17 Stratford High School Students vs. Goose Creek, et al.

[Pilgrim]

Has anyone been tracking this South Carolina case which was filed in U.S. District Court last December. This is the class action suit by seventeen students filed after the Goose Creek PD raided the high school and put the students on the floor at gun point.

See http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/7430579.htm for details.

Pilgrim

 

[insidious_calm]

GRRRRR!

Sadly I had forgotten until you posted this. I remember analyzing the footage. You could actually see the officers did not have their fingers indexed. Those scumbags were pointing guns at those kids with their fingers on the trigger.

There was no need whatsoever for ANY weapons to be drawn. I saw no resistance of any kind from any students. The LEO actions were abhorrant. The only purpose was intimidation. And all these LEO's wander why the average citizen curses them under their breath and looks upon them with general distrust. I wonder....


I.C.

 

[insidious_calm]

duplicate

duplicate

 

[Warbow]

Is that the same one where one student is in a uniform (JROTC, maybe?) and the cop with the buzzcut puts him down on the floor with his pistol out?

 

[hammer4nc]

So far, about the only fallout from this incident, is that the school principal resigned, and was transferred to an administrative position (no real punishment). The state Atty General (McMaster) wound up investigating the incident, and after 7 months, decided to give the police a verbal rebuke, but no criminal punishment:
Excerpt:

McMaster announced July 2, after seven months of studying the case, that it was not illegal for police officers to rush into the school with guns drawn, even though it created a “dangerous tinderbox situation.â€

McMaster also called the raid “grossly inappropriate†and said the tactics were “well suited for a crack house but not a schoolhouse.†Still, he said, without criminal intent, prosecution was not appropriate.

McMaster considered numerous charges, including those cited by Randolph, but said they require proof of malice. Spokesman Trey Walker said the charge “disturbing a school†does not apply to police officers conducting drug searches.

I think the school announced a change in policy, regarding drug-dog searches...that may be the only real consequence. In summary, officials were given a pass on behavior that would have resulted in felony charges if committed by average citizens. Pretty much par for the course? As it stands now, at least two civil suits, on behalf of students are pending. I think the ACLU is involved in one of them.

 

[Pilgrim]

I contacted the reporter who wrote the story I linked to. She said the case is pending, no change since the original filing in December.

Pilgrim

 

[Pilgrim]

I did some digging and found a summary of a news article that said an attempt to settle the case through the services of a mediator failed in April.

Pilgrim