Madness: Even School Children Are Being Pepper-Sprayed and Shocked with Tasers

December 21, 2011

There is something truly disturbing about a society that seeks to control the behavior of schoolchildren through fear and violence, a tactic that harkens back to an era of paddle-bruised behinds and ruler-slapped wrists. Yet, some American school districts are pushing the boundaries of corporal punishment even further with the use of Tasers against unruly schoolchildren.

The deployment of Tasers against “problem” students coincides with the introduction of police officers on school campuses, also known as School Resource Officers (SROs).

www.alternet.org...

The police in schools are not being deployed against gangbangers in the class room but rather against children with learning disabilities with the most brutality offered to the most vulnerable. Basically prison rules criminality is brought into the class room

Check out this terrible example;

Last year, a 7-year-old special education student whom the San Francisco Chronicle described as having “learning difficulties, dyslexia, anxiety disorder and social-skill problems” was doused in the face with pepper-spray by a police officer called into the classroom by teachers unable to handle the child's temper tantrum.,,,,

George "Randy" Heald, the officer who anwered the call, told Adam that "if he did not come down by the count of five, he would be pepper-sprayed.” Heald explained to a confused Adam that pepper spray “was like hot pepper and that it would make (him) cry and maybe throw up." The Chronicle reports:

Heald counted backward from five and then "blasted pepper spray in Adam's face," prompting the 51-pound boy to cry in pain, rub his face and come down from the cabinet, the suit said. The boy was then committed for a psychiatric evaluation

So police officers who conduct hard arrests for traffic infringements, or are known for rugby tackling grandmothers with short tempers could not grab and force a difficult child down from a cabinet. Instead the officer dosed a child with learning difficulties and an anxiety disorder with pepper spray!

If I was that boy's parent, I would see to it that the teacher would be struck off in the first place for creating the situation and incompetence then I would sue the living daylights out of the police.

I really want police everywhere good and bad to start counting their blessings. Because things are about to get really hard for them.

I am VERY pro-police. I have never been harassed or assaulted by police in anyway. When I have needed their help they have been more than professional.

However, there does seem to be a very disturbing trend with police in recent decades. And I really want it to stop.

This is a complete obscenity. When are people going to wake up and start raising some really loud and angry voices with bullhorns and if the cops show, huge crowds get really ticked off, because you know this all works for you, and if it doesnt its incredibly illegal and must be booted swiftly.

reply to post by Unity_99


I lost a lot of respect for many police forces during the height of the Occupy protests nation wide.

I don't even like what the Occupy movement stands for, but no one should be subjected to the kind of brutality displayed by the police on many occasions against the Occupy folks. This is not to say that many Occupiers didn't start some of it, because they did. But when the police started using excessive force against peaceful occupiers it really pissed me off.

reply to post by Helixer


Remember the recent story of the mother who made her kid eat hot peppers? This cop needs the psyche eval-if it were my kid, id be in prison.

reply to post by Helixer


Clearly the response would appear on its surface to be extreme, although there is only one side of the story here. Having worked with handicapped/troubled kids I can tell you first hand that when they get violent, they can get extremely violent and in some cases simply do not have the ability to restrain themselves and it can be dangerous. Faced with the choice of pepper spraying a kid who is or perhaps is about to get wild and hurt himself or others and protecting others in the vicinity, pepper spraying him is the right choice. If the kid did get out of control, the cop would have to put his hands on the kid (and likely require assistance) to subdue him, that presents the possibility that others, as well as the child could get seriously injured.

In addition, we live in times when things escalate in troubling ways quickly often on a daily basis. Riots and stabbing over Air Jordans, dozens of kids running about, fighting, destroying property and placing others at risk in a mall because some rappers may have been there, beat downs in just about every fast food chain in the firm, kids rioting and pulling people out of vehicles and beating them beatings and stabbing in retail stores to chase "bargins". It all happens far too often and the police are confronted with the situation of needing to put something down before something bigger gets started that can quickly get out of control or sitting back and letting it get out of control. You can't blame the police when events around them instruct them to act quickly and with force.

Are they the same deal? In a way, yes they are and the deal is that we have allowed our tolerance for anti-social behavior to become an accepted norm. Was this troubled child doing anything "wrong", for him, probably not, but the context of the solution requires a consideration of others in the vacinity - in other words the complete context of the situation.

