Special Needs Student Beaten by Illinois police over dress code

Originally posted by fraterormus
What was a Police Officer doing on campus? I understand that many schools have Security, but the Police are only there when called. Did the child refuse to comply to a school administrators request to abide the dress code and then phoned the Police? If so, then the Officer's reaction, although excessive, wouldn't be as disgusting a response as it would seem otherwise.

Still, treating anyone, let alone a minor in such a way isn't doing any Law Enforcement any service. All he is accomplishing is making the minor, and everyone who has seen this video hate Law Enforcement all the more.

The fact that the child is a Special Needs child shouldn't pertain, although the Officer should have considered such (which is usually why such matters should be left to the school administration who is aware of what the child's Special Needs are and how best to deal with them). Most Special Needs children are quite functional, just with discipline problems. In our day and age the kid in class that would beg for Detention or flip the teacher the bird until they were dragged out into the hall to get a paddling are now classified as Special Needs. They were the ones we previously called a "Problem Child". They aren't bad kids, nor are they "Special Ed" kids, but just kids that require being handled differently than your average kid.

My daughter for instance, is classified as "Special Needs" because woe be unto any young female that tries to discipline her, although she's a model student with any mature female or male disciplinarian of any age. Her school knows that if you want her to comply with something and you are a young female teacher, to get an older teacher or a male teacher to assist. If a young female Officer tried getting my daughter to comply the same probably would have happened as in the video as my daughter doesn't consider young females to have any authority over her (she has mother issues obviously). She would have ignored them, walked away, and depending on the LEO who knows what would have happened.

At least neither side is playing the "Race Card"...after the initial video I was expecting that one to be played.

So, the person who said that we might be jumping to conclusions prematurely without having all the facts I can see as having a valid point.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the LEO did overreact. The extent of his overreaction is only the thing that would be determined by weighing all the circumstances involved. The punishment certainly didn't fit the "crime". If a student doesn't meet the dress code for a school, and refuses to comply, then send them home suspended until they decide they are willing to comply. You don't clobber them from behind, tackle them, and restrain them for failing to tuck in their shirt.

Not true In most areas, there are 2-3 officers assigned to particular schools. Especially high schools.

That he is a special ed child is VERY relevent-there are specific laws pertaining to the treatment of special ed. While I dont necessarily agree with it, many of the kids are special ed because as an educator, there are specific steps your have to go through before you can take any action against an abusive or neglectful parent.

The other side, without a doubt, is that schools get extra funding for special ed. More special ed-more money.

Having officers on campus is very dangerous for this reason. They dont know which kids are special ed. For example, I have 2 students who are classified E.D.(emotionally disturbed). They function like every other student most of the time. But when things go bad, they really balloon, and they both have major trust issues.

If a cop asked either of them to do anything, they would simply walk away, because they dont know the cop, and dont trust strangers. That in no way means they are disrespecting the cop. But the cop would have no way of knowing that. If he were to then get more authoritative with either of the kids, it would escalate, without a doubt.

reply to post by fraterormus


You make a valid point point about the child being "special needs". My sister was placed in "special needs" classes because she had discipline and "learning problems". Mainly she was just a teenager with one hell of an attitude who didn't like doing school work in any way shape or form. And it wasn't a parenting problem because I never had disciplinary problems as a child. My sis was just wired differently.

I think this kid was one of those "special needs" kids. I agree that we don't have all the facts, but I can't imagine what facts might justify the officers actions.

reply to post by andy1033


It's not an excuse, that just how it is, there is blatant disrespect on both sides. I admit that it seemed to me overly excessive under any circumstance.


To the two posters above, I understand the "special needs" part of it, but this boy did not seem to have experienced this with the reporter. My concern, is that in the video it was stated that he had experienced some sort of brain trauma as a child and developed a learning disability due to this (and that was a hard hit). But, as I said, this school has a majority of students that were kicked out of other schools for behavioral issues (often expulsion based on zero tolerance rules) and are therefore labeled and end up here. The police are constantly present, which is not uncommon in this and the surrounding areas. They take babysitting duty once or twice a week on a rotation.

Originally posted by searching4truth
reply to post by andy1033

 

It's not an excuse, that just how it is, there is blatant disrespect on both sides. I admit that it seemed to me overly excessive under any circumstance.


To the two posters above, I understand the "special needs" part of it, but this boy did not seem to have experienced this with the reporter. My concern, is that in the video it was stated that he had experienced some sort of brain trauma as a child and developed a learning disability due to this (and that was a hard hit). But, as I said, this school has a majority of students that were kicked out of other schools for behavioral issues (often expulsion based on zero tolerance rules) and are therefore labeled and end up here. The police are constantly present, which is not uncommon in this and the surrounding areas. They take babysitting duty once or twice a week on a rotation.

