I am talking about the confrontation that happened at Spring Valley High School in South Carolina. You know the one. A cop beat down on a kid. If you don't know what I'm talking about - forget I said anything. Turn off your phone or computer and continue on with your happy life. Get away while you still can.
Anyone that knows me knows there is a time limit to something like me holding in my own opinion. That time limit expired when I saw this:
Now, before going off on a tizzy (that's a little Northern Minnesota slang for keep your panties on...), let's just take a moment and attempt to start from the beginning.
I'm a little late picking up this story, and I try to get all my information from reputable news sources, even though these words together have now formed an oxymoron (p.s. - sorry CNN and Fox News, you're not included in this list). I also try to find the original source and follow the story from the beginning so I can form my own opinion. That wasn't really possible in this case since the media jumped on this like a stripper to the pole whose rent is due tomorrow. Within three short days, this story exploded into the true media spectacle we've come to know and loathe.
My initial reaction when seeing the video was what the fuck. Seriously. What the actual fuck. Even without knowing any context surrounding the situation, I believe the actions by the officer were extreme. Unless she was physically assaulting him (which can't be seen in the video but some sources claim the girl hit the officer first) and the officer feared for his life, I don't believe this kind of force is acceptable.
So why did it happen? What events led up to this and what choices were made? The video itself doesn't show anything leading up to the confrontation, so only those in the classroom know what really happened and those stories are conflicting one another.
On a side rant, I would like to stress that this happened in a classroom. This is an educational setting, where children are supposed to be taught not only academics, but how to become responsible adults that contribute to society in positive ways. And no, this isn't the sole responsibility of the school as parents should be the main influences, but when the child spends a majority of their time during the week at school, there is a responsibility of said school to do right by their students. School should be a safe haven and it's not anymore. I was 15 when Columbine happened and I realized that the terrors of the outside world could reach me. We're so concerned with gun control and mass shootings and protecting our kids, but this video shows that we allow violence into our schools in other ways. Side rant over, for now...
So what happened? According to sources, the girl was asked to put away her cell phone in class. It's unclear whether she refused to do this or if she just didn't do it in a timely manner, but she was subsequently asked to leave the classroom. When the teacher couldn't get the student to comply, the vice principle was asked to assist. The girl still refused to leave the classroom because she deemed the punishment as unfair. This was when the officer entered the picture and things got even more out of control.
Ugh, where to start. From the very beginning, this is just a jumbled mess of bad choices and decisions from all parties involved. Let's start with the obvious but the most overlooked participant in this conflict, the teacher.
The Teacher: My first question is, if this all started with a stupid cell phone, why couldn't the teacher handle it? Isn't that part of their job? To discipline students and be able to command a classroom? They're kids. You're an adult. What is the problem? Also, it's a cell phone. I know it was probably disruptive, but for who? The students or the teacher? If she refused to put it away, there are other ways to handle it. Let the entire class know that any time a cell phone is seen or heard within the class room, there is an automatic pop quiz worth 10% of the grade. These kids are old enough to make their own choices and face the consequences. If they choose to play on their cell phones instead of pay attention, the consequence will be that they don't pass the class. The teacher could have talked to the student after class, without the pressure from her peers surrounding her, and given her an extra assignment. The next day, let the rest of the students know that anyone seen with a cell phone will be given the same assignment. Put a basket up at the front of the room for students to turn in their cell phones during class. Think, teacher, think! You own that one little square room in the this world and have the power to influence people every day. Don't waste that!
With all of this, how did the vice principle become involved? Did the teacher not have enough backbone to enforce the rules of the classroom? Or did they just not want to deal with it and needed a different adult to do her job? This teacher is being suspiciously quiet. The issue started between her and the student and I don't believe the teacher handled it well, at least from the way the story is being told.
The Vice Principal: I don't ever remember the vice principle of my high school coming into a classroom to discipline a student. I remember students going into his office. Hell, I even found myself in his office a few times (worth it, every time). I would see him in the hallway and the cafeteria, keeping a watchful eye, but never once in a classroom in this regard.
Not only was the vice principal called in for backup, but he also wasn't able to control the student. Let's just take a moment to let that sink in. The vice principal couldn't control a student enough to get her to leave the classroom like her teacher requested. Instead, he had to call in more backup in the form of a cop.
The Cop: I don't know what words were exchanged between the girl and the cop. Again, the video doesn't show any of that. What I do know is that, following in the tradition of the teacher and vice principal, the cop didn't handle the situation correct, either.
If she wouldn't listen and the teacher or the vice principal or the officer, how were they supposed to get her out of the room? Probably not by dragging her forcefully from her desk. The cop looks pretty big. I like to think that my 5'3" and 120 pound frame can handle itself pretty well, but put me up against a tall, muscular and trained person and I will lose. Not without a fight, but I will lose. Judging by the way he was able to lift the desk with her when he tried to yank her out of it, I bet he could have easily picked up the desk with her in it and carried it out into the hallway. I'm not saying that's the right action, but it is clearly a better alternative to what happened.
