2009: The Year of Horrific Homecomings

Wilson High students mourn where their classmate Melody Ross was killed. Photo by Barbara Davidson/Los Angeles Times

When I was in high school, I thought the most horrible things that could happen at homecoming were not being asked to dance by anyone, or having people see my mom drop me off. But a series of horrific headlines revolving around homecoming events across the country are making my embarrassments seem, well, very high school.

A little more than a week ago, Richmond High School in Northern California was shaken by the brutal gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside the school’s homecoming dance. Police announced today that a seventh suspect has been arrested in connection with the crime. Aside from the crime itself, the story gets even more atrocious: While the victim was being raped by as many as 10 people, others stood by taking cell phone pictures.

Then there’s the case of 16-year-old Melody Ross, an honors student who was shot and killed while leaving her school’s homecoming football game in Long Beach, Calif. Although there were hundreds of people in the area, so far no witnesses have come forward.

The University of Connecticut is still reeling from the death of one of its football players, who was stabbed to death outside a university-sanctioned dance during homecoming weekend.

And in New Jersey, students at Franklin Township High were “sprayed with Mace, beaten, handcuffed and arrested as police tried to break up an altercation between an officer and a student” outside the school’s homecoming dance, according to the Star-Ledger.

Perhaps incidents like these ones always occur in clusters – when large groups of young people get together, altercations are bound to occur – but it certainly seems like this year’s homecoming season has been particularly brutal.