At the high school I went to, I never experienced having cops in the classroom, and I never had a School Resource Officer. But at Spring Valley High School in Richland County, South Carolina, the event that unfolded have left many, including myself, questioning whether or not cops in the classroom is a good idea. On October 23, a Spring Valley High School girl was assaulted by a police officer during the course of an event that, while minor in the beginning, managed to somehow escalate into an act of violence abhorrent enough to bring in several government agencies.
The FBI is currently investigating whether or not the event violated the girl’s civil rights. The event began after the girl allegedly refused teachers’ orders to leave the classroom, after which the school resource officer was called. She again refused to leave, so the officer, Ben Fields, decided that force was necessary. From several videos that have appeared on the Internet, we can gather that the following happened. Fields flipped the unnamed girl’s desk over, with her still in it. The desk itself is very similar to ones here at SLU, except it is one solid piece and completely metal. When she flipped over, he grabbed her and proceeded to drag her across the classroom, getting on her back, and screaming that she show him her arms so that he could handcuff her. The videos showing the assault have circulated all over the Internet and across many news sources, and have sparked massive outbursts amongst citizens at the outright abuse and gross misconduct that occurred.
A second girl was also arrested, which the video doesn’t show. She was arrested for “disturbing schools,” which in reality was her screaming at the officer to stop hurting the girl in her class. Both girls will go to court, and may wind up with fines, and maybe even jail time. Leon Lott, the sheriff of Richland County, initially expressed disgust with the conduct of Fields during the course of his actions. But, he then flabbergasted many by saying that he “acted within his right” as an officer, and he even went so far as to say that the girl was at fault for this incident. To me, that’s absurd and terrible. I’m actually pretty angry that he would go so far as to blame a teenage girl for an assault that occurred to her. One that left her with, according to Todd Rutherford, a cast on her arm, neck and back injuries, and a BandAid on her head where she received rug burn from being dragged across the floor of the classroom.
I’m disgusted to think that people can say that she brought it upon herself, and that she deserved it. I don’t care if she refused to leave, that is not a reason to get your arm broken and dragged around like a rag doll in a classroom. I’m appalled at the use of force the officer showed, and I’m more than a little concerned about his judgment in that scenario. While he has been fired and will be facing lawsuits, I still think that this is an opportunity to identify that there still is a lot of work to be done when it comes to excessive force and policing. The fact of the matter is that he overstepped his bounds, and the belief of some people that he was within his right to do this is only proof that we have a long way to go.