A police officer should be able to assess each situation separately. He is obligated by his training, the gun he carries, and the tax payer's needs (who pay him after all) to look at every situation from every possible angle before acting. This is also for his personal safety and the safety of others. To say that the school is full of "problem kids" is like excusing him for his actions.

I think the problem is that the climb in criminal behavior has led law enforcement to become lenient with who gets a badge and who doesn't. It's time for things to change. Police officers must be properly vetted before they are allowed a gun and authority. If not they are just as dangerous as the criminals they are payed to arrest.

By the way I know it sounds like alot to ask of them, but they are payed to do a specific job, they are given training that costs thousands of dollars, if they don't like the pay they should choose another carrier. I know cops that don't pay a cent for University education. The same with overweight cops. Who actually thinks that an overweight cop can protect them from anything?

[edit on 10/8/2009 by 3vilscript]

Originally posted by Roadblockx

I'm not saying adopt a whole police state, drop that lame @ss talk. I'm saying that we don't need to flip the police off just because we can, we don't need to bad mouth the police in front of kids or children as they will follow our behavior, we should be respecting the police. Yes there are some bad apples but tell me one profession that doesn't.

[edit on 8-10-2009 by Roadblockx]

That is a good point. People don't need to disrespect the police simply because they can.

But isn't the reverse is also true? That officers don't need to mistreat people simply because they can?

As for bad apples, yes you are right. You get a "bad apple" mechanic - you are out money and your car doesn't work. You get a "bad apple" cop and you get beat up, thrown and jail, possibly permantly injured and maybe the rest of your life ruined depending on bad a bad apple he is. The point being that, a bad apple officer has the power to do far more harm to you than a bad apple in most any other profession.

I think the feeling is the general public doesn't really see these bad apples getting dealt with in a way they feel that makes the public safe from them.

In my first job out of college I worked with the local sheriffs dept. Some of the officers I meant were without a doubt some of the finest men and women I've ever met. Others were among the worst I've ever met. Yet there seemed little effort to weed out those bad ones.

There is absoluetly no excuse for the officers behavior,

There was threat to him or to other students, he even took the time to set his coffe down before assaulting the kid.


I hope his family wins such a huge lawsuit that it shuts down the school, and the officer should lose his job.
He assualted a child, end of story.

reply to post by Frogs


I was eating at a resuraunt once near a police substaion, and several off duty officers were having drinks after work.
They were discussing how the then head of Violent Crimes Suppresion Unit, VCSU, the first group of police in the US to carry automatic weapons on patrol, and most of his hand picked officers were THUGS that should never be on the force.
One of the officers I was over hearing was assualted by a member of the vcsu, a couple of months later for filing a sexual harrasment suit against one of the vcsu officers.The VCSU was out of control, they would patrol 6-8 officers in a black van. one time they followed a friend of mine as he rode his bicycle to my house, he stopped at a phone booth to call me and tell me he was being folled by an unmarked black van, and that he wasntg going to come by just in case something was up.
As soon as he put hung the phone they pulled jumped out tackled him and grabbed him up, for felony theft.
He was bounced by the booking officers as soon as they got to him.

no charges


the vcsu was disbanded

but many of the officers are still on the force.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


Wow, just wow.

The kid didn't tuck his shirt in so the officer uses extreme physical force. I mean if the officer wanted to take him down then why not just grab an arm and use a simple joint lock? That would also have been out of order but the level of force here was simply unmatched to the situation. If a civilian had done this then they would be up for assault.

Just imagine if a teacher had asked him to tuck it in and then slammed him into the wall like that, following up with a couple of punches. That teacher would be in prison and rightfully so! The kid has special needs problems for heavens sake.

Once again we see that bullies are attracted to positions of power and the vetting system that is in place is not working.

We should also remember that there are many fine officers in the world and we should not tar them all by this morons example.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

Personally I see in the video a cop that lost his cool. He attacked that kid not because he was a threat to the cop or anyone else - he wasn't even confrontational - but for an infraction of whatever rules that school imposes. Did he say anything to the cop to set him off? Impossible to tell, but there was hardly any interaction between them in the video, just a slacker kid turning a corner and walking away from the cop. Maybe the cop told him to get his shirt tucked in, and the kid didn't respond in an appropriately "obedient" manner.

What's most disturbing is the way the cop comes at the kid from behind, slamming him headfirst into a locker then throwing him face first onto the ground while punching him in the head, then putting him into a deadly face-down restraint. I'm sure a big dude like that could have gotten the kids attention without going ballistic on him.

Maybe the kid has a history of discipline problems, I don't know and it would be highly presumptuous to assume so. He seemed composed enough in the interview, but only a doctor could make any real assessment to his needs. I've met more than a few kids who seemed normal under most circumstances, but when they go off kilter, look out. A lot of the time, it really is the parents that should be blamed.

