South Carolina sheriff's deputy on leave after dragging student from her desk

[umbertino]

Video shows officer making forceful arrest in case that stokes tensions among black and white parents in Richland County School District Two

 

 

Matthew Teague

 

Tuesday 27 October 2015 02.43 GMT

 

 

 

Video of a South Carolina sheriff’s deputy manhandling a student in a high school classroom has added to simmering racial tensions among parents.

 

The video shows a school monitor reported to be Ben Fields – who is also a Richland county sheriff’s deputy, confronting a black female student.

 

When she refuses to leave her seat in a classroom at Spring Valley High, he tells her: “I’ll make you.” He wraps his arm around her neck, flips her desk backward, then drags her across the floor. He arrested both the girl, and a male student.

 

The sheriff’s department has placed Fields on administrative leave while it investigates the case.

 

A spokeswoman for the school district, Libby Roof, said on Monday night that the administration was “deeply concerned”. “We are investigating it, along with the sheriff’s office,” she said.

 

A spokesman for the Richland county sheriff did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s calls.

 

The video only lasts a few seconds but reflects an eruption of tension that has built in Richland County School District Two over several years. The school system was predominantly white 10 years ago, but after a rapid demographic reversal is now three-quarters black.

 

“It’s crazy, man,” said Stephen Gilchrist, a business owner and father of three boys who is a founding member of the Richland Two Black Parents Association. The group formed a year ago with a dozen or so members and now has 5,700 on its rolls.

 

“We formed because it was so obvious the white parents were getting the best access and opportunities. But we are a community of black parents who want to get involved,” Gilchrist said. “The problem is widespread.”

 

Fields has a history of alleged aggression during arrests. According to federal court papers a man named Carlos Martin sued Fields for pepper spraying him and roughing up his wife after he pulled his car into a parking lot playing loud music. The suit ended in Fields’s favor.

 

In a second federal suit a high school student named Ashton James Reese is suing Fields for allegedly falsely accusing him of being in a gang. In court papers Reese’s attorney claims Fields “recklessly targets African-American students with allegations of gang membership and criminal gang activity”. That suit is pending.

 

The speed of demographic change in the school system surprised the entire community — parents, administrators, voters — and led to conflict among black and white groups. After the formation of Richland Two Black Parents Association, another group sprang up, which Gilchrist said is commonly known as the Bipartisan White Citizens Committee, although the local newspaper uses the name “Bipartisan Committee”.

 

A year ago a member of the committee, George Shissias, spoke to the State newspaper ahead of a school board election in which the board shifted from mostly black to mostly white.

 

“I think it’s the last stand for a good school district,” he said. “You will have people who will leave for other jobs. They will bully them and threaten them.” His wife, former South Carolina state representative June Shissias, is also on the committee.

 

Two months ago the school district formed a new administrative position: chief diversity and multicultural inclusion officer. It hired attorney Helen Grant with a role she described on Monday night as “making sure everyone is included and that the school workers look at least somewhat like the students”.

 

She said she had met with members of the Black Parents Association and had heard of the White Citizens Committee but had not met with its representatives.

 

Roof, the school district spokeswoman, said: “In the past there have been some issues but I believe that any parent with concerns can bring it to the administration and be heard.”

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/27/south-carolina-sheriffs-deputy-on-leave-after-forceful-classroom-arrest

[yota691]

Outrage grows after South Carolina officer throws student in classroom

By Holly Yan and Kevin Conlon, CNN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZMQc6gebZE 

Updated 6:28 AM ET, Tue October 27, 2015 | Video Source: CNN

(CNN)Even without the full context, even without knowing what happened beforehand, the video is appalling.

It shows a South Carolina school resource officer yanking a student from her desk, causing her to fall backward in her chair. He then throws her several feet across the floor.

Other students sit silently, with one student covering his face with his hand.

But the outrage was raucous on social media, with some calling for the officer's firing.

