Texas cops arrest 11-year-old honors student and put him in solitary confinement for three days
Texas cops arrest 11-year-old honors student and put him in solitary confinement for three days
A fifth-grader reported being bullied by his principal. Five days later, he was handcuffed and detained.
Garza called law enforcement, who detained him and placed him in solitary confinement for three days at the Darrell B. Hester Juvenile Detention Center in Brownsville.
Why the fuck does a juvenile detention center even have solitary confinement... America is so fucked up...
I work in with traumatized teens. There are times where they need to be isolated from their peers, but I agree that solitary is not therapeutic. Research and experience easily demonstrate that.
The reality is, though, that these systems are so underfunded and understaffed that these detrimental tactics are the only viable option.
I'm not defending the practice. I would never work in a system that uses solitary confinement with adolescents, but I have the luxury of choice.
As a guy with childhood trauma, abandonment issues, depression, and many other mental challenges, I appreciate the work you do. I feel like what I went through is small potatoes compared to being arrested and put in the hole for 3 whole days as a kid. I really feel for this little guy and hope that he gets through this ok.
That cunt sounds like she has a massive ego
Gotta start them young, you know. Freedom (to abuse basic human rights) yeah, Freedom!
“When the police officer had his body cam off, they were yelling and telling me, ‘We’re gonna go to the full extent. We’re gonna put you in a lockbox,’” Timothy said. “Then, when the body cam was finally on, they were so nice.”
How are we still letting cops just turn off body cams? It defeats the entire fucking purpose.
The shouldn't be able to ever turn them off while they are working and if they do. Immediate suspension, second time formal inquiry, 3rd time he's out in his ass.
I feel like you guys can't even control your own police
Fwiw the biggest issue with bodycams is that they're expensive as hell. Milwaukee wanted to get better equipped with them a few years back and nobody wanted to pay. People want to defund police but it throws so much off. Even when they want to defund, Republicans refuse to push legislation to get more Crisis workers who can help and fund mental health care.
Most voters barely want to fund schools, let alone the police and poor/addicted/troubled lol.
Privacy. Can't go to the bathroom. They use it and abuse it.
The ability to turn the cam off while you shit could easily have come with a rule that states that if you turn your cam off while doing cop stuff you're fired, but it didnt. Privacy in the bathroom is the excuse, not the reason. The reason is that cameras exonerate the innocent and impugn the guilty without regard to status or favor, and cops want to continue to break the law and hurt people who haven't broken the law. They're a street gang. There is no cop who enforces the law without fear or favor, there are only criminals and cops that ignore crime committed by people they like.
Too bad. Make it part of what you sign up for when you become a cop. "You wanna be a cop? Well a few people may end up seeing you pee, just so you know that."
There are people who have to piss into cups in front of people constantly. Surely that's not an onerous demand to ensure the integrity of all bodycam footage. Who would ever see the raw uncut (lol) footage anyway? A jury maybe? in which case, blur out the dong. Easy.
I don't know... I'm just not convinced by the "privacy" angle.
Edit: I guess other people's privacy could be a concern. Though I bet AI is good enough that, if we really wanted to be honest about it (lol), we could figure out a way to filter other people out completely in a way that can be verified etc. etc. But that'll never happen.
They don't work for us anymore; they're not "public servants." They're a (militarized) force that serves the interests of capital. They don't defend people, they defend private property. That's where the root of the problem lies. These people aren't becoming cops to make the neighborhood they live in a safer place, most of the time they don't even live in the neighborhood they serve. No, these people become cops because it lets them hurt people.
They're just a gang of thugs that happens to serve the interests of those with the most money and power.
ACAB
“When the police officer had his body cam off, they were yelling and telling me, ‘We’re gonna go to the full extent. We’re gonna put you in a lockbox,’” Timothy said. “Then, when the body cam was finally on, they were so nice.”
No shirt ! Wtf with a god damn kid the cop turned off his body cam!
Grrrrrrrrrr
This is why I always tell people who say “reporting the _____ incident to the police isn’t going to get anyone hurt, it’s just going to get them help” that they are idiots. You have no way of knowing what the police are going to do in any situation. I don’t care if there’s a 99% chance of it going right (it’s much lower in reality). That isn’t a chance worth taking for something that can absolutely be resolved without police.
But instead of suspension, Garza summoned a police officer to arrest Timothy at school. In a video that Rincon shared with the Observer, Timothy puts his arms up on a wooden shelf and waits to be handcuffed as directed by a police officer.
These are adults who feel threatened by an eleven-year-old child, because he asked some questions. The entire country should be ridiculing them until they're too embarrassed to leave their homes.
questioning authority is the biggest no no for conservative babies
How big of a fucking dick do you have to be to make lies about an 11 year old and fuck up his future?!
His ordeal began five days later. In the late morning of September 8, Timothy was pulled out of music class and ushered into a room where he found Garza, Assistant Principal Michelle Saucedo, a district police officer, and a counselor sent from the district’s central administrative office. He was told another student had just reported that Timothy said he was planning to kill the principal. Rincon said she was called and rushed to the school but was not allowed to be in the room while Timothy was being questioned.
