Sheriff: Female Student Who Was Tossed By Cop Punched Him, He Is ‘Dating An African American Woman’

Opinion: We’ve seen this act too many times now to not recognize it for what it is.

You may remember the press conference given last year by Ferguson Chief of Police Tom Jackson, during which he conveniently dropped little hints and statements designed to destroy the character of Michael Brown, an unarmed teen whom one of his officers had shot dead, while subtly defending his officer all the same.

Different people, definitely different scale, and no one was murdered, or, reportedly, even seriously injured, but America has learned its lesson and we’re not going to fall for this again. 

Late Tuesday afternoon Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott held a press conference and explained his disgust with his deputy’s actions Monday.

That deputy sheriff, Ben Fields, made nationwide headlines yesterday after he flipped over a teenaged student in her desk, ripped her from it and dragged her across the classroom floor before planting her face on the ground, placing his knee in her back, handcuffing her, and arresting her, all because she refused to follow an order to leave the classroom. Her crime, according to students in the room, was either taking her cellphone out “for a second,” or chewing gum.

UPDATE: Spring Valley Student Assaulted By Deputy Sheriff Is A Recent Orphan

For good measure, Officer Fields also arrested the one student who was brave enough to stand up for her classmate and say, “no.”

Here’s what Sheriff Lott had to say.

“We’re going to be fair and we’re going to do the right thing.”

Really? For whom?

“If she had not disrupted that school, disrupted that class, we would not be standing here today,” Lott said. “So it started with her and it ended with my officer. What I’m going to deal with is what my deputy did,” except, that wasn’t his full purpose.

When asked by a reporter if race was a factor in the arrest by Fields, who is white, of the student, who is Black, Lott responded, “I don’t know… this deputy has been dating an African American female for some time.”

When asked about the federal lawsuit against Fields (the second, he won the first), Lott said it wasn’t at all similar to what happened Monday – except it kind of is, if you consider the accusations of racism in the case, actually, in both cases.

LOOK: Democratic Candidates Respond To Video Of Police Officer Violently Dragging Student From Her Desk

Lott suggested in the future it might be best to remove the students from the room the next time this happens. Why would there be a next time? And why would he like to remove everyone from the room? No witnesses wth cell phone cameras.

Lott also said his department’s investigation would be done in just 48 hours from the time the incident took place.

“This is not something that should drag out. By tomorrow I’ll have the results of our internal affairs investigation.”

Police officers are going to interview several dozen students – hopefully with their parents present – a teacher, and a vice principal, and the deputy sheriff, and all that will be done within 48 hours? Or maybe they won’t interview the students, that will make it go faster, right?

Lott also conveniently stated another video has “surfaced,” showing the unnamed student punching the police officer.

“It showed the officer as he puts his hands on her, her punching him,” Lott said.

What do you see? 

“Just because she was wrong in what she was doing doesn’t make what he was doing completely right also,” Lott added. 

Lott also says, stunningly, that the teacher and assistant principal involved have given written statements in support of Officer Fields’ actions.

Perhaps one of the most telling statements about Lott’s motivation is this:

“We have 87 SROs, the largest number in the state. We have an officer in every Richland Two and Richland One school.”

That’s 87 police officers whose salaries are paid. If Lott doesn’t “fix” this issue, he might lose those positions, or people might realize police officers in schools is a bad idea.

Watch a portion of the press conference:

Some responses to Lott’s comments via Twitter:

 

EARLIER:

Watch: Student Who Filmed Officer Dragging Girl Asks, How Did A Cop ‘Let It Get To That Point?’

Students: Cop Dragged Teen From Her Desk Over Cell Phone Or Gum – Has Civil Rights Lawsuit Pending

Video Catches South Carolina Cop Throwing 15-Year-Old Girl Across The Classroom

 

Image by Loren Thomas/Twitter