 

A violent confrontation

 

The incident started when a Spring Valley High School teacher told the student to leave the classroom, CNN affiliate WIS reported. When the student refused, the school resource officer -- Richland County Sheriff's Deputy Ben Fields -- was called in.

It's not clear what happened immediately before the cell phone video starts recording. But when it does, the school resource officer is heard telling the student to get up from her desk.

"You're either going to come with me, or I'm going to make you," he says.

The student doesn't budge. Fields tells her, "Come on, I'm going to get you up," and tries to pull her from the desk.

She falls backward in her chair, but the officer doesn't stop. He lifts her body slightly off the ground and hurls her several feet across the room.

David Klinger, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said the deputy's actions seem unjustifiable.

"It literally makes no sense, as I'm looking at it, why he would escalate to that point -- pick her up, pick up the chair she's in, the desk she's in, and toss her," Klinger said.

"There may be some logical explanation, but I can't see it."

Shocked Twitter users couldn't understand it, either.

"I don't care what this kid supposedly did. She's a kid," Charles Clymer tweeted. "Did she threaten his life? No? End of discussion."

 

Julia Carmel wondered what would have happened if there was no video footage.

"When a cop can be as violent as the #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh video in front of classroom audience, I fear what he'd do w/ nobody watching," she tweeted.

 

 

Sheriff 'very disturbed' by video

 

Sheriff Leon Lott saw the video and "was very disturbed by it," department spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson said.

"He has questions like everyone has -- and he wants answers and once he has those answers, he will address them," Wilson said.

Fields has been placed on administrative leave. The school resource officer has been told to not return to school pending an investigation by the department.

But Stephen Gilchrist of the Richard School District Two Black Parents' Association said he wants an independent investigation.

 

As for the student, she faces a charge of disturbing schools and was released to her parents after the incident, Wilson said. He said another female, who might not be visible in the footage, was also arrested for disturbing schools.

 

School board chair also stunned

 

James Manning, chairman of the Richland School District Two Board of Trustees, said he was alarmed by what he saw.

"I have watched the video several times and there is no doubt that the video is extremely disturbing," he said in a statement.

"As the parent of a daughter in Richland School District Two I can assure you that we are taking this matter very seriously. The district superintendent has been in constant contact with the Richland County Sheriff to express our concern over this matter and the district has banned the deputy in question from all District Two property."

 

Officer's career marked with lawsuits, praise

 

 

 

Deputy Ben Fields

Fields did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment Monday night. But court documents and a sheriff's department newsletter offer a study in contrasts in his career.

The officer was a subject of two lawsuits in the past decade.

In the first case, Fields was accused of excessive force and battery in a 2007 lawsuit. A jury later ruled in favor of the officer.

The second case is scheduled to go to trial in January. Fields is one of several defendants listed in a suit filed by a student against the school district over his expulsion.

Fields has also received commendations for his work in schools. He was given a Culture of Excellence Award by a Richland County elementary school, where he also worked as a school resource officer in 2014.

"Ben has been working for the Richland County Sheriff's Office Department since 2004 and joined the School Resource Officer Program in 2008," a sheriff's department newsletter said.

"He is assigned to Spring Valley High School as well as Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary School, and has proven to be an exceptional role model to the students he serves and protects."

CNN's Sarah Aarthun, John Newsome, Tina Burnside, Chandler Friedman, Joseph Netto, Don Lemon and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.

[TinBadge]

The story is about a student that was told to leave the room. First by the teacher the the principal. When this failed they requested a SRO to ask her to leave. How many people does it take to ask a woman to leave the room? The articles quickly turned it into a race thing and Ignores what the original problem was in the first place. I agree the office seem to be a little rough. Now the mother is stating how she is proud of her daughter for standing up to the officer When ultimately she was refusing the orders of three persons in authority positions.

