Video of North Carolina Police Officer’s Assault of Black Female Student Shows Why Cops Don’t Belong in Schools
WASHINGTON – Tuesday, a video was released showing police officer Ruben De Los Santos violently slamming Jasmine Darwin, a petite, Black female student on the ground before arresting her at Rolesville High School in Rolesville, North Carolina. The assault occurred immediately after Darwin reportedly attempted to break up a school fight. Advancement Project, a national multi-racial civil rights organization, released the following statement in response:
“This incident shows what students, advocates and communities are painfully aware of: that school police officers pose a threat to students who try to live their lives and go to school,” said Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of Advancement Project’s national office. “Students go to school for education, not to be attacked. Still, police use the same violent tactics they use against adults in criminal justice settings where there are actual threats. Police constantly prove themselves to be fundamentally ill-equipped, ill-trained and ill-suited to work with youth without putting them at risk,” Browne Dianis said.
“The historically racist police culture that has been used to justify the murder of Black people is the same culture that has entered our schools to criminalize and brutalize our children,” said Browne Dianis. “What happened at Rolesville High School is not unique to North Carolina. The criminalization and violent assault of Black and Brown children is happening in schools across the nation as more schools replace guidance counselors, social workers and psychologists with police. Schools should be a safe place for learning and growth for all children. This can’t happen until officers are taken out of schools.”
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Advancement Project is a multi-racial civil rights organization. Founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras.
