Schools are prisons

[sabotabby]

Perhaps some of you have seen this story on BoingBoing already: A 5-year-old boy with probable ADHD was handcuffed and charged with battery on an officer after he threw a temper tantrum in class. The officer touched him non-consensually (we teachers, except in unusual circumstances to protect a child or when working with developmentally delayed children, are not generally advised or permitted to make any sort of physical contact with children. Though I sometimes fist-bump or high-five them because that cannot possibly be mistaken for anything other than a fist-bump or high-five.). According to the fascist pig who arrested this little boy, the child only reacted violently after the officer put a hand on him.

You get no internet points for guessing the skin colour of the victim.

Lest you think that this is an unusual occurrence, I must point out that the militarization of public schools is a growing phenomenon. In New York City, the NYPD had 5,055 school safety agents (SSAs) and 191 armed police officers in public schools, comprising the fifth largest police force in the U.S., outnumbering the police forces of Washington D.C., Detroit, Boston or Las Vegas.

Here in Toronto, the TDSB is for some reason hazy about how many armed men with guns are patrolling its hallways. In 2009-10, there were 36, representing around 35% of secondary schools. Cops use this access to students to build criminal cases. I have heard anecdotal reports that students have been charged when, before there was a police presence in schools, they would simply have been disciplined by the school's administration.

You know, someone has to fill those superjails that Harper is building.

As for the little boy whose rights were so egregiously violated, I will be stunned if either the school or the cop faces any sort of repercussions. The BoingBoing commentariat mainly had their heads on straight, but if you go to the original article, you will see that many people in America welcome fascism and don't believe that five is too young to give 'em the chair.

Comments

[ironed_orchid]

That is so fucked up.

[sabotabby]

I can't get over it.

I mean, I am not fond of young children, particularly young children who are having temper tantrums. (Though presumably a kindergarten teacher should have developed some tolerance. If I couldn't handle sullen adolescents, I wouldn't have become a high school teacher.) But I can't imagine a rational adult deciding that the best way to deal with a child having a temper tantrum is to assault him, handcuff him, and then charge him with a criminal offense. That is just so outside the boundaries of normal adult behaviour that I can't wrap my brain around it at all.

I mean, a 5-year-old. Really?

[ironed_orchid]

As someone who had the occasional tantrum until I was about 10, yeah, I'm really glad my school was run by hippies who used time out and then gentle talking rather than physical violence and restraint.

I'd guess that the officer doesn't have kids, or much contact with young kids. But then why the fuck was he working in a school?

[sabotabby]

I think they just randomly assign cops to schools. I don't know how it works in the States, but here we get a new one every year, and it's just someone that they transfer there.

I went to a hippie school until I was 8, so any tantrums I had were...well, I don't remember having tantrums because school was laid back and chill and we had drum circles.

[ironed_orchid]

My tantrums were usually about communications failure.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Come on. space rock!

[sabotabby]

Your icon. I want that functionality for my keyboard.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

So do I, but I could not be trusted with its responsible use.

[sabotabby]

I wouldn't use it on a 5-year-old, though. No matter how obnoxious.

Then again, given the posts I make when drunk, it's probably not a good idea anyway.

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

Many people right here on LiveJournal would probably say he was old enough to get the chair; I'm getting sick of most of the people in communities I belong to—present company excluded.

[sabotabby]

I forgot that Elljay also crawls with fascists. Which is funny because I read the Secret Community and thus sometimes see shit that is posted to the communities I got banned from.

[radiumhead.livejournal.com]

Are the any laws about this?

Im thinking no matter how fucked up something is, if the cops can get away with it, they will.

" well theres no law SAYING i cant handcuff a 5 year old."

[sabotabby]

Cops are above the law.

If you hit someone without their consent, it is assault. Unless it is a child, in which case you're totally allowed to do that. This always seemed backwards to me, but hey, I'm not a parent.

[lienne.livejournal.com]

what

the

HELL

[sabotabby]

Creeping fascism is what.

[symbioid.livejournal.com]

I read that last night and was so fucking pissed. Fuckin' pigs.

And your NYCLU link made me think of these lyrics by RATM:


Ain't it funny how the factory doors close
Round the time that the school doors close
Round the time that the doors of the jail cells
Open up to greet you like the reaper

(and isn't that taken from like some propaganda or social theorist or something? about the school and factories being tied into each others as institutions)

[sabotabby]

(and isn't that taken from like some propaganda or social theorist or something? about the school and factories being tied into each others as institutions)

Well, they are. I don't think it's so much as one social theorist as all of them.

