly boys all went to college and now pay taxes. My friend is a physician in New Mexico and I have a graduate degree in chemsitry and have worked in biotech for 18 years.

I guess they could have put us in jail, but really why? Hasn't this gone just too far?

Sorry about the spelling in the last post! I got a bit excited, I guess.
Leslie

Leslie,
the 70's are gone
along with wacky packs
and bruce jenner
the police state has intensified
welcome to the terror dome

there is more to the story. there is always more to the story. if you've been involved in anything in the media, you know there is always more to the story. try not to get too worked up over things you don't know yet. there is always more to the story.

what misinformed wrote is true

the car was on the deck upside down. if you look at the marks on the deck most of the damage apears to be from when they removed it. The car was no where neer the lawn or any sprinklers.

The damages done could be fixed with no more than 100$ and a trip to home-depot. Felony Vandalism is a completely rediculous charge.

The senior prank during my freshman year at Paly was an artistic display of Michelob bottles lining the roofs of all the buildings on the quad. Apparently, the seniors who called themselves "the Michelob gang," spent all night arranging the bottles about 3 inches apart all along the roof. The effect was stunning.....the year was 1977. The stunt made the front page of the paper. And, no I don't in ANYWAY condone teenage drinking, but arresting an 18 year old senior for parking his car upside down? Just plain stupid. These poor kids can't do anything!

This is rediculous, i hope the administration realizes the mistake they've made.

first of all, like mentioned a couple times already, the car was on the senior deck. The only damage was a couple of cracked boards which was a result of the school dragging the car off the deck. It had nothing to do with sprinklers or grass. And btw, the deck is so old that I can jump up and down and the boards would crack.

Oh, and Brown didn't get arrested, Marchant did.

Hey, I will always remember the Michelob Gang Senior Prank. I say that the police need to focus on more important things. To make an example of one kid is ridiculous. Shame on Principal Scott for not stepping in..but then again it doesn't surprise anyone.[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

Web Link

This link explains some of the issues related to vandalism and California law.

There appears to be some flexibility, depending on the level of damages ($400 is the cutoff between misdemeanor and felony) and preivous arrests and/or gang association, etc.

The schools are compelled to prosecute senior pranks, because, if they do not, they will be setting themselves up for real trouble. Remember the prank at Gunn a while back? A fire-banger went big, and a girl was seriously burned.

I think a few days in the slammer is a fair punishment. I don't think it rises to the level of a first strike offense. Something tells me that this kid needed help. Who helped him turn the car over? He and his gang should be forced to give up their summer plans, and actually repair the damage themselves (or do labor on campus to compensate). Only then should they get their HS graduation certificates.

Wanna play, gotta pay.

The car was on the deck, not the grass- unless they drove across the grass with a tractor and then dragged the car off the deck through the grass- which they didn't, there would be no damage to the grass let alone the sprinklers- The police overreacted and I hope someone can testify against their claim that the car was on the grass.

this is the most rediculous thing i have ever heard of. Paly high administrators should be ashamed of taking their precious deck so seriously that they would ruin the future of an otherwise good student. the deck was already falling apart, and no one was hurt or could have possibly gotten hurt by the prank. Get over yourself paly admins!!!

Again, the car was not on the lawn, but on the deck.
The $3,000 is not due to damage to sprinklers, but damage to the deck, and costs for the removal of the car and toilet cemented in a planter.
However again, the deck is very old, and boards have already been broken from simply walking on it.

Who looks like the hero and who like the fool? Shame on Principal Scott and the Administration. You have gone too far. Funny that you call yourselves the great educators. You have lost the respect of the community. We support Daniel and his family and hope that you come to your senses.

Wow, this is the worst article probably ever written. I cant believe that this person actually works for a professional newspaper. Sad. Thank God im going off and getting a good education. Im suprised that this article was published online, for anyone to see, before the facts were straightened out. This is how rumors get started, and i cant believe a high schooler has to say that to someone who is supposed to be a mature adult. But, we all make mistakes, and this author has made a few. How embarassing [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

Hey Paly '78 -- thanks for the support and the reality check. Everything is soooooo serious here now. Too bad - we actually had fun growing up. I remember the 24 hour band marathons and putting Mr. Britt's car in the band room - we didn't damage anything, but it was still fun. Incidentally, my daughter graduates in the Paly class of 2007 next week, and she can't wait to be done.....it makes me kind of sad, since I actually enjoyed high school. If kids can't act like kids during high school, when can they?