If you treat kids with violence, they're not going to learn respect, they're only going to learn how to use violence themselves.

BTW I think there are a lot of really good cops out there who go "above and beyond" to help out others, it's a shame they get dragged down when one cop goes haywire. Cops in tough neighborhoods get put into confrontational situations all the time and handle it like real pros, they know that a little respect goes a long way. That's how you handle kids, lead by example.

What they,t hey ssytem aught to do is, instea of shutting down a pulbic school, form lack of city adn state funs, shut THIS school down...lay off the administraitors as punishment for looking out for the student, which is what thier supposed to be doing in the first place, outside of their ofice tasks, and close the school..shut it down. Its obvious already the place is jynxed* a horrible place to get any kind of real mental learning capabiliys* iF that cop has been thier acting in this manner or near it for some time...the only reason the truth came out, is becuase of the video and media to our eyes. I do indeed wondeer, what they have been learning at leat for as long as that lazy gut over his belt copper has been thier..he strikes me as the kind of scum, that makes the few he finds visualy unpleasant for his eyes, in a secluded room, doing things to them: ( sexually abusing one with his police stick, maybe rape 2 or 3 of them, having 1 or 2 giving him sexuial pleasure, if they dont they wont graduate or walk out of the school alive ever again...threats and the such. HEll, bieng in retail, for a CVS in southwest CT, it happnes time to time..wanna keep your job? drop em,bend over ect. it has happened..at leat form what i hear...that sad thing is, the state nor city really cares: ( msot are illgal immigrants, they know they wont say anything.
I really think, the city ro states should kep tabs on people in hostile school and work environments* thats the sad trtuh ladies and gentelman... today its called eduation and business*

Yedahj, i wondered that too..what did the kid say ro do to the cop that wasnt seen on video? It dosnt matter....he is a special eds need kid...need anyone say more? watching his vid, really i doubt he is capable of much of any violence by comaprison to the cop. AS the saying and law goes..who threw the first punch? thats what matters, when in court* tis still assault, even self defense, in the laws eyes, sometimes, butt he judge is most likely going to want to know, who threw the frist swing* that usualy means, yuor in trouble then... not all the time. a freind of mine, like 3 or 4 yers ago, woke up one night, near where i live. Latino dude was breaking into his truck. MY freind went out,a nd bashed him over the head with a baseball bat, wooden one. almsot cracked his skull open, and at court, all he got ( my friend) was 6 months probation)* so i can differ i guess. BUt it was self dfense, as the due was illegal here in US, and he was defending his property.
Back on subject.. The only times i can remember any reason a cop to be in any school, was from the early 90's..ide read in newspapers, perticualry NYC, teens bringing guns, ammo, axes n crazy stuff with em to school. Alot of schools got metal detectors* For an officer of the alw, to be in a special needs school, is absurd..its like the city is trying to justify af aovred payroll or something. IN my city, stamford, CT, the city caters! to the cops and allows them mad overtime .. meanwhile in any toher jobn, overtime is thie, but silently prohibited. Why didnt this school, have a secuirty officer instead? I think the city should lay off this cop, and hire a security officer then.. as well as the school adminsitration, again for failing to look after thier schools peers, and incinuating/allowing violence with underagers* god, i really wonder what else went on behind the walls of that effin POS school.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


I refuse to believe the officer simply lost his cool, that gives him an excuse, the idea of the red mist decending. I can prove he didn't simply lose his cool. Watch the video, he puts down his drink and then assaults the kid, that means he had enough mental clarity to not want too spill his drink and have to inconvenience himself getting another one.

This was all about power and one mans view that people should just obey him. How dare a kid ignore his position in society! He never stopped to think the kid has special needs, in a special needs school. However let us for a moment speculate that the kid flipped the cop off and told him to go insert some large, spiky object within himself.

Here in the UK officers regularly get this abuse and i have seen them just speak calmly, with forceful but respectful tones and usually this resolves the situation. I have seen drunks, absolutely, disgustingly verbally abusing police for a full 5 minutes. The police try and calm them down, warn them over and over and only arrest them if they don't stop.

Forgive me but in the USA it seems slightly that violence is more readily used by officers. I am not saying all US officers are like that, it just seems that generally speaking that they are less patient.

I didn't see anyone post this yet, but I just skimmed, so I hope I'm right.

Apparently...

1) He's been jailed for alleged rape
2) He shot his ex-wife's new husband 24 times and called it self defense

Source

The officer who brutally beat special needs student Marshawn Pitts has been identified as 38-year-old Christopher Lloyd, according to Chicago Breaking News, which spoke to Lloyd's father.

The news agency reported that Lloyd is currently in jail after being charged with the rape of a woman he knew and is facing a 20-year sentence should he be convicted.

