I went to the fihgt and said, "stop, stop" but nobody heard me. Why am I being charged?

Why did you go? You should have never been there! That is why you are being charged.

stop stop you should have left and called 911. Anyone that stood and supported the fight should be punished.

You should lead by example: don't go to the fight. If you aren't there, you can't be charged with a crime. While you might think you had the best of intentions, any time you willing put yourself anywhere there is going to be illegal or dangerous activity, you are foolishly putting yourself at risk, even if you don't think you're going to participate. This experience might turn out to be one of the most valuable lessons you may ever learn, if you learn from it, and take responsibility for your own choice to go to the fight.

Ya parents, your kids did nothing wrong. Make sure you send them that message, it's always someones elses fault. Never stand up and do the "right" thing, just blame it on others.

Just another excuse to not have to deal harshly with the real problem... the two kids fighting.

Wait till they charge all the other kids in the school for not going TO stop it...

They just let it happen...

Wow!! I better start running. Anyone want to guess how many fights I witnessed growing up, but didn't really do anything about? Wait, that's right. I couldn't becuase of the mass around me watching the same thing.

The behavior of middle school girls is out of hand; they are far meaner and violent than most boys. To standby and do nothing is to condone the activity and each of you is rightly charged. This cannot be tolerated and I applaud the West Jordan police for taking a firm position.

these fights are nothing new fights happened everyday when i went to west jordan middle in the 90's, same as when my older siblings went there in the 80's, this school has always had a bad reputation fortunatly i spent other years of jr high in murray district and salt lake district, murray had the best program with a jr high setup not a middle school setup which is supposed to be 6-8 grade, which west jordan has not had setup that way for over a decade, a jr high is 7-9. maybe they should switch their format.

Pretty soon you'll be arrested for writing newspaper stories about the fight. After all, if they didn't put it in the paper you wouldn't be interested in it and if there's no interest then the girls won't fight.

I was there because that's where I get off the bus. I went over there to try to stop it. I couldn't call 911 because I don't have a phone. Who else wants to accuse me of something? You guys dont even know what your talking about. I guess I could have taken the next stop and walked a half hour to get home but in your eyes I'd still be guilty of something. You can't punish the whole world because some kids have a fight.
I'm not responsible for the fight.

stop, stop

Quit posing as a student. School has started.

I witnessed a fight or two in high school at Box Elder and a particular bloody one (broken nose) when I was a college student volunteering at East High, but the difference was I just happened to be there when they happened. This fight seems different in that it was pre-planned and most of the kids at the scene went there for the purpose of watching the girls fight. That's just wrong. Surely someone could have told a teacher or something to try to prevent it. But then you worry about being a "nark" or whatever they call it these days. Middle school is a hard, hard time.

I'm sure a lot of these parents didn't think they did anything wrong when they crossed over the border illegally either....

Kids are gonna fight. What a bunch of wusses.

what a crock of crap.
especially if it is on school grounds.
what the police are looking to do is turn spectators into accomplices or solicitors.
nice one.

Pretty soon police in UT and everywhere else will try to criminalize everything so they can justify ever-increasing police budgets and get more money from taxpayers for their inane investigations into after-school fights. Gimme a break! The real crime are bloated police budgets taht aloow for such abuse of police powers. Tax payers everywhere should stand up against this kind of wasteful spending. President Reagan had it right when he advocated small government. The policing mentioned in the article is a perfect example of the kind of policing that is completely unnecessary, if not hysterical.

UT police as usual are overzealous. I hope some attorney for the spectators files charges against the police. Don't they have better things to do, like decreasing property crime such as car thefts, burglaries, etc.? Instead they criminalize behavior that isn't even criminal. "Conduct of another" violation--what BS! These overzealous cops and prosecutors don't seem to realize that in a democracy the community sets the rules, not the other way around. They also might want to read up on mutual (voluntary) combat law. Fights are not always criminal.

So, WJ police can charge a bunch of kids for watching a cat fight. Hmmmm. I'd have a long rap sheet if I were charged for every scrap I witnessed growing up on the east side. I'm not saying what happened is right, but to charge everyone who stopped to see the car wreck? I can think of about 200 things that would be more important to deal with from a law enforcement standpoint.

The police are doing their job. What the kids did is a crime. The best way to stop bigger crimes is to enforce all of out laws. We cannot selectively enforce laws, if we do people always think they should not be held accountable. I do not think it is wasteful spending, I think the police are doing their job and trying to create a safe community.

ok the police are nazi but what if the fight got out of hand with a weapon etc then what folks where do we draw the line in the sand? Even off school grounds the fight would be considered illegal under some law. Yes, kids fight not normally with a crowd to cheer them on - this is becoming the norm and is ugly.

I agree with the police. It is despicable for anyone to cheer on and encourage a beating. These kids said hit her hit her.

