This is just so pathetic.
A 10-year-old girl was placed in handcuffs and taken to a police station because she took a pair of scissors to her elementary school.
School district officials said the fourth-grade student did not threaten anyone with the 8-inch shears, but violated a rule that considers scissors to be potential weapons.
Administrators said they were following state law when they called police Thursday, and police said they were following department rules when they handcuffed Porsche Brown and took her away in a patrol wagon.
“My daughter cried and cried,” said her mother, Rose Jackson. “She had no idea what she did was wrong. I think that was way too harsh.”
In their infinite kindness, the police released the 10-year-old girl without charges. But one thing I can promise — she’ll never be the same girl again.
How can we be so stupid? Why is America hellbent on being the laughingstock of the entire world?
1
By Harry Hutton
I think they were quite right to arrest her. Scissors are a kind of gateway drug. Let them get away with scissors today and tomorrow they’ll be bringing staplers to school then, eventually, Japanese fighting sticks. You’ve got to nip these things in the bud, Richard.
December 11, 2004 @ 6:21 pm | Comment
2
By richard
I guess you’re right, Harry. Silly me, always the mushy liberal. They should have chopped her hands off and displayed them in the public square (or at least in the playground).
December 11, 2004 @ 6:42 pm | Comment
3
By boo
The only thing that surprises me about this is that it made the news at all.
Google “zero tolerance nonsense” and you’ll get enough examples of this mindset to depress you for weeks.
It makes me wonder how the next generation will handle the remnants of their freedom when they become adults.
December 11, 2004 @ 9:35 pm | Comment
4
By bonna
what u failled to mention is this happend in the shadows of the liberty bell and that this is a policy of my commonwealth and that she has been suspended for 2 to 5 days depending on which channel was reporting last evening!
December 12, 2004 @ 3:44 am | Comment
5
By ACB
Sure, drag her to the principle for violating zero T but handcuffing her, that’s just plain insane.
Where Icome from, if anybody restrained a kid with handcuffs without them being violent first, tha cop would be suspended and there would be an inquiry.
Why would anybody need to handcuff a kid, its not as if she was threatening anybody or was resisting arrest.
Amierca isn’t zero T its just brutal. It makes me glad to live in have been raised in a brutish ignorant and uncivilised country, where we don’t handcuff school girls.
December 13, 2004 @ 10:08 pm | Comment
6
By richard
ACB, I wouldn’t condemn the entire country — most Americans were shocked and furious at this story. It is definitely the exception and not the rule. But it’s still inexcusable and there are too many horror stories about our zero-T mentality. The whole concept should be put to sleep.
December 14, 2004 @ 7:00 am | Comment
7
By Pata
Why is America hellbent on being the laughingstock of the entire world?
Because the Philippines does it so much better than they do, and we all know how Americans hate to be less than No. 1 at anything!
December 15, 2004 @ 8:13 pm | Comment