I won't even get into the business where certain kids should not be in the mainstream of the public school system for a number of reasons, but should rather be in special facilities where their real and legitimate needs can be attended to by professionals trained to tend to them.

reply to post by projectvxn
i was hesitating to reply to this outrage but here it is . i think its time for us to say thats enough of the belligerent attitude of of those with the power over us , the masses maybe a sit down protest on a global scale to give them the message . who cleans their toilets mows their lawns empties their rubbish paints their houses etc ;whilst all the time they are lining their pockets at our expense sorry i am pissed off at this crap -----;

reply to post by dolphinfan


I hear what you are saying but pepper spray is not meant to be used on 7 year old children. My understanding is that this less than lethal weapon is meant to be used when an officer is in danger. Using it against children is dangerous since their little bodies many not be able to cope with these chemicals. Do you suppose the officer checked if the child was asmatic?

Are you F'ing kidding me!? A 7 year old special ed student was pepper sprayed in the face, in their own classroom!?!?! WTF!?!?!

From the article...

In April, the Wichita Eagle reported on Jonathan Villarreal, a sophomore at Derby High School who was ordered to pull his pants up by two school police officers while walking to the bus after school. The 17-year-old refused, arguing that he “could wear them how he wanted because school was out.” According to Villarreal, corroborated by three student witnesses, one officer “pulled him to the ground by the neck and told him to stop resisting arrest,” which Villarreal denied he was doing. The officers then “kneed him in the back and neck while he was on the ground.” As he struggled to get up, Villarreal was repeatedly “pushed back down,” at which point “he felt his arm break.” As Villarreal was held on the ground by two officers with a broken arm, “one officer fired a Taser at his chest.”

This is disgusting, schools should not have "school police" that is really F'ked up IMO, especially when they're armed with pepper spray and tasers....... And I HATE the "your being arrested for resisting arrest", that is soo bull!

So a cop attacks me unlawfully, and then when I move, mostly as a result of sudden pain and discomfort, but also a bit because my rights are being stomped on, I get "lawfully" arrested for "resisting" an arrest that was unlawful to begin with?!?!? That is ridiculous... Most times people don't even move at all and continually say they are cooperating and not resisting and submitting to the police and they still get arrested for "resisting arrest"....

I don't know how much more of this worlds ugliness I can take....

Good, children think they can get away with murder these days on account of a serious decline in parentel skills, nobody disciplines there kids anymore and they are getting more and more out of control.

Imagine the fright when they start acting up in school thinking they can get away with acting however they like, no one can stop them! then someone Mr.Zappys them! HAHA. Thatll learn them.

reply to post by Helixer


And I hear what you are saying. The kid should probably not have been in that type of school in the first place. I think the police can make the judgement as to whether pepper spraying the kid was the method that was most likely to subdue him with the least amount of injury to the kid and those around him.

I've seen a disturbed 7 year old out of control. Scratching faces, biting, and writhing around in an uncontrolled manner are things that happen. Its disturbing and dangerous. It is certainly unfortunate and not the kid's fault, but it can be what happens. Perhaps a low dose stun-gun might be a more reasonable alternative. I've even seen situations where these kids can work themselves into something that is like a quasi-seizure and that can be very frightening.

Its a delicate and complicated issue and one that does not lend itself to immediate repudiation of the officer who was there at the time.

since ows police using chemical weapons seems to be normal. hearing stories like this only furthers my conclusions. personally If I was an officer on the premises I would have used a large soft blanket to throw on the kid wrap him up and remove him. it only took me 20 seconds of thought to come up with this idea so why didnt the police? i think they are trying to make these tactics normal and acceptable. its heart breaking really. Surely they could have found one blanket on the school grounds?!

Originally posted by dolphinfan
reply to post by Helixer

 

And I hear what you are saying. The kid should probably not have been in that type of school in the first place. I think the police can make the judgement as to whether pepper spraying the kid was the method that was most likely to subdue him with the least amount of injury to the kid and those around him.