mr marchant showed serious lack of judgement here
in reality what he shouldve done is deny deny deny

~~~~~~~~QUOTE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think a few days in the slammer is a fair punishment. I don't think it rises to the level of a first strike offense. Something tells me that this kid needed help. Who helped him turn the car over? He and his gang should be forced to give up their summer plans, and actually repair the damage themselves (or do labor on campus to compensate). Only then should they get their HS graduation certificates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

This is insane. There is no way this young man should be prosecuted for a felany. People need to put a stop to this. A felany on someones record is going to hurt his chances of getting good jobs in the future not to mention the college he is going to might revoke his admittance. This is typical PALY high administors, not understanding the issue and overreacting. People should speak up.

Im so glad im about to graduate, [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff]. I've flipped over tons of cars, and its really not that big of a deal. Get over it, and long live the fighting ninjas!!!

eyewitness,

its easily over $100

Cost of salaries for people having to deal with the mess.
Cost of removing and dealing with the car
Cost of repairing the deck.

Easily over the $400 above.

A night in jail wont hurt him.

RS you should spent a night for posting that without getting your facts straight
hes no longer in jail buddy

He is not in jail and is now out on bail. But if he was to spend a night in jail it would hurt him. A felony on your record will hurt you for the rest of your life, no way this kid should be prosecuted for that.

Hey RS, have you ever heard of senior pranks? well, its a tradition that the cool kids in highschool do before they graduate, so [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] laugh about it. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff]

One more thing RS, this kid is a great kid, not a gang banger who carries a knife to school everyday. He comes from a good family, and doesnt deserve to be in jail with weirdos. maybe when you have kids, you will understand.

boooooo palo alto highschool. those administrators are big beezys. one little prank wont kill them. 3,000$? thats wayy to much for a few broken boards. cost of labor/dealing with the mess? the janitors are paid hourly to clean our schools, they need a challenge once in a while to stay in tip-top shape.

He does not have a felony on his record, yet.

Being arrested is not being convicted.

If he is a "good" kid, the DA will probably just make him pay for the damage and do some community service. I think that would be fair, don't you?

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

lolerz, Blaine marchant is a real american hero. give him a trophy. the toilet feels bad, he hasnt gotten any face time. WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?!!!??~ HUH?!

-Cutty

What we should be asking ourselves is why this school administration would have such a kneejerk reaction to the incident. Why get the police involved? Why not just get the kids together to resolve things? The damage amount was probably exaggerated to justify the school's response.

PALY administrators have a track record of over exagerating. Earlier this year 07 was put into the grass by killing, administrators claimed the cost of repair would be $10,000. These people made a rash decision that should be overturned.

THIZZ OR DIE FOR LIFE

VIVE TOM!!!!!!


The people that say a night in jail might be good for him, either
A) [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] or
B) were the loner kids at school who wish they could have been a part of their senior prank

God Bless Blaine Marchant!

oh, man, this is just crazy...now this kid is going to have to check the "yes" box whenever he has to answer the "have you every been arrested?" question on job application. this should have been handled internally - - bad judgment. a stern warning and a bill from the school system would have been enough. they could have also extracted some community school service from the kid...

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

[Comment removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

over here at gunn high (though not a prank of this magnitude, but none the less a prank) a senior egged a teacher while wearing a spartan warrior mask. he was suspended and recommended for expulsion, was denied from graduation, wasn't allowed to attend the prom he had already payed for, and was filed as being expelled to the colleges he applied to. however, after months of fighting the board and the admin, they overturned ms. likins' (the over-reacting principle at gunn) decision. he is now allowed to graduate, but he wont be able to attend the colleges he got accepted to because he wasnt allowed to finish the required classes at gunn, since he had already missed so much and the principle did not want him back, and he wasn't payed back for his prom investments for this student's prank, they CLEARLY OVERREACTED and so they have for Daniel Marchant. the prank he is being punished for is such a non-threatning act. whatever damage he has caused, if he even did, should be payed for in some way or another, like a voluntary fund raising by the senior class, but a felony on his record is way over the top. give the kid a break. however, congradulation to the cops for tracing it back to him even after he scratched off the VIN, you guys are super! im sure he will learn from this and become a great citizen

gogo tom robinson. my boi. and bearclaw

[Comment removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

everyone gotta chill and hit some bowls. free tom robinson.

plus, thizz is pretty cool. its not bad for you. it actually makes you smarter. einstien did thizz hella.

tom robinson is my hero

jeepers,

On every job application I've filled out the question is have you ever been "convicted", but I agree with you, it would have been better if they could have done it the way you suggested.

Jeepers and RS, you two should date.

David wrote: Something tells me that this kid needed help.


Wow, this guy definetly does not know this kid at all. He is acutally one of the seniors at Paly that needs the least help. He's just a sweetheart and took all the blame. Don't talk about someone you don't know in circumstances you don't understand. There is nothing wrong with him except that he was the only one man enough to take the heat! [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff].

what is most ridiculous about this entire thing is that the deck was ALREADY BROKEN!! literally every board being replaced was already damaged. there have been countless times i have walked across our beloved deck and nearly fallen because i stepped on a broken piece of wood. tomorrow, a part of the deck THAT THE CAR WAS NOWHERE NEAR is being repaired. it's pathetic that instead of ponying up the dough to repair the deck when it's needed, they see and opportunity of a harmless senior prank decide to make the student pay for the ALREADY BROKEN deck. on top of that, they want to charge him with a felony? get real. the deck was already broken. he shouldn't have to pay for [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff]. and more importantly, he should not have a felony on his record.

Paly 78ers, What a laugh! Our '78 class (different state) filled a VW bug with water & goldfish - in the cafeteria. People had a sense of humor back then - even the administration.

ps. Help this kid out and take pictures as evidence before they replace the deck.

1. The reference to thizz is from a popular rap song. Blaine is in no way affiliated with ecstasy, and was not condoning or preaching the use of ecstasy.
2. Had the school asked Blaine to remove the car from the deck, he would have done so, and in a method that would not have cost $3,000. He is a good kid who took responsibility for his own actions by turning himself in. The fact of the matter, is that the school never even asked him to remove it.
3. Many members of the senior class, including myself, have offered to dedicate a day to rebuilding the broken part of the deck. The school however, felt that it was necessary to hire tow trucks and carpenters to fix the deck, which amounted to $3000. I deem this to be an unnecessary expense.
4. For those of you (RS), who suggest that "a couple of days in the slammer is fair punishment," I request that you look at the FACTS of the story. A high school kid thought it would be funny to flip a car over on campus during his final week of high school. Should he really be placed in jail next to people who have robbed banks, Driven under the influence, or muredered people? Hm, probably not.

I thank you for taking the time to look over these points, and hope that you all join me in lending support to Blaine and his family. There will be several students at school tomorrow who have taken it upon themselves to privately collect donations to help Blaine's family pay for the damages. I hope that you all consider donating, because the actions of the Paly administration and PAPD are unfair and the Marchant family does not deserve to suffer.

People need to voice there complaints to the Palo Alto highschool administration and city officials to keep this young man from being prosecuted with a felony. this could ruin the rest of his life.

The deck is horrible for this article:

"Senior prank' has felony consequences for 18-yar-old who left his car unside down on Paly quad"

Palo Alto Online should really edit before enabling.

Blaine supporter,

I said a night in jail would not hurt him. I was not promoting it as punishment. They dont put the car flippers with the murderers. ;^)

Unfortunately a deck is considered a structure in building code like a house, so someone qualified has to do the work.

I'm not out for blood here. When you damage someone elses property, it should be restored. You access damage costs by the value of what was ruined. If it was a lousy deck, the damages are the costs to remove the car and the replacement of value of what was.

Now he did this deliberately thats where knowing the kid is required. You guys all say he is nice, I'll take you at your word. This is more about bad judgement than a pattern of behavior
So yes then a felony conviction is overboard.

This is absurd. I saw the damage firsthand, and it's not anywhere near 3,000. There was never any intent to cause serious damage, the plan was to just have fun. If you truly think a high school senior deserves a FELONY for a harmless prank I strongly advise [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff]. Kids have fun, that's what this was. Obviously there should be punishment, but a felony and jailtime is going overboard. The man is doing a great thing by taking the blame for everyone else. That kind of character should be rewarded, not punished.

Tom Robinson 4 lyf3.

Tom Robinson is the man. Taking blame for this hilarious prank. Good stuff Tom. (bearclaw) free tom robinson

Maybe if some of the others that participated came forward, they would be easier on him. If there is a teacher you trust to have a confidential conversation, it might be worth asking.

Just a thought

Felony for what amounts to a harmless prank? And one that even some with a sense of humor would think was cute/funny (except the ecstasy part).

Sure, bill for the damage and suspend the kid for a time, but to even put an arrest on the record is playing hard ball with the kid's life.

This belongs in "news of the weird". It's stuff like this that gets national debates going....

Can anyone spell "ridiculous" around here? Good grief.

welcome to the terror dome

"The man is doing a great thing by taking the blame for everyone else. That kind of character should be rewarded, not punished."

No snitches, right Schmarz? Mafia code.

