38.6c New Delhi, India, Friday, March 29, 2024
International

Florida Police Arrested & Handcuffed an 8-Year-Old Boy at School In 2018, Family Files A Lawsuit

By Saransh Awasthi      17 August, 2020 05:00 PM      0 Comments
Florida Police Arrested & Handcuffed an 8-Year-Old Boy at School In 2018, Family Files A Lawsuit

A federal lawsuit has been filed on Tuesday (11th August 2020) by the mother of an 8-year-old boy who was handcuffed, booked, and briefly jailed allegedly for hitting a teacher of his elementary school in Florida. The lawsuit accused the Key West Police Department and the Monroe County School District of using excessive and unwarranted force against the boy with disabilities to which the school officials failed to intervene. 

In December 2018, an 8-year-old boy was charged with felony battery after he was accused of hitting a substitute teacher who reprimanded him for sitting improperly in the school cafeteria. A police body cam video cam was released on August 9th, 2020 by civil rights attorney, Ben Crump who is representing the boy's mother. The clip shows the police officers seen making statements such as “You understand this is very serious, OK?” and telling the sobbing boy that he is “going to jail”. They instructed him to stand up and place his hands on a metal cabinet in the hallway for a pat-down and tried to put him in handcuffs but he was so small that those handcuffs slipped off every time. However, the case was ultimately dropped by the prosecutors in 2019.

In his statement, Crump said, "This is a heartbreaking example of how our educational and policing systems train children to be criminals by treating them like criminals -- if convicted, the child, in this case, would have been a convicted felon at eight years old…This little boy was failed by everyone who played a part in this horrific incident”. Attorney Devon Jacob, who is representing the boy’s family alongside Crump, has called the incident “unacceptable”

Bianca Digennaro, the mother of the boy, said that her son was diagnosed with ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, depression and anxiety and that he was taking medication at the time of the incident in 2018. The teacher had no knowledge of it and tried to forcibly remove him before calling the police. "I'm just here for my son because I refuse to let them make him a criminal or convicted felon at the age of 8”, she added.

Key West Police Chief Sean T. Brandenburg defended the conduct of their officers. Based on the report, standard operating procedures were followed”, he said in his statement.

Crump, who also represents George Floyd's family, said that the instance shows how our educational and policing systems train children to be criminals by treating them like one and such similar cases have become a matter of concern in Florida. In March 2020, the Kaia Rolle Act was unanimously passed by Florida’s House of Representatives after another incident of a 6-year-old girl arrest in Orlando. The Act would curb the arrest of young children below 10 on school grounds. However, the same is still under consideration within the State Senate.



Share this article:



Leave a feedback about this
TRENDING NEWS

arvind-kejriwals-plea-for-interim-release-rejected-by-delhi-high-court
Trending Judiciary
Arvind Kejriwal's plea for interim release rejected by Delhi High Court [Read Order]

Delhi High Court rejects Arvind Kejriwal's plea for interim release in money laundering case related to liquor policy scam, pending ED's response.

28 March, 2024 10:50 AM
youtuber-strings-plea-against-youtube-accounts-suspension-andhra-pradesh-hc-issues-notice-to-centre-google
Trending Top Stories
BREAKING: Youtuber String’s plea against Youtube accounts suspension: Andhra Pradesh HC issues notice to Centre, Google

Andhra Pradesh High Court issues notice to the Centre and Google LLC on Youtube journalist String’s plea against suspension of its accounts by Google (which owns Youtube).

28 March, 2024 11:26 AM

TOP STORIES

delhi-liquor-scam-court-remands-arvind-kejriwal-to-ed-custody-till-march-28-read-remand-application
Trending Judiciary
Delhi liquor scam: Court remands Arvind Kejriwal to ED custody till March 28 [Read Order]

Delhi liquor scam: Arvind Kejriwal remanded to ED custody till March 28. Court grants agency permission for interrogation in liquor policy case.

23 March, 2024 11:53 AM
sc-dismisses-centres-plea-for-review-of-judgment-directing-ed-to-furnish-written-grounds-of-arrest-to-pmla-accused
Trending Judiciary
SC dismisses Centre’s plea for review of judgment directing ED to furnish written grounds of arrest to PMLA accused [Read Order]

Supreme Court dismisses Centre's plea, upholds judgment mandating Enforcement Directorate to provide written grounds of arrest in PMLA cases.

23 March, 2024 03:14 PM
kerala-hc-to-hear-lesbian-couples-plea-against-forced-conversion-therapy-on-april-9
Trending Judiciary
Kerala HC to hear lesbian couple’s plea against forced conversion therapy on April 9

Kerala HC will hear a lesbian couple’s plea highlighting that one of them was subjected to forced conversion therapy.

23 March, 2024 03:30 PM
how-can-people-be-compelled-to-vote-madras-hc-asks
Trending Judiciary
“How can people be compelled to vote? Madras HC asks

“How can people be compelled to vote?”, the Madras HC queried in a plea asking employers in Tamil Nadu to demand proof from employees of having voted on polling day.

23 March, 2024 05:04 PM

ADVERTISEMENT


Join Group

Signup for Our Newsletter

Get Exclusive access to members only content by email