[canonfire.livejournal.com]

You've read Henry Giroux, right? Youth in a Suspect Society?

[canonfire.livejournal.com]

http://www.amazon.com/Youth-Suspect-Society-Democracy-Disposability/dp/0230108709/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

[sabotabby]

I've read Giroux, but not that one. Hold time at the library!

[canonfire.livejournal.com]

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2680560&R=2680560

[sabotabby]

Placed!

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

I wasn't even aware you could "charge" a 5-year-old with anything.

[sabotabby]

I'm surprised you can't execute them.

I read of a case where a 4- or 5-year-old was charged (and I believe convicted) for pulling a chair away as a grown-up was sitting down.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

Goodness me - isn't that normal behaviour? I used to do that frequently as a child. I'm sure comics encourage it. The Beano certainly did, at least. Could they be sued for that?

[symbioid.livejournal.com]

Speaking of Xth largest Y

Bloomberg says "I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world."

[sabotabby]

Christ, what an asshole.

I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be smart and urbane. Why'd they elect a douchebag like that?

[ironed_orchid]

WHAT THE FUCK!?

[misslynx.livejournal.com]

D-:

[sabotabby]

D: D: D:

[sabotabby]

It's just completely fucked up.

[eyelid.livejournal.com]

who are these people commenting that this is the kid's own fault and the kid should know better etc? Do they not realize that they are talking about a KINDERGARTENER? this is not a 17-yr-old bumping the ceiling into adulthood, this is a really little kid.

Also, WTF was this school thinking sending a police officer in to scare a kindergartner??

If this were my kid there would be some fucking heads rolling.

[sabotabby]

I wouldn't approve of treating a 17-year-old that way either, unless he was a danger to himself or others.

I am so worried about a situation like that happening at our school. We get a different cop every year, and I don't trust any of them. I don't think armed men should be allowed around children.

[eyelid.livejournal.com]

I think a 17-yr-old can be expected to not assault the police officer even if the officer does nonconsensually touch the kid's hand. though I think the officer was way out of line to do that.


I am so worried about a situation like that happening at our school. We get a different cop every year, and I don't trust any of them. I don't think armed men should be allowed around children.

I don't think I would be worried, but I agree there's no need for police in schools and they shouldn't be there.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

Fuck.

Of course, I think schools are prisons anyway, except that you are allowed out of them at the end of the day. Day-prisons.

But this is sick. I am scared we will become a police state too soon. They are training police here to use rubber bullets on rioters. Which means they'll be used on protesters, of course.

I would not like to live somewhere where police are allowed to carry guns. I think it is disgusting and shows what people think of normal citizens, that they should be forced to comply by the threat of violence. UGH.

Poor child.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

Well, of course police here now have tasers, and have always had batons, so have always looked violent. Guns are just extra scary and evil because they are lethal, though.

[sabotabby]

There's good research that suggests that cops are more likely to escalate force when given tasers or pepper spray or rubber bullets. Cops are only supposed to draw their guns where their lives or someone else's lives are being threatened (of course, most of them seem to think that young black men existing is a threat to someone's life), but they can use pepper spray whenever they're annoyed. So while without it, they might try to talk down a situation, it just becomes a first-resort. And of course tasers, pepper spray, and rubber bullets are all quite capable of killing a person.

I once knew a cop (yeah, can you believe it?) who walked right into a hold-up at a coffee shop where the guy had a gun. She never even considered drawing her weapon. She just talked him out of it. You never hear of that happening anymore.

[ironed_orchid]

Hey, have you seen We Are All Born Free, it's an illustrated version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, aimed at primary school kids. It's got some great illustrations and I bet you could use it to teach design while subtly getting the human rights message across ;-)

[sabotabby]

I haven't seen it! That looks pretty awesome; I should get it for my class. I should also get around to starting an Amnesty club one of these days—that was my gateway drug into student activism.

[scruloose.livejournal.com]

Can you be shocked while entirely unsurprised?

That's absurd, disturbing, and so very far outside reasonable adult behaviour. And yet, the only thing that surprises me is that the kid didn't get pepper sprayed.

[sabotabby]

Pepper spray is only for ages 8 and up.