School Police Officer Body-slammed a Black Student Half His Size at Rolesville High

On January 3, 2017, a viral video exposed a form of child abuse and bullying in the Wake County Public School System, NC. Officer De Los Santo, a School Resource Officer (SRO), body-slammed a student, Jasmine, to the ground. He was twice the size of Jasmine, who is African-American. Ahunna, another student at Rolesville High School, recorded the video.

Ahunna posted the video in her following tweet to express what she believed to be gross abuse of power from the SRO, a police officer assigned to the school.

She also tweeted, “it’s the fact that he took it WAY out of proportion when it wasn’t needed.”

She had no idea that her 9-second video would go viral:

So much so, shortly after Ahunna posts the video on Tweeter, almost 10 media network contact her requesting for more information on the incident or her permission to use the video. They include CNN and NBC, with more to come.

What is the public’s opinion on this incident?

Almost two hundred people tweet to Ahunna after seeing her “THIS. IS. NOT OKAY” tweet. It is interesting to read through them to judge the general level of humanity in our society. Certainly, there are different kinds of people and comments on the incident, besides those who simply want to know more about what happened. Let me categorize some of them:

1)  People feel sorry for what happened to Jasmine and are concerned, such as:

Ryan: “I’m sorry this happened is she ok.”

Francesca: “no not ok! This needs to stop! We are heading off a cliff! I hope she wasn’t hurt. I feel for her!”

Kim: “I hope she’s okay, girl. Sending both you, her and her family big hugs and positive healing vibes. So sorry this happened.”

Shug: “send my love & concern to her please. This is awful.”

Midian: “I hope she is ok?”

Emma: “This hurts my ❤️. I can’t believe this happened. I hope everyone is alright.”

 2)  People believe Jasmine deserved the slamming treatment, such as:

 Just: “LOL, BOOOOOOM, bet she won’t sass up again.  Needs to happen a lot more often until msg is delivered… #RESPECT THE LAW.”

Jon: “I agree a minor resisting an officer should not be tolerated.”

Jack: “if she was resisting arrest then he has every right to do that. although there may be a better way, this was not an illegal act.”

Melissa: “well obviously she wasn’t complying. Maybe you should show that part too.”

Some argue against the above comments:

 Take Back America: ‘So ridiculous!!  She didnt appear to be resist’n at all!  & she looks very small compared 2 him. Unnecessary!”

Krazybyeame: “OK I saw someone say that the girl didn’t comply so she pretty much deserved this! Nooo hell no sick of cops abusing power!!”

Cnfidently: “this [xxxx] is horrible and the fact that the lady is trying to justify his behavior is sickening.”

Moose: “justifying this is not only messed up but basically admits that the police are too incompetent and weak to deal w/ teenage girls.”

 3)  People believe Jasmine did not deserve the slamming no matter what she did prior to it, such as:

 FDR: “Before anyone says “oh SHOW the whole situation” there is no [xxxxxxx] need to throw this girl to the ground with such force. None.”

Jay: “no but rs he had no reason to slam her like that.”

Mountain: “aaaannd this is the part where white people say “you dont know what she did, show the whole video.”

Rome: “can somebody tell me who this officer is I’ll kick his [xxx] for that little girl don’t care what she did she doesn’t deserve that.”

4)  People believe the SRO’s action was excessive or highly inappropriate, such as:

 Lily: “That was so unnecessary.”

R.E.A.L Human Rights: “You are right, it is not OK.”

Exhausted: “that’s a cop?? Unbelievable. She weighs like 80 lbs soaking wet. He could have paralyzed or killed her.”

Sadsquatch: “making calls now. Who do we call when the police assault the people?  Excessive force is not okay.”

Kat: “That man could have killed that child!”

Republic: “I had to watch that twice to realize what the hell I just saw. This level of violence is insane.”

Barrel: “this is abuse of power.”

Dr: “No male weighing approximately 170-190 lbs. should ever put his hands on a female who weighs maybe 90-110 lbs. Arrest him!”