Now here's the way it works, Schmarz. All the kids snitch. The cops get the information then they say that the kid didn't snitch. That way, the forever naive [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] can still have their heroes.

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff]
Like I said before, times are getting hot.
The adults are scared.
When they get scared they overreact.
Kids should beware.
Welcome to the terror dome.

if the administration is trying to set an example of tom its not going to work. Senior pranks will always happen.

im in class of 08 and all this is making us do is have to come up with something even better thatll cause more comotion.

You're my boy Blanie! you're my Boy! TROB 4 Lyfe

This reaction by the District and police is way out of proportion, and (as now seems typical) exaggerates the situation. The priorities are misplaced, and we should actually have chuckled at the prank, and allowed it to be part of the Class's fine legacy.

My understanding is that the school pressed charges after Blaine turned himself in. I am outraged that the school handled it so poorly. Blaine is a great kid who doesn't deserve this kind of punishment for an inocent senior prank. Glad my kids are now finished with PAUSD!

A few years back, one of my kids was involved in a "senior prank" at Paly. The leader of the group even went to the assistant principal and said, "Here's what we want to do. Is this OK? We'll take it down at brunch." The asst principal said it was OK.

So this group of kids went to Paly at 4:30AM to transform a small structure at Paly into ... well, I don't want to say because it will give the group away. I saw pictures though and it was hilarious.

However, the same AP who said it was OK showed up to school very early and dismantled their work of art. None of the other kids saw it until the photos were passed around via email. What they did could have been called vandalism, though the only marks made on Paly property were made by staplers and masking tape.

The leader of my kid's group didn't get into any trouble, thanks to clearing the prank in advance with the administration, but all they did with that information was eradicate the impromptu sculpture before it could be enjoyed by everyone. Very disappointing.

I went to a local high school and was involved in a bunch of relatively non-destructive pranks. Well, except for the ancient truck that we dismantled and then re-assembled on top of the gym. It took the school a while to figure out how we'd gotten it up there. Our trick: bribing the guard to stay away from that part of campus for an hour.

I think one thing that really hurt Blaine's prank was the drug reference on the car. It's possible that the whole thing would have been less of an issue if the administration hadn't felt the prank was encouraging drug use.

There are so many good things about Palo Alto and then there are the things that make us a national laughing-stock. This could be one of the latter.

It was a senior prank. It was funny. No one got hurt, and unlike the Gunn explosion there was little chance of anyone getting hurt. The school could have simply asked the students involved to repair or pay for fixing the damage.

Blaine Marchant is the kind of young man most parents would be proud to have as a son. Have we completely lost our sense of proportion, and our sense of humor?

If the participants in this thread are Paly students, I think that the adminstration should spend less time worrying about pranks and more on their English department!

I am fascinated. Is this kid from a prominent family or something? The laws apply equally to all.

And, of course, if he had tipped the car into your drvieway, not damaging your lawn or sprinklers, you would just be yukking it up while calmly calling the police.

But he didn't tip the car onto my driveway. Nor did he tip it on to any individual's driveway.

He did it at school where it's nearing graduation time and there is a history of senior pranks. I'm sure the crew involved would have gladly taken responsibility for any damage incurred if given the opportunity.

But FELONY criminal charges? What kind of thinking is that. This will have permanent repercussions on this boy's life. Even if he manages to cop a plea (and even if he gets his record expunged) he will forever more have to report this arrest if he ever attempts to get a security clearance.

For god sakes have some proportion. How can PAUSD purport to spend 12 years preparing him to go out into the world and then not handle this as an internal matter. I'm not saying don't do anything but I see absolutely nothing here that justifies criminal prosecution.

I just don't get it, and I think the administration's reaction to this prank (and that is what it was) is simply disgraceful.

Felony is determined by cost to repair damage, and in ths case, remove the car. I know someone who threw a brick at an RV,cracking the $1200 single piece windshield.
Some lessons are learned hard. And perhaps this can be a lesson to his peers - beware of committing felony stupid. Imagine explaining that one to an employer - especially if you need a clearance or surity bond.
Good luck,dude.

It just goes to show. 18 year olds are not adults and should not be treated as such. If this student were still 17 then things would be very different for him. Just because this particular student had passed his 18th birthday, does not make him mature enough to deal with adult life. We treat our kids as kids until they leave school, then we expect them to be thrown into the realities of the adult world when all they have learnt is how we protect them.

Bring back 21 as the age of majority. If they can't drink at 18, then they shouldn't be treated as adults at 18. They are still kids.

18 is old enough to distinguish "right" from "wrong". If this was an 18 year old accused of an intentionally malicious act performed with the intention of causing injury or distress to others, I would have little sympathy. For example, I recently had another parent tell me an unfortunate story about his 16 year old son shooting a BB through a house window. That's just a stupid act and taking legal action to insure that statement is made both personally and as a society seems entirely appropriate.

But what happened in this case is entirely different. It seems apparent to me that the intention of the act was soley to provide a degree of levity and ammusement to the campus community. True enough that in a strictly legal sense, this was unlawful, but on a measured on a moral scale, I see something entirely different. What I see is a group of students attempting to exercise their first ammendment right to free speech to say goodbye to the PAUSD years with some flair.

It distresses me that the PAUSD administration evidently cannot see the difference.

Shame on Paly administrators for resorting to the standard defensive action of wanting to "set an example" or "not creating a precedence." Have they forgotten their own excitement on graduating from high school and resorting to a final harmless senior prank that will be the kind of bonding memory that makes for happy reunions? I heard they got uptight about a streaking episode...

As administrators they could easily have dealt with the reported (exaggerated??) damage or expense of having the car towed, in a responsible way. As educators they could have demonstrated leadership on how to deal with conflict, "breaking of the law," and the "punishment." Instead they show an enlightened Bay Area community what humorless, fearful, and thoughtless administrators they have become.

They should take a tip from Stanford and the Palo Alto Police Department on how to deal with community issues in order to create a vibrant community where right and wrong are dealt with appropriately and not heavy handedly.

Knowing Blaine and many of the Paly class of 2007 I am sure they will turn out to be much more enlightened when they are in their 40 and 50s. Too bad Paly administrators have shown they are not role models.

the law is the law - are some of you saying this student should be given a pass by the police because he (apparently) is popular? How about if it was some kid you didn't know -- would you be rushing to defend him/her? I am just concerned about applying the law equally around here and if it's felony for one, then it's a felony for another, even if the other is a popular guy.

As for Stanford, that's a private university with private land. How exactly do their police deal with such situations?

I also feel as a community we need to ensure that each student is dealt with in a consistent fashion by Paly administration and not pressured into giving a pass to a popular guy on a particular occasion. That would not be fair.

Where are all of Blaine's buddies, the ones who helped him with this caper? They are hanging him out to dry. Have they no shame? They need to come in and fess up. I would be willing to bet that felony charges would be dropped, if the whole gang faced the music.

"parent" --

I have no objection to the law being the law, and my complaint is not with the PA Police, who have a responsibility to pursue the resolution of a crime when one is reported. But it is my understanding that typically police departments in minor crimes cases are reluctant to make an arrest where the "victim" has indicated a desire not to press charges. And that's exactly what I believe should have happened with PAUSD in this case.

In terms of "uniform treatment", I think I've already explained what I believe differentiates this "crime" from simple vandalism, which I would characterize as just wanton destruction. This case does not appear to be malicious at its roots from what I know about it.

I could care less whether Blaine is popular or unpopular. I don't know anything about him, and Paly is not even the high school that my kids will attend. But I do have kids in PAUSD, and I'm aghast at the heavy handedness that the administration is willing to use.

We are hoping to post a photo and/or video of the overturned car. If anyone has a photo or video they would like to share with us, please send me an e-mail at [email protected] Thank you.

Hmm...Seems that the administration is the root of the problem here. They could have handled things differently.

If the whole gang faced the music they would all be in trouble, and blaine would still be charged with a felony. It is also unrealistic to think that just because Blaine has friends he is getting some sort of lean way from the administration. This was a senior prank not some serious crime.

Web Link

I think you misunderstood me. I am noticing the immediate, personal support on this thread for this particular student and just wondering if so many youth would be speaking up and criticizing the Paly administration and police if it were a less well-known kid who had done the prank? Whether you think this student is treated fairly by what's happened so far --or not --, I want to be certain another student would receive the same treatment. I am not sure that would be the case.

Parent--

As someone who has lived in this community for a long time, I think this community believes in taking a thoughtful and moderate view on issues and doesn't resort to the kind of favoritism you are speculating. You are wrong just based on the number of supportive comments from people who don't even know Blaine.

Kid broke the law, vandalized property, should go to jail. I don't care if its $200 or $2,000 in damage, what was his car doing upside down on school property? Jail time for kiddie. I was in high school too, I did pranks, probably even worse stuff. But I didn't get caught AND I didn't do something as stupid as leaving my car behind and sadly trying to scratch off the VIN#. Little bit o' jail time makes sense here and I ain't going to kill the kid. And yes a police records sucks but lots of people have to deal with that. Tough...

Our prank was righteous. We caulked pennies of our graduating year into the senior wall. The year was 1995. Wes TP'd the school too, but that was lame. Hi Pete! Hi Acuff! Hi Ghasseppi!

