Just when you thought you’ve seen everything…
Administrators at Fairmount Park Elementary in her St. Petersburg, Fla., had a 5 year-old girl arrested for doing what many 5 year-olds do – having a tantrum. What’s different about this case is that most of the action just so happed to be caught on videotape.
According to 10News, the child wound up in handcuffs and leg restraints, which Police say was an appropriate response. The state’s attorney apparently disagreed and refused to prosecute the five year old. ABC News quotes the attorney for the family of the girl:
“The police officers’ actions are way over the top. Three police officers having to forcibly handcuff a 5-year-old little girl? I mean, come on,” said John Trevena, the family’s attorney. “Is there anything more that needs to be said about that?”
He was also critical of the actions of Dibenedetto and Tsaousis, who he said could have done more to calm the girl.
“I’m concerned that the educators shadowed and hovered around the young girl,” he said. “It certainly gives credence to the argument that they may have been provoking her to act out more. To me, it didn’t look like a de-escalation. It looked like an escalation, an attempt to get her to act out more. I just don’t understand why they didn’t distance themselves back further and allow things to cool off.”If you watch the video you’ll hear this quote from one of the three officers who “Do you remember me?” one of them asks the girl. “I’m the one who told your mom I’d put handcuffs on you.”
I watched through all of the video tapes, and a much as I want to give the benefit of the doubt to the school, there’s nothing on the tape that warrants the police treatment, in fact there’s nothing on the tape that warrants police presence. The initial outburst occurs before the first tape starts, but as the parent of two stubborn 3 1/2 year old boys there wasn’t anything on those tapes I’d never seen before, which I imagine is true for many of you as well.
What do you think?
Classroom Video [SPTimes]
Office Video [SPTimes]
Police Handcuff 5-Year-Old After Tantrum [ABC]
Video of 5-year-old getting arrested, leaving school in handcuffs [10 News]
I think you’re right, Mike. Except for the beer, I’m afraid (health reasons).
I also agree, Mike. I wouldn’t even mind Neil coming along 🙂 I think it would be even more fun to ‘whale the tar out him’ in person (verbally of course) 🙂
I have to give fatman credit for coming up with, ‘whale the tar out him’. That was pretty funny.
Neil
How about those links to the sites you claim support you being in the majority? I’ve been to quite a few, and have yet to find ONE! 🙂
Thanks, curious, though I must admit that I picked that one up from my grandfather (aka “Pappy”).
It now seems, though, that Neil has retired from the fray to lick his wounds or whatever he licks; I’ll check back every so often to see if he comes back.
In the meantime, it’s been a real pleasure to make all your acquaintences, and maybe we can do this again sometime.
See you around Mike, Anti Neil, curious and littleboy.
Hi fatman
I would like to send you my email address: debard@zoominternet.net. I hope you send me your phone # because I would like to keep in touch 🙂 I would also like to mail you something I think you will like.
That goes for the rest of you out there also 🙂
looks like curious wants to join your paedo ring fatman. Why dont you all keep in touch…you could swap dirty pics.
Let me translate Neil’s last post:
Thank you sir, may I have another!
NEIL!!! WELCOME BACK!!!
I thought we had lost you there. I mean, you DID say “’nuff said”. Then you didn’t post for almost TWO WHOLE DAYS! I thought you might have done something rash, like hiring a “working girl” so you could find out what it’s like to make it with a grown woman. And then it went badly, as these things tend to do for you, convincing you even more of the worthlessness of your life. And then you had…
But never mind. You’re back and that’s all that’s important.
By the way, I’m not into pedophilia (I wish you Brits would learn to spell). I actually prefer MILFs (I’m sure that with your experience at cruising porno sites, you know what I mean). I don’t suppose you…sorry. I forgot who I was talking to here.
Thought I’d post before Neil could.
They spell Pedophile as paedophile, Just like color and colour, zed and zee for the letter Z. Oh those whacky brits.
It’s Kind of like “Since you whipped our asses in 2 wars we’re gone be different from you”.
Example:
We bath – They Don’t
We drive on the Right side – Them the Left
Small aircraft propellers turn the opposite of ours.
They’re better at abusing children to death – See above post.
curious:
Please don’t take offense and thanks for the offer, but for the moment I’m going to have to pass. I’ve had some serious–though non-internet related–problems related to giving out my phone # and it’s made me a little leery. Same for my e-mail address. I do post regularly at this site on various subjects, so our paths should cross again. Maybe once we get to know each other better.
curious:
Please don’t take offense and thanks for the offer, but for the moment I’m going to have to pass. I’ve had some serious–though non-internet related–problems related to giving out my phone # and it’s made me a little leery. Same for my e-mail address. I do post regularly at this site on various subjects, so our paths should cross again. Maybe once we get to know each other better.
