are you serious...this guy is still ALIVE...if someone beat my son like that they would have to have a hammer, golf club AND metal pipe surgically removed from their ASS!!!

*sigh*

Then I guess we are at a bit of an impasse...

At least we can all agree that these kids deserve a happy ending. I wish them a speedy recovery and that this attack leaves no lasting scars. Hopefully the nutcase isn't allowed out, to move back into the same neighborhood (or course he might get what's coming to him if he goes back).

It sounds like these folks knew the guy for quite some time and thought he was a little loopy, but not legitimately dangerous. Sure, the know now, but hindsight is 20/20.

Then let us hope they do better in the future...as I said before.

The thing that just relentlessly gets under my skin is, the guy had threatened the kids several times previously. I don’t think that these are “bad parents” or that they could have reasonably anticipated such a horrific assault. But (and we may just have to agree to disagree), the threats should have raised some pretty serious red flags. Serious enough to, as a parent, make me want to do everything I could to keep my kids away.

Sure, sure. But I'm looking at it this way - if I was that age and someone threatened me repeatedly, and it was severe enough to take seriously, I would have known better than to approach that person. It seems that this man's "threats" weren't even taken seriously by the children, or else they would have stayed away themselves. I mean, by the ages of 8 and 9, that's common sense. Can't teach that into a kid...

From an article: "Unlike Jerry, Bradley's son has been able to return to school since the attack. Jerry spent three days in the hospital with a fractured skull, broken finger, broken wrist, bruised legs and cuts to his head, face and arms. Johnny escaped with minor injuries.
Bradley said he grew up with Barnamon and can't understand why the man would harm two children."

It sounds like these folks knew the guy for quite some time and thought he was a little loopy, but not legitimately dangerous. Sure, the know now, but hindsight is 20/20.

While that is an important distinction, truly unsupervised play is most advantageous for the development of judgment. ... Now, I obviously wouldn’t recommend that for a small child, but once children reach the (roughly) 7-10 age period is when it becomes really necessary.

OK, OK Athena! :) I am willing to concede the point that I am most likely over-protective, and that I probably need to loosen up a bit. I can also agree that kids *need* unsupervised play (although because we are still saddled with our own "crazy" neighbor, my kids will have to wait another year or so until we leave CA).

The thing that just relentlessly gets under my skin is, the guy had threatened the kids several times previously. I don't think that these are "bad parents" or that they could have reasonably anticipated such a horrific assault. But (and we may just have to agree to disagree), the threats should have raised some pretty serious red flags. Serious enough to, as a parent, make me want to do everything I could to keep my kids away.

I understand what Castille is getting at too. Obviously, what one perceives as a "safe area" is going to be relative. That said, short of bringing out some kind or more serious weapon, like a gun or knife, I'm not sure what else this guy could have done to get the parents' attention. If someone is basically telling your kids, repeatedly, "I will hurt you in some way," doesn't serve as a serious wake up call, I'm not sure anything would.

Clever gal! I almost thought you had me, there. The only problem with that theory is that the OVERWHELMING majority of child homicides are committed by parents, boyfriends, or other relatives or friends. Strangers account for only about 3% of child homicides. So, a more likely theory is that the drop in homicides is the wider availability to birth control/abortion and a drop in gang activity.

Ha ha, I'd agree that there's really no causal link there... I'm not really buying it myself. But of course, I couldn't NOT point it out... ;)

First, there needs to be a clear distinction between unstructured play and unsupervised play. What I am advocating is not structured, adult-directed play.

While that is an important distinction, truly unsupervised play is most advantageous for the development of judgment. One of those articles (and I don't remember which one, at this point) states that children who know parents are watching them take bigger risks. They'll talk to strangers or jump from unreasonably high heights because they know that mom or dad is right there to protect them. Kids who are not being supervised actually exercize better judgment. Because they know there's no one to get thier ass out of a sling, they negotiate risks more intelligently, which is fundamental for developing that judgment. Now, I obviously wouldn't recommend that for a small child, but once children reach the (roughly) 7-10 age period is when it becomes really necessary.

That said I do have to point out the coincidental ( but not NECESSARILY correlational) relationship between the drop in “unsupervised play” and the 14 year low in child homicide rates. Maybe it’s not SUCH a coincidence…?

