St. Petersburg, Florida School assistant principal Nicole Dibenedetto and teacher Patti Tsaousis - both white - were incompetent in dealing with a 5 year old child. So they called the cops - shown here handcuffing this child who obviously is Black and clearly in extreme distress. This is shameful. Is her name "Jakeisha"?? This is Birmingham, Alabama and Soweto, South Africa all rolled up together. At least in those anti-racism struggles our Black children have had the presence of Black adults to love, value and try to protect them. - Photo courtesy ABC News (USA).
The following news item is from BBC News website: US Police Handcuff Five-Year-Old
"A lawyer has threatened to sue police officers who handcuffed an allegedly uncontrollable five-year-old after she acted up at a Florida kindergarten. ["The officers were caught on camera as they handcuffed the little girl."]
"The officers were called by the school after a teacher and assistant principal failed to calm down the little girl.
The incident was caught on a video camera which was rolling in the classroom as part of a self-improvement exercise at the St Petersburg school.
A lawyer for the girl's mother said the episode was "incomprehensible".
The video, made public by the lawyer this week, shows the unfolding of the violent tantrum, which started when the little girl refused to take part in a maths lesson.
She then ripped some papers off a bulletin board and started punching whoever tried to calm her down.
After calling her mother and learning she would not be able to pick up the child for at least one more hour, the teachers resorted to calling the police.
Three officers rushed to the scene, and apparently oblivious to the fact they were dealing with a child, handcuffed the screaming girl by pinning her arms behind her back.
They finally drove her to her mother in the back of a police cruiser.
The St Petersburg Police Department declined to comment on the incident and said an investigation was under way. "
![](http://<a href="http://www.thebobs.de/thebobs05/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.thebobs.de/thebobs05/banner/suggest_4.gif" alt="The BOBs - BEST OF THE BLOGS - Deutsche Welle International Weblog Awards 2005" border="0"></a>){kind=link}
![](http://<a href="http://www.blogwise.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.blogwise.com/buttons/88_31_1.gif" border="1" width="88" height="31" alt="Blogwise - blog directory"></a){kind=link}
I have two small children and have operated a program that provided an educational service to daycare centers. I have never seen a child behave as unruly as that little girl. If I were her mother I would have been ashamed. My children have never and never would behave this way in school. By the way get your facts straight. She was removed to the principals office which she began to quickly dimantle and she was NOT handcuffed in front of her peers. All of the other children had to be removed from the classroom for their safety.
Posted by: Joelle | 25 April 2005 at 15:07
What is sad is that some individuals actually condone this type of adult behavior, but are critical of the behavior of the five year old. Hence, she is five; she will act out. Although that doesn't make her behavior acceptable, many of us with children or experience in child development know that she is still developing. She is still learning self-discipline. She is still learning order. What are the chances she can every feel like law enforcement or educators can be trusted? Our society is in a sad state of affairs.
Posted by: Nettie | 25 April 2005 at 14:58
TO HANDCUFF A FIVE YEAR CHILD DURING SCHOOL AND IN FRONT OF PEERS TELLS YOU WHAT TYPT OF SO CALL PROFESSIONAL WE PRODUCE IN THE USA. THATS SO SAD.
Posted by: JOHN LAKES | 25 April 2005 at 14:24
I think a lot of you people are idiots. Your right all the adults were absolutely crazy dealing with this ridiculous kid who obviously has no respect or parenting. What the adults should have done is just let her keep going so she could bring a gun and shoot everybody that made her mad. Chris T you might should ask yourself what the --- is wrong with the kid. Sean froth away, if it were my kid they would not be acting like that in the first place and if they did what the police did to them would be the least of their worries. Grow up.
Posted by: David | 25 April 2005 at 13:54
I've read over several of the reports you've posted on this sort of occurrence and have to say that, though there are few things that still shock me, this really has.
What the hell is wrong with the adults in these situations? If you go to the level where you feel the need to freaking handcuff small children, no matter how "out of control" they are, you are admitting you are totally inept in your dealings with children and should not be allowed to supervise them in the first place.
And the fact that the police actually respond to these incapable adults makes my blood run cold. What the hell is wrong with *them* that they don't tell the schools involved to get a grip????
Posted by: Crys T | 25 April 2005 at 07:37
If this had been a 5 year old white boy assaulting black teachers, he would have been charged with a hate crime.
Assault is assault.
Posted by: sandra | 24 April 2005 at 05:11
That is sad. If that were my child I'd be frothing at the mouth. I can't even imagine how the child will deal with this, this was probably very traumatic for her.
Posted by: sean | 23 April 2005 at 14:25
Is this the first rebellious child they've ever had? Or, is it that the cameras just happened to be rolling this time?
Posted by: egalia | 23 April 2005 at 12:51