For those of you that are unaware, there is a very huge rock in the wall within the African American community, even though I feel as though this is a matter for all to be involved and informed in. Especially considering that most of us have been to high school, and even if you have not been able to experience it personally; you cannot tell me it is not something that you desire for your children. School plays a very important role in the lives of Americans. In fact, from kindergarten to twelfth grade we spend an average of 943 hours in school (Chalbi). So there is no surprise that most parents want to feel secure in knowing that their child is safe in school. But what if I told you that there was an incident that took place in school in which a child was a victim of police brutality? And what if I told you that the entire scene of the officer using excessive force was caught on camera, and that there are large numbers of people that are defending the excessive force of the officer by saying that they are unsure of what she did to "deserve" such treatment. In the next few moments I will be explaining to you the facts that I have noticed being picked up in nearly every story that I have researched and then we will be going on to understand how this has an effect on everyone. Including you.
For the most part, there are hardly any public articles on this particular case of brutality. However we do know that the incident took place in South Carolina which is a stat that allows corporal punishment into the schools. That is the reason that many of the people in the audience of this scene do not react. In fact, it looks as if everyone just embraces themselves for what is to come.
The girl is lifted by her throat out of her chair and slammed onto the floor to be arrested. Take not that the use of this force was not for a violent crime. In fact, the crime that she committed was not answering the officer when he commanded her to get up out of her seat. Not to mention he was only there because she was chewing gum in class.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I checked chewing gum was something only punishable for detention. Not an extremely aggressive arrest.
Unfortunately for most people in the state of South Carolina this is actually an occurrence that happens often and frequently. There are actually a few studies going on based on the southern states use of corporal punishment in schools and how it has an effect on the prison rates. There is even a theory that there are a few states that are using non-violent crimes as a mean to imprison a large number of African-Americans so as stop their development and to keep them behind in nearly all matters. Some would even go on to say that it's the new Jim Crow.
Watch at your own digression.
Works Cited
Chalabie, Mona. "American Kids Will Spend An Average Of 943 Hours In Elementary School This Year. ESPN Internet Ventures, 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
It is insane that they would allow corporal punishment in a public school, I had no idea that South Carolina had these policies. A child cannot learn if they do not feel like they are in a safe environment, and isn't that what the police officer is really supposed to ensure?
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I have disagreed with how you see the videos which is simply matter of perception. I usually find that the videos and the background on the situations are left out and ignored. Often times, we do not see the person not complying with the officer or acting violent like in the case of Micheal Brown. Furthermore, it is rather easy for us to say what we would do when we are not in the stressful and dangerous situation. When arguing with people on the issue of police brutality, I will always maintain the position that yes there are bad cops, as there are bad people in every profession who abuse their power, but I feel that the overwhelming majority of police officers do their jobs and are not in any way brutal. This video though that you have blogged about presents an officer who truly was brutal in his dealings. While the student had no reason to disrespect the officer and she should have complied, the officer was completely out of line. However, he is part of the 1% that truly is brutal. Despite this, I know many police officers, and black, white, or any other race, they operate without bias as a united team dedicated to upholding the law and committed to arresting those who break the law.
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