Clever gal! :D I almost thought you had me, there. The only problem with that theory is that the OVERWHELMING majority of child homicides are committed by parents, boyfriends, or other relatives or friends. Strangers account for only about 3% of child homicides. So, a more likely theory is that the drop in homicides is the wider availability to birth control/abortion and a drop in gang activity.

The banter is good. :)

I guess I don’t believe that locality SHOULD mean anything when it comes to protecting kids. I think they should have done better. Never said they were BAD parents.

I think what locality matters to is how we percieve threat - the reason I would percieve it to be threatening where I live right now is the degree to which it falls outside outside of the local culture - bizarre behavior making my internal alarms go off. The substance of what he said was not so terribly threatening, rather it's the sort of person would violate cultural norms so flagrantly that would have me on parental high alert. If I lived in a place where this man's prior behavior was not so outside the norm, I wouldn't be even slightly alarmed by him. I'd be annoyed at my kids for bugging the neighbors.

If none of these points resonate with you, I guess we’re just locked in disagreement

No, no I get what your saying, and I don't mind disagreeing. Maybe they don't take threats the same way I do, 'cause my reaction wouldn't be much different than yours.

and if they threatened discipline I’d be mad and take it up directly with them, and I’d tell my my children to stay totally clear of crazy neighbor

I guess I don't believe that locality SHOULD mean anything when it comes to protecting kids. I think they should have done better. Never said they were BAD parents.

ATHENA, IT SAYS IT RIGHT THERE IN THE ARTICLE…”BARNAMON HAD MADE PREVIOUS THREATS AGAINST THE CHILDREN”…I BLAME THE PARENTS FOR NOT TAKING HIM SERIOUSLY.

yeah, yeah, because threatening to hit kids with a PVC pipe if they don't quit messing around in your yard is sooo much the same as calling kids over from their house to your porch and savagely beating them in a potentially lethal way. You know some parents spank their kids with PVC pipe, right? It likely wouldn't have stood out as a patently crazy form of discipline in this neighborhood. And some communities still more broadly police roving children. You remember the post I made where I reminded you dad thought he knew this guy pretty well? How about that google maps streetview where this guy's living situation, superficially, doesn't really seem that out of keeping with the rest of the neighborhood? In these circumstances, in this neighborhood, I can't imagine telling my kids more than hey, leave Mr. Barnamon alone already - before I hit you with that PVC pipe.

Now mind you, I'm not rural south, I'm much more NorthEast and Midaltlantic in a middle to upper middle class neighborhood. Which means I'd never dream of spanking my kids, don't know more about my neighbors than their names, half of which I forget, and if they spoke to my children out of my presence I'd be nervous, and if they threatened discipline I'd be mad and take it up directly with them, and I'd tell my my children to stay totally clear of crazy neighbor who cooked with fires in his kitchen and stood in violation of every HOA covenant we have, because he'd be violating every conceivable local norm. But it's a whooole different culture, and I recognize that. It's not clear to me that this guy stands as far outside his local norm as he would if he lived next to me.

If none of these points resonate with you, I guess we're just locked in disagreement ;)

I'm just glad they are both ok and although one was seriously hurt, no one died this time. This guy obviously has some mental issues that need to be dealt with.

these where not irresponsible parents...did nothing wrong, Darryl .

Your opinion. Not mine. Thanks for sharing.

Those attacking the parents have a God parenting complex, they are god and they raise perfect children, and their 9 year olds make decisions Einstein would be proud of

WHO HAS THE god complex "MISTER SIT IN JUDGEMENT OF EVERYBODY"?

Never claimed to be perfect, never said my kids were. FUCK OFF AND DIE!

One last point - You may be surprised that, in 2003, the homicide rate for children under 14 dropped to a record LOW. The fact of the matter is, the world was much more dangerous when you and I were children. So much for those sleepy little neighborhoods. Danger was present - we just didn’t know about it thanks to a lack of media hype. Now that there’s less danger, there’s actually MORE media hype, and unsupervised play has taken a plunge as the result. Tragic, really.

It was a terrible act by a terrible man, inflected on innocent children. I agree children have a right to go out and play without being beaten by a nut, these where not irresponsible parents and the children did nothing wrong, Darryl Barnamon was the problem.

ATHENA, IT SAYS IT RIGHT THERE IN THE ARTICLE…”BARNAMON HAD MADE PREVIOUS THREATS AGAINST THE CHILDREN”…I BLAME THE PARENTS FOR NOT TAKING HIM SERIOUSLY.

Thanks for bringing the conversation back on track, RunecirE.

