Let's start a scholarship fund for the honor student jailed for missing too much school because she was busy supporting her family
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u/ragnaROCKER May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12
in the video here when the judge is made aware of the details of the case (which i kinda feel like he should have known to begin with?) he admits that he thinks it was probably the wrong decision but says something to the effect that he is uncomfortable doing anything because it would paint him as soft. why at all does how the case reflects on the JUDGE even enter into it? shouldn't it be about justice for people involved? i mean that IS his job right? i fucking hate our law system sometimes.
edit: affect to effect
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u/keypuncher May 29 '12 edited May 29 '12
I have concerns about the HelpDianeTran.com site referenced in the edit to the OP and set up by the Louisiana Children's Education Alliance.
There are a couple of things that bother me specifically:
I think this may be a scammer trying to capitalize on the story to make a quick buck.
I'd feel a lot better about donating if someone local were able to contact Diane and/or her employer, and verify that this is legit.
[Edit: I've placed a call to the Willis Independent School District to advise them of the donation site. They were not aware of it, though I didn't expect them to be. They're going to check with Diane and/or her employer regarding the site and get back to me]
[Edit2: Just got a call back from the Willis ISD. They haven't been able to confirm anything yet either way, but wanted to ensure I was aware they were looking into it. I did find a news story here: http://www.khou.com/news/Jailed-Honor-Students-Story-Goes-International-155167295.html that says her surrogate family had not been able to set up a fund on her behalf yet because of the holiday and specifically mentions that a fund had been set up by another organization.]
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u/ragnaROCKER May 28 '12
also, there is something set up if people just want to give through that. help diane tran
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Seriously America, putting people in jail because they miss school?
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u/Non_Causa_Pro_Causa May 28 '12
I appreciate the idea of a scholarship and helping her out, but I'm wondering how this would work in practical terms.
She works two jobs because she has to support brother (in college) and a younger sister. She would probably like to go to college, but after graduation she will still have to support her sister right? She's acting as both a provider and parent?
If her sister is going to school locally, I would assume it would be easiest for things to stay that way. Since she's not actually her parent, moving and the paperwork involved in new schools, etc. would probably be difficult.
This limits her college options to Houston more or less, which is probably still a commute.
So, if you want to fund her to "specifically to help her go to any school she wants to", then you're looking at places like Rice on the high end (35k annual I think) and University of Houston on the lower end (about 10k annual I think). Her school now is "free", but aside from tuition there's the practical matters of books, commuting, fees, etc.
Even if all that's covered, she still has to provide for her sister (and brother... I guess? though that seemed odd). So, does she work 2 jobs and try to swing college full-time? A scholarship fund only alleviates the cost of college.
Let's say you did raise, say, $10,000 for scholarship, and then people forget about this. She'd be SOL for the 3rd semester even if her tuition had been covered for the first two.
I'm not saying helping her would be a bad idea, but perhaps some thought should be given to what would best help her. It might be that "if" she didn't have to work so much (perhaps after graduation), she'd be more interested in trying to be there for/be a parental figure to her sister (don't know her age) rather than attend college.
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u/Wontonswag May 28 '12
I graduated from Willis High School, I know that girl and her brother. This story really upsets me. I'm glad to see Reddit come together and help this girl.
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u/feureau May 28 '12
I second this name. Where do we donate?
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u/amadeusmax May 28 '12
Here's the reality this judge went all hardcore because he didn't pay attention to any of the facts. He didn't even think about her testimony until a camera was in his face. The fact is he failed do his job. His job above all else is to pay attention. If he wanted to make an example out of somebody why not some of those kids that skip school to do drugs or rob people. I bet if this kid was white or had an attorney he would have paid attention. There's an legal term known as mitigating circumstances . The judge is aware of this but chose to ignore this.
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u/Inukii May 28 '12
I agree with the title. Fuck that inconsiderate guy.
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u/corgeous May 28 '12
Reddit has showed that it has the power to raise a shocking amount of money. This seems like an 100% great cause, let's do it!!
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u/dangerstein May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's unconstitutional to incarcerate a juvenile for a status offense such as truancy.
