No U.S. charges for South Carolina ex-deputy seen throwing student

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said it would not bring federal civil rights charges against a former sheriff's deputy seen in a 2015 viral video flipping a South Carolina high school student out of her chair and tossing her in a classroom.

The department said that while it looked at whether former school resource officer Benjamin Fields used unreasonable force, there was no evidence to indicate that he willfully deprived the student of her civil rights.

The video of the arrest by the white officer of the black student in October 2015 at Spring Valley High School in Columbia raised questions of possible racial bias and reignited concerns that the proliferation of police in U.S. schools could criminalize behavior once handled more quietly by school officials.

"This decision is limited strictly to an application of the high legal standard required to prosecute the case under the federal civil rights statute," the department said in a statement.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-south-carolina-police-idUSKBN14X2D8

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U.S. | Fri Jan 13, 2017 | 2:58pm EST

[guillaumeb]

1. "Ex-deputy" is interesting.

One assumes that he resigned or, better, was fired. If it is possible for the student to pursue a civil case against the ex-deputy and the school district that might be another thing to consider.

[Eugene]

2. He was fired.

The local prosecutor also declined to press criminal charges.

[OregonBlue]

3. Hey, it's South Carolina, what did anyone expect?

[cstanleytech]

4. Since these were potential federal charges I doubt the state he worked in was material in the

federal governments decision not to file federal civil rights charges.

[Uponthegears]

5. There is another sad side to this sad story

This LEO was able to get away with attacking a black female teenager in large part because South Carolina had made it a CRIME to talk back to your teacher.

Most people, including (finally) moderates in our own party, will concede that things like the crack/powder sentencing disparity is an example of racial bias in the criminal justice system. A smaller group will say the same about the war on drugs.

Few people, however, know and/or will admit that the first step in maintaining the subjugation of the black population is the criminalization of petty misconduct that everyone engages in. Because the conduct is universal, the racists who hold a majority of the positions empowered to arrest and/or prosecute (yes, I am suggesting that a majority of law enforcement and prosecutors are racists), are able to choose people like this young black woman to chain up with a juvenile, but in the case of most people of color, criminal record.

It's not just a few bad cops or even just cops in general; it's everyone who bangs the drum for strict criminal laws and harsh punishments.

[heaven05]

6. and all RWers including trumpfuhrer

are banging the drum for stricter criminal laws and harsher punishments, for PoC, especially AA, again.

[Uponthegears]

7. Being led by the worst of them

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions