Another …”interesting” legislative measure has come falling out of the hopper, this time from Rep. Garcia of Watertown, where she creates a crime of hazing and attaches a penalty to it. But it’s almost like she’s trying to cover up for someone, as she conveniently inserts into law what hazing isn’t. And she wants to codify that if hazing occurs as part of high school or college sports, they get a pass:
“hazing” means any activity by which a person recklessly endangers the health or safety of, or causes a risk of extreme psychological distress or bodily injury to, another person for purposes of initiation or admission into, or affiliation with, any organization operating in connection with a school, college, or university. The term “hazing” does not include reasonable and customary interscholastic or intercollegiate athletic practices, competitions, or events, or any authorized law enforcement or military training.”
Wait.. So let me understand this. Garcia wants to declare it hazing if while at a chess club event they put salt in the milk of the new guy, but it’s not hazing if it’s an interscholastic or intercollegiate athletic event and someone is sodomized with a broom?
Well, which one tends to make the news in South Dakota?
How about this one from September in Codington County, an area just to the east of the district Garcia represents..
In a news release today Sheriff Brad Howell says the investigation is still active and ongoing. As we shared last night in an exclusive interview, at least three 7th-grade boys say they were beaten on a bus traveling to and from their football practice.
The middle school boys and their parents have come forward to talk about bullying endured on a school bus. It got so bad the boys say they were forced to quit a sport they loved
More on this incident..
On Monday, September 16th, we learned of incidents involving students riding one of our minibuses. This information focused on bullying/hazing actions by Henry School students. Henry administrators immediately began an investigation into the incident and reported it to law enforcement. We determined that there were multiple students in violation of district policy and our code of conduct for activity participants. Appropriate disciplinary action has been taken. We regret that this incident happened and want you to know that we make our students’ safety and well-being of the utmost importance. In addition, the students must learn that inappropriate actions have consequences.
– Todd Obele, Henry School District Superintendent
Dakota News Now received screenshots of one parent’s plea on social media, stating her son had been abused by his football teammates in the locker room and while on the bus.
Or this even more egregious incident from 2023..
After six high school baseball players were charged with rape in South Dakota, the state prosecutor is disputing the defense’s main argument, saying that its “hazing ritual” claims only serve to make this a much larger issue potentially.
The charges stem from the alleged sexual assault of two teenage boys in June, and all six defendants have entered “not guilty” pleas. The defendants argue that what occurred during a summer tournament was part of a “team hazing ritual” and not sexual assault.
“I also think it’s very important for people to understand that I do not think that this was an isolated incident within the Mitchell Legion baseball team. I do believe that this was a culture of repeated behavior that had been going on for possibly years,” Pennington County State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel said.
State Senator Michael Rohl had attempted a bill (Senate Bill 72) back in 2022 which passed the State Senate 19-16, but was killed in the House. The main difference was that Rohl’s bill did not give a specific carve out if it happened as part of sports, unlike Garcia’s bill, which is trying to codify an attitude of “boys will be boys” as they try to rape younger teammates and beat them in relation to their participation in sports.
Many of these measures across the country are in response to real or imagined college greek organization hazing or initiation rituals. And if it happens, yes, there should be consequences. But as evidenced by very current South Dakota specific news stories from 2023 and 2024, what should be of even more heightened concern is that hazing absolutely still happens in high school sports with a smirk, as they are beating and sexually abusing others.
Should a measure like this be put into law? Absolutely. Should they give a special carve out for high school and college sports and give them a pass for mayhem? Absolutely not.
Does this new crop of whackadoodles even think about unintended consequences or are they in a contest to see who can come up with the most stupid and embarrassing bill?
It’s like they look at even o.k. ideas, and find a way to turn them into manure.
Who did she beat in her primary and general?
They were elected by what amounted to a fringe group of South Dakotans who were motivated to vote and ended up being the majority of a very small percentage of registered voters that went to the polls. None of this group of incoming freshman are legislators but rather ideologues that motivated voters through manipulation and conflating national issues and conspiracies with our state government. There is no foresight among them nor with the voters by whom they were elected.
Anonymous 11:15 spot on! This is the most concise and true statement explaining the disaster that happened at the polls last June. Fortunately, the idealogues already are waist deep in the manure they wanted to throw. The 911 bill that passed the senate is a good example of this, as this was a ding on the “conservative scorecard” last session, but now the “real conservatives” are passing.
Keep your boots on, because it’s getting deeper. If you care about the future of our state, get ready to write some checks for the next election…..oh and Toby dumb dumb will try to make sure the PAC transparency bills don’t pass so that he can dish out his cash pile to his minions in the legislature too. Swamp politics at it’s best.
Just got back from Walmart, bought me some broom handles before the rush of Track and Baseball teams start spring practice.
She is moving up the whack-a-doodle crowd fast.
Very good article Pat. I appreciate your words and you shedding light on this issue.