Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: disappointed

The Effects of School Violence

I was disappointed to see this article about school violence -- not student against student, but a police office assaulting an unarmed student. Remember, the end does not justify the means: the means determine the end. Treating children and teens like criminals will teach them to become criminals. This is unproductive and wicked.

Henry Giroux | Painful Lessons in the Pedagogy of School Violence
Henry A. Giroux, Truthout: "On May 20, 2009, Marshawn Pitts, a 15-year-old African-American boy, who is also a special needs student, was walking down the corridor of the Academy for Learning High School in Dolton, Illinois. A police officer in the school noticed that the boy's shirt was not tucked in and started shouting and swearing at him. Pitts claims that he immediately started to tuck in his shirt, but it was too late. Within seconds, the police officer pushed him into the lockers, repeatedly punched him and then slammed him to the ground and pushed his face to the floor."
Tags: education, news
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  • 5 comments
raindrops

raindrops

October 8 2009, 23:13:21 UTC 11 years ago

Oh, I could go on a very long rant about this particular incident and how it fits into the much broader issue.

With the ubiquity of surveillance cameras and camera-equipped cell phones, every now and then the general public gets a glimpse at incidents like this, because they appear sensational. These events are always portrayed as "isolated" and no one with any credibility makes the attempt to peek behind that thin blue line into the culture of law enforcement.

For the most part, there is a collective misrecognition about the extent and severity of police abuse. The line of thought generally goes: well, they wouldn't have [ beat the living crap out of him | shot him dead in the street even though he was unarmed ] if he hadn't done anything wrong; police deal with criminals, therefore if they're hurting or killing people, those people must be criminals and criminals deserve it; oooh, time for American Idol.
raindrops

raindrops

October 8 2009, 23:22:19 UTC 11 years ago

Maybe when I have more time I'll write more about it. This is an issue very close to me.

I was once arrested for trespassing on my own property. The actual charges? Resisting Arrest. That was the only charge. Spent the night in jail, went home with 2 black eyes and a bunch of bruised ribs, and when my attorneys pursued it, there were no logs nor records of it ever happening, from dispatch to booking to release.

This happens every day, all over the place.
wyld_dandelyon

wyld_dandelyon

October 9 2009, 05:02:08 UTC 11 years ago Edited:  October 9 2009, 05:02:31 UTC

Ooh--I like this:

the means determine the end
ysabetwordsmith

Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

October 9 2009, 05:48:55 UTC 11 years ago

That quote is original to me. I use it to point out how we cause most of our own problems, and why it's generally a bad idea to use shady methods in pursuit of a goal. Frex, the land of North America was forcibly taken from the people who lived there by some people who came over wanting land. The country of America was built significantly by slave and immigrant labor. So here we are, several centuries later, still slogging through serious immigration and race relation issues. That's not a coincidence; it's a consequence. Sure, other factors have contributed to those problems, but the main impetus was people using other people like livestock.

Anyhow, you're welcome to use the quote if you find it helpful.
wyld_dandelyon

Re: Thank you!

wyld_dandelyon

October 9 2009, 07:52:38 UTC 11 years ago

Oh, I'm sure I will. Not sure when and how, yet. But it rings true.