That sucks. The teachers should’ve locked the little fucker in the classroom, and taken bets over how long the little shit could keep it up.
It would’ve been a win-win situation in all directions because:
a)the teachers wouldn’t have had a whole bunch of stress trying to deal with the fucker and plus they would’ve made a quick buck too.
b)the kid would’ve gotten to tear whatever she wanted apart on her own terms. And besides, tantrums are for attention right? Well, the kid would’ve had a crowd of eager bettors watching her.
c)the cops wouldn’t have had to bother wasting gas getting down there and could’ve stayed in the back closet getting high.
I agree with you andy….if they’d left her alone and gone for a chuff (or whatever the so-called proffesionals over there do in their spare time) evrything would’ve been fine. Then when the mother finally turned up she could’ve been given the option of fixing everything up or paying for the damage. What could be easier than that?
“Be a realist, demand the impossible” (Che Guavara)
Neil follow this timeline:
– Teachers leave kid alone in some room
– Kid winds up hurting herself
– Mom finally shows up and demands to know why her kid was left unsupervised in a room by herself
– Mom sues school for negligence
It most likely would not have happened that way, but it’s possible. The way it was handled in this situatiton, no one got hurt. Imagine that? At the end of the day, everyone went home OK. But guess what, the mom is suing anyway. Bottom line, nothing short of an intervention from God would have stopped this mom from finding fault with someone other than herself and essentially suing. Even if the mom found the girl alone in a room unharmed when she got to the school, she would have most likely charged the school with placing her daughter in what looked like a prison cell and sued.
SPANK!
Mike, I actually agree with you about the compensation culture in the USA and in the UK these days. Come on though, did they honestly think that the mother wouldn’t sue if they handcuffed the child? I also agree that the whole system is wrong if it allows a child to take control, but remember, the child didn’t make the rules. It’s in our nature to push boundaries and limits….particularly in a culture like the USA. That’s how it was discovered (strange word for a place where people already lived), that’s how you put a man on the moon (fat lot of good that did too).
It’s up to the adults in society to set the acceptable boundaries and produce humane methods of ensuring the majority of people keep within them. Everyones been let down in this case, but can you blame the child? remember, she’s 5.
You’re Wrong.
Spanking children was one reason why Hitler became so strong. Children learned that it’s very painful not to obey. And they learned it good, they still knew it when they were adults. Following orders – any orders – was more important than sensibility to the pain and suffering of other humans. Following orders was more important than freedom.
Don’t get me wrong. There are many good things going on in your country. Handcuffing a little child does not belong to these things.
5 year old Children sometimes behave like that. This is perfectly normal and not a sign of unnormal agression or bad education. And… of course you may hold a child in such a situation and do what is necessary to prevent it from damaging something / hurting someone.
I hope this was not to offensive for you.
Greetings from Austria
Hey Mikey,
Ever heard of somethin’ called a release form?
One advantage to handcuffing the child as opposed to locking her in the classroom by herself: it greatly reduced–if not completely eliminated–the possibility that she might injure herself.
Sure, right, mmhmm, the most the little fucker could’ve done was pull something on herself, fall/scrape herself, and basically do just about anything to hurt herself even had there been supervision. So now what? Does the mother decide to sue because her kid scraped herself? She might as well sue for endangerment to her life. After all, walking on an uncarpeted area of the floor could be lethal. Right? Right?
Right.
Hey andy,
Considering that this woman went on A Current Affair and used her daughter as a prop to try and garner support, yes, I do believe the mom would sue for a scraped knee. Better yet, what about the psychological damage done to her by being placed in what the mother was sure to call a jail cell?
Anything is possible with what I’ve read about this woman.
I can hear her now: “I might not have been able to afford that abortion, but so long as I can sue on your behalf, you’ll EARN your keep you little shit!!”
Oh! that ones going to leave a mark!
As long as the authorities abuse kids people will always sue, no matter what their reasons.
Yeah. I wonder if that lady’s brazen enough to sue herself on her kid’s behalf?