The bottom line is this: when you live next to the neighborhood crazy, (and they definitely knew something was not right with him -- he was living in a shell of a house like a squatter!) and this crazy makes *multiple* threats against your kids (and even goes so far as to threaten physical harm with a PVC pipe), you do not go about as if everything is normal. If you choose to ignore said threats or decide that they aren't "serious," people are going to think that was a poor parenting choice.

Of course hind sight is 20/20 and no I am not saying EVERY parent should be watching their kids ALL of the time. I watch mine because we have a neighborhood crazy too (and I do take his threats seriously). I am just shocked that the kids were allowed to go out unattended while he was outside.

Also, if you can't get your kids listen well enough to stay away from the neighborhood crazy, something is seriously wrong. Kids who listen to their parents' warnings about safety aren't perfect, they just know that there will be consequences (from Mom and Dad or worse) for disregarding their safety.

This isn't a case in which there were no warning signs. Even if those kids were complete hellions, there isn't anything a 9 year-old child can do, to justify such a beating!

We don’t know all the facts. 9 year olds can be monsters. I would bet any amount of money the kids had it coming.

:-o Holy shit batman!~

I forget which message board I was on, it wasn’t here on DD, but there were quite a few people defending the sick old bastard, believe it or not. The consensus among these morons was that the kid had it coming for being so “disrespectful to his elders,” which turned into a cliche, stupid “kids these days” lament. Now, this guy was white and middle class and had been an “upstanding member of the community.” I wonder if those same clucking hens are sticking up for poor, black Darryl Barnamon?

Those attacking the parents have a God parenting complex, they are god and they raise perfect children, and their 9 year olds make decisions Einstein would be proud of

The Sandoval family said Barnamon had made previous threats against the children, but never believed he was serious. On one instance, Barnamon threatened to hit the boys with a PVC pipe because they were playing football in his yard. When a grumpy old man threatens to hit your kids with a pipe for trespassing in his yard, I think it’s time to start taking him seriously.

ATHENA, IT SAYS IT RIGHT THERE IN THE ARTICLE..."BARNAMON HAD MADE PREVIOUS THREATS AGAINST THE CHILDREN"...I BLAME THE PARENTS FOR NOT TAKING HIM SERIOUSLY.

When a man looks like that and lives in a house like that on a street like that, HOW DO YOU NOT TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY?!

AGAIN, I never said the parents should have been sitting out there the whole time, but DAMMIT, when I tell my kids "Stay out of that yard and here's the reason why" they stay out. I don't have any magical powers over my kids. They respect me, they listen to me, they obey me. I understand the statistics of unsupervised play; Child Psychology was my minor in college, and I have been working with kids for the last 17 years.

Anyway, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I respect your opinion...i just don't agree with it.

When “You kids, get off my lawn!” guys attack, it’s apparently ugly.

Does anyone remember about 2-3 years ago, there was an old man who blew a 15-year-old kid away with a shotgun for being on the EDGE of his precious lawn?

I forget which message board I was on, it wasn't here on DD, but there were quite a few people defending the sick old bastard, believe it or not. The consensus among these morons was that the kid had it coming for being so "disrespectful to his elders," which turned into a cliche, stupid "kids these days" lament. Now, this guy was white and middle class and had been an "upstanding member of the community." I wonder if those same clucking hens are sticking up for poor, black Darryl Barnamon?

Of course not -- and they shouldn't. There is never an excuse for crap like this, I don't care what sort of bratty kid shit went on.

Well Athena, I must say you did give me some food for thought. :)

I read over the articles you linked to.

First, there needs to be a clear distinction between unstructured play and unsupervised play. What I am advocating is not structured, adult-directed play. I am only present in case something becomes an actual dangerous threat, to my or any of the other neighborhood kids. The biggest harm I saw coming out of those studies is, quite simply that having to stay near adults limits the "play area" and play time, and therefore kids are getting less exercise. Also, if adults are nearby to stop every possible harm, that's what I call "structured play." Not to make this about me... but the area my kids play in is about 2 square city blocks with grass and trees. I don't follow them around, or tell them how to play. This is exactly the same area they would play in if I weren't watching... They climb and fall out of trees with the neighborhood kids, ride bikes, have their squabbles, etc... It is possible that their behavior is modified because they know I am there (at a distance), but I doubt it is a hugely drastic change. They certainly don't look back to see if I'm watching them, and I don't correct any but the worst behavior.