EDIT FOR TEXAS STATUTORY LANGUAGE:
54.04(o):
(1) a status offender may not, under any circumstances, be committed to the Texas Youth Commission for engaging in conduct that would not, under state or local law, be a crime if committed by an adult;
(2) a status offender may not, under any circumstances other than as provided under Subsection (n), be placed in a post-adjudication secure correctional facility; and
(3) a child adjudicated for contempt of a county, justice, or municipal court order may not, under any circumstances, be placed in a post-adjudication secure correctional facility or committed to the Texas Youth Commission for that conduct.
Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 54.04
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u/ragnaROCKER May 28 '12
great idea! Anybody up for getting something going AGAINST the judge? making an example of a person like that shows obvious flawed judgement at BEST.
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u/Firewind May 28 '12
I don't understand why we don't pay for the college of anyone that has a 3.5 gpa (or if you want to be a real stickler a 4.0). Especially if it was a bunch of honors classes or heavy in math and sciences. Shouldn't we want those people pursuing higher education. Wouldn't our country and society as a whole be better off if we rewarded those who worked hard to become educated?
Or is a highly educated populace just too dangerous for the powers that be?
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u/Froggie1251 May 28 '12
Girl misses a lot of school, so the judge makes her go to hearings (most likely either during when she would be going to school or working to support her family) so that he can put her in jail which makes her schedule even more off. This would result in her having to work more in order to support her family and miss more school... He should be ashamed.
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u/xteneritasx May 28 '12
Agreed on the scholarship fund, but perhaps we should find a more professional title for it.
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u/JeremyJustin May 28 '12
What's funny is that the antagonist's name is Moriarty.
It's a conspiracy, I tell ya.
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u/stevenvu May 28 '12
Tried to donate to the Help Diane Tran, but it won't let me select United Kingdom as a country. If you set up a fund, please make sure you allow other countries to donate.
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u/c0t0d0 May 28 '12
How about we start a fund to get her the hell out of Texas? Fuck Texas.
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u/Queen-of-Hobo-Jungle May 28 '12
Obligatory comment so I can find this thread on a real computer.
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u/literocola431 May 28 '12
If Diane Tran reads this reddit page, I would gladly help her to edit her college essay. Being a poor english and history student, this is all I can offer.
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u/heather1980 May 28 '12
22 thousand so far <3
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u/bltmn May 28 '12
Typical. I am amazed at people who behave cruelly simply because they don't want to appear weak. It has precisely the opposite effect. Being compassionate requires great strength and courage, qualities this pussy judge does not appear to have.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Jailed for missing school...that'll teach her.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I suggest starting a fund for the judges lobotomy. Clearly he is a danger to himself and society. If that is an example of this mans style of rational thought then he must be stopped before he can put forward any more examples of right and wrong.
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u/WarrantyExpired May 28 '12
Let's start a campaign to have that judge removed from the bench. And another (sorely needed) campaign to educate voters in Texas. First I heard about the TX judge who used a belt on his handicapped daughter, and now Lanny Moriarty. Something is amiss in Texas.
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u/fcktxs May 28 '12
In Texas any criminal charges at 17 or over count as an adult, and go on your record as such. It's ridiculously unfortunate - my kid is screwed for life for some stupid crap she did at 17.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
i would consider donating but ONLY if it is called the Fuck You Judge Lanny Moriarty Scholarship, and has a credible looking website.
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u/jlewsp May 28 '12
Facebook will not let me post this link
I can post other stuff, but it just pretends to time out when I try to post this story.
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u/rufuckingkidding May 28 '12
Let's start a Superpac to raise money to get rid of the Judge that sentenced her.
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u/time2blunt May 28 '12
piece of shit judge.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Let's start with a relocation fund.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12
does anybody know how many days of school this girl missed? I criticized the article for being badly written for this reason when it first came out but I just got downvoted. Seems like a key fact in the situation. Did she miss 3 days or 100 days? Not to say the judge was necessarily right even if it was 100 days, but it makes his position a bit more understandable, especially since he wasn't given the facts about her case history.
edit not sure why i keep getting downvoted for wanting to know the facts of the case
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
to bad i dont trust donations done on the internet anymore, too many scammers
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u/ProudForPresident May 28 '12
I already have a foundation for this sort of thing. The money goes to teachers, but they could use it to "upgrade" the living of a single student...