The Chicago Tribune-backed service adds: "A lawsuit filed by his ex-wife, Nicole McKinney, last summer alleges he gunned down her new husband Cornel McKinney in front of their children outside their home on the 6100 block of South Langley Avenue on Feb. 17, 2008."

An autopsy revealed Lloyd shot the man 24 times, the agency found. He was not jailed at the time as Chicago police accepted his explanation that the killing was in self-defense.

Lloyd also reportedly told his father that the boy he was filmed assaulting had a history of behavioral problems and had cursed at him when told to tuck in his shirt.

Oh, okay Mr. Officer. Since he said a curse word at you I know completely understand why you body slammed him and threw him on the ground face first while punching him. I'll remember that it will be okay for me to do such a thing next time some 15 year kid curses at me.

This guys sounds like a complete psychopath to me.

Apparently the cop is now jailed on rape charges. chigago tribune

[Edit] I see you just posted that

[edit on 9/10/2009 by PsykoOps]

Originally posted by nunya13
Oh, okay Mr. Officer. Since he said a curse word at you I know completely understand why you body slammed him and threw him on the ground face first while punching him. I'll remember that it will be okay for me to do such a thing next time some 15 year kid curses at me.

This is what bothers me about the entire situation and not just this officer but many others. They, if someone even swears at them (which is admitedly wrong) can violently assault that person and get away with it. If however some little moron on the street swears at me repeatedly while his little friend next to him laughs i can't go over and give them the spanking that they're sorely in need of. No i have to be an adult, walk away and forget it.

The legal system seems very slanted towards the police.

chigago tribune



I would like to hear all of the police aplogists continue to explain how each case is taken by a case by case basis and how we should all give this cop the benefit of the doubt and how we should not judge the police because we do not walk in their shoes.....

I know I damn sure don't walk in those shoes.... I don't beat up children and rape women!

If I judge Law enforcement with a harshness it is because stories like this have become common place.... Worse then that.... As common as they have become I see to many people willing to side with the police at the detriment of the people victimized.



[edit on 9-10-2009 by titorite]

I simply don't see why everyone can't understand that this was compleatly racially motivated. As we all know, we stopped being a country of white, black, brown, yellow a long time ago. There are two races out there. Those in control and those not. The child in question was one of the nots and the cop in question is one of the Those. I don't know about anyone else, but should I go and shoot my ex-wifes husband 24 times I am fairly certain that there wouldn't be any roaming about the streets for me a year after the shooting. Chances are I wouldn't make it to the jail. If I ran out and raped some young lady I am fairly certain that I would be in jail the next day. Hell if I write three bad checks in ten days time they will put me in "PRISON" for up to five years. No, not jail, prison. The cop in question however was allowed to keep his position and abuse his athority in yet even another horrid fashion.

This mearly shows the clear definition between them and us. We are all at their mercy, and truly there is very little we can do about it individually. Things simply will not change until we band togeather against those who would make us into the serfs of the dark ages. Either we stand togeather against such horrors or we fall alone, each facing our own personal demons.

reply to post by titorite


I think Police should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us, not the same.

It seems to me it's the cops who need to learn respect for citizens more than citizens need to learn respect for cops. Just because they are in the position they are doesn't make them better or more deserving of respect than any of us.

But speaking Thursday, Charles Lloyd said he had seen the video and discussed the incident with his son, who he said was "just trying to do his job as a police officer and is completely innocent."

"My son said, 'Sir, you need to tuck your shirt in,' and this boy (cussed at him and said) 'I'm not going to tuck my shirt in, you can't make me,' " Charles Lloyd said.

"That boy struck my son in the eye and broke his glasses -- he had a history of behavior issues," he alleged.

Christopher Lloyd was arrested last month and charged with sexually assaulting a woman he knew at her home in Hammond, his father said.

According to Lake County, Ind., court documents, he held a pillow over the woman's face while sexually assaulting her Sept. 14 and had previously threatened her with a knife.

What a piece of ****.

"That boy struck my son in the eye and broke his glasses --" Load of BS. Never happened in the video.

Hope this lowlife thug rots in jail.

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer


"That boy struck my son in the eye and broke his glasses --" Load of BS. Never happened in the video.

And even if it DID happen, it most certainly never happened before the officer slammed him into the lockers. It COULD have happened while the officer was attacking him and punching him or it COULD have happened just before he did the "face-down take-down" move.

Either way, still doesn't excuse the officers actions. You can't blame someone for poking you in the eye while your physically attacking them.

And him having "behavioral problems" still doesn't justify the officers actions. If anything it makes it a little worse because this officer KNOWS this a school specifically for kids with behavioral problems. He should expect this kind of behavior and not react so violently to it.

I want to know why he was allowed to be around those kids, especially kids who would test the limits of even a passive person, given his violent history.