Shuri: “what the supporters of the use of this tactic won’t say is its designed for use ON AN ADULT!”

Timothy: “NEVER OK! Anywhere! Theres better ways to promote HS students to interact better, by keeping them moving from one class to next.”

Derek: “I am so sorry you and your classmates witnessed this. As a teacher, I am sickened.”

‏Fati: “I literally am sick to my stomach wallah.”

 5)  People believe the SRO’s action is a form of child abuse, such as:

 Jan.net: “He knows got damn well he was wrong, showing off! His [xxx] need to be kicked in jail for child abuse!”

Cece: “if I did that to MY kid, I’d be in cuffs for assault and lose custody. How is it OK that he did this to someone else’s kid?”

Machelle: “Absolutely despicable! The officer should be fired & charged with at least child abuse.”

DeMar: “he should be thrown in jail! That’s not a man. That’s not police work. That’s physical abuse of a minor.”

Irie: “if this were my daughter the would’ve put me under the jail and that’s a fact !!!”

Ripple: “a parent would go to jail 4 this.”

6)  People believe the SRO should be fired or sued, such as:

 Vonnie: “Is this acceptable police behavior on a petit child? The officer should be fired.”

Bhaktin: “It’s not ok!! – Not at all. Sue this guy and school board.”

Nikki: “This is obscene! [Jasmine] suffered concussion from Ofc. De Los Santos’ assault. He should be fired & charged.”

Glen: “Well I don’t know why he was there but it is definitely not okay. He should be fired and charges should be brought against him.”

7)  People believe the incident has something to do with racism, such as:

Stormy: “FBI’s warning of #WhiteSupremacists infiltrating #LawEnforcement nearly forgotten.”

Regina: “Void of all judgment, decency and concern for a CHILD. Excessive force. Racism always clouds heart & mind!”

Machelle: “Crazy! They don’t treat white kids like this. Sickening!”

[Keira: “This isnt a racial matter. Officer Santos isn’t white either & last year he slammed a white girls head on the counter. He also pepper sprayed up in the air while there was a fight with two latinos. It isn’t a racial matter…”]

8)  People believe even if Jasmine “looks” physically fine, she is still not “ok,” such as:

Karen: “no honey, her body may be ok, but trust &believe, her spirit is destroyed! She’ll need counseling at least.”

Cherrio: “Slammed into a concrete floor, then immediately pulled up by her arm. HUGE medical liabilities here in NO way acceptable!”

Clevah: “Please make sure she gets medical help…she could have a concussion, broken ribs, etc. The actions of this officer are NOT ok.”

Crescent: “This Officer just body slammed a female child at school.  She could have internal damage from being slammed like this.”

Nikki: “[Jasmine] suffered concussion from Ofc. De Los Santos’ assault..,”

Kenichi: “… her arm lowkey broken.”

9)  People believe the public should know about this incident, such as:

 LaLa: “Glad you videotaped this. It’s too many of these incidents. Enough is enough..”

Lisa: “Good job getting this out there! From peeps in Savannah Georgia!”

 10)  People believe something is going wrong in America, such as:

 Betty: “OMG! What the hell is going on in our Country!! That poor girl! I hope she is ok! UGH!”

Carpenoctem: “this isn’t my America anymore.”

Forrest: “People get shot for less in America, she lucky.”

 Response from ACLU-North Carolina to the incident:

“Disturbing use of force at #rolesvillehigh that should never be used against kids in schools.”

So, out of the almost 200 Tweeters responding to Ahunna, how many percent of them believe the SRO’s action on Jasmine is abusive, reckless, or unnecessary? What happened before the SRO slams Jasmine on the ground?

What injuries did Jasmine sustain?… Plus many more questions to be answered next.

To be continued: Answers to many questions, such as:

What happened before the SRO slammed Jasmine on the ground?

What injuries did Jasmine sustain?

Is De Los Santos’ action an isolated incident of his at RHS?

Will there be a thorough and fair investigation on the incident?