I do agree that kids are too scheduled and supervised today. But I don't think there is anything wrong with passive observation vs. active intervention. Of course kids need to make mistakes and become exposed to the "not-so-nice" aspects of the world in order to become independent, productive adults. I firmly believe that not much learning occurs from observing other peoples' mistakes.

That said I do have to point out the coincidental ( but not NECESSARILY correlational) relationship between the drop in "unsupervised play" and the 14 year low in child homicide rates. Maybe it's not SUCH a coincidence...?


Thanks for the banter (I'm probably enjoying it a little too much) :D

Bottom line: A child who is denied unsupervised play is, statistically, less social, less fit, and stunted in the areas of emotional and judgment development. This WILL put them at risk as teenagers, when the world is much more unsafe for them. If you want to take that gamble, well, I can't stop you or any of the increasing number of parents who fall victim to similar paranoia. I can only hope that, as your children get a little older, you can manage to loosen up. For every 1 child who is hurt or killed because mommy wasn't paying attention, there are 50 who become drug addicts or promiscuous or live with their parents until they die because mommy insisted on paying too MUCH attention. A point worth noting - I'm not necessarily saying this is you. Your children still are rather young, so there still time to adjust. And who knows - you may live in some straight up projects or something. But, you know what? Even those little kids survive. ;)

One last point - You may be surprised that, in 2003, the homicide rate for children under 14 dropped to a record LOW. The fact of the matter is, the world was much more dangerous when you and I were children. So much for those sleepy little neighborhoods. Danger was present - we just didn't know about it thanks to a lack of media hype. Now that there's less danger, there's actually MORE media hype, and unsupervised play has taken a plunge as the result. Tragic, really.

Check out the street view on google maps and tell me you wouldn't watch your kids in that neighborhood!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1016+Albany+St+br...

I’m just going to pretend that people are exaggerating to make a point and that their kids get unsupervised play on a regular basis. And be thankful that I didn’t have to wait until a parent came available before I could go outside.

As much as I would love my kiddos to have a safe, sleepy, little neighborhood to play in, (and come home "when the street lights come on" -- as I used to as a kid) this simply is not a reality in many cities.

I probably would've been really annoyed, as a kid, to have to wait for my mom to go outside (in fact, I know I would have), but I would've been annoyed to have to wear a bike helmet and wait for my parents to "really know" another parent before I could stay the night at a friend's house. Unfortunately this is the state of the world today.

Also, parents today have the added ability/burden of tracking sex offenders in their neighborhoods. How far away is far away enough? I can see a few within 5 miles of my house... There are just too many variables. Sure, my kids are probably enjoying a more restricted childhood than I experienced, but (at least for my children) it's necessary.

From the pic of the house in the forums the neighborhood looks bad.

There has to be some standard, I mean, you can't be advocating for kids in Compton to run around unsupervised. I'm not saying this town is another Compton, but the area is bad. If you live in a bad area, you have a reasonable chance of something bad happening to you.



http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Br...

In the Kristin Kelley story, at least it's justified. The parents in that case should have known what was on their property. Hell, that's got legal implications. In this case, though, there's nothing to suggest an oversight on the part of the parents. Obviously, they didn't think the neighbor was a nutbag, so there's no reason for them to have told the kids not to talk to the guy under any circumstances.

Point of fact, I never stated the parents should have been there watching, I simply said they should have done a better job teaching the kids why they should stay away from the nutbag.

I’m just going to pretend that people are exaggerating to make a point and that their kids get unsupervised play on a regular basis. And be thankful that I didn’t have to wait until a parent came available before I could go outside.

Oh com'on Athena...we write stuff like this all the time..."where were the parents..."
"why didn't the parents..."
Check out the Kristen Kelley story...we're doin' it again.

I'm just going to pretend that people are exaggerating to make a point and that their kids get unsupervised play on a regular basis. And be thankful that I didn't have to wait until a parent came available before I could go outside. :P

That said, these boys were 8 and 9 and in their own yard when they were called over. There's nothing to suggest that these parents did anything wrong, so I'm not sure why they were even brought into the conversation. The fact is, we don't know the context. Maybe these parents didn't take it seriously because their kid exaggerates a lot or something. But it's down right unreasonable to suggest that these parents were negligent in any way, or that boys that age should be confined to their backyard.

Runecire, I always gotcha back! We think too much alike!