“When the police officer had his body cam off, they were yelling and telling me, ‘We’re gonna go to the full extent. We’re gonna put you in a lockbox,’” Timothy said. “Then, when the body cam was finally on, they were so nice.”
Timothy told me he had explained to the school and district officials that the accusations were not true, that the only conversation he had that morning was with two other boys about wearing his sweater over his uniform.
Just read the whole article. It's fucking astonishing how big of an ass these people are. Not only is the principal fucking ill but also the superintendent, principal, assistant principal, district counselor, and police officers.
I hope Timothy continues to speak up and reaches his goals to become an oncologist. I hope these fuckers learn from their mistakes and if not, hope they rot. Thanks Texas Observer for writing about this story.
More likely little Timmy will have lifelong cptsd and develop addiction issues throughout puberty to cope. After which the cops can bust him again and go "See? We told you so!".
ACAB. No exceptions, ever, anywhere.
Once again perpetuating the school-to-prison pipeline that so many people of color get shunted down.
If police turn their bodycams off then that should automatically disqualify their testimony and cause a major fine (which they would need to pay off personally)
All this punishment on a smart kid who simply wanted to have a school councilor to talk to after he had lost his father to cancer.
This shitty principal should be fired and also investigated for false reporting. I'd be really interested to hear which student reported this boy for uttering a threat to kill the principal because it sounds more like the principal made this up to toss a kid in solitary confinement for a weekend to shut him up.
The thing that sucks is, no 11 year old should be arrested unless they're actively threatening physical harm with a weapon, and three days in solitary on top is just beyond the pale. It sucks that we have to have "perfect" victims before the powers that be dare to take notice, and even then it's not enough.
So many children let down by this system, who knows how many stories we haven't heard. And not a god damn thing changes.
He should be fucking arrested. He ruined that boy's life. He'll never be the same after three days in solitary for asking for mental help.
The principal is a woman. She should be fired but the real issue is how the police handled it. Instead of arresting a 5th grader they could have told the principal to kick rocks and that they would investigate the threat. Which was literally hearsay and after investigation they'd have found nothing.
Turning off body cam to bully a child....sounds exactly like what a bastard would do.
I feel so bad for that child. His father died less than a year ago and he was kept in solitary confinement for 3 days. I hope he and his mother find a good lawyer that gets true justice for him. And I hope the people of Brownsville stand up for justice and get the principal fired. I hope they pressure the police to change policy on no longer allowing body cams to be turned off. And I hope the arresting officer dies sad, miserable, alone, and soon.
That's.....
I mean, this shit principal and the cops that put handcuffs on an 11 year old boy should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
But saying he'll NEVER be the same again after three days in solitary, and the boy's life is ruined is too much of a stretch. A little dramatic
People are resilient, especially kids.
I'm incoherent with anger about this one. Who treats a bright and hardworking fucking 11 year old like that? Over literally nothing but hearsay. No red flags, just some made up shit by Karen.
The taxpayer funded settlement which will come at no cost to the police department better be fucking huge. And when taxes go up to pay for it, folks better damn well remember why.
WTF is wrong with these people? I would come home to my family and apologize to them for our impending homelessness after I quit my job before I would do this to a child. And anyone who wouldn't - yeah, they are fucking bastards.
Also, what adult bullies a kid who's messed up because their parent just died of fucking cancer?!?
I've dealt with school staff who seem to get off on having power of students. Like they go out of their way to bully some kids or they enjoy enacting harsh punishments.
I also think the police officer turning off his body can to intimidate a child should be fired. We need to pass laws that prevent this.
Our dean of students in high school was an ex-marine. And it sure seemed like he decided that he learned valuable lessons about how to treat other people in boot camp.
“Why are kids shooting up schools?” Well when a good student gets punished for asking for counseling due to the loss of a family member, and had the wherewithal to ask for help which he then is ultimately punished with psychological torture it becomes quite obvious.
That's not why kids are shooting up schools.
"no you're wrong" says nothing else. Wow now that's what someone who doesn't know anything sounds like to me. I literally just listened to an interview with a person who was planning a school shooting and he mentioned how he felt isolated and no one would help. He was lonely and needed people to talk to, so this situation exactly. But idk, If I'm wrong just respond with "you're wrong" and nothing else.
Yeah kids only shoot up heroin
Cameron County prosecutors pushed for Class C felony charges of “terroristic threat” and argued for two more weeks of detention. Instead, Judge Adela Kowalski-Garza ordered a safety risk evaluation and conditional release home until his hearing November 8.
Prosecutors can go to hell. At least the judge wasn't maximally evil.
The principal and police should be fired, barred from holding these kind of positions, and I don't know made to do community service to make up for this huge harm.
I don't know made to do community service to make up for this huge harm.
Maybe 3 days of solitary confinement would be appropriate. Seeing as a CHILD can do it they should be fine, right?
