The video below has caused a public outcry after a South Carolina school resource officer identified as Richland County Sheriff’s Department Senior Deputy Ben Fields is shown tossing a female high school student to the floor and dragging her from a classroom after she refused to get up and leave with him. Fields has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Fields, shown right from a Twitter photo, was reportedly called in because the student would not get off her cellphone or leave the class as instructed. The 15-second video shows Fields asking the student “Are You Coming With Me or am I Going to Make You? Come on. I’m going to get you up.” What follows is the scuffle where the student ends up on the floor and being pulled by Fields. Fields is heard saying “I’ll put you in jail next.”
The site Heavy has reported that Fields in the subject of a lawsuit alleging violations of the civil rights of a student at Spring Valley High School. The student, Ashton James Reese, was expelled in 2013 from the high school for “unlawful assembly of gang activity and assault and battery” and was also accused of participating in a “gang related” fight in a Walmart parking lot near the school. In the lawsuit, he is accused of “recklessly target[ing] African-American students with allegations of gang membership and criminal gang activity.”
The Columbia mayor has denounced Fields and said “We cannot and will not accept this kind of behavior from any law enforcement officer and I firmly believe that we need an independent investigation to get to the bottom of this incident and see that justice is done.”
Given that this was all about cellphone use, is there any justification for this level of force in your view?
The student is responsible for her actions. Whatever happens after the officer
Yes, my brother was a cop on the Milwaukee Police Department for many years until he retired a few years back, what about my brother? What is your point Spinelli? My brother counseled troubled cops like this guy.
“You white hand wringers who don’t know black people, never have been in the inner city, would not be aware of this.”
Ridiculous. How can someone know where or how strangers on the internet live? Laughable assumptions about people one has never met. Equally entertaining to hear someone ‘channel’ black people or Malcom X himself and attempt to explain to others what black might say to one another. Please.
Racism is still alive and well: If the student had been a white female and the cop was black, the response would be quite different.
At minimum this was excessive force by the cop. If he wasn’t strong enough, he could have asked for help in simply removing the desk with the student in it.
Cops should be near schools, but cops should never be in schools. Older generations were simply sent to the Principle’s Office or suspended. Today’s students likely will end up on their state’s “Fusion Center” terrorist watchlists for what used to be a non-criminal matter.
“was” a cop in Milwaukee. This is not intrusive. It was mentioned many times, but has been erased from the repertoire. Just interesting, to me anyway. People put info out there and then scream when it’s brought up.
Someone here, who CONSTANTLY speaks about her family, has stopped mentioning she has a brother who is a cop, something that used to be brought up OFTEN in these type threads.
I went to college and worked w/ black people from the inner cities of NYC, Newark, Philly, Camden, Atlantic City, KC, Chicago. They were under significant peer pressure to give back to the inner city. Even black folk I knew who came from middle class backgrounds had pressure to give back. You white hand wringers who don’t know black people, never have been in the inner city, would not be aware of this. But, the pressure to go back to the inner city has waned so much one hardly hears it anymore. You see, black folk know the inner city is pretty much a lost cause unless there is an epiphany in the poor, black, culture.
As I watch this video, and read comments from clueless, insular, white people, I try and visualize what Malcolm X would say to this girl. It might go something like this. “Sister, why did you put yourself in a position to have a white man sling you around the classroom. Don’t you have ANY self respect, woman? Are you learning to read and write in school or are you just there makin’ a fool of yourself and your race? You apparently have no shame. But, you embarrass me, and all your brothers and sisters in the class trying to learn how to read and write and make something of themselves. If you don’t respect yourself at least NEVER put yourself in a trick bag where a white cop will do this to you! At least do that”
“disruptive students will be further empowered (particularly in low performing schools) increasing their negative impact on others’ education”
Exactly.
A race to the bottom.
Annie
1, October 27, 2015 at 3:25 pm
I’m confident that all the investigations will come to the same conclusion and this guy will hopefully be given his walking papers if not an assault charge.
Meanwhile disruptive students will be further empowered (particularly in low performing schools) increasing their negative impact on others’ education.
It is correct that he was at her side when he shoved her desk over backwards with her ending up on her back. He then roughly yanks her up and throws her across to the front of the room. Excessive, violent and an overreaction. I’m confident that all the investigations will come to the same conclusion and this guy will hopefully be given his walking papers if not an assault charge.
Inga – she had been asked several times, politely to get up and she had refused to follow directions. He had her out of that seat, on the ground and her hands behind her to be cuffed in seconds. He was not screwing around. He was fully in control.
If he over-reacted the girl’s head would have gone through the wall board of the classroom.
“You need to have those cataracts looked at.”
You should consider taking off those blinders now and again.
“it’s obvious you too haven’t watched the video. ”
You need to have those cataracts looked at.
po
1, October 27, 2015 at 2:45 pm
You are so intellectually dishonest it is funny haha.
Says the person whose entire argument rests on describing this trend:
https://reason.com/blog/2014/12/11/bjs-rate-of-sexual-assault-shows-sharp-d
as an “epidemic”.
somehow you love to zero in on any comment I make and try to a logical flaw in it
I focus on poor arguments so naturally your comments rate high. You could just stop making bad arguments.
And it is because there are people like you (who believe that assaulting a young girl is justifiable)
I suspect a large reason for your bad argumentation is a lack of reading comprehension. The backup alternative is that you’re immersed in left wing privilege, which means the other hardcore ideologues you associate with tolerate poor arguments because they help demonize your opponents and thus you don’t understand how bad your arguments are.
Coming from a misogynistic man like you, Rick, it is understandable,</i.
More of same. When caught saying something stupid just assert misogyny or racism and all is well. With the other wingers of course.
Inga – he really is on the side of the desk where he picks up the desk from the front pushes the back takes her hand off the desk and has her out of the desk and in the front of the room in seconds. Actually, after reviewing it a second and third time, I am impressed.
T. Hall
My towering indifference to your opinion of me could not be overestimated.
I’m just floored by the response on this thread.
I, and some others, have said let’s get all the facts and a full investigation. They must prove their case to the American people and release all evidence. Because of that, we have been called racists, rape supporters, and any number of things.
Anything but actually deal with the questions raised. I, specifically, asked how to tell if the child tipped her own desk over or if the cop did, and there were zero takers.
Mob rule is really ugly and destructive. No questions allowed.
KC:
The cops cannot come onto the school. It’s not worth the risk. Whether this cop did right or wrong, cops everywhere are not going to want to put their livelihoods at risk to deal with rebellious teenagers they might have to drag.
No Karen it’s you that have been caught with your mask down. The Internet is forever. I did not misrepresent a thing you said, but if I were you I might try to gloss those comments over too.
Po:
You are lying. I have voiced repeated concern for the girl, both because she could have been injured, and because she has issues standing in the way of her future.
Compare that with your behavior. You said I should be in a harem and dominated by a male. You’ve argued with me about the plight of women under Sharia Law, where rape victims are stoned. Really sick stuff.
You are going to have to try really hard to make yourself appear to be a defender of women, and it will only work for those who have not read your history on this blog.
T Hall, I would add the descriptive term “churlish”, as you so aptly used yesterday in a comment to someone.
Annie:
You’ve been caught. The internet is forever.
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I even compared your quotes with my own.
You cannot rewrite history when we have the original text.