Thanks! MWah! :o ***HUGS***

AMEN! Tassa!

LOL — Ok maybe I’m not a helicopter parent. I read a book or catch up with friends on the phone, etc… I watch them from our stoop - I’m not actually INVOLVED in their play Maybe I would feel differently if we lived somewhere else…

Runecire, I always gotcha back! We think too much alike!

helicopter to me means hovering within feet or inches ALL THE TIME. I took you to mean you kept a watchful eye on them but let them play and be independent. Even most animals will keep watchful eyes on their young, and that is a good thing.

LOL -- Ok maybe I'm not a helicopter parent. I read a book or catch up with friends on the phone, etc... I watch them from our stoop - I'm not actually INVOLVED in their play :) Maybe I would feel differently if we lived somewhere else...

All I'm saying is that if this guy was my neighbor, my kids would play in the backyard.

If I’m a helicopter parent, so be it. But my kids are safe.

helicopter to me means hovering within feet or inches ALL THE TIME. I took you to mean you kept a watchful eye on them but let them play and be independent. Even most animals will keep watchful eyes on their young, and that is a good thing.

Even if you lived in a gated community or on a 40 acre spread, I would expect you to at least check on them regularly, if not necessarily staring at them every second. That is what a parent does with young children. How else do you effectively reinforce the "play nicely" or "that is not safe" rules if you DON"T see them do it.

So, you feel vindicated because a woman who admits to never (and she emphasized “never) letting a 7 year old out of her sight agreed with you?

What I said was, when we're OUTSIDE, I don't let them out of my sight. We live in an apartment complex in Los Angeles County. A "neighbor" in another building is a drunken idiot, who constantly yells at the neighborhood kids if they are playing in the courtyard. He doesn't come out if I'm out with them. The kids who are unattended zip their scooters in between parked cars in the lot, swing on the gates to the pool, jump on the machines in the laundry room, etc... I let my kids play out of earshot, but never out of sight (outside). I'm not only protecting them from our crazy neighbor, but from the kids here -- who are never supervised. (I must say also, that the activities I just described are not what warrants my kids needing protection. These kids bring out weapons, cuss, fight, etc...)

Our complex isn't the nicest place in the world. And I might be going out on a limb here, but I'm willing to bet a neighborhood in which a guy threatening kids with a PVC pipe is not considered "serious", is probably one in which parents should be extra vigilant.



If I'm a helicopter parent, so be it. But my kids are safe.

So, you feel vindicated because a woman who admits to never (and she emphasized “never) letting a 7 year old out of her sight agreed with you?

Slightly, "letting out of sight" and "Keeping by your side" are two different things and the latter creeps me more than the former. Question is, does she mean 24/7 or just in questionable situations. When my nieces and nephews were young, They could run all over, but I still kept track of them visually.

RunecirE, darling, your first mistake is operating under any assumption.

I was beginning to think I had flown to the wacko side of the fence because no one agreed with me. ( meaning I was being the wacko).

So, you feel vindicated because a woman who admits to never (and she emphasized "never) letting a 7 year old out of her sight agreed with you? ;)

and I was not on them like white on rice. I did check on them, and the other parents did too (our neighbor’s look out for one another’s kids). The parents perhaps did tell the boys to stay off this loone’s yard. But again, at 8 and 9, you repeat yourself over and over because they tend to forget or think that there is no danger.

All right already, I concede...I was operating under the assumption...

The Sandoval family said Barnamon had made previous threats against the children, but never believed he was serious. On one instance, Barnamon threatened to hit the boys with a PVC pipe because they were playing football in his yard. When a grumpy old man threatens to hit your kids with a pipe for trespassing in his yard, I think it’s time to start taking him seriously.

...that they weren't taking this seriously. I wasn't trying to ATTACK the parents, just trying to say I didn't think they did a good enough job impressing on the kids that this LUNATIC was dangerous.

BTW...I do not hover either. But I do check on them.

See, this kind of stuff would never happened to mey kids. The first time he threatened my kids, I would have unleashed my husband. That alone would put fear into this bitch of a man. People that get annoyed with kids playing make me irrate. What are kids supposed to do if not play? THEY ARE KIDS!!!

I agree with Athena. In this situation, I would NOT blame the parents. These are 8 and 9 year olds, they did not deserve, nor did their parents, to endure such a vicious attack. It is unfair to say that these parents are partly responsible. My son's have played outside at that age, and I was not on them like white on rice. I did check on them, and the other parents did too (our neighbor's look out for one another's kids). The parents perhaps did tell the boys to stay off this loone's yard. But again, at 8 and 9, you repeat yourself over and over because they tend to forget or think that there is no danger.

