Online video shows Lynn English students brawl

LYNN – Two female Lynn English High School students have been summonsed to juvenile court to face multiple criminal charges after their eight-minute long videotaped fight ended up on YouTube and other Internet sites.Several city officials decried the violence between the two girls in the fight, but also the conduct of the roughly 20 other students who watched – including many who videotaped the fight – and did nothing to intervene.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, who is also chairman of the School Committee, called the video “extremely disturbing.”?Not only for the fact that the two of them fought for eight minutes straight, but also that so many kids could just stand around and watch, and do nothing to discourage it,” Kennedy said Monday. “That bothers me almost as much as the fighting.”The video of what appears to be a planned fight, which took place recently after school at the nearby Cook Street Park, shows two girls fighting while other students – including many with cell phones in hand who moved closer to better videotape the fight – watch on as the bigger of the two girls smashes the smaller girl?s head into a stone wall at the park.?She?s lucky she didn?t suffer a brain injury with that kind of a beating,” Kennedy said about the smaller girl.The bigger girl also appears to knee the smaller girl in the face while she?s on the ground, and the two exchanged repeated blows to the face during the fight, which was stopped and started multiple times, but only ended for good when it appears police are responding to the park.Two students wearing what appear to be Junior ROTC fatigues watched the fight, as did multiple other boys and girls, and the person who put together the video can be heard using the N word several times.All the “preaching” that school officials have done against bullying “obviously hasn?t gotten through to these kids,” Kennedy said.She noted at one point teenagers could be heard talking about trying to get the video online first.?It was almost like they were racing to get themselves a YouTube hit,” she said.Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said police learned about the videotaped fight on Sunday and immediately began an investigation. He declined to say what started the fight.Police identified the girls and summonsed both to juvenile court, where they will face charges of assault and battery and disturbing the peace, according to Coppinger.The bigger girl will also face charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, the stone wall, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, for kicking the other girl, according to Coppinger, who said both charges are felonies.The police investigation will also focus on identifying the other students who watched and/or videotaped the fight, and police will give that information to school officials, Coppinger said.He called the fight and the decision by other students to watch without intervening “very disturbing.”?We take something like this very seriously,” he said.He noted both girls suffered injuries in the fight, but declined to be more specific.Ward 3 City Councilor Darren Cyr said he would suspend not only the students who participated in the fight, but the people who watched the fight.?It?s gotten to the point where it?s become so ridiculous with the Internet (and) all the other stuff that?s going on,” Cyr said. “If I found out one of my kids was there, there?d be a serious problem.”In fact, Cyr seemed more upset with the kids who didn?t break up the fight.?It makes me angry to think kids would just stand by and watch two girls fight for any length of time,” Cyr said.He said the incident “doesn?t shine a good light on the city,” but stressed that school officials don?t condone what the students did.?English is one of the best high schools in the state and I hope these kids feel the shame of what they did, because it?s shameful,” Cyr said.School Committee member Rick Starbard said Monday violence between girls is a problem that didn?t exist at this level a generation ago.