Police officer kneels on 12-year-olds girl's neck during a food fight at school
This moment broke our hearts and left us in shock.
“All I could think about was George Floyd”
Camera footage of an altercation at a school has gone viral.
How an off-duty police officer ended a food fight with this child has sparked complete outrage on the internet.
Watch this heart-breaking moment below:
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Video of Kenosha middle school fight appears to show an off-duty Kenosha police officer subdue a student by placing his knee on her neck.
— Drake Bentley (@DrakeBentleyMJS) March 8, 2022
Check https://t.co/r4yWE4w7my for updates. pic.twitter.com/zBy0TZj4BE
It wasn’t how it was started that was the problem, but rather how it was stopped.
The extremism and brutality of police officers is not an unheard of reality to us, but the fact that this aggression occurred with a 12-year-old girl has devastated us.
When will this violence end?
The fight broke out between two school girls at lunch break.
The footage from Lioncoln Middle School in Kenosha, USA shows the fight only lasting a few seconds.
We may not know how the fight started but we definitely know who broke it up.
It was an off-duty Kenosha PD officer, who was moonlighting as a security guard at the school.
After falling to the ground, the officer appears to roll the 12-year-old facedown, before kneeling on the back of her neck.
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The girl's father reported that the girl suffered a neck sprain and head injury, however she was in the clear in terms of long-term injury.
The girl's father stated: "That man treated my daughter like she was a felon. Like she was an armed.She's 12 years old. No weapon in her hand. There was no reason for that force through his knee on her neck."
He also stated that it does not take much to subdue a 12-year-old girl, especially since he is a professional.
We are perplexed as to why one would resort to such tactics.
The pain and anger felt must be immense for the family, especially since everyone is drawing a parallel from this incident to George Floyd's death.
"Just imagine if he stayed on her neck a few more seconds or a minute, and he would have killed my daughter. This cannot keep happening."
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The young girl has since been arrested on a juvenile disorderly conduct charge and has been released.
Consequently, the officer was placed on paid leave.
"This part-time KUSD employee, who was hired as an off-duty Kenosha police officer, is currently on a paid leave from the district. We appreciate your patience as we work with the Kenosha Police Department to investigate the facts surrounding this incident," a spokesperson from the school said.
We hope that this incident will shed light on prioritising safety of children in the school environment.
Subsequently, the tactics used by police officers to mitigate situations needs to be addressed.
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Image courtesy of @DrakeBentleyMJS / Twitter