Judge isn't a hero here either, should have put a stop to it as soon as the word "solitary' was brought to their attention.
Cameron County prosecutors pushed for Class C felony charges of “terroristic threat” and argued for two more weeks of detention.
It's important to note that they were arguing for additional punishment but they just sorta forgot about the part where they have to convict him of something first. This is America. This is conservatism. It's force and violence as a response to inconvenience and discomfort. It's absolute lawlessness.
Last summer, the current superintendent, René Gutiérrez, announced a shake-up in the leadership on several campuses. Canales Elementary, where Garza was principal for four years, was targeted as needing improvement, and Garza was reassigned to Palm Grove. The former counselor and principal at Palm Grove were transferred to Canales Elementary School.
Here we are. Head of a failing school gets her balls busted and a humiliating reassignment. Then some dweeb kid starts asking about the actually good teachers that got sent to fix her mess. Ego can't take it. Got to destroy the kid. Fucking loser bullies.
At this point, should willingly raising a kid in Texas be considered child endangerment? I'm joking, but it's starting to get really worrying there
You may be joking, but it totally is. Not in the legal sense, of course, but in the literal sense. Texas is very much an inherent danger to the safety, well-being and sanity of children.
I think raising kids in super rural districts should be considered a factor yes. Not the sole reason. You are setting up your children for a world of hurt.
I grew up in an extremely rural area, but the people that were around were incredibly kind and accepting, especially to others that were different. Now I'm raising my kid in the biggest city in the world, but with the same values they taught me. So I'd say it's not so much the place, as it is the environment we create there. Which in Texas' case is utter, total, complete dog shit.
The crime
On September 8, school administrators told Timothy that another student alleged that he made threats against Garza. Timothy denied the allegation, but Garza called law enforcement
This country sucks. This kid is being charged with terroristic threats after a school administrator terrorized and threatened him with the cold and callous police. All over a request to join a gifted students program. Now, he's literally been terrorized into giving up? He's "afraid" to speak up because of this?
as i understand this isn't about his request to join gt, and he hasn't given up. it's because he asked what happened to the school counselor from the previous year (who helped him cope with his father's death), and wrote three letters asking about uniform policy.
The police abused this poor child... and they call him a terrorist. If the parents of this community had any sense they'd pull their children out of the school immediately.
It's not terrorism when the state does it. It's legal!
I thought we were supposed to be better than this.
This 11-year-old will grow up to be a doctor while this cop will continue to be a useless sack of shit to society.
Not with an arrest record at age 11. Medical school applications, state medical licenses, controlled substance prescription licenses, hospital credentialing applications, etc - all of the underlying bureaucracy of being a clinician (understandably) require background checks with clean records.
Unless his lawyer can get the record sealed and expunged, he'll most likely have to explain this event at every turn. One would hope that juvenile records could be explained away, but the field is so competitive that it could very well be the thing that keeps him from pursuing his dream.
All because a shitbag principal didn't want to deal with the requests of an 11 year old grieving his father and opportunistically punished him for it on the alleged word of another dumbass child's idea of a practical joke.
Even if he actually said it - he's an 11 year old, with a prefrontal cortex that is just starting to come online, on the hormonal cusp of puberty, trying to deal with the complex social dynamics of being 11 and changing schools, getting bullied about his haircut and clothes by a shitty adult abusing their authority.
I cant help but wonder how the situation would be if he was white.
IANAL, but Texas Article 45.0218 would likely offer some protection to the kiddo since it's a Class C Misdemeanor. The short of it is that being held or detained doesn't mean that the individual was "prescribed jail time."
However, since the Texas Observer is shamelessly plugging away and, as a result, search engines may recognize the child's name, then the article (and similar "news" reports) will likely have more disastrous impacts than the actual event since the print industry is declining/desperate and the internet never forgets.
Stop and think about this. The only evidence is hearsay. There is a long string of evidence of retaliation. What jury would actually convict this kid because of this? We don't know that it actually happened. It could all be made up. The kid will walk, they will sue for enough money he will walk out of med school debt free.
Not if the justice system has anything to say about it
This is just sick at all levels in the chain. Thank god the kid is at least at a different school with his old principle and councilor. I can’t imagine the trauma to this poor kid. 3 days of solitary at 11 years old. That is torture.
I have to mention that I really appreciate how well written this article is. None of it was filler. And it reads like it was written from scratch by the journalist. It’s refreshing to not read another copied/pasted mass produced article with some extra words thrown in to pad it out.
I knew Texans were f-ed up in many ways. But that is just another level.
Fuck. Texas.
The kid needs a lawyer willing to crawl so far up there assess they can count their teeth from behind.
The article doesn't explicitly call it out, but the judge and the principle share a last name? The judge granted a much more lenient ruling than the prosecutor wanted though so I'm not assuming they're (closely) related, but I would think a thorough journalist would at least mention trying to find a link in the family tree.
Shit states gonna shit state
Does anyone have a mirror?