I've seen a disturbed 7 year old out of control. Scratching faces, biting, and writhing around in an uncontrolled manner are things that happen. Its disturbing and dangerous. It is certainly unfortunate and not the kid's fault, but it can be what happens. Perhaps a low dose stun-gun might be a more reasonable alternative. I've even seen situations where these kids can work themselves into something that is like a quasi-seizure and that can be very frightening.

Its a delicate and complicated issue and one that does not lend itself to immediate repudiation of the officer who was there at the time.

have you ever been in the same room where pepper spray is released? it makes all the occupants of the room uncontrollably cough.

reply to post by WielderOfTheSwordOfTruth


I see you live in Nova Scotia - you're lucky. Its a beautiful place.

If you want to see some ugliness, spend a few days in an inner city school where armed police have been on site since the 70s. Now you may think that is crazy, absurd, an over reaction and an unnecessary show of force. Try telling that to the kid who is just trying to get an education and is afraid to go to the bathroom (which is why they have cops in the bathrooms, by the way). Going to school in NJ in the 70s, were it not for the police in the building every day, there would have been bloodshed every day. They were the only thing that kept the thing even marginally contained.

Ultimately it comes down to this absurd notion that everyone has a "right" to attend public school. They do not. They have the right to a free education and it is a two way street. For decades we have allowed this notion that kids who have no interest in getting educated, who are several grades below level, who are there because its fun to be there to attend school every day when in fact that they should be kicked out of school, period.

As it relates to special needs kids, there is no reason in many cases for these kids to be in a normal public school environment. The schools are not equipped to handle them, they require a level of assistance that distracts from other students. They certainly need and deserve our best abilities to educate and socialize them, but it should not come at the expense of other students who are already dealing with a failing school system.

reply to post by Foxy1


I have been pepper sprayed, not directly, but the gent standing next to me was and yes, I coughed uncontrollably for about 5 minutes. Thats the purpose though, is it not. If you're coughing and can't catch your breath, you are unable get violent with others.

reply to post by dolphinfan


I can't believe your honestly trying to justifying pepper spraying a 7 year old special ed kid, you really gotta check yourself...

I don't give a crap if the police officer gets hurt while physically restraining this little 7 year old, that's the job, what's the worst a few bruises on his shins, give me a break the best thing to do was pepper spray the poor child, THAT IS JUST WRONG! No child should ever be pepper sprayed, especially special ed kids, especially in their classroom. We have to treat each other with respect and dignity, he should have used his hands to pick the kid up and hug him to restrain him, and then proceed to take the child out into the hallway where the teacher and officer can try to calm him down, and if they can't, they need to stay with him and comfort him until a parent arrives to either calm the kid down or to take the kid home.

Your disgusting attitude towards how we should treat our fellow brothers and sister, OUR CHILDREN, deeply saddens me, and quite frankly pi$$es me off..

Originally posted by dolphinfan
reply to post by Foxy1

 

I have been pepper sprayed, not directly, but the gent standing next to me was and yes, I coughed uncontrollably for about 5 minutes. Thats the purpose though, is it not. If you're coughing and can't catch your breath, you are unable get violent with others.

the point im trying to make is him using that tactic made every one there suffer.

There really should be an age limit. Pepperspray and tasers are simply too violent and have too much kick to not be dangerous on small children.

There's just too much of a potential to cause some very severe damage.

Originally posted by AnIntellectualRedneck
There really should be an age limit. Pepperspray and tasers are simply too violent and have too much kick to not be dangerous on small children.

There's just too much of a potential to cause some very severe damage.

edit on 27-12-2011 by AnIntellectualRedneck because: (no reason given)

taking the easy way out is the cowards way.

reply to post by WielderOfTheSwordOfTruth


You are clearly ignorant of the situations that can occur. These kids can often not be "calmed down" or led into the hallway to "talk to". They have limited control over their actions and their emotions at the time are typically rage and frustration. Leaving the kid alone is also not an option because he will likely hurt himself. Now the cop could have taken him to the ground and cuffed him, but my guess is that there would be similar outrage regarding the cop's actions. In fact there was a thread on exactly that topic about a week ago where the cop in fact did restrain the child with cuffs until their parent's came to get him and there was similar outrage.

Compassion is not having the kid in that environment to begin with. When the envelope of what is considered "normal" becomes large enough it ceases to become an envelop