I used to hang out on the deck...before Spiderman.

been reading all these comments ... some said it was on a wooden deck and that the damage is only $100 ...I think these people need to consider the labor and tax dollar spent in removing that car and whatever inconvenience it gave to those affected

Come on people! Its just a prank. If your so concerned about the damage make him pay for it, other than that forget about it. It does not constitute jail time. He's just a kid.

does this kid needs punishment? of course he does because he did something bad I mean we do the same thing to our kids, don't we? When they do something bad we tell them to go to the corner and face the wall. Well unfortunately for this kid his corner is jail.

I just wanted to say let the kids be kids, they did not harm noone, let them just pay for the damages. but there is no need for them to go to jail or skip their graduation. They have been waiting for this guaduation for 12 years. Do you think is fair? no, just like the previous email, they all turn to be someone important in society, and they pay taxes. so just let them go. Like i say make them clean the mess.

This is now the 26th reference to the failings and dwindling credibility of the Paly administration. For a school that can't seem to keep a principal for more than 3 years, it raises all kinds of questions. What's going on with the leadership over there?

James, say something to the administration!

Just kidding. Seriously though, folks. This article was reported extremely incorrectly. The car was flipped upside down on the deck, not on the lawn. The damage to the lawn and sprinklers is impossible because it was never on the lawn to begin with; and hoping this is a professional newspaper, you would think you would use spellcheck. Example: "...in an attempt to conceal his ownership of the vehicle, she said. But officers were able to trace it to him."

It should read: "...of the vehicle, she said, but officers were able...."

I was also outraged that they arrested Blaine, he's a good kid and is not angry at the world or psychologically insane, and what angers me about this town is the stereotype that all high school kids are nutcases.

Another thing that upsets me is the failure to report about the lack of security involved in this situation. The principal has been increasing nighttime security over the past month to make sure these pranks didn't happen, however anonymous sources have said that the security was just sitting in the back parking lot. The car entered the quad from the front parking lot. I don't know about other people, but I sure as hell don't know how a car, let alone a person, can reach the quad unnoticed.

Palo Alto Online: In the future, use spellcheck and do some actual research, and people might respect you better. Maybe you should read the Campanile, a high-quality newspaper run by Paly itself.

doesn't anyone have a sense of humor anymore? in general, administrators in these changing times are out of touch with today's youth and don't seem to mind severely hurting a kids future with unneccesary police contact over nothing but a senior prank. this kid didn't harm any of his classmates or anything of that horrible nature. i guess they're, well, OLD and self-righteous. for example, ever hear of "fo shizzle, my nizzle"? or "iz" replacing "is" in the writings and language of today's kids? it'z all over MTV. our society endorses the usage of such terms for ratings and the corporate buck, y'know. many kids just scribble and doodle in their notebooks, like we all have at that age. it's slang and "thizz" has been used as "thizz is what it iz". as in, this is what it is! NOT the drug extasy. what does it mean to "skate or die!" think about it. nothing. they just immitate what they see as what's considered cool sometimes. just like we all have. let's not make thiz out to be more than what it iz in order to sell newspaperz. let'z not stereotype. that would be discriminating. and let'z definitely not try to have our entire car painted because someone scratched 4 inches of it. repairing the old steps should be "all in a day'z pay", not overtime or needing additional funding. i say administrators and educators should laugh and smile more with today'z kidz, making learning fun. they are supposed to be teachers not enforcement officers. would any kid want to be on a team where the coach iz always mean, discriminating and looking for deficiencies and then excluding them from participation? today'z kidz are very smart and willing to learn but many are thrown away in this fashion using this same, lame excuse. it's a shame and just too bad that our educational system has in place educators that have a "can't wait for the day to end and get home" attitude. san francisco mayor gavin newsome recently broke the "man-code" and got away with it. what about the "senior prank-code"? our world could use a laugh now and then. it'z healthy.

I am a parent of 2 teens at Paly so I went to the school to see the deck for myself. A few 2x4’s were replaced. And by the condition of the rest of the deck they probably needed to be replaced. This is outrageous that the kid was arrested for this. If this is what the dean calls a “bad day” we need a new dean.

im extremely upset and saddened with our high schools adminstration. This should have been handled internally, not turned over to the police. The senior class as well as blaine's parents would have gladly paid for the cost to repair the boards and remove the car, if it meant that blaine would have been spared the legal system and the palo alto police.


On friday the school involved police in a school matter as well. There was a cop circling around where the kids were eating lunch in an attempt to scare away any streakers. The cop picked fights with several students, even going so far as to tell students that if they didn't like his presence at the school that they should just leave schoo, and that he wasn't forcing them to stay.
it seems like the school should b, if anything, encouraging streakers since that is a compltely undestructive way of celebrating four years and expressing joy at being finished with high shool.

Lawrence should have handled this internally and given blaine the opportunity to fix this without anything going on his criminal record

yeah, really, streaking is a great thing to do - my G*d how immature can one get??

Why is streaking considered immature? I find it amusing and a show of the end of your high school career. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

As a junior girl that utilizes "The Deck" on a daily basis, I feel that the damage done to it only aided those of us who have to make use of the decrepit, splinter filled deck. By creating an obvious safety hazard, maybe the administration will finally fix the deck, since all of the rest of the problems (uneven boards, sharp edges, etc) were considered invisible and unhazardous to the Paly student. So, thank you Blaine, from the class of 2008 for highlighting this safety hazard to the principal. Maybe then they will be distracted from persuading the cheerleaders not to go $20,000 into debt or putting a flat screen tv into the student center. I mean really, with some volunteer action, you could probably create an entirely new deck for less than $400.

This is just another sad case of the American mania for running to the legal system at the drop of a hat; whether it be the criminal justice system or civil litigation.

Poor judgement by a high school senior at his/her school does not warrant immediately calling in the authorities (who once called are required to follow their procedures). The kid wasn't a flight risk or in any way threatening harm to anyone. Getting the police involved should have been a last resort, when all else failed. It sickens me to contrast how this was handled versus the Virginia Tech situation where, with clear evidence of mental illness, the administration were not able to act because of the fear of compomising the to-be-killer's civil/privacy rights.

There is something really wrong with priorities on what is and is not of real importance regarding behaviour in our schools and the appropriate response level to different student actions.

amen

Mr. Lawrence -- this is a strangely over-the-top reaction. I am concerned about what it suggests about your judgment as you go into your new position. To call in the police on someone (the *only* one) with integrity enough to come forward voluntarily and take responsibility for his prank creates a chilling atmosphere henceforth. Actually, that kind of overreaction and behavior strongly strongly reselmbles that of the entire regime M.O. of the departing superintendent. Please, please don't go down that road. It would be too depressing and ugly. First a senior, next management team members? Let's hope not.

i have been informed that $400 felony damage occurred simply by two assistant principals arriving early and receiving overtime. had the prank caused no damage, blaine would still be facing felony charges because the administrators were paid overtime. the school claims there was nothing they could do, according the the law he committed over $400 worth of damage. if they were really interested in their students' futures, maybe the administrators just come to school when they are supposed to. but no, the school needs to set an example. senior pranks are dangerous, harmful, and very dangerous.

look at this another way. If your 18 year old son damaged your driveway as a prank, would you call the police or deal with the matter yourself, making the kid pay for the repairs and do the work himself, or would you call the police. I think most parents would deal with it themselves. This is what Paly should have done. This was a Paly matter and dealing with this internally would have been the right thing to do. Leave the police to deal with matters when they become dangerously illegal, not when they are lighthearted pranks. Get the kid to do the work, pull weeds, pay for the materials. But, give him his graduation and give him his clean slate.

Senior pranks are for a time long gone, when lawsuits weren't so common. Most people have a fine sense of humor and appreciate the intent of this prank, but most people threaten a lawsuit immediately if they or their precious children are exposed to things that many of us might find funny. This student screwed up. He knew the prank carried risks. So lay off the administration, the school, the police, et al. Take your medicine like a man--or at least a woman.

brilliant post, no whining. you contradict yourself by complaining about the current situation and then telling people not to complain about it. then you make a sexist joke. when i and others take offense don't complain. that's today's society.

I think I need to stop randomly checking Palo Alto Online because in the last month I've read of an entire school administration (Duveneck) deciding to tell 5-11 year olds they can't hold hands, hug or touch because a handful of students were reportedly playing roughly at recess and NOW we have the case of the upturned Volvo at Paly which has turned into a felony case. Where are the rational adults in this overwrought school district and why is this town so embarrassing? Do you know how stupid we look to towns dealing with important problems like gun violence, high dropout rates, etc?

If, during the commission of this prank, one of the 20 or so kids involved happened to get caught on the wrong side of the car, as it was flipped, and got crushed, the same people who are now making light of it would be screaming about the administration's lack of control on the campus.

This thing was a group effort - eveyone with ears knows that. Why is Blaine being left to his own devices here? This seems to be the height of selfishness, since those who participated want someone else to take the rap. Where are you guys? Time to do the right thing.

Let us all ask ourselves what each of us would do in the shoes of each party.

~The administrators are just trying to keep law and order (imagine trying to prevent streakers all week)