Well… Well… Well…
It seems that Britian is intolerant of little brats who are disruptive as well!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1652127,00.html
“Disruptive toddlers to be treated as potential criminals, says report”
Well I guess I got the last Word…
I’ll just take my cheese and go!
the whole time the teacher could not touch the student. Therin lies a huge problm with the school system
How about a switch or a strap? I would wager that if the mother sat her little charmer down and talked to her then reinforced her talk with either a small willow switch or a leather strap and let her daughter kniw that this would happen any time she behaved in this fashion, the problem would soon end. The cops should not have to deal with this. That is what would have happened to me in my house. Guess what I am 59 years old and quite alive and well. This poor child is now stigmitized simply because her mother did not have the goond sense to whip her. I would rather be whipped privately at home than handcuffed by the police and out on worldwide TV–Talk about child abuse!!!!!!!
I am in shock! I have twin 5 year olds and I have seen tantrums that will could top that and with the right attitude and some space they can resolve! I started crying seeing this! I mean she was sitting and they put the fear in her but to actually hand cuff her! I am sure this will scar her for life. I am sure the teacher had her feeling trapped and then the police who are supposed to help hand cuff her! I feel so bad for her. They were smart in taping this but they sat outside and made a side show of this!
As a parent of a 5-year old, I do recognize that tantrums will happen. Strees in the household, or school, etc., can increase the chances of a tantrum. However, the kid is only 5 years old. They are not young adults or adults. A 5 year old is still like a baby in many ways. They do not think or rationalize like you and I do. They still need naps. They are not adults!! If my daycare provider reacted like this school did, they would have a law suit on their hands. At least daycare providers are used to dealing with tantrums. When did it get to the point that Kindergarten teachers missed this lesson on child behavior? Geez, teachers need degrees and licenses but still don’t know how to handle these young children? Yet, daycare providers don’t but still seem better able to handle these types of situation…why does this not make ANY sense??
Also, I do not need ANYBODY slapping, spanking, or doing any sort of hitting my child’s hands with a ruler. My child is very well behaved and has never been in trouble in any daycare centers or in his Kindergarten class. Yes, he is diciplined–but not physically. If I’m not willing to discipline him in that way, why should a teacher be allowed to do so? To me, it’s allowing the teacher to lose patience and temper. Not Okay in my book.
I do not feel that the teacher was trained for this type of behavior. The teacher needs continuous additional training, she was not able to create a new or safe enviornment for the child instead the teacher made the situation worse. I’m not saying the child was not in the wrong, it’s that the teacher does not handle the situation correctly.
As far as the child is conserned professinal councling would be a great idea. The child needs positive renforcement not hositlity. All comes down to the parents not having enough time and structure for their daughter. As far as the cops are concerned I feel that under the circumstances ,and the extent of the damage,the police had no choice but, to come in and create peace and take the child out of the setting.
I was beat up by a prattville police officer in july8 2006. I ended up with a broken leg and both arms were riped out of socket I have had 2 surgies on both arms and will never recover. I have a home health lady come and cant be left alone. I was found innocent for what i was arrested for and the police officer was written up for a feloney assualt but told me I would never get one of their officers arrested. So when I saw this I cried I knew the terror this little girl must have been through
IT’S A DAM SHAME TO SEE POLICE OFFICERS GRABBING ON LITTLE BABIES LIKE THAT. IF WE, AS A PEOPLE LET THIS CONTINUE’ IT WILL BE A WAR ON POLICE MEN, EVEN IF THERE’RE GOOD ONES. LEAVE THE BABIES THE HELL ALONE
Folks, any experienced educator will watch this child and notice nearly off the bat that she has low verbal skills for a 5 yr old…and there is a 92% correlation between having one developmental delay and having more…clearly she needs evaluated for a perhaps less inclusive setting, if she is to be successful. Duh. Whay was she in the class she was in in the first place?
Theres a good possibiity that this child is suffering from the effects of either some form or abuse, an emotional disturbance, PSTD or a form of Autism.
I am very experianced in the field of autism, and it worries me that the educators failed to see the red flags, and if this child is suffering from
any of the mentoned conditions, the las thing you would want to do is handcuff such a child! (Or any child!) what were these so called child professionals thinking thinking?
if i were the chife of police
id fire them police officers for doing that
well thats wrong
id just spank her ass 2 or 3 times with a wooden paddle and i bet she would think twice be fore having any more tantrums at school
the police officers that hand cuffed a 5 year
old should have to go to councling for at lest 10
years
and thay also should have to go to the local houspital and have their brain exzamined
cat scaned and exrayed
to try and find out why thay did a foolish
thing as hand cuff a deffencless little girl
this footage made me want to cry, what are those people thinking of,
this is child abuse, they had no no legal right to cuff that little girl.
those policeofficers should not only be sacked but prosecuted for assault.