Monday, October 8, 2007

School Guards Break Child's Arm And Arrest Her For Dropping Cake



This is a video from Fox News in Los Angles:

LA Daily News

“Protest Rally to be Held in Knight High Arrests” This newspaper article can be found at http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_7021117. It was published/ last updated on September 28, 2007.

A sixteen year old girl by the name of Pleajhai Mervin was assaulted by a security guard at her local high school. Mervin was bumped into and dropped her cake on the floor during a celebration of one of her friend’s birthday. The security guard told Mervin to clean up the cake so she complied and pick up the cake and threw it away. She then proceeded to the bathroom to wash her hands. She says after she came out of the bathroom the same security guard told her to finish cleaning up the cake off the floor. She said she did but once again complied with the man and picked up the crumbs. Mervin went back to clean her crumbs from the cake about three time before she proceeded to head to class. She then says that the security guard grabbed her and had her face down on one of the lunch tables which during this time not only did he fracture her wrist but he also called her “nappy head.” At the time Mervin was not aware that this was a racial term but after talking to her mother she found out the extent of this phrase. Also, this same security guard broke the wrist of another young lady who was the sister of a young man who was also assaulted for videotaping the incident using his camera phone. Both the brother and sister were arrested on the charges of suspicion of battery. Mervin’s mother demanded that the school fire the security guard but instead they told her that if he was to get fired she would be charged with assault which she was and arrested. Mervin’s mother was laid off her job without pay. Mervin’s mother works for one of the school within the county. The brother and sister as well as Mervin, who was later arrested, were all suspended from school for five days.

This incident involving this young lady has been said to be very similar to that of the Jena 6. Based on previous discussions in class regarding Jena 6 and racism and what people believe to be pranks or unharmful comments/acts brings about the idea of privilege and power. In regards to Jena 6, the school did not support or offer help to the true victims of the crime which were the black students even though in all reality they knew the crime was wrong. Instead they offered their support, help and sympathy to the more privileged individuals, the ones they related to more. Like in that situation, the same is happening here in Palmdale, California. The school officials should not allow a huge man to call a student a derogatory name as well as apply such force to a child, a minor who for one complied with his given orders/commands as well as not put up a fight to resist. Also, allowing him to get away with injuring not one but two students and attacking and pinning down another because he was videotaping the incident makes it understandable why many are seeing this as an act of racism rather than one of pure justice.

This incident along with the Jena 6 makes me really question what is going on with our society. I don’t understand how people can do certain things and not see a problem with it or see why and how other people are negatively affected by it. I felt great pity that this young lady and her mother as well as the two siblings have to experience this in a world that seems to no longer be moving forward but instead it’s almost like we are at a stand still slowing regressing. I feel as though we all, every race, need to really analyze the things we do before we do them and think about how it affects the other person. Sometimes we need to put our own feelings and pride on the backburner and spare someone else the pain and any hardships we may cause to them.


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