~The police are just doing their jobs (what if you were a policeman?) ~Blaine was doing what any Paly senior would do: a stupid prank.

Everyone did what they thought was best in their capacity, and agreeably we can all say each party as erred in their ways. Sure we can go on saying how one group is worse than the other, but why are we comparing wrongs with greater wrongs? Do the two wrongs work like multiplication and turn into a right? No this isn't math, this is reality, and the fact remains despite all the excuses and justifications each side can use, all have made mistakes.

I suggest everyone not let their emotions get the better of them when they voice their opinions. Just a test of maturity.

When the dust settles, we must all remember that we are all human, and that we all can make errors in judgment, despite how justified we felt about our actions. Our community must begin laying the foundations of forgiveness and start the healing process. Let us forgive the administration for taking a hard-line on discipline, for it is their job, and let us forgive Blaine for doing what seniors do-pull pranks.

Make him and the others responsible pay for repairs, give him his diploma, and let us all continue on our lives.

Kevin: That didn't happen did it? Of course had severe injuries resulted, those involved would be punished accordingly. And last I checked, Paly isn't in session at 3 AM and unless it knew or should've known of an upturned Volvo prank, it would hardly be the school's fault.
You're right about the guy being abandoned by his friends, but that's not really the point.

When I was in high school, the heavy object being installed on the roof did slip and crush both of the prankster's hands. As I recall, nobody was prosecuted or sued; everyone just felt terribly for the guy. He'd earned a full athletic scholarship to college. There were none of those type of pranks at the school for at least several years after that.

Ok juniorgirl. Let us get something straight.

The flat screen TV installed in the student center came from a grant by the PTSA and Site Council. It was actually a refurbished plasma that cost effectively half its retail value, and should not be seen as a waste of money, because it costs less than the laptops in the laptop carts around school. (yes the old G3 imacs). The proposal was presented to the PTSA and Site Council and approved. Go see their minutes for more detail.

The TV is part of the whole plan to upgrade the student center, and is an effort at stress relief sponsored by the ASB Council. The TV at this rate will be fully operational next year, and will have important bulletin information, and will be used to watch movies.

parent said:
the law is the law - are some of you saying this student should be given a pass by the police because he (apparently) is popular? How about if it was some kid you didn't know -- would you be rushing to defend him/her? I am just concerned about applying the law equally around here and if it's felony for one, then it's a felony for another, even if the other is a popular guy.


To that, Blaine is not exceptionally popular. He is just known around campus as a good guy and everyone is appauled that this is happening to him. He has the reputation of being a genuniely nice kid, and that's why so many people are rushing to his defence. Another reason is that a FELONY charge is absurd. He was not harming anyone, or trying to get revenge on someone by putting a car on their lawn...IT WAS A SENIOR PRANK. Paly is just rediclous



and

Scott said:
Where are all of Blaine's buddies, the ones who helped him with this caper? They are hanging him out to dry. Have they no shame? They need to come in and fess up. I would be willing to bet that felony charges would be dropped, if the whole gang faced the music.

They have considered turning themnselves in, but if they did that then they woudl ALL face felony charges, and nothing good would happen for Blaine. Blaine's decision was to not get anyone else involed and he is an amazing kid for that. If that if his decision and he is willing to go to such lengths to protect his friends, then everyone involed has decided to respect that but they have his back all the way. And they are helping pay for the damages.

Get a grip,

If the school administration shrugs it off (boys will be boys), and exacts no real punishment, then it is sending a signal that pranks are tolerated, perhaps even expected. When it goes bad, and there is an injury, the question will be asked: Why did you (administration) allow such a permissive environment?

The administration is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The issue about why Blaine has been abandoned goes to the heart of the character matter. What kind of students are we graduating from PAUSD? The "no snitch" creed is worn like a bad tattoo by way too many of the kids. If Blaine was my kid, I would insist that he snitch. It would be both the honest thing to do, and it might well take the heat off him. He doesn't owe his "buddies" a damn thing, after the way they have treated him.

Tell it like it is, Blaine!

I have already posted once in this spread, and would like to respond again to several things that have been said since my last post. 1. To "Eric, a resident of Mountain View," who felt it necessary to criticize the grammar and intellect of the students who have taken the time to post comments on this story, I would like to point out that the author of this article did not show exemplary grammar either, nor did the majority of parents who have posted. 2. To those of you who insist on using profanities, it does not make your point. It only makes you look extremely immature and unprofessional. 3. This is the second time this year that the PAPD has taken it upon themselves to make an example out of a Paly senior in an effort to make it look like they are accomplishing something. Whether it be berating a school teacher for throwing a halloween party, creating a villain out of a senior who tried to perform an innocent prank, or even wasting 10 cops on the University Avenue streets trying to catch nasty culprits who GASP! aren't wearing seatbelts?!?!?!?! the PAPD has a history of creating much ado about nothing. (Hey Eric from Mountain View, if our english department was really that bad would I have been able to make a Shakespeare reference?) So here's a thought: instead of having the PAPD utilize innocent pranks for publicity to make themselves look accomplished, maybe they could actually do something? It took them several days to catch the flasher that was actually causing harm to Paly students, but only several hours to make an example of poor Blaine. Hm, does this seem like they are making efficient use of their time? 4. To those of you who are suggesting that all of this commotion is due to the fact that "Blaine [must come] from a prominent family," or that he is a widely known figure on campus, shame on you. What makes the Paly community so unique is that we are constantly there to support each other. I assure you that the same actions would have been taken by the Paly community had any student been placed in Blaine's position. Once again, donations are being collected for Blaine's family. So far roughly $200 has been collected. I think this in it of itself proves that Paly thinks that this is a worthy cause and that the administration is being unjust.

For someone who wishes to work with the community, Scott Laurence chooses a great way to begin! Those of us who have been in the community for quite some time and watched Mr. Laurence’s progression. This latest decision comes as no surprise. Mr. Laurence has spent more time on progressing himself than he has on the students, teachers and parents. If he is the great leader, that he is why are we in such a mess. Many a principal has faced this sort of a situation here in Palo Alto, but it has dealt with it using tact and consistency. Unfortunately, within the PALY administration there is no consistency. The PAUSD Board needs to open their eyes, pay attention, and reach out to the entire community and not just their immediate circle.

Instead of the students collecting money in a jar, maybe those who participated should at least admit to their parents and have them write a check for the damages along with the Marchant family. Wait a minute that would take courage and if they have not done so far, Blaine should remember this lesson as he moves forward. It amazes me that other parents did not know and would not have offered to have their children do the right thing. When are the parents of this community going to make their children take responsibility for their actions? It goes to show you the values of our community are twisted.

If the students want to protest, why attend graduation? Especially those individuals who participated in this prank should show their support and share this punishment. How do you sleep at night? Maybe your public faces should match up with the private faces. You are taking hypocrisy to a new height.

Peacemaker: but what about the shoes of the wrong-doers?

and no whining: I take great offense to the term "take your medicine." I find it very cruel, and by no means is "medicine" a way of treating fun.

The Paly administration already shrugs off lots of crimes that students commit, many of which are felonies - bikes, iPods, cell phones, wallets with cash and graphing calculators are stolen on a regular basis from places such as locked lockers and bike cages. There have been times that the Paly administrators are told who has perpetrated the crime and they do nothing - the value of the stolen items can quickly reaches the level of felony crime at $400. These are situations where real crimes are committed that harm other students and the Paly admins do not prosecute or involve the police. Why the double standard with Blaine? With this prank, there is no person who is a victim and the cost of repairs has not been clearly defined and yet, there has been a rush to prosecute Blaine. It sure seems like a double standard to me, or is it a mixed message?

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

I graduated in '99, and even back then my classmates got ridiculous punishments for harmless pranks like streaking across the quad. The guy who said, "you have to punish every prank or you'll have a repeat of the Gunn fire bomb explosion", sounds like the same type that goes around and says, "you can't have gay marriage or people will marry their pets". There's no comparison. Harmless pranks are good for school moral.

Sure, they kids who put a car on the deck did something stupid, and really not all that original. But jail time? Typical example of the Palo Alto police being bored out of their minds and over-prosecuting. I guess the kid should just be lucky he didn't caught by the palo alto cops that were accused of clubbing that (since proven innocent) man a few years back.

Whose fault is it really that this incident has been so blown out of proportion? And who pursued this- Jerry Berkson or Scotty Laurence? Somehow I feel it's Berkson flaunting his power...

This will be Scotty's legacy...nothing else.

In a community, particularly an educational one, logical, restorative consequences should be applied to behavior such as this. If harm were done, the student(s) should meet with the parties harmed -- or their representatives-- to determine how best to make amends. Especially in the case of a non-malicious prank, the whole school community would be far better served if the consequences were aligned with the "crime." Instead of allowing for Blaine to do the work of repairing damage or raising money to repair it or to do some equivalent service to the school, the administration turned to punishment that is disproportionate. Blaine's friends might want to come forward, but the risk of a felony record may have deterred them from doing the "right thing." It is one thing to come clean if you know that you will be held reasonably accountable; quite another to risk a life-long record.