Darryl Barnamon was arrested and taken to Glynn County Jail on charges of cruelty to children, aggravated battery and assault and possession of a weapon in a school zone.

Um really?? How about attempted murder? The kid was a minor... where's that charge? Oh yea...there were two of them. How bout double counts? WTF!

Johnny Bradley suffered minor injuries from the assault, however, Jerry de Jesus Sandoval spent three days in a Jacksonville hospital for treatment. The boy’s injuries consisted of a fractured skull (from his ear to the middle of his head), multiple cuts to his head, a broken finger, two broken bones in a wrist, multiple deep cuts to his forearms, cuts to his mouth and severely injured legs.

TY, TASSA...

I was beginning to think I had flown to the wacko side of the fence because no one agreed with me. ( meaning I was being the wacko)

If they are kicking themselves, great. That means maybe they’ll do better next time. When we take the parents out of the picture, when we remove the weight of responsibility from their shoulders, we have done an injustice to the kids who need their parents to be strong and cautious.

I have to agree with you on this one. This would NEVER happen to my kids! They are 7 and 3 and they are never outside out of my sight -never. I would be especially cautious if my neighbor had gone so far as to threaten them previously!

The fact that the kids went to the guy when he called, is proof enough that the kids' parents did not make abundantly clear "You do not EVER, EVER go near this guy! I don't care what he says or does, if he speaks to you, come inside and get an adult!"

That said, this is 100% the FAULT of Darryl Barnamon. Nobody would be hurt at all if he weren't such a fuck up. But really, when you live next to a fuck up, have some common sense when it comes to the safety of your kids!

The parents are victims here, too. You don’t think they’re kicking themselves right now?

If they are kicking themselves, great. That means maybe they'll do better next time. When we take the parents out of the picture, when we remove the weight of responsibility from their shoulders, we have done an injustice to the kids who need their parents to be strong and cautious.

I know we can't change the past, I want them to do better in the future...learn from their mistakes... teach the kids better.

We don’t know all the facts. 9 year olds can be monsters. I would bet any amount of money the kids had it coming.

I would have hired a 16 yr old to have handled the problem. He is a fool to have done it himself.

This is a joke... right? :P

All I’m saying IS LETS NOT LEAVE THE PARENTS OUTTA THIS.

No, let's do. The parents are victims here, too. You don't think they're kicking themselves right now?

Little kids make shit up or exaggerate all the time. It's entirely possible that the parents of this kid thought their son was being melodramatic when he told them the neighbor threatened them for being on his lawn, or thought that the neighbor was exaggerating to make a point. I'm positive they gave the kid the, "Don't play in his yard," speech after that incident. That, however, is markedly different than this man calmly calling the boys over. Under these circumstances, neither these boys or the parents would have any reason to believe this man intended to harm them.

And for regular quirky “get off my lawn” guys I think I’d only tell my kids to stay out of his yard and not antagonize him .

BTW, if they had stayed out of his yard, they would not have been attacked.

I am certainly not trying to put it all on the parents, but I believe they were a contributing factor. So often we put it all on the criminals and do not examine the roots. If those roots lead only to the criminal, fine...hang 'em. But if they lead to the parents and/or lack of parenting, then we should address that as well.

All I'm saying IS LETS NOT LEAVE THE PARENTS OUTTA THIS. My opinion.

When I know someone could be a problem, I take it upon myself to tell my boys, “you stay away from so-and-so. You don’t go near him, you don’t talk to him, and you certainly don’t let him get near you.” THAT IS WHAT A PARENT DOES.

One of the dads is quoted as saying he grew up with this guy and never thought he'd do anything like this. And for regular quirky "get off my lawn" guys I think I'd only tell my kids to stay out of his yard and not antagonize him - not never speak to him/stay totally clear of him/ignore him if he calls to you sort of dire warnings. A crazy neighbor threat to whack some mischievious neighborhood boys with a piece of PVC pipe doesn't exactly threaten life and limb, and comes no where near beating someone with a hammer, golf club OR metal pipe. So I really wouldn't ascribe this to some grand parenting failure.

We don't know all the facts. 9 year olds can be monsters. I would bet any amount of money the kids had it coming.