Do I think he assaulted her? Yes. Do I think it was uncalled for? Yes. Do I think she deserved it? No.
The Student: The girl, whose name is Shakara, is 18. By law, she can vote, buy cigarettes and join the armed forces. But she is a child. Her actions, lack of respect for all of the adults involved, her fellow students, as well as her actions after the fact, have deemed her a child in my mind. She had the power, just as much as the teacher, to stop this incident before it escalated.
First, she shouldn't have had her cell phone in the classroom. Keep it in the locker. I might be from a different generation, but I never had my cell phone on me in class. I did have a notebook, textbooks and pens so I could learn. That's why I was there. {Side Note: I was also a bit of a nerd. I own that now. Nerds rule.}
Second, she should have listened to the teacher. All she had to do was listen. Listen. Such a lost art. Open your ears. Keep your mouth shut. Open your mind. Listen.
She decided against this obvious action because she thought the punishment was unfair. Guess what? She doesn't get to decide that. If she believed that she wasn't doing anything wrong, then she takes it up with the vice principal and other school authorities in a respectful manner. Demanding respect with your arms crossed over your chest and pouting will not get others to listen to you. I've tried it. It backfires. Every time.
Again, I don't think she deserved the ultimate outcome of being forcefully dragged out of the classroom. However, she had multiple opportunities to change the course of events and ignored them. In this situation, I find her to be just as guilty as the teacher and vice principal.
This is a teachable moment. Clearly, this girl needed some guidance. Just because she's 18 doesn't mean she's free from being taught how to act like a decent human being. That's a lesson that can always be taught, as long as others are willing to teach it (I'm pointing my big fact accusing finger at you, teacher and vice principal and officer).
The cop was fired and got a lawyer. The student got a lawyer. The school district got a lawyer. Every one got lawyers and began screaming at each other from behind them, flinging accusations and playing the blame game. No one is taking any responsibility or sitting down and having a fucking conversation.
The student is facing misdemeanor charges for "disturbing schools" that comes with a $1000 fine and up to 90 days in jail. Yes. A student could go to jail for disturbing school. Honest to Jesus. Again, what the actual fuck. Not only did the teacher fail, the vice principal fail, the officer epically failed, but now the justice and court systems are also failing. What are we teaching this child? That she did wrong and here's why and these are the consequences so don't do it again? Nope. We're teaching her - and her peers - not to trust authority. We're teaching them that if they piss off the wrong person, even in school, they'll end up in jail. We're telling them they aren't worthy of our time, our respect, our involvement. If they aren't good enough, we toss them away and lock them up and label them a criminal.
What thoroughly aggravates me about this entire situation, even more than the worthless actions of all the adults involved and the complete lack of responsibility, is that no one did anything while it was happening. In watching the video, the teacher, the vice principal, and all the students just sit and watch as this child is pulled from her desk and dragged out of the room. The adults didn't step in and do anything. The Superintendent quoted "Student safety is and always will be the district’s top priority [...] The district will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students.” Yet here were two adults employed by the district, standing by and watching as a student was assaulted and did nothing. That doesn't sound like top priority to me and I would not be trusting this school district with the safety of my babies.
The students also did nothing. This, I can understand to an extent. If you look at them, most aren't even looking at the confrontation. They have their heads turned. Even the student sitting behind the girl, whose desk was moved when it knocked into his, doesn't watch what happens. My instinct tells me that this is out of fear. Either that, or they are used to this kind of spectacle in school and it simply isn't worth their attention anymore. Both scenarios are frightening.
No one did a thing. I don't care what the circumstances are. If you see someone being treated in a way they shouldn't be, whether it's by a person of authority or not, you step in and say something. You help. End of story. No one did that. That is what pisses me off the most about this entire situation.
This thirty second video details every way we are failing our youth as a nation. Again, the girl is not innocent. She is just as guilty as the rest of us. Yes, she's a kid, but she's been taught to behave this way. She's learned this either from home or school or the media or somewhere or everywhere. The actions of everyone else involved, including the justice system and the media, has only confirmed the bad behaviors that she has been taught.
We are losing, folks. We are losing and this is why. We've lost our damned minds.
Normally, this is the part of the post that would have the call to action. We can fix this! Let's do something! Not this time. I'm just one person, spouting off an opinion. To fix this, we need more than one, but that's not going to happen when everyone is the enemy. Anger is the only emotion we're really capable of listening to now and if this incident tells us anything, it's that our anger is justified, which it isn't.
Alright. I'm done. So. Done. I'm going to crawl back into my happy little Midwestern life, slip on my rose colored hippie goggles and read a good book.
Oh, and take out that ten-foot pole again...