It seems that senior pranks repeatedly crop up, whether or not perpetrators of them are punished. Making an example? I think this is an example of an educational opportunity missed. Felony charges are ridiculous. Maybe seniors should spend their last month of school doing something more meaningful. Maybe the school community could brainstorm ways of providing memories, humor, and excitement to students who are at a huge life transition.

Were you there when the prank was discovered? Do you know who called whom when? Did you hear conversations among police, administrators, workers? If not, who are you to assume anything, and then libel our school and district? Do you know the going rates for the workers called in to deal with the work? (And despite an uninformed claim to the contrary, administrators don't earn overtime!) Do you know the law? Do you expect police officers to take a subjective, personalized view to the law on a case by case basis, because the perpetrator is a nice guy? Do you expect the administration to tell the police to ignore facts of the case differently because they like the kid? Seriously, I can't see who was supposed to do something differently here. The workers or security spot the problem and phone it in to be removed asap. If they don't, they're not doing their jobs and it encourages more pranks and vandalism, which consumes more human resources/labor at school and costs money to repair, and risks student injury in oneupsmanship (see above). So the security guys and maintenance guys all do their jobs. Then is the administration supposed to overlook a crime on campus because some potentially dangerous and costly pranks are subjectively considered funny, or done by nice kids, while others are subjectively considered in poor taste or done by bad kids? "What hypocrites!" you'd cry. "What a double standard!" Not to mention that addl. costs come out school budget I'm guessing, unless insurance kicks in and you can't get that without police report. So the admin. goes through with its job, and then a confession comes along. Are the admin. or police supposed to undo their reports and take back what they said because this "good" kid comes in rather than some troublemaker? "Oh, nevermind that a crime has occurred and costs have been incurred. You're nice and you're willing to pay after the fact." Yes, it's a shame that in this case a prank that ended up being relatively harmless *might* result in a felony prosecution. Let's be thankful the DA has more discretion to plea down or not prosecute. But take note, youngsters. Good lesson there - when you start down a road that involves this kind of action, you cannot control the outcome. You cannot control the outcome, but you are legally responsible for what you set in motion. Maybe better to aim for silly pranks rather than costly ones. I've always favored the kind that involve a lot more people doing something totally unexpected in broad daylight for everyone to enjoy.

Does anyone know where the other three wheels from the Volvo are???

I just bought the 'scrap' from the tow company and it would be nice to have the wheels so it can be rolled around while I strip it for parts. What about the rest of the parts like the interior? I'd be happy to come haul it all away...

Post here and i'll be in touch.

Oh yeah, what the heck does "Tom Robinson 4 Lyf3" stand for?

When mommy and daddy give you a toy, you shouldn't destroy it and turn it on its roof....

I was under the impression that Paly was an exceptional high school. Apparently I was wrong....at least as far as teaching coherent writing. The grammar, spelling, and punctuation in the student's comments is atrocious. If these are examples of Paly students' writing skills then principal Scott best spend more time impoving his students' writing, rather than laying the wood to a senior for a miinor pramk.

The Palo Alto high school prank story has now gone INTERNATIONAL. I was born and live in the UK. A very dear friend who has first hand knowledge of the administration,the family and the young man, alerted me to this story. He is incensed by the heavy handed way in which the administration dealt with this incident, resulting in a felony penalty with HUGE implications for the future of this student, and so he should be.I wanted to comment. Looking at the postings here it seems that the community is equally incensed – thank goodness for the true voice of America which still has some logic reason! The facts as reported are clearly incorrect - the extent of the damage, and the incident itself have been blown up out of all proportion. What happened to the notion that the punishment should fit the crime? The administration in their infinite wisdom (?) chose to invoked your legal system. The legal system is not at fault – it will regretfully now taken its course and the law will be applied. The decision to call the police and to have the boy charged was ludicrously heavy handed and was a totally disproportionate response to the dreadful “crime” of being a high spirited 18 year old prankster. It is the school administration that should be held to account on this one. Maybe they should have made an example of the boy and organised a public hanging!! The fact that my Palo Alto friend and I have personal experience of being high spirited 18 year olds together many years ago in England, adds a huge irony to this. Like other commentators here we can tell similar stories of our mis-spent youth, as can our own parents. The difference is that way back then they were dealt with by the school directly and by our parents – we were not sent to jail and given a criminal record for a school prank.

I should make it very clear that you are not alone in this. The same over the top response occurs here in the U.K day in and day out. We are just as stupid here. I send solidarity and sympathy from across the Pond – long live the combined voice of British and American reason!!

Simply put, the whole situation is preposterous at best and ludicrous at worst. Did Blaine cause minor damage to the Senior deck, absolutely. Should he be compelled to repair said damages, again, absolutely. The problem is this, the situation calls for a proverbial slap on the wrist not a jail sentence or a felony conviction.

In terms of the deck itself. Let's consider some known facts.
1. The deck was in poor shape as of Monday, by which I mean it was partially rotted and bowed and buckled as one walked on it.
2. The deck was in poor shape after Blaine and Co. flipped his car.
3. When I walked by on Tuesday afternoon I looked at the damage. The damage consisted of several broken boards. As I walked towards that area of the deck, the boards upon which I walked were creaking and buckling under my feet, clearly the deck needs replacement.
4. I could easily have fixed the damage myself with $100, a trip to home depot, and a few hours to work. The damage was minor at worst.
5. With regards to the supposed damage to the irrigation system, the school permits parking on the quad several times per year for football games and the like. If filling the quad with cars doesn't damage the irrigation system I fail to understand how driving a car on the deck would so.
6. Additionally the irrigation system in question is supposedly 50 odd feet from the deck.

Clearly, efforts to charge Blaine with a felony are ridiculous. I do not know Blaine and do not condone his actions, but they were extremely light in damage and moderately funny. The school administration should simply relax and understand that a prank is not a grievous offense, he should be allowed to graduate and continue with his life.

Any other school would keep local law enforcement (and press) out of it, and give the young man many hours of detention or community service. This should not keep him from graduating, nor should it go on his criminal record. Thoughts? I wonder what the Catholic nuns would do.

Save Ferris!!! I mean Blaine.

Just take a look at the length of the original article vs. the amount of support for blaine on this page! It is obvious that the administration made a mistake in the severity of their actions, however, at this point, there is not a lot they can do besides regret the decisions that earned them such a bad reputation with the community.

If Blaine has really raised this much support, everyone should DONATE to cover a portion of the ridiculously excessive fines he will be forced to pay!

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" -W.S. Henry VI

I live down the street from the kid. I'm a 4th generation Palo Altan, and a good hunk of my family work for PAUSD. It's really not the administrations fault here, folks.
Welcome to the age of Zero Tolerance/Zero Reason.
Upset that they're throwing the book at this kid? Blame Palo Alto. Blame parents who sue the school district for any damn-fool reason. Blame the climate that has made rigid adherence to draconian rules the only way to avoid lawsuits.

If people want the schools to act in a fair and even fashion, they need to stop freaking out and insisting on new rules to keep their precious porcelain doll kids safe from the Big Bad World (tm).

that deck was in bad shape when i was there, from 92 to 96. one year the seniors put stinky fish fertilizer all over it.

I'm going to try to make a constructiuve suggestion to the students that want this fixed.

1st. Deal with what is and stop looking back, police were called he got arrested that can't be changed.

2nd. Find out who has control to make a decision about Blaine's outcome.

3rd. Ask that person if restitution was made, could the charges against Blaine be dropped or at least reduced.

4rd. Be reasonable about restitution, it wont be $100. It should include the deck repairs, material and labor and the vehicle removal, minimally.

5th. Raise the money and pay it back. Hopefully people that participated would be tapped for the bulk of the funds.

Being contrite while you do all this would be a plus.

Mistakes can be fixed on both sides, fix your side and maybe you can help Blaine.

Just a thought. Good luck.

and to Razor(and a couple of others)....

"for example, ever hear of "fo shizzle, my nizzle"? or "iz" replacing "is" in the writings and language of today's kids? it'z all over MTV. our society endorses the usage of such terms for ratings and the corporate buck, y'know. many kids just scribble and doodle in their notebooks, like we all have at that age. it's slang and "thizz" has been used as "thizz is what it iz" -Razor, above.

Uh. Wrong. Totally.

Check it. Web Link

If star ball player/"good kid"/3.8 GPA angels want to avoid attention from the 5-0, they'd do well to avoid obvious drug culture references, at least until the day we get a Libertarian President instead of our current administration.

If there is to be a hero in this affair, it will be the first guy to come forward and say, "I was part of it. Punish me, as well as Blaine".

This would demand a level of character that is almost nonexistent in Palo Alto youth, today. They have learned from their parents, who have a rationale for anything that makes them feel more comfortable, even if others have to suffer. They talk the language of concern and sacrifice for the common good, but it's just talk.

Any rebel heroes out there that want to break out of the pattern? It will hurt. You will be put under enormous peer pressure. But you will become a man.

Hi --

Because of the comments about typographical errors or other information in the initial online posting on the senior prank, I thought I'd add a couple of clarifications:

First, the posting was made in an extreme rush and (while it is a poor excuse) was clearly not proofread adequately, for which I take full and sole responsiblity. The typos and errors in the article were corrected within a couple of hours. We certainly deserved the chiding we have received.

