The actions of these thugs have outraged the community. Many people have commented on social media. One comment that made me stop and think was from Karen: "How did violence and bullying become our national sport?"
That is sad but unfortunately all you need to do is read the news to see how true it seems. Every week there are stories of people being bashed or bullied.
Just a few weeks ago a man was found unconscious in Havelock North after allegedly being beaten senseless by two teenagers.
The other thing that people have brought up on social media in relation to the attack on Azaleas is the recent death of 15-year-old Stephen Dudley. Stephen died after being punched to the ground by two boys at a school rugby training session in West Auckland.
Unbelievably the judge discharged the teenager who attacked him without conviction, the main reason being that Stephen had an "undiagnosed heart condition, which made him vulnerable to problems with his heart's rhythm in situations of traumatic stress".
Never mind that this person was older and bigger than Stephen and he attacked without warning.
Again Stephen would have had no chance to defend himself.
If he hadn't attacked Stephen he would be alive today. To me the fact that he had a heart condition shouldn't have even been a factor in the attacker's defence.
Would he have not attacked Stephen if he knew that?
I doubt it would have made one bit of difference.
The judge's decision to let him off scot free sends the wrong message to our youth. There have to be consequences and although I'm sure the boys who attacked Stephen wish it had never happened and have to live with it for the rest of their lives, that is no consolation for Stephen's family.
My heart goes out to them.
So if you know who is responsible for the attack on Azaleas tell someone.
The offenders need help. It's not normal to go around bashing people.
I can understand some crimes, for instance a kid stealing someone's lunch.
I'm not saying it's okay but I can see why they do it.
Some kids, I imagine, do it to survive. It might be the only chance they get to eat all day so, yes, I can understand that.
But I can't understand the pack mentality of violent cowards.
Support for Azaleas has poured in from the Hawke's Bay community. People have sent him gifts and money and on Friday night he and his family were given free tickets to the Magpies game and afterwards Azaleas got to meet his idols.
Lucky for all of us there are way more good people than bad in the our community.
Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.