[Shabibilicious]

The mother is wrong.....her daughter didn't stand up at all.  If she had, she wouldn't of got smacked around.    Besides, everybody knows only losers sit at the back of the class.  

 

GO RV, then BV 

[Texstorm]

Yes the student was defiant, totally defiant ! In that case I would have evacuated the class to another room or gym and locked the student out. Maybe then she would get the message. It just seams to me that brute force in this situation was not a good option obviously for every one involved. The student could have been placed on detention afterwards , without a struggle. At any case there is no way in hell I would want to be a school cop. But to use force on an adolescent when they have not used force seems a little on my the extreme side to me......just not a good option for defiance!

[TinBadge]

Tex I agree the force was a bit excessive. But the person needed to be removed from the room. If you're told to leave a bar and refused to be removed from the Bar in the same manner. This is a far reach for an analogy but how long can you argue with a defiant young person? The last twenty years it seems that teaching young people respect for parents, teachers or other authority figures has been replaced with " it's my right/privilege...".

[Starrider]

Of course it has to be a race issue or the NAACP would go out of business that would mean jess & al would be unemployed then unemployable. The race card has to continue because keeping the unemployable employed is the way America does things now days or they sit around like 5th & 6th generations collecting food stamps and more because some think we still owe them. More white soldiers died for the freedom  than any other war put together (Think about your history class back in high school) so with that said we owe no one anything but respect for each other.

Sorry for the out burst,    go ahead and bash me but as far as I remember this is still America and I still have my freedom of speech so I just used part of it.

Have a nice day

 

Edited October 27, 2015 by Starrider

[dog53]

The story is about a student that was told to leave the room. First by the teacher the the principal. When this failed they requested a SRO to ask her to leave. How many people does it take to ask a woman to leave the room? The articles quickly turned it into a race thing and Ignores what the original problem was in the first place. I agree the office seem to be a little rough. Now the mother is stating how she is proud of her daughter for standing up to the officer When ultimately she was refusing the orders of three persons in authority positions.

 

 

 

What he said .

[Starrider]

I apologize for my abrasiveness I 'am not a racist person nor will be but when people use the race card then I have to stand up and take notice where some people will just sit on there hands and say or do nothing I call then cowards but it is time to stop this stupidness.

[Sentinel7]

Soon there will be no such thing as law enforcement our police will show up just to record violations.

Just like the UN peacekeepers they will not be allowed to intervene.

This is what Obama and the liberals are seeking international law under the UN.

Be prepared for more robbing, raping and mayhem with no prosecution of the guilty.

But be warned if you protect yourself, your property or any innocent victims you will be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

 

We have brought this on ourselves by refusing to get involved.

It is not going to get better it will only get worse.

We The People are letting the stage to be set against us because we are lazy and for some reason are relying on our elected officials to cease instituting their plan to subvert the Constitution and the bill of Rights

Why do you think they are allowing all these immigrants legal and illegal to dilute our power over the Government?

 

 

                   No Surrender No Retreat and No Compromise 

[Texstorm]

Tex I agree the force was a bit excessive. But the person needed to be removed from the room. If you're told to leave a bar and refused to be removed from the Bar in the same manner. This is a far reach for an analogy but how long can you argue with a defiant young person? The last twenty years it seems that teaching young people respect for parents, teachers or other authority figures has been replaced with " it's my right/privilege...".

That's the whole damn problem in a nut shell, there is no respect they took that away when a parent doesn't have the right to discipline their children, when they took prayers out of school, when they removed the Ten Commandments from the courthouses. This is the problem back in my day you would have gotten dropped kicked over the goal post of life for lack of respect. If I was a police officer I wouldn't  even touch them,  because you are going to get your ass sued. 

[Texstorm]

Of course it has to be a race issue or the NAACP would go out of business that would mean jess & al would be unemployed then unemployable. The race card has to continue because keeping the unemployable employed is the way America does things now days or they sit around like 5th & 6th generations collecting food stamps and more because some think we still owe them. More white soldiers died for the freedom  than any other war put together (Think about your history class back in high school) so with that said we owe no one anything but respect for each other.