Second, the information came from the police report on the incident, which clearly indicated damage was done to the lawn and sprinklers. The officer reviewing the report apparently misinterpreted the reference to the lawn to mean that the car was overturned on the lawn, or we misinterpreted what the officer told us. But a double-check of the report indicates lawn and sprinkler-system damage was done.

I'm not sure what the references to damage being "blown out of all proportion" means. If there was lawn or sprinkler-system damage in moving the car to the deck, $3,000 can be used up really fast.

In any event, it is in my opinion that it is most unlikely that a felony charge will be sustained in this case, and a misdemeanor or two should not affect Blaine's future academic career. We should know before June 19, his arraignment date, what the official charge or charges will be.

Best,

-jay

what I wanna see happen is anyone who pulls a prank be required to pay to clean it up, including the cost of cleaning it up.

another thing I wanna see is cameras all over every PAUSD campus in town

check out the bathrooms and other public places that the janitors have to clean up

people need to learn to clean up their mess, or pay some consequences

and while I'm at it, all the cute talk about "thizz" (ecstacy) is pretty pathetic - since when is a drug that can have dangerous side effects "cool".

here's a balanced report on ecstacy
Web Link

dangers of ecstacy
Web Link

thizz? how about Terrible Tuesday? how about "learn to have fun without ingensting drugs of any kind?

how cool is that?

I think we can do without glorifying drugs, thank you

The thought of Blaine spending one minute in jail is just rediculous. He's a good boy with a great family; he just had the misfortune of getting caught. I've seen and heard of much worse senior pranks than that and they are making a mockery of the situation by arresting him. That principal has no sense of humor and they could have fixed that"decrepid"deck with a quick trip to the lumber dpt at Home Depot, like someone said already. This was not a felony situtation...he didn't kill anyone, hurt anyone or himself. They are using him to set an example and they are going too far. The Marchants are all great people and they deserve the best. So does Blaine!

Arresting Blaine is like censoring a public forum...oh wait.

Paly parent JS-

We don't use proper grammar on an online forum because we don't want to waste our time spellchecking.



RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE

the community of palo alto should stay out of a school's actions and consequences. if you don't go to paly, then don't get involved. this negativity of the community shows how much us school students are outcasted. we'll be alive one day, and you'll have nothing to say about how we run things.

in other words, what goes around, comes around

Whereas I don't think the police should have been called in on this and I think the Paly admin should have done any type of discipline that they felt fit without police intervention, I also believe the family should make sure that their son is duly reprimanded.

If I gave my teen a car I would expect them to look after it, not to destroy it in such a senseless manner, let alone the harm involved in doing so. A car, is a car, is a car, and should be treated as such. As a registered vehicle, it should be treated with the respect that a vehicle needs to be, such as safe disposal when the time comes to dispose of it. As a gift (or whatever) it should be treated with the respect that that responsible gift deserves. A car, no matter how old, is still a valuable commodity and if it has been used in such a manner, then I am amazed at the sense of values here.

Is a car now a "throw away" item? Is it that disposable, like the old school back pack and the rest? No, this is Palo Alto, our kids have too much if they can afford to treat their property as such. In my day we burnt our notebooks in a celebration pyre, but the textbooks, which we had to pay for, were sold back to the next year students.

We should teach our kids values. That would be a good lesson for all.

-PERSONALLY THERE- Look, I've read through this forum and just have to laugh at every single person that has commented on this. I was personally there, YES, personally there and the damage WAS greater than $3000.00. Let's get a few things straight, the car damaged the deck by being dropped on top of it as it was flipped over. You're talking about a 1500pound + vehicle! YES it damaged the deck, not to mention that the entire car was spray painted on (leaving residue all over), the entire car was stripped and the tireS were thrown up in the trees (damaging the trees), AND what was also never mentioned that the DAMN KID cemented a toilet into a huge wooden planter, cemented two other garbage cans, and cemented two drinking fountains. Oh yes there's more..... but YOU all seem to know what happened. This kids an idiot period! Who would use there own car! Obviously he's a dummy because removing the license plates and VIN do nothing!! All the rest of the car's information can be located on the engine, transmission, body frame, door jam, etc. Let's look at the facts - [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] [he] obviously didn't care about what damages he was causing. If it was just the car, ok, maybe that would be funny, but there is way more to it than you all think you know. HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO GRADUATE WITH THE REST OF THE CLASS, I'M GLAD HE GOT A FELONY CHARGE, AND I HOPE THIS AFFECTS HIS COLLEGE CHOICES AND FUTURE JOBS. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

I Agree with the - Personally There - comment above.

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
Everyone's making light of it because they associate it with 'A Senior Prank'.

Well think about it, would it be the same if it was done elsewhere, like YOUR front yard, the middle of the street, or an Elementary school. What if this was not done by a senior, and it wasn't a senior prank. Would it still be funny.

or, if someone's kid got killed when the car flipped over and landed on them. Yeah, it wouldn't be funny then..

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

this is what people are saying. the community should have no voice on school issues. im sure, of course, none of you were in high school ever

just don't. refrencing a drug doesnt mean you do it.

Wow Palo Alto, I'm so glad I'm going away to college and getting away from you. A response to a post by "Resident" who was to afraid to post their name, it wasn't in your front yard, and no little kids were playing under the car, they were careful about what they did (thats why security didn't catch them). That's the point, it was a senior prank and in good fun. People especially need to recognize that a large amount of people were involved and Blaine was brave enough to take the blame for everyone. Also, leave our administration/teachers alone because they are really great role models. Finally, shut up whoever said we need to find fun without drugs and ecstasy, this had nothing to do with ecstasy. - Ryan

I too am glad to get away from this absolutely rediculous town. All the adults are hippocrits, and don't realize that us, the current PALY seniors, will take over the world, and because of the negativity received, we will never listen to you.

Blaine's car was a used peice of crap. It was not a gift from his parents he bought this car off of a friend. The car was useless, it could only go into one gear, drive, and it had a history of major problems with the transmission and radiator. It was sitting in front of someone house for months before it was taken off his hands. People saying that palo alto kids are spoiled have some standing but not with blaine. This was no gift from his parents. Please before posting some dumb remark get your info right and dont make up incorrect statements. Im glad im getting far away from all you former hippy's and hypocrites.

Ryan is right, except there was the possibility of something going awry in the carrying out of the prank, and had any one of them had their limbs crushed, people would be screaming the administration failed to act. Administrators did what was covered under district policy, and of course they will take the heat for doing their job of ensuring that senior pranks won't cause harm to the perpetrators by using punishments as a deterrent. Leave it to arrogant parents and my misinformed rebellious classmates to cry foul based on limited and biased information.

Props to Jay and his crew, because news happens so fast and sometimes it is hard to get the complete truth out when people want it. Of course they will improve their methods, and our community must be forgiving.

My thoughts go out to Blaine for being the only senior as far as I know who has the guts to fess up and take the consequences.

School rivalries aside. Hilarious Prank.

Poo on the administration for over-reacting. Bravo to Blaine for turning himself in.

To the old people for pressing charges: Are you seriously going to screw this kid's prospective career because of a senior prank? At the very worst cut a deal... don't make him a convicted felon.

PAUSD needs to step it up.

Odviously the person above who felt compelled to write "HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO GRADUATE WITH THE REST OF THE CLASS, I'M GLAD HE GOT A FELONY CHARGE, AND I HOPE THIS AFFECTS HIS COLLEGE CHOICES AND FUTURE JOBS. Didn't like Blaine much. Or didn't know Blaine at all. Which is too bad for you. Yes, he should clean up the mess but those buddies of his who helped him, cuz I know he didn't do all that in 15min; should step up and help out. A felony charge is simply overkill, To a kid who has the "juevos"to take it like a man and not rat out his friends...go BLAINE!
Still supporting Blaine and always will.

"I too am glad to get away from this absolutely rediculous town. All the adults are hippocrits, and don't realize that us, the current PALY seniors, will take over the world, and because of the negativity received, we will never listen to you."
Posted by Go Oregon

Heh. Lets us know how that turns out for you. I heard much the same from outraged members of my class and now 20 years after graduation... Let me think... I know of a couple of former classmates who work for Safeway, another who's an airmarshal, several who shipped off as fodder in Gulf War I, and a bunch who had their lives implode when the tech bubble burst.
Hope you get to see members of the class of '07 taking over the world. Don't hold your breath waiting for it tho.

Okay to the person above me:
[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] You can say all you want about the paly class of 07 not being good enough, but even as a sophomore, i know they're awesome and capable of great things. you really shouldn't bash the youth, because when you're rotting in a retirement home, we'll be the ones running the world. we are the future and blaine is heroic for what he did. i fully support him and don't know anyone who doesnt. And you know what, the guy working at safeway might be the happiest man alive for all you know, don't be so superficial. but back to the issue at hand, i think that if condemn blaine, you're taking a lot of fun out of the high school experience. high school is supposed to be "the time of your life" and the amount of pressure paly puts on us is unreal, it's PRANK so get over yourselves and move on!
GO PALY
tom robinson 4 lyf3

THIZZ or DIE

To all you little snitchs saying that we who participated should step up and take the balme with blaine, go rot in hell. You dont know what happened or what we planned. Blaine knew he was going to get caught before we did the prank and he was ok with that. Why the hell should we step up? The point of him taking the blame was so we didnt have to. Wise up and stop acting like you know all the facts...

And to whoever helped us and thinks Blaine should not graduate, go die.

To all those Paly students who have posted above.

