Recently, I posted about my dismay at the way all discussion about the Virginia Tech shooter seemed to hinge on the question of whether we should have known that he was a danger to others, with inadequate thought about the human being who was obviously living in an emotional state most of us are fortunate enough never to experience. My post came largely in response to a comment I'd read from someone else asking why the student hadn't been suspended from school--as if getting him out of one particular place would have somehow helped in the greater scheme of things.
On Thursday, the Chicago Tribune ran an astonishing story about a high school student who wrote a "disturbing" paper for his creative writing class. This student wasn't suspended either. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
I'm sure it's not relevant, but the student's last name is Lee. Right, like Bruce Lee. Draw your own conclusions.
Astonishingly, Cary Police Chief Ron Delelio reportedly said that disorderly conduct "can also apply when someone's writings can disturb an individual."
Damn. I hope Brett Easton Ellis never visits Illinois. Or Stephen King, even. Or what about Ken Kesey? I think he might be dead, so he's probably safe from arrest, but has ever a more disturbing story been told than One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? I didn't think so.
Fortunately, it's just a misdemeanor with a maximimum penalty of 30 days and a maximum fine of $1,500, so for an up-ando-coming writer (or even an established one), the press might be worth the inconvenience. For a reported straight-A high school student in a smallish town in Illinois, I'm not thinking it will pay off quite so well.
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