A former student of mine sent me this disturbing story about students at Jack Robey Junior High School in Pine Bluff being pepper-sprayed when they failed to go to their classes fast enough after lunch. One mother says that her daughter suffered a severe allergic reaction to the spray.
School superintendent Jerry Payne confirmed the use of the pepper-spray by an officer because students were moving too slow to their classes. The officer reportedly said that he sprayed toward the ground as opposed directly at the students. That is hardly an improvement. The idea of spraying a painful caustic substance into a hall as a crowd motivator is the definition of not just negligence but assault and battery.
There is an obvious basis here for a lawsuit if these facts are confirmed. Not only can a tort case be filed, it would seem a valid case for not just compensatory but punitive damages if they are allowed. Both the school and the police department are potential defendants as well as the individual officer since this was done within the scope of his employment. While officers are given limited immunity in civil cases, such immunity is generally lost in cases of abusive treatment in violation of both law and policy. This would appear such a case. No police department endorses the use of pepper spray as a crowd motivator.
Kudos: Casey Fos
Source: CW
“This sort of offense should have got him fired immediately.” -Jason
I couldn’t agree more, Jason.
“This sort of offense should have got him fired immediately.”
I couldn’t agree more.
@anon nurse: “Unfortunately, too many of them believe that they are… above the law… They are the final arbiters… there is nothing above them”
Of course, they believe this because it is true the vast majority of the time. How many times have we seen police who have done things as bad or worse than pepper spraying slow children end up suffering little or even no punishment? This sort of offense should have got him fired immediately.
AN
What a shocker that was to me. My belly hurts at the thought.
In little ol’ White Plains. Where else has this been imported?
Who/What came home first. The tactics or the troops?
Like all wars, trial of new weapons and systems. You don’t need Holocausts (seriously meant) when you have got special ops, night raids, drones, helicopters, etc. You can genocide away without a trace. Just like a mark in the sand. Sand everywhere. What bodies?
First you see it, and then you don’t.
You know our ambassador in Syria was the one in charge of it all?
He can assassinate Assad at will. If and when he does?
He was the number two man in country for DoS and also had approval rights on CIA missions, as well as military Special Ops.
You don’t REALLY think the military have only military direction and goals, do you all?????
Kids pepper-sprayed by police… for merely dallying, as kids are wont to do. The “hooding” of those in custody by the police in White Plains, NY. police. None of this should be a surprise to anyone…
“The police actually put hoods over their heads, similar to the way Lynndie England placed hoods over the individuals’ heads in Abu Ghraib.” –Chief of the Bias Crimes Unit of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the former chair of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/4/11/grand_jury_probes_killing_of_kenneth
“Mayo Bartlett and Abdulwali Muhammad. Bartlett discusses the latest in the case, and describes other cases of alleged police misconduct in White Plains, including individuals in a separate case who say officers beat them after they were booked them for a minor offense. “The police actually put hoods over their heads, similar to the way Lynndie England placed hoods over the individuals’ heads in Abu Ghraib. And they had anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiments stated toward them by the White Plains Police Department,” says Bartlett, the former Chief of the Bias Crimes Unit of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the former chair of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission.”
(What was the justification again for “looking forward?” (rhetorical))
Kids: You need some lessons in giving back. Go to the Principal’s home tonight. Place a brown paper bag full of people poop (no dog poop) on the door step. A bit of lighter fluid on the bag. Video camera at the ready. Light bag, ring bell, savour the moment when your very own Principal is stomping on the bag getting people poop all over himself. Post the video on U-tube.
To the dogs in his neighborhood: get his newspaper when the guy throws it on the driveway; poop in the yard and driveway.
-TalkinDog, newly annoited Pastor of Church of the Ladder Day Labradors
Bette,
Good points.
Pepper spraying children? How about a charge of child abuse, one for each child in the room? And another for the principal who allowed a cop armed with chemical weapons on campus.
The kids will lose respect for authority.
The cop was just embodying his hero, Darth Vader:
“Perhaps you can find new ways to motivate them.”
http://dmeb.net/dveb/sounds/arrives2.mp3
I would think the pepper spray would have the opposite effect. Did these kids move more quickly to class or did they head for the bathrooms? At the end of the next class will they quickly move to the hallway where they can again be attacked? The parents and students should refuse boycott the school until the police are removed. The police need to do a better job of training on how to de-escalate a situation since they seem to be the ones doing the escalating.
Just because you wear a government costume shouldn’t mean that you are above the law. -Neil Davis
Unfortunately, too many of them believe that they are… above the law… They are the final arbiters… there is nothing above them…
…fired and charged with assault. Just because you wear a government costume shouldn’t mean that you are above the law.
Peppar spray? Here’s what else in the stores waiting for the right moment to introduce into crowd control:
Nausea spray.
Officer props in two in-nose filters prior to use. Exposed react with violent nausea and vomiting. Mostly no permanent damage.
Container marked with signal colors to use as psychological threat.
Effective.
Epileptic flashers.
Causes epileptic fits to those exposed. Works best in reduced lighting. Officers protected by modified “nightsight” goggles. Fits usually terminate within 15-30 minutes. Exposees are “dampened” afterwards. Some collateral permanent damage can sometimes occur. Caution using against those with possible osteoporosis.. Extra caution with mixed crowds with babies or small children.
More leaks later.
Disgusting story and these officers and any teachers or administrators that authorized or allowed this to happen should be fired.
You are all making the same mistake. That is, asssuming that this was just one bad egg. A decent investigation, on a national basis, will uncover both police courses, training, and duly recorded instances showing this is standard practice. SOP. Monkey see, monkey do. Think? Not in the manual.
Wake up, folks. A shame to blame such talented folks. But what you see everyday becomes invisible, some say.
Now that tasering is the big thing, pepper spray gets relegated to the ‘it’s ok to use freely’ category — by default.
Putting a few of these perps under the jailhouse might get some attention. Or not.
“No police department endorses the use of pepper spray as a crowd motivator?” What else do they use it for, then? B/c this seems the absolute & only function of the vile stuff.
That’s the problem when you put community police in schools….. They know all about crowd controls…. Tasers, mace, pepper spray, the Zimmerman SYG, bullets…… Oh before I forget flashlights and flash lights…..
Thank god (if there is such a thing) I went to school when I did….
The thug syndrome is spreading. LE better get busy reforming itself (or the People better do it for them) or social order is really going to break down.