Don’t Hate The Player
Genuine | May 19
If you remember, Lionel Tate was the 12 year old boy that stomped and beat to death his 6 year old playmate Tiffany Eunick. His defense at the time of that crime was that he was playing out some wrestling moves he had seen on television. The Florida Judge, after Tate was convicted, sentenced this 12 year old boy to life in prison. He was the youngest person to be given the life sentence.
In January 2004, Tate’s sentence was overturned and he then accepted a plea to a lesser charge and was put on 10 years probation. He violated that probation was was then put on a zero tolerance probation.
In May 2005, Tate was arrested for robbery and assault charges related to an incident involving a pizza delivery. He accepted a plea bargain in that charge, and has now been sentenced to 30 years in prison for possession of the gun used in the robbery.
Lionel Tate’s mother is a Florida State Trooper, so I can only assume that Lionel was raised to respect the law, although his mother may not have been the best influence. He knows or should have known what happens when you break the law. So what happened to Lionel Tate? Was he a victim of circumstances beyond his control? What is it in this boy’s life that triggered his behavior that has landed him in prison?
I don’t know much about Lionel Tate, and I don’t pass judgment on him. Apparently, he has had some issues of abuse at the hands of his mother, but I wonder through all of this if Lionel would be on the same path if he had a Father? The news and information available mention his mother on numerous occassions, but what I don’t see is a Father. I don’t mean to spark debate about single mothers raising children or issues of race or poverty, but as a Father my heart breaks for the fact that this young man had no guidance of a role model. The only role models he had were the men he saw on television, and we know how that turned out. Would Lionel Tate’s life be different if his Father was present?
I don’t think there is any way to tell. It’s a coin toss. If his father were around there is no way to know if he would have been a positive influence. He could have been just as abusive, if not more so, as his mother. Mother and Father could have argued, Father could have been verbally abusive, etc. Of course, the other side is that he COULD have been the positive role model Tate needed. But, I have to say, I had friends in high school who had two wonderful parents. Supportive, caring, always there for their children, and those kids STILL ended up being a mess (different races included, not just white). I also knew a few kids who didn’t seem to have the best home life, but were genuinely good people, trying their hardest to succeed and stay out of trouble. The whole Nature versus Nuture debate. Will we ever know for sure?
I really must say that I agree with you about Father Figures. My father was a very important influence in my life. He taught me discipline, he tought me to work hard and to have respect for others. My mother taught me the same lessons, but I must admit that my father was a greater impact on these issues. I think if Lionel had a father, he may have had better discipline. But we won’t know for sure, will we?
I agree with everyone else that we’ll never know if things would have been different if Lionel Tate had had a father in the home. But at least he wouldn’t be another “fatherless child in prison” statistic.
His life could be worse depending on who is father is/Was. The crimes he commited could have been worse. Or he may have never committed the crimes.
Is it me? Genetics? Nature? Nurture? But I can not understand how any father could not be present in their kids life? It truly is mind boggling.
Of course!
My dad was (and still is) my absolute hero and a pretty good role model, I think. Although tempted, I’ve never even hit anyone, let alone stomped and beaten someone to death, and perhaps the guidance of my father had something to do with this. Having said that, if he hadn’t been around, I think I still would have turned out OK, because my mum was a good role model too. I think the whole nature vs nurture debate is fascinating, and my own belief is that a mixture of both make us who we are. The question for me is, can an inherently negative nature be overcome by a loving environment?
Hard to say. Depends on the father.
I volunteer through Youth Friends with a kiddo who could easily wind up in jail. I say that with love, I’ve been seeing him about once a week for over six years. He’s a good kid with some really big issues. I visited him in the group home during fifth grade, because he closed out his fourth grade year of regular school by assaulting two teachers and a cop (in one go).
His father is not allowed to know where he lives, no contact, big-time restraining orders. His so-called mother meets guys and moves away on a whim. His grandmother and her husband are trying to raise him. Hopefully, the kid will find ways to channel his rage in constructive ways.
He’d be better off with parents, parents who aren’t exhausted and spending their retirement taking on other people’s responsibilities. But if Lionel Tate’s mother was bad, you have to wonder if he missed out on much of a father…
Nature … Nuture
I’ve read some very good arguments both pro and con on this issue, but in this case I think the bigger question could possibly be, if the 12 year old boy did truly kill his playmate accidently while practicing wresting moves as stated, then how do we know who he would have grown up to be if he hadn’t been incarcerated those years in between? That is a question that will haunt me about this case.
I’m a little tired of the whole nature vs nuture debate. I think it’s a great excuse for people to blame anyone other than themselves for the horrible things they do. I read once about people who thought pit-bulls were good dogs they just needed to be treated nicely and with kindness and they wouldn’t hurt anyone. The dog bit their kids face off. There comes a time in everyones life when you have to say “hey I did a really bad thing here” and take responsibility for it. There are too many people wandering the streets who shouldn’t be because they were abused, born with a crack addiction, befriended the wrong people, have some kind of mental disorder that makes them do bad things and we gave them a second chance out of…pity?
Having said that, there are umpteen ways for people who want it to have help, to find someone to treat them with respect and even love, to rise above situations that are beyond their control and carve out a little niche for themselves where they can succeed. It is hard I’m sure and for the people who do it, congratulations, I have so much respect and admiration for you. For those like Tate, sorry you had such a horrible hand dealt to you but father or no father, you killed someone, violated your probation (read second chance, blown) robbed and assaulted someone (for a pizza?????) and that makes you a bad person. So my two cents….I don’t want to give this guy an out, I don’t want him to be able to say “sorry it wasn’t my fault, I didn’t have a role model” I want him to be taken far away from anywhere where my kids might be. From where they are trying to carve out their own niche the right way, without hurting people and god willing, without being hurt.
I am weighing in very late on this but I have the advantage of knowing Lionel personally, and would love for the world to know what kind of hell Kay made this boy’s life. John, the father, is not much better, he is physically abusive as well as distant emotionally like the mother. They let Lionel know from day one that he was an unwelcome intrusion in their lives. There was NO ONE to whom Lionel could turn to for love, guidance, nurturing and support. The mother is a horribly selfish monster. No extended family- nothing, just a lonely little boy with a frighteningly large and abusive mother.She STILL does nothing for him, will not take his phone calls, will not send her ONLY child even five dollars in prison, barely ever visits him even though he is at Everglades CI, which is very close to one of her jobs.
Please continue to withold judgement on Lionel, I know for a fact that he did not commit the pizza robbery, and the trial will prove that fact, wait and see-