One Viral Video. Two Students. Impacts on Many by Racial Discrimination in NC Classroom

Chapter 1: One Viral Video. Two Students. Impacts on Many by Racial Discrimination in NC Classroom

 On March 3, 2017, a video went viral on Instagram about an altercation between a Black and a white students. It showed Micah Speed, the high school sophomore forcefully pulled down his white classmate from behind by his bookbag, twice. The last time was after the boy called Micah “a black piece of (expletive).” Other students in the crowded hallway were stunned.

The next day, the administrators at Wake Forest High School (WFHS), Wake Forest, NC, promptly suspended Micah for 10 days. To the outside world, it might be fair. After all, he violated the Code of Student Conduct in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), the largest school district in North Carolina.

But was it fair?

The incident turned Micah’s world upside down. The world of top school officials and the WFHS administrators was about to change also, reluctantly. Whether they like it or not, the wave of outcry and reform was coming.

Why would a student act out and misbehave in school?

According to Yolanda Speed, their family moved to North Carolina from Chicago to escape from the violence there, ironically. They settled down in Wake Forest, as Micah excelled in football in WFHS.

Micah’s story of discrimination is a perfect case study for one of the reasons why students act out in school: when school officials violate policies themselves by failing to follow the policies.

Nationwide, while school administrators execute zero-tolerance on students’ misbehaviors, many of them oftentimes practice blind-tolerance on their own’s misconducts. Injustice like Micah’s case is usually shoveled under the rug without public knowledge.

Reluctantly, school officials forced themselves to take a hard look at their own’s accountability in Micah’s case, because the viral video was too big to shovel under the rug.

This video is significance. Micah’s case became a landmark case in WCPSS in my opinion. It changed WCPSS employees’ world of accountability – a place that top administrators seldom visit. Such has been the experience of too many students, who are non-white or have disabilities or “different” sexual orientations, along with their parents in the school system. These students often complain about discrimination and bullying from their peers and even school officials. Often, there was no intervention and School Board policies were violated with no consequences.

Bullying victim suspended for violating policy. Would school personnel get suspended for violating policy?

On March 2, 2017, Micah could not tolerate his white classmate’s racial harassment anymore. He snapped and pulled him down twice in front of a hallway of other students.

Three WFHS personnel were directly involved in Micah’s incident: two teachers and one assistant principal.

In an interview with Micah one month after the incident, he alleged that he had been racially harassed by this boy for a couple of months prior to the incident.

Shirley: Do you why this boy picked on you?

Micah: No. I never knew him before. I never had a class with him before that [class].

Shirley: So you said he had been bothering you for 2 months.

Micah: He just made ignorant comments, ignorant conversations.

Shirley: At what point was he allegedly threatening you?

Micah: On the same day that the incident [of him pulling the boy down] happened.

Shirley: Before that day, did he threaten you?

Micah: He made jokes about cutting my [private part] off. It is still ignorant, still threatening.

Shirley: You didn’t touch him?

Micah: I just walked away.

Shirley: When all these happened, the teacher was there witnessing everything?

Micah: Yeah.

Shirley: He heard all that, but he didn’t do anything about the situation?

Micah: No.

Shirley: Did you complain to the teacher?

Micah: Yep. I told him and an Assistant Principal, Cynthia Simons, at one point.

Shirley: So, you told the Assistant Principal that this boy had been bullying you, and she didn’t do anything?

Micah: Yep.

One teacher involved in the case was inside the classroom who witnessed the harassment and bullying against Micah but failed to report to the administrators. Would the administration cite him for violating any school policy?

Another teacher approached Micah after he pulled down his white classmate and as the two students walked away from each other. In the video, one could hear the teacher yelled, “Touch me, touch me” as she challenged Micah to do so and as Micah tried to avoid her. Why did the teacher said what she said?

Mrs. Speed, Micah’s mother, considered the teacher’s manner to be “antagonizing.” Why did she think so? Would the administration agree with her?