The parents of these kids have a problem if they can't see their kids behavior is in serious need of modification.

Parents if you won't raise your kids right, then society will have to step in and do your job for you.

It seems you are missing the point.

Would it be better for a kid to walk off while someone is getting beaten? Or better for them to try to stop the fight?

Good for the person who was trying to put a stop to it. We need more kids like them.

"The best way to stop bigger crimes is to enforce all of out laws. We cannot selectively enforce laws"

Maybe this doesn't apply, but if it does, sodomy is a crime "Derek and John".

Still want to enforce ALL laws?

re "re missing the point" @ 7:20:

"Good for the person who was trying to put a stop to it. We need more kids like them."

Uhh... there wasn't anybody doing that. The first commenter was just trying to get a reaction.

Its been said that all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing to stop it. OBVIOUSLY there were a lot of people that knew about the fight, and instead of taking steps to stop it, they were part of encouraging and instigating it (the exact opposite) which IS a crime...and IS morally wrong. If you went to the fight, and were part of the crowd, you broke the law, and were incredibly stupid and immoral. Usually things like this seem to go unprosecuted, and it seems that the police are simply trying to get people to "wake up". All the parents out there who think your kid did nothing wrong...well, parents like you breed criminals. Pretty much EVERY kid does something wrong at some point, and those kid that get over it and grow up to be decent people usually have parents that hold them accountable instead of enabling them.

I am glad West Jordan police is citing everyone watching. It is time we teach these kids that planned fighting will not be tolerated and if you sit and watch the crime you are just as guilty. If I stood by and watched someone get raped or murdered and didn't call 911 or try and stop it then i would be just as guilty.just as these kids are just as guilty for disorderly conduct.
To stop stop: If you were really trying to stop the fight and you go in front of a judge and plead your case( if you are telling the truth and believe me the judge will be able to tell} then you have nothing to worry about..

I have an 8th grader at WJMS and if he was on that bus to go watch that fight or any fight, I would be glad the police brought charges against him. I would also be very disappointed if it were my son cheering on a fight of any kind. He'd also be in trouble at home. Shame on any parents for not supporting the action of the police.

stop stop: you could have walk away, or simply go home and call 911, if that was your bus stop, then your home was close to that place, right? stop giving excuses, you made a wrong choice and if you take it right, you will learn from that.

I support the police's actions. If parents can held their kids accountable, and nobody else does, life will do it and life has no mercy when teaching somebody. Police is sending a strong message, that's true, but to avoid more stabbing and worse consequences from those fights. I am tired of adults teaching the kids to blame everybody else but themselves for their own actions. They are sending the wrong message.

First - A dynamic for these fights that have changed over the years is technology. Fights get set up for "You Tube" moments. Therefore the encouragement.

Second - The Bus driver?, an example of parents taking responsibility and backing bad behavior of their children by trying to place their poor parenting on the back of "the bus driver" who shouldn't had let their sons or daughters on the bus. Just another example of parents with the backbone of a jellyfish passing the buck when dealing with their childs bad behavior.

Oh by the way, the school district will probably be just as bad as the parents and instead asking parents to step up they will punish the bus driver

"Parents if you won't raise your kids right, then society will have to step in and do your job for you."

why should I as a taxpayer be held responsible for other parents' failure of parenting??? in fact, the police action in this case is so ridiculous that some of those spectators' parents should really hire an attorney and bring action against these overzealous cops and DAs. the duke lacrosse case showed what happens when DAs and police wanna play God (or wanna play Hitler?).

who here hasn't watched a fight... Probably most of us.

What a bunch of Criminals we are. Go turn yourself in right now.

Yea right parents, The bus driver did nothing wrong. Those kids could have been getting off for a birthday party etc.

Why don't you parents talk to your kids about treating others as they would be treated? This includes not standing around while someone is being beaten up and taunting them.

My parents were never like you. They were like parents. They stood up for right, they didn't act like the kids themselves. I am surprised parents like you even exist. You are as immature as junior high kids. Whats wrong with you, start acting your age and with some civility.

Start training your kids properly too.

why should you as a taxpayer be held responsible for others' lack of parenting? Because little criminals committing little crimes grow into bigger criminals committing bigger crimes and those crimes will cost all of us, and some of us will be the victims.

Derek | 12:19 p.m.

"why should I as a taxpayer be held responsible for other parents' failure of parenting???"

Because if you as a taxpayer don't pay for police to do what they did, it may be your daughter that gets beat up next while the other kids are standing around laughing and taunting her.

Why do I have to even say this? Are you one of those clueless parents?

I love the actions of the police on this. I am disappointed in some of the parents reactions, but I also expected such reactions. The blame game that so many in our society play drives me crazy.

This story is easy to understand. If nobody was there to cheer on the fighters, there never would have been a fight. Those that were there deserve the citation. Those that were there to supposedly stop the fight should have gone to the nearest phone and called 911. Nothing but applause for the police and their actions regarding this.