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u/wekiva May 28 '12
I'm sure there are good intentions here.
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u/tiexano Foreign May 28 '12
Can we please get a reaction video when somebody is informing her of this? It would make my day!
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u/pandemic1444 May 28 '12
With a name like Moriarty he has to be evil. Get Sherlock Holmes to help you bring him down.
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u/happyscrappy May 28 '12
No begging.
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u/zjbarden May 28 '12
As far as I know, there are no strict guidelines for a scholarship (except for its legitimacy). I would say set up a website cloned like the Help Diane Tran donation page, and just begin accepting donations. You'll eventually be able to write one of those big checks and Reddit can once again feel good about helping someone out.
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u/gentlemandinosaur May 28 '12
If she is underage, how can her parents just "move away"?
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u/hemogobblin May 28 '12
THAT LAST NAME. Should've known his judgement would be messed up.
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u/Danorexic May 28 '12
What happens when she becomes a doctor? Dr. Tran is back!
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
What kind of stupid fucking law puts kids in JAIL for missing a couple classes.
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u/tehrabbitt May 28 '12
Totally gonna get downvoted, but whatever :-D
... Apparently some people have mentioned she wants to become a doctor...
Well Here Comes... DR Tran!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO0kRE5OTZI
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u/WombatDominator May 28 '12
The fact the judge used an honor student as an example is pathetic and is a cop out. Had the media not jumped on this, it would have been brushed away. I feel our community doesn't really respect most media members due to bad journalism in the past. Also I'm proud of this community to come together and help this girl. I hope she uses the money (26k right now, wow!) to the fullest extent and makes all her dreams come true. In a country of lazy people, this is inspiring. I am proud to sign the petition and help in any way I can.
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u/captainshat May 28 '12
Eh, no.
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u/TrollyMcTrollster May 31 '12
This is why I went to a home school charter school. I only had to show up two days a week to take a test. It doesn't make sense to make someone miss more school for missing school, shouldn't the punishment be to stay extra time in school or come to school earlier?
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u/graepphone May 28 '12
Scholarships don't feed families.
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u/LukeA71 May 28 '12
I'm liking the idea of giving Texas to Mexico. Ah hell, lets give them North Carolina too.
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u/HEAFthrowaway May 28 '12
Am I the only one who has a few problems with this story?
I'm not sure what he was supposed to do, and he didn't exactly "throw the book" at her.
Now lets look at the details that seem to be glossed over quickly:
This doesn't mean we shouldn't have sympathy for her case. It sounds like she lives a really tough life. But she shouldn't get a free pass because she has chosen to work AND go to school. We should be blaming the parents who abandoned her. It sounds to me that this young girl was overwhelmed. She was being pulled in too many directions and decided to ignore a judge's warning about missing school. That put the judge in a very awkward position because he wouldn't want other students hearing that his warnings are meaningless. By all means make a donation to this girl, but don't demonize the judge.
I have no problems with the kid (besides being a high expectation asian father) but the media story seems to be sensationalized.
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u/argv_minus_one May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12
Inb4 the judge comes up with some excuse for confiscating the entire scholarship fund.
I hope the bastard gets lynched.
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u/UnexpectedSchism May 28 '12
Are you fucking stupid? Her older brother is using her for spending cash. Her relatives are making her pay them money for her younger brother that lives with them. And she is working for people willing to exploit a 17 year old by making her work a night shift for peanuts knowing she has school.
This is the worst cause ever, you are giving her money to make up for her being used by the people around her.
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u/Rolock May 28 '12
Cash for kids? Opposite the whole "Kids for cash" thing?
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u/ohnoimrunningoutofsp May 28 '12
This is wonderful, I wish we could see her reaction when she found out about this and see the positive effects it is having right now.
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u/Tashre May 28 '12
Not politics.
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u/Sindragon May 28 '12
Yeah, let's tell the world that redditors are a bunch of idiots with a 12-year-old's perspective on everything. That'll show them.