Civil rights attorney Ben Crump was retained by the family of a Florida high school student who was injured by a school official and appears to have passed out after her head hit the concrete
January 29, 2021, 4:36 pm
3 min read
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KISSIMMEE, Florida – Civil rights attorney Ben Crump was retained by the family of a Florida high school student who was injured by a school official and appeared to lose consciousness after her head hit the concrete in videos of other students.
Crump tweeted Thursday that he and Orlando attorney Natalie Jackson are representing the 16-year-old black student at Liberty High School in Kissimmee, south of Orlando.
Crump has previously represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Jacob Blake.
“It is incomprehensible what happened to this young girl through someone whose main job is to serve and protect our children,” Crump said in a statement. “Students, especially minorities, have a hard enough time feeling safe in our schools.” Do we really need to add a school officer to the list of fears they face every day? “
In a Tuesday video posted on social media, the vicarious body slams the student, whose head hits a concrete path with an audible bang. The deputy then pulls the student’s hands behind her back and handcuffs them. Other students watching what happened in the school’s outdoor breeze scream in shock.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said neither the student nor the sheriff had serious injuries and were “okay”. The investigation into the incident was turned over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The sheriff said the MP identified as Deputy Ethan Fournier tried to prevent the student from fighting another student and the student refused to obey the MP’s orders.
Fournier, who has worked for the sheriff’s office for a decade, has been on paid administrative leave pending the investigation.
A statement by a coalition of national and local teachers’ unions also criticized what was happening in the high school. The coalition included the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the Florida Education Association, and the Osceola County Education Association.
“While we are still gathering information, one thing is already clear by watching this video: there is no excuse for what happened to this young woman,” the statement said. “It is despicable to beat them regardless of what happened before.” This is excessive violence and the officer must be held accountable. It is difficult not to conclude that implicit and explicit prejudices played a role in this tragic argument. “
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