I would have hired a 16 yr old to have handled the problem. He is a fool to have done it himself.

Granted, this wacko should have been gone a long time ago, BUT HE WASN'T.

An ounce of prevention...

Or do you honestly think there's no point in teaching kids because they are going to do what they want anyway? The fact that those boys entered that yard tells me someone should have done a better job teaching them. Period.

The system that failed was the system of PARENTING.

the system that failed is the one that didn't put this nut case away on previous occasions
the young boys and their parents did not act irresponsibly, from the information originally posted

They were little kids he called them over, they weren’t in his yard, they were sitting on the porch next store from what I read. The boys were not doing anything wrong, This guy is a nut case that should have been in a hospital. More often than not it seems the system fails the community

My point is...you can teach even little kids not to go places they don't belong. My kids never would have gone over when he called them. Teach them to stay out of bad places or places you don't trust.

The system that failed was the system of PARENTING.

Teach these kids to be more aware and there would be fewer incidences like this. If the parents had taken the time to even say ” I’m gonna wollup your butt if I catch you in his yard,” neither of these boys would have been anywhere near him.

They were little kids he called them over, they weren't in his yard, they were sitting on the porch next store from what I read. The boys were not doing anything wrong, This guy is a nut case that should have been in a hospital. More often than not it seems the system fails the community

When “You kids, get off my lawn!” guys attack, it’s apparently ugly.

Yep, I agree.

When I know someone could be a problem, I take it upon myself to tell my boys, “you stay away from so-and-so. You don’t go near him, you don’t talk to him, and you certainly don’t let him get near you.” THAT IS WHAT A PARENT DOES.

That's exactly what we did, and if we caught them in so-and-so's yard, they had to pack in their shit and come inside.

You just never know.

Great write-up FF!

When I know someone could be a problem, I take it upon myself to tell my boys, "you stay away from so-and-so. You don't go near him, you don't talk to him, and you certainly don't let him get near you." THAT IS WHAT A PARENT DOES.

Teach these kids to be more aware and there would be fewer incidences like this. If the parents had taken the time to even say " I'm gonna wollup your butt if I catch you in his yard," neither of these boys would have been anywhere near him.

When "You kids, get off my lawn!" guys attack, it's apparently ugly.

This never would have happened at my house. Two reasons: I would never allow my boys to play in someone’s yard unless I knew them and it was okay with them.Biggest reason, the first time he threatened to hit my boys it would have been on like donkey kong! (I do believe that I can take him!)Stupid, old roach shit!

LOL I bet you could take him too. He is a coward, can't take on anyone but little kids.

The Sandoval family said Barnamon had made previous threats against the children, but never believed he was serious. On one instance, Barnamon threatened to hit the boys with a PVC pipe because they were playing football in his yard. When a grumpy old man threatens to hit your kids with a pipe for trespassing in his yard, I think it’s time to start taking him seriously.

This never would have happened at my house. Two reasons: I would never allow my boys to play in someone's yard unless I knew them and it was okay with them.
Biggest reason, the first time he threatened to hit my boys it would have been on like donkey kong! (I do believe that I can take him!)
Stupid, old roach shit!

When the two boys approached Barnamon, he immediately began hitting them both with a hammer. Johnny was hit several times in the head and on his arm before he was able to escape and run to a neighbor’s home for help. Unfortunately, Jerry was not so quick.

The parents should be allowed to have him! Stupid ass bastard.

FF good job

I agree wit ou all above and what a true picture of a "NUT JOB" AND I can only promise you that he would be dead if that happened to my kids, DEAD with my name tattooed on his dead ass body, well maybe they will arrest him AGAIN and then he can GET OUT cause they all do, and once again he will be living next to someone else, SYSTEM is so screwed up, DID NO ONE NOTICE MAYBE THE FIRST TWO COUNTS OR MAYBE MORE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN A LOCAL NUT HOSPITAL? WOW GREAT WRITE UP AND I ONLY HOPE HE GET HIS ASS KICKED ALL THE WAY TO HELL WHERE HE BELONGS, AND TO THE CHILDREN GET BETTER AND HAVE A SPEEDY RECOVERY

Welcome to the FP FlamingFox!! I am one proud biotch! Great write up!

Great job FF!!

Thanks guys! You're the best!

Great job FF!!

WTF?? He is lucky they weren't my kids or he would be missing body parts.

Welcome to the FP FlamingFox!! I am one proud biotch! Great write up!