These kids broke the law by arranging and encouraging this fight. The cops are enforcing that law and charging those involved an appropriate misdemeanor charge.

Leave the bus driver out of it. If the driver had prevented kids getting on the bus at the school -- or off the bus at the park -- parents would be shrieking. Now they're trying to blame the driver because he/she didn't monitor when their children exited? Hello? Have you looked at the job description? Nothing in there says the driver could in any way be responsible. Check the parenting job description instead -- and do YOUR job. Quit letting your kids walk all over you because you're tired of the hassle. Consequences can teach us -- are YOU brave enough for them to learn a lesson?

SLCgal, Derek & Bambaldi:

You're all missing the point. These kids didn't just happen by. They KNEW about the fight a week in advance, and they WENT to watch. Some of them even encouraged the fighters. They treated the violence as a spectator sport. Did anyone tell a teacher, call police, try to talk one of the girls out of it? Apparently not - with the possible exception of "stop stop", who "said", rather than shouted, to be heard over the din.

Perhaps the spectators are guilty of nothing more than poor judgment. But even poor judgment is an action that has consequences. And all parties involved need to understand that actions have consequences.

Sounds like police misconduct unless those arrested were encouraging it:

76-2-202. Criminal responsibility for direct commission of offense or for conduct of another.

Every person, acting with the mental state required for the commission of an offense who directly commits the offense, who solicits, requests, commands, encourages, or intentionally aids another person to engage in conduct which constitutes an offense shall be criminally liable as a party for such conduct.

Says nothing about just watching.

Could it be that it's hard to make such precise decisions when you're 13 years old? After all, the real fights are less bloody than the ones on the video games they got for Christmas. I hope no officers get promoted over this incident.

"Says nothing about just watching".

Did I read wrong that the kids watching were cheering the the girl being beat up?

For kids to just stand around watching is wrong. They should have rendered aid to the girl, not just standing there watching her be beat up.

Stop hiding behind the law. Right and wrong, trumps legal and illegal.

I think it's great the students all got a citation. Of course, the ones fighting should get more punishment but the kids who were encouraging and being spectators are in the wrong, too. Kudo's to the West Jordan police for not backing down under "parent" pressure. What concerns me is the whining parents are doing now that their "innocent" children have a citation and the blame they put on the bus driver. So, if your kid encourages a fight and wants it to happen, somehow the bus driver is responsible? Come on, people. Turn a brain on. These kids will be served well to not get away with this.

They weren't just watching though. Haven't you seen the footage on the news? They were shouting out for the girls to fight and hit each other. Sounds an awful lot like "encouraging" to me.

#1: It is the end of the school year. Every bus driver knows the kids on his/her bus. At my kids school they are not allowed to get on the bus unless that is their bus to ride home. Since they have to walk and usually call for a ride home when it is cold, do you think that this bus driver could get reassigned to my school so my kids can ride a bus to a stop nearer my home where they don't have to cross 2 major streets?

#2: With that many kids who don't usually ride that bus all get off at one stop, don't you think that it should have set off a red flag? Don't tell me that a bunch of middle school kids sat quietly on that bus and never made one comment about the upcoming fight.

#3: The parents of both girls and all the others involved should be sighted for raising irresponsible, it's not my fault kids. And then we wonder why we have such disrespectful youth in this country. What they need is a good old fashioned trip to the wood shed and then doing community service to work it off.

And the smart little idiots video taped it all so their was footage for the police to cite those that were cheering on the fight

They weren't *just* watching, they WENT to the site of a planned fight, they wer CHEERING it on. Go ahead and charge them!!!

Stop stop: you've learned a lesson the hard way if you did indeed try to stop but instead got charged for encouraging. Might as well learn it now! You CANNOT ever go to a party where there's underage drinking or illegal drug activity or anyplace with criminal activity and expect to not be charged when it is busted because you were "trying to stop them". Not gonna happen! (Unless you were a pre-arranged police decoy.) When such a situation is busted, EVERYONE gets charged and hauled into court. That's the job for the police. Then it is up to the court/jury to sift thru the evidence and decide whether you're truly innocent as you say you are and/or what your sentence should be. Not the police. Their job is to keep the peace.

My question is where are the parental guidelines in these young women's lifes? Doesn't anyone teach their children how to handle hard times with something other than violence? Blame the system, blame the police, blame the world, if you choose. The fact is if no one cares about them to teach them respect for themselves and others things will never change.

I think Sunset Ridge Middle sponsored a recent school-wide activity/forum promoting "Peace." Wasn't there a play, art displays, and a local minister as the guest speaker? It is unfortunate the fighting incident happened. Hopefully the parents of all of the students involved, the police, and school officials will continue to promote peace in the community...on all levels.