I don't like Mondays- school murder by Brenda Ann Spencer

When I was a teenager Sir Bob Geldolf and his band the "Boomtown Rats" were No 1 in the charts for four weeks during the summer of 1979. The title of the song was, "I don't like Mondays" in which the main character said they were going to "shoot the whole day down". The song was a success and I guess many people of may age could quite happily sing along as near word perfect as they were over thirty years ago.

However the song was based on a true real life story of Brenda Ann Spencer who really didn't like Mondays.

Brenda Spencer was born on the 3rd of April 1962 and at Christmas 1978 her father Wallace gave her a shotgun. For those of us who live in towns and cities this seems a totally off the wall present to give to a 16 year old child.

Brenda Spencer lived opposite a school, the Grover Cleveland Elementary school in San Diego. Sitting comfortably in her own home Brenda Spencer started to fire at people as they came to the school. The first target was the headmaster Burton Wragg as he bravely tried to shield the children from her bullets. The Head Custodian Mike Suchar also died as he tried to help Mr Wragg protect the children.. These brave men were the only people to die but Brenda also managed to injure 8 children and one policeman who had come to investigate and help.

Police soon realised where the shots were coming from and surrounded the Spencer House laying seige for about six hours before Brenda finally gave herself up.

The bizarre nature of the shootings started to emerge when Brenda gave herself up to the police.

When asked how she selected people to be shot she answered that she aimed for red and blue jackets. When asked why she had shot the people that day she made her soon to be famous reply " I don't like Mondays" she added that the shooting had livened up the day and it was a lot of fun undertaken for no reason. Brenda Spencer likened the children to "shooting ducks in the pond" adding that the children looked lile a herd of cows standing around which made them "easy pickings".

Brenda Spencer pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment.

This sentence meant that Spencer had to apply to the parole board to be released. An attempt for parole in 2005 was denied. At the parole hearing Spencer claimed that at the time of the incident she had been high on drugs and tht she had been sexually abused by her father since her teenage years. This was the first time that she had ever mentioned this.

Grover Cleveland Elementary school was closed in 1983 as it had too few pupils

The silicon chip inside her head

Gets switched to overload

And nobody's gonna go to school today

She's going to make them stay at home.

And daddy doesn't understand it,

He always said she was good as gold

And he can see no reason

'cause there are no reasons

What reason do you need to be shown?

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Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

I want to shoot

The whole day down

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The telex machine is kept so clean

As it types to a waiting world

And mother feels so shocked

Father's world is rocked

And their thoughts turn to

Their own little girl.

Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen

No, it aint so neat to admit defeat

They can see no reasons

'cause there are no reasons

What reasons do you need to be shown?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

I want to shoot

The whole day down

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All the playings stopped in the playground now

She wants to play with her toys a while

And school's out early and soon we'll be learning

And the lesson today is how to die

And then the bullhorn crackles

And the captain crackles

With the problems and the how's and why's

And he can see no reasons

'cause there are no reasons

What reasons do you need to die?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays

I want to shoot

The whole day down