Sorry for the out burst,    go ahead and bash me but as far as I remember this is still America and I still have my freedom of speech so I just used part of it.

Have a nice day

 

Starrider,  I couldn't agree with you anymore but the system is so broken now, that I really don't see it getting fixed without a major revolution. 

[Shedagal]

Johnathan Gentry is a black minister who speaks candidly about race issues.  He posted a video yesterday on his facebook page that basically said although there is some police brutality, the real issue is rebellious kids who have not been taught to respect authority.  He showed how the kids will set it up with one resisting and the other videoing it.  I would love for someone who knows how to post on here would post it.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Shedagal

[dog53]

I apologize for my abrasiveness I 'am not a racist person nor will be but when people use the race card then I have to stand up and take notice where some people will just sit on there hands and say or do nothing I call then cowards but it is time to stop this stupidness.

 

 

You dont have to apologize .

Just keep on keeping on.

We have never needed common sense more then we do now. 

[bohica]

Learn the background to the event.  This kid was a brat in school and was a big enough problem that the teacher asked her to leave the classroom.  This brat ignored everyone in authority that asked her politely to leave.  Now a cop comes in and removes her.  I do not blame the cop I blame the brat and the parents of the brat.

[Shabibilicious]

Learn the background to the event.  This kid was a brat in school and was a big enough problem that the teacher asked her to leave the classroom.  This brat ignored everyone in authority that asked her politely to leave.  Now a cop comes in and removes her.  I do not blame the cop I blame the brat and the parents of the brat.

 

I love brats.......with sauteed onions and green peppers.  Nom nom nom     

 

GO RV, then BV

[Starrider]

Thank you all for the support but I really don't need it when it comes to common sense, Lets see if Ahole O gets involved now. 

[bohica]

There are those who MUST keep racism alive.  It is their identity.  Without racism they have no meaning in life.  They will find racism in a mudhole.  I do not care if this brat was green, she refused to obey a direct command from a law officer and got the result.

[Starrider]

Yes bohica but lets explore for a moment what if that deputy was Arab, Hispanic or a man of color any color but white, let me ask you would there be an issue here  

[Starrider]

 Its a shame that people have targets on there backs because of color any color but the white color seem to be the color of choice these days.  

[bohica]

Starrider...white people and especially white police officers are a targeted race.   I am mixed Indian and European and I am dang proud of both.  I dare anyone to accuse either sides of me of anything.  It was the white people who basically made America.  Yes others did a great deal but if it was not for the Europeans I doubt America would be anything like it is.  My Indian side survived small pox blankets given by the government.  Now if they can only survive accepting so many stupid handouts from the government they will be okay but you think they would have learned the first time that the government said "I am here from the government and I am here to help you' that they were lying.

[Starrider]

I never trusted the government for anything its all been lies even the news channels are told what to report its funny if you go on line and watch the news from other countries it will be totally different.

[TinBadge]

That's the whole damn problem in a nut shell, there is no respect they took that away when a parent doesn't have the right to discipline their children, when they took prayers out of school, when they removed the Ten Commandments from the courthouses. This is the problem back in my day you would have gotten dropped kicked over the goal post of life for lack of respect. If I was a police officer I wouldn't even touch them, because you are going to get your ass sued.

[TinBadge]

It's kind of a double edged sword we have to deal with. Not touching/doing something then someone reports us then we get suspended for derelict of duty. But now that I say this, a week of w/out pay would be better then 2 years in court then having to move to be safe.

[Starrider]

 TB My DAD always said the best way to back at someone that did you wrong is through their wallet but all this guy was doing was his job by removing a punk from class that wouldn't listen to anyone and I quote cool hand luke some people just don't understand like we have here today if this is the way the want it they get I don't like this anymore than you but what has to be has to be.