Assistant Principal Ms. Cynthia Simons was one administrator that both Micah and Mrs. Speed said they had complained to about the bullying and racist issues that Micah had suffered prior to the March 2 incident. However, there was no physical evidence from either side – the parent-student or the AP – to prove their version of event. Then which side would the school officials assigned to investigate this case believe on?

Why did Micah misbehave? And why did he choose to misbehave publicly for everyone to witness?

 I doubt that the WFHS admin asked these questions when they gave Micah a 10-day suspension. This kind of “why” questions is not routinely asked in WCPSS. Simply because, the Zero-tolerance policy is treated as a zero-question policy. It only aims to punish the act, not engages the brain.

So why did Micah act out? Would school officials rule fairly, including making their own accountable of their wrongdoing? Could Micah’s supporters make a difference in the ruling? Could he survive a toxic environment and finish his sophomore year without further harassment at school? Could the whole incident have been prevented before more than 3 lives were greatly affected? What lesson has everyone learned? Has it made a positive impact and difference in how WCPSS deals with student misbehaviors?

Come ride with me as I chronicled what happened behind-the-scene.

Next, something happened on March 3, 2017, that shocked the WFHS admins as well as top WCPSS school officials. They were not prepared.

To be continued…

Chapter 2: Did the supporters of Micah Speed – victim of discrimination – save him from more suspension days or even arrest?

School, Police Officer Falsely Accused Student of Drug Possession

Chapter 1: Case Overview.  April 21 to May 18, 2016.  On April 21, 2016, the world of sophomore Jakayla Johnson fell apart. Out of the blue, a school resource officer (SRO) accused her of marijuana possession at Garner Magnet High School. She was suspended for 10 days and recommended for long-term suspension for the rest of the school year – all for the alleged “smell” of marijuana.

The SRO was a Garner police officer assigned to the school under this contract between the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Cary, North Carolina, and the Garner Police Department, among others.

Jakayla’s ordeal started when a male SRO interrupted her Chinese language class. After his 5-minute investigation, he proclaimed, in front of about 30 of her classmates, that he smelled marijuana on her fingertips.

According to Jakayla, the SRO then took her to Assistant Principal Mr. Bundens’ office. During ABC11’s interview with her, she said (the assistant principal) sniffed her hands and commented that he could smell marijuana.

Next, a female SRO searched Jakayla’s bookbag and inside her shoes. She found nothing.

Jakayla’s mother, Tameka, said Mr. Bundens and the male SRO also took Jakayla to a female assistant principal’s office where the AP patted her down. The AP found nothing.

Jakayla said, in order to reduce her suspension to five days, she had to reluctantly attend a drug education or rehabilitation class as if she did take drug.

As a nurse, Tameka took Jakayla to have drug tests right the way. The tests – on drug and alcohol – came back the next day: negative.

School officials ignored physical evidence of no drug

Tameka showed the test results to the school officials. They ignored them, she said. At this point, she knew she needed outside help.

On the day of the incident, she already contacted advocate Diana Powell in the community. Diana then joined hands with long-time education advocate Geraldine Alshamy to advocate for both Jakayla and Tameka.

Along with Tameka, Diana and Geraldine requested a Level 1 grievance meeting with Mr. Bundens. Nothing came out of the meeting.

Then Geraldine helped the family file and request a Level 3 grievance – appeal hearing – with the School Board.

On May 5, 2016, CBS17 made Jakayla’s case public by interviewing her and Tameka.

One month after the incident, on May 18, 2016, Geraldine represented Jakayla and Tameka at the hearing. It lasted for 4 hours at WCPSS’s headquarter in Cary, NC. In the end, with simple logic and reasoning, Geraldine was able to exonerate Jakayla from the wrongful accusation of drug possession.

It was such a victory that ABC11 aired the story and interviewed Jakayla and her mother.

However, the news story did not tell: What exactly were the compelling logic and reasoning that made the four judges at the hearing side with an advocate instead of the SRO and school officials at Garner Magnet High School?

After all, if parents and students choose to appeal their cases at all, they often do not experience such a victory in WCPSS.

To be continued…