Believe me, I remember what it was like. I left school thinking that I had arrived, that I was going to change the world, that I was young and the world was my oyster. It is a great feeling and in many ways I wish I was back there with you. However, you will learn that being an adult in an adult world is a reality and it can really hurt. You have been protected all your lives. You may not like it, but Palo Alto is far from how horrible this world can be.

My hopes for you is that you will all learn. That you will do well. That the pains you suffer in life will be the means to make you better, rather than to make you suffer.

The one piece of advice I will give you is that when you graduate next week, your real education will begin. Enjoy this last week with all the fun, you do deserve it. This is your time. But remember, it will pass, and one day you will become the old fogeys you seem to dislike so much today.

Been There, Done That, got the t-shirt to prove it.

"-PERSONALLY THERE- Look, I've read through this forum and just have to laugh at every single person that has commented on this. I was personally there, YES, personally there and the damage WAS greater than $3000.00. Let's get a few things straight, the car damaged the deck by being dropped on top of it as it was flipped over. You're talking about a 1500pound + vehicle! YES it damaged the deck, not to mention that the entire car was spray painted on (leaving residue all over), the entire car was stripped and the tireS were thrown up in the trees (damaging the trees), AND what was also never mentioned that the DAMN KID cemented a toilet into a huge wooden planter, cemented two other garbage cans, and cemented two drinking fountains. Oh yes there's more..... but YOU all seem to know what happened. This kids an idiot period! Who would use there own car! Obviously he's a dummy because removing the license plates and VIN do nothing!! All the rest of the car's information can be located on the engine, transmission, body frame, door jam, etc. Let's look at the facts - [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] [he] obviously didn't care about what damages he was causing. If it was just the car, ok, maybe that would be funny, but there is way more to it than you all think you know. HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO GRADUATE WITH THE REST OF THE CLASS, I'M GLAD HE GOT A FELONY CHARGE, AND I HOPE THIS AFFECTS HIS COLLEGE CHOICES AND FUTURE JOBS. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]"

Lady go get a life. YOU are the idiot. Do you actually think that Blaine was the one who did ALL of this? Are you that stupid? Come on...

Haven't you heard? This has gone INTERNATIONAL... all because Principal Laurence didn't feel like dealing with this problem himself and left it to the police. Someone could have easily fixed the damage, infact the whole deck, with all of the money Blaine's friends are collecting from donations from everyone at PALY. They are selling shirts and doing everything they can to help Blaine and his family. Principal Laurence's decision in calling the cops was uncalled for. He should be ashamed in himself.

He should be FIRED.

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

It's time for the Administation and the Police Department to do the right thing. Drop it and let the kid graduate. They mishandled it in the first place and they need to undo the damage. No one is going to let this go and this site is proof of that.

Susy... didn't you see the quotations around part of what was in the post?

I wrote the second half... not the fisrt... I was commenting on what they said. I am not THAT bad at grammar... I mean COME ON. the person who wrote that[the quoted part from my last post] seems like they are from the 4th grade.

Hey disappointed. I wasn't referring to you...I thought that the dingbats name was "Personally there". Don't worry I'm on your side. Boy I sure hope that this is over soon. I would hate to in Principal Scotty's shoes right now. We aren't going to let this go.

to those who said Blaine stepped forward...I thought I read that the police traced his car with the filed-off VIN back to him? Doesn't sound like stepping forward to me. Correct me if I'm wrong. It is interesting to hear others were involved - quite a few, from what some say. This vandalism, however minor(I didn't see it so I can't evaluate that), still was the wrong thing to do, I don't find it particularly funny in the annals of high school pranks.

person above me....[portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff].. they traced the car to the person who sold it to blaine and then blaine came forward and took all the blame. get facts straight or dont say anything at all becuase no one wants to hear it.
FREE TOM ROBINSON

blaine was confronted by the police, but turned himself in to the school administration.

Anon, don't let "Anonymous" get to you. He/she is either a PAHS teacher, a PAHS employee, a nerd or a jerk. Which one is it anonymous?

Knowing Blaine a little bit has shown me that he is a guy that would never mean any harm. He is a hardworking senior that just wanted to have a little fun before leaving for college. It is rediculous that he would even be considered to get a felony for the little prank he and his friends did.
He should only have to deal with minimal consequences for doing this. His future as far as college goes should definitely not be diminished in any way because of what happened the other day.

yeah blaine and friends did a little damage, so what?
it was a high school prank, nothing new. happens every year with practically every high school around.
people need to live a little.
nobody was hurt. the only thing damaged was a [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] deck that needs to be re-done anyway.

Still complaining? Prosecute the boy/man already! Let the school and city authorities do their jobs and hand out the consequences. The lesson learned would be a great gift to the kid and all students.

Blaine is a hero, he is taking the fall for half of the senior class. He deserves a medal and a high five from scott laurence

YES! Blaine can walk at graduation!

Wow, yeah I must say that everyone is taking this way too seriously, I am sure many people would have volunteered to completely fix the deck for free, and there is no way is cost $3000.

PALY STUDENT of the Jordan Middle School Community where did you get your facts? I just heard on the news he can not walk.

Palo Alto certainly has a way of becoming famous. The events that have unfolded are so sad. As more time goes by, I become less and less proud of being a member of this community. There is much that has been shared, which is right. Yet there is much that could have been made right.

To you students who participated with Blaine there you can still make it right. Shame on you if do not. How you will sit there on your graduation night and be able to hold your heads up is beyond me. If you have any ethics or values, you would do the right thing and stay home. It takes strength and courage. Do you have it? Were you taught it?

For you parents who know your children shared in this prank and by this point many of you should, why do you not help your children do the right thing. It takes strenth, love and a strong moral fiber. Do you have it? Did you teach it? Can you practice what you preach or once again will you turn your heads and close your eyes? Shame on you if you do.

This has totally gotten blown out of proportion, and for what purpose? Me thinketh that the administration complains too loudly. Let the kids repair the damage and be done with it. And how about if the administration starts acting like mature adults, instead of like jealous kids who just got one-upped.

Yeah this place makes me sad, but that is why we must stand and fight! I wish that people in general would just chillax, (yes I know it is not a real word thank you) I mean there is so much pressure from every direction to do everything perfectly. Some kids in my classes, have literally gone insane by the amount of pressure that everyone puts on us students to do everything right, we should have some time to screw around and stuff.

Listen - I'm so tired of hearing how administrators or police overreacted and should just undo the past. You can't just take back the police complaint because the investigation leads to a popular student. You can't change the definition of vandalism because it occurs during a prank. Anyways the full description of this prank sounds tasteless, thoughtless, (and kind of dull to boot). Were the students planning to pay back the clean up costs for the prank regardless of disciplinary measures? It also has not been noted yet that someone in this senior class (presumably) vandalized the lawn on the school's main quad, leaving a huge unsightly "07" behind for months. Somehow we've developed, not only in PA, this culture of damage as humor - I'm not impressed, and while I sympathize with young people caught up in the moment, I can't condone their actions or understand why they expect to commit crimes in the name of fun and be let off with a good-natured chuckle. Looking the other way just encourages the next one. Aren't there any creative fun-loving students who can come up with a prank/practical joke that's just funny but not criminal? And is there a reporter on the Weekly staff who could verify the order of events? If the prank was discovered by maintenance or security people in the very early morning, police couldve been on the case before the school. Then the school's actions become cooperating with police as they absolutely should and must as opposed to calling the police.

I think its none of your bloody business, unless you are in some way connected to the school. Beside just you wait till next year the Juniors have a bloody brilliant idea, and for your satisfaction, it has minimal risks, and very low chances of damage.

Jane Doe, I got my facts from Blaine Marchant himself...

Thank you parent. it's good to know some of the rest of the adults in the community have SOME positive thoughts about the youth

You all are too funny. This kid has everyone fooled. Well, he's not that smart as you all claim, and of course Security didn't catch him because they get off at 3am!

He pulled the stupid prank at 3:30 when they were gone. Ha Ha Ha Ha, what a joke [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff]. No matter what anyone posts on here, the bottom line is he has to deal with the court system now and he commited a felony - period!

Ha ha, too late now for all you who feel sorry for the poor lad. He's gonna get what he deserves, not to mention who he snitched on.

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

We all love reading the posts of you who stick up for him, it gives us all good laughs and just goes to show the percent of dummys out there. Of course someone will comment on this post too, but then again noone is original here, nor does anyone have any common sense when it comes to total disregard to public safety or tax payers property. Didn't anyone teach this kid any bit of common sense.

Turning yourself in isn't common sense either, he knew he was busted because the car was registered to him and he had his fingerprints all over the spraypaint, toilet, garbage cans, cement bags, etc. He was just hoping that they would go easy on him if he was to turn himself in; basically he was a coward and realized how stupid he was. I'm surprised he even realized that! Ha Ha Ha...

Furthermore, anyone who REALLY knows the campus or anything about Blaine, should know that there are at least 2 cameras that face the quad! and that Blaine and his friends have a little public page very similar to 'my space' (which I won't name because you don't deserve to see it) and it has all the info you need + all the pics and confessions of those involved. Too late to remove it now, because the Police already have it! [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] ... and if Blaine, or any of his friends so happen to be reading this, they know exactely what I'm talking about ...

[portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]