Teacher arrested in Abbeville, Louisiana.....

[gimmethesimplelife]

What do you'all make of the teacher arrested this past Monday night in Abbeville, Louisiana? I gotta say I'm glad for smartphone video - the whole ugly fiasco has been downloaded to the Internet for the whole world to see. Suffice it to say this teacher may find herself significantly richer not too far off and what's heart warming is that even in the conservative deep South, most of Abbeville, Louisiana seems to be siding with the teacher and against town officials!!! It's so heart warming to see people turning on officials and demanding human rights/the rule of law to be followed.

I await this teacher's settlement with anticipation and am of the mind that a penny less than 7 million dollars US is revictimazation. And I will close this with - duh? Why are there still officials of any kind out there who don't understand the power of smartphone video and the power of social media/the Internet. It's not as hard as it once was for everyday people to retaliate legally against evil such as what this teacher endured - you'd think by now officials would realize that the balance of power has shifted and there ain't (said on purpose, I know it's an illiteracy) no (ditto for the double negative) going back........Rob

[Chicken lady]

Where exactly is that 7 million going to come from? I’m going to guess either the school system or the school system’s insurance (which will then raise premiums and impoverish a lot of schools a little bit.)

from what i’ve Seen, I definitely side with the teacher, but as a teacher, i’m more a fan of restorative justice - if there are consequences they should involve removing power from those responsible for it’s abuse, better transparency in school board practices, and more equitable pay. I’d also like to see this great outpouring of support for the teacher turn into an outpouring of support for the schools, the other teachers, and the students. The teachers haven’t had a raise for years? Why? Where is the tax money going? Is there any tax money? If the community isn’t passing school levies, where do they think the money for schools is coming from?

[sweetana3]

Insurance Ha. The money will come from the taxpayers.

[Chicken lady]

Presumably the school system has liability insurance which would cover the board as an entity and possibly the board members. In which case, the cost will be distributed over a wider set of taxpayers than if the school system had to pay directly.

but yes, ultimately if you sue a public institution/employee for money - that money comes from the community of individuals “served” by that institution/individual.

(i was raised by teachers, lawyers, doctors, and insurance agents. I am very cynical.)

[ToomuchStuff]

Zero dollars, because those who should be participating will be working on getting out of Jury duty.

Cities/counties tend to self insure. I was hit by a city vehicle decades ago, and that I expect played some part in some rules changing. (was a juvenile property owner at the time)

[dado potato]

Deyshia Hargrave speaking at a rally (followed by a state politician)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E5yLZ9Pk

The Governor of Louisiana did not hesitate to say the arrest was unfortunate. I believe Deyshia will receive an apology from the School Board President, who directed the "school resource officer", Reggie Hilts, to eject her from the meeting. Deyshia was booked on 1 count of resisting an officer and 1 count of remaining on premises after forbidden. She was bonded out of custody. She will not be prosecuted. It seems likely that her appeals to "Come out... You have a voice!" will resonate, and public involvement in School Board meetings will increase, not just in Vermilion Parish.

In my opinion, the Abbeville City Marshall's Office may be deficient in its ability to recognize when a citizen is complying. And more generally the City Marshall needs to think about how well the "police culture" of the deputies is oriented toward democratic ideals such as freedom of speech and peaceful protest.

[Yppej]

These school resources have criminalized a lot of normal rambunctiousness by students, who have physical education cut and have to sit for long periods, and so goof off in the hallways. I saw it in several of the public schools my son attended. In one case a pencil sword fight resulted in a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for students in middle school.

[Chicken lady]

In the absence of a “school resource officer” my son was suspended his third week of school - which didn’t occur until 9th grade - for “fighting, and destruction and vandalism of school property” once.

He and another student were swiping each other’s collage pieces and gluing them on randomly. (My son was pretty sure this was in fun) Then the other kid got up for something (more collage pieces?) and my son put some (washable school) glue on the kid’s chair. When the other kid got back, he (immediately saw the glue, and instead of sitting down,) yanked my son out of his chair and began punching and kicking him. My son dropped to the floor and rolled into a ball and the sub sent them both to the office. Everything not in parenthesis came from the sub.

i think the whole philosophy is a problem, not just the cops.

[Williamsmith]

I watched the video clip. I don’t understand why the teacher was arrested but there was a gap in the video. I do understand why she was booked even after the school district advised they didn’t want her prosecuted. An on view arrest is when an offense in committed in the presence of an officer authorized to enforce a statute. Once the officer decided to take her constitutional right away from her and take her into custody, he must proceed with due process. If he “unarrests” her, she can rightly claim false arrest. The charges can be withdrawn by the prosecutor.

If I were a Superintendent or school board member, I would be embarrassed by the incident. The superintendent needs to decline the raise and take he high road. 110K is plenty of money given that resources in his district are limited.

[Yppej]

110K is plenty of money given that resources in his district are limited.

And given the low cost of living in Louisiana. It's not like he's trying to support a family someplace expensive like San Francisco or New York City.