Criminalizing of a 10-Year-Old Child

 

Criminalizing of a 10-Year-Old Child

The “school to prison pipeline”

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From Woodshed Back to School

By Harry M. Covert

ALEXANDRIA, Va.

Time has come to pay attention to an age of accountability. Adults must seriously realize that boys and girls of 10 are categorically and truly children. No matter race, creed, color or national origin or anything else they are of tender age.

This is not a matter of merely following a pack of ravenous wolves that many public schools administrators seem to have become treating their children.

Case in point is the recent arrest of a 10-year-old boy at Alexandria’s Douglas MacArthur School.

The crime: having an obvious child’s toy plastic pistol in his backpack. He was taken into police custody, thankfully not handcuffed, finger-printed and held. School and juvenile authorities said they had trouble locating his mother. He was suspended from school and transferred to another.
It took juvenile court judge Uley Norris Damiami to release the child. A criminal record no less for him.

This audacious case is a cause celebe. School administrators, teachers and school board members should now to either the “woodshed” or back to school.

Melinda Douglas, Alexandria’s Chief Public Defender, is “outraged” by the incident and has some stringent and pointed comments. Her office represents the child and described the matter as “totally and extremely outrageous and over-reactive.” She’s correct.

Ms. Douglas expects the prosecution to be dropped by prosecution by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. She’s insisting the boy’s school crime record be expunged. It should be.

“There is no indication (in the facts) of anything other than a toy,” Douglas said. “The way it was handled is outrageous, totally outrageous, and shows the administration is worse than teachers and the juvenile system.”

Douglas has “grave concern” about the impact on the youngster. She said it is a clear example of the “school to prison pipeline” where immature, innocent children become “ostracized by classmates. They often begin acting out being tough criminals.” The road leads to lives of crime and the state penal system.

A child is indeed a youngster and not a “kid” as society is want to describe them. In one of the more egregious actions in the city’s history present day school administrators appear to have forgotten how to treat a child.

Instead of soothing and solving the matter of guns in schools Alexandria’s education leaders may have created the awful “school to prison pipeline.”

Without debate school safety is vital especially in these days when national attention is riveted on unimaginable school deaths not seen in the nation’s history. Rightly so. But, there is no reason for common sense to get out of hand and overreaction. Police authorities know the difference between serious crimes and child’s play.

Douglas’ youngest defendant in her Alexandria career involved an eight-year-old – a child mind you – who was arrested and charged with “mooning” out of the rear window of a yellow school bus.

Gentle reader, mooning isn’t to be confused with the youthful days of submarine counting at the Alexandria waterfront. Douglas’ child-client simply bared his bottom. I hope he wasn’t warped by insensitive school and the legal eagles who may have lost the ability to laugh and get into the real world.

This column has appeared in www.alexandriagazette.com

Have a Comment?  

Write: hmcovert@gmail.com

A Murky Case of the Movie Ticket 

Why Did Down Syndrome Man Die? 

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Case Drew Negative National Attention

FREDERICK, Md.

By Harry M. Covert

Knee-jerk reactions are difficult to overcome particularly when our own children are involved. Above all when physically and mentally challenged citizens have difficulties our hearts and minds are wrecked.

The recent tragic death of a 26-year-old New Market man has charged people from all over Frederick County, the state of Maryland and all over the country.

My email inbox and social media sites are flooded with urgent messages, advice and opinions about Robert Ethan Saylor’s death on the night of Jan. 12 at a Frederick movie theater.

Dealing with individuals of limited abilities is probably the most difficult for law enforcement. Any action is often grim.

Like everyone I was angry and appalled at Mr. Saylor’s asphyxiation death at the theater. Three security people, veteran off-duty sheriff’s deputies, were called to force him to leave after the movie or to buy another $11.50 ticket. 

Here’s where the incident becomes murky, fatal for the young man and questionable to the deputies.

Mr. Saylor was a Down syndrome citizen. His companion/social worker allegedly left him along asked theater staff to help remove him. They in turn called on security.

Soon as the off-duty deputies handcuffed a struggling Mr. Saylor, he suffered a “medical emergency”. A medical examiner ruled the incident homicide.

As with many Down syndrome men and women and boys and girls, they are often overweight and can panic easily when frightened. Mr. Saylor was considered obese. Three sets of handcuffs were used to subdue him.

 

However, to me the question arises why the rush to remove him from the movie? There is no evidence his seat was needed for another customer. Why didn’t officials wait a few minutes, give him an opportunity to relax and possibly change his mind? Why didn’t the theater manager just complement Mr. Saylor another ticket?

Second guessing at this point does no good for anyone, particularly the victim. It remains an infuriating situation.

After agonizing over the incident for a few weeks Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins placed the three deputies on administrative leave. Because of the national nature of the case and almost a thousand calls to his office, he had no choice.

“I do understand the negative outcry,” Sheriff Jenkins said. “The death of Mr. Saylor was very tragic.”

So what happens now? 

Certainly an improved sensitivity training is coming. Not only should all sworn law officers be involved in refresher classes, the general public should learn how to better recognize and deal properly with disabled citizens. More often than not many civilians face delicate situations and don’t know how to react.

Sometimes the most troubling situations can be solved with the simplest methods.

I did notice that theater owners are required to have a million-dollar liability insurance policy. That won’t be a salve to the deceased or to the living.

This column appeared in www.thetentacle.com

Have a comment?

Write: hmcovert@gmail.com

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