Voodoo dolls - funny shit.

[Bella]

So, I took my final exam for the term yesterday, and when it was finished, I went outside to put my sweatshirt on and prepare to go home. I found something in the arm of my shirt: a "voodoo" doll with chicken feathers on the head, black hair wrapped around the feet, and a bunch of pins stuck in the crotch area. The shirt had been in my classroom the entire time, so one of my peers had to put it there while I was otherwise engaged.

My instructor, a very devout Christian, took this incident very seriously. She treated it as if I had been "threatened physically by an anonymous source." She feels sure someone is angry at me and chose to manifest it in that way.

Now, while I am certainly creeped out by the whole incident, I am not sure if it constitutes a physical threat. I'm pretty sure that sticking pins in a doll isn't the same as threatening to kick someone's ass. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure that no further 'crime' will generate from this obvious practical joke. However, my instructor wants me to make a statement to security about it (!) and she's retained the doll to hand over to our head chef tomorrow, after he gets my "statement."

:tmroll:

[Ronin]

Last week a police report came across my desk where a young man had been arrested for two misdemeanors: trespassing and "intimidation of a police officer".

The narrative the officer wrote described how he arrested the young man for trespassing at an apartment complex late one night. It went on further to describe that when he put the suspect in the car, the suspect began "chanting" and said he was a witch. The officer then wrote (and I paraphrase)..."he said he was a pagan (devil worship) and then said 'Let Him Die'. This made me feel uneasy so I booked him in for intimidation of a police officer."

The suspect is a handcuffed teenager, while the officer is 40-ish, about 6'05, and armed with a semi-auto handgun.

Intimidation and threats must be specific and the threat must have some way to be carried out. Magic incantations are pretend and cannot manifest a result in reality so the second charge is nonsensical, imho.

A legless man can tell me he's going to kick my ass all the live long day, however, I would not consider that intimidation nor a threat.

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In your case, Bree, I am not so much concerned with any implied "black magick" as I am the physical description of the doll.

Bound legs and pins to the genitalia can be a percieved threat as they can be carried out by someone against you.

It definitely should be taken seriously and reported (regardless of one's religious beliefs) as such items are reflective of a violent profile in reality.

Do you have any idea which of your peers would have done such a thing?

Does the school have video surveillance?

[Legs]

Bree, you took the doll seriously enough to report it to your instructor? It is very creepy :eek:

[Bella]

I didn't report it - if I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have said anything serious about it whatsoever. I started screaming because I had touched slimey chicken feathers and that attracted the chef's attention!.

We don't have cameras in the kitchen. This was a production class, so we were busy cooking all night. The chef is 99% sure no one but my classmates were present in the classroom while we were working on our practical.

I have an appointment to meet with the adminstrator tomorrow. I'm still pretty sure this is being blown out of proportion. I'm guessing that because I was top of the class going into the exam, someone wanted to throw me off (so I would avoid throwing the grading curve off) and then sit back and watch me fuck up on the exam. Shitheads.

[Ronin]

Okay, Bree...I trust you have a better position on all the nuances of the incident and it comes across more malicious in this text based world.

[Brimshack]

Witchcraft accusations and occassional threats are not too uncommon out here. It wouldn't even surprise me if some cases wound up in the courts, albeit most likely classified in somewhat more secular terms. I don't think the prospect of the magic would bother me much, but the thought that someone would express such outright malice towards me, that's another matter. If someone thinks its real, and is willing to do that to another person, it's worth taking it seriously. Hell, you said yourself you were screaming in revulsion. That alone is something you should not have had to go through. If the source can be determined, I wouldn't hesitate to take whatever actions you can against the bastard.

...just my 2 cents.

[Godless Dave]

I don't have an opinion on how seriously to take it, other than to say that showing fear is likely to provide satisfaction to the perpetrator. Any chance it's that psycho chick who had been watching your dog?

[Beth]

Bree, I agree with Ronin, just keep your eyes open. It could be a scare tactic just to psyche you out, but it could also represent a violent threat. You might want to go to a Santaria shop and show them the doll and see what kind of curse the doll represents. That way you will have a better idea of the intention of the person who made the doll.

From looking at the description of the hair wrapped around the legs of the poppet, it is a binding spell. Not sure what the color of the pins stuck into the genital area are so it is hard to determine intent. Also, when poppets are made, there are a variety of objects that are usually sewn into the dolls as part of the spell. I know you don't believe in it, but taking the poppet somewhere to find out what the intent of the doll was would give you insight into the intent of the person.

Ordering these spells are quite expensive from what I understand. Do you know of anyone in the class who might be into this type of thing?

Hope you do well on your final grade. :)

[Beth]

I don't have an opinion on how seriously to take it, other than to say that showing fear is likely to provide satisfaction to the perpetrator. Any chance it's that psycho chick who had been watching your dog?
This is what I wondered when I read the OP.

[Bella]

From looking at the description of the hair wrapped around the legs of the poppet, it is a binding spell. Not sure what the color of the pins stuck into the genital area are so it is hard to determine intent.

The pins were black-headed. I can't take the doll anywhere because the adminstration has retained it. They're offering a $100 reward for information - they're treating it as a security issue, but how it the incident fits into that category, I don't know. I'm letting it slide from my mind, knowing that if it is indeed something other than just a practical joke, at least they'll be able to handle it.

And no, there's no chance it was psycho-chick. She wasn't in class that night.

[livius drusus]

Well, the good news is you can now have a really good excuse to use :voodoo:.