Are You Sitting Down? Get a Load of This...

I don't know how many of you out there have gotten wind of the latest bullshit passing itself off as news, but just in case, here's some copy on the story, courtesy of ABC News, who also has the video footage, just click the hyperlink:

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ST. PETERSBURG - How young is too young to be handcuffed?

That's the question that school officials, parents, and police are asking in the wake of the videotaped arrest of a 5-year-old girl at her St. Petersburg school.

March 14, Fairmount Park Elementary School teacher Christina Ottersbach set up a camcorder to record herself teaching for future evaluation. She ended up recording nearly a half-hour of video showing 5-year-old Ja'eisha Scott alternately lashing out and quietly ignoring her teachers' instructions.

The footage starts in Ottersbach's classroom, where assistant principal Nicole Dibenedetto and teacher Patti Tsaousis are trying to calm Ja'eisha down and get her to clean up a mess that she has made. Ottersbach had pulled her other students out of the room because of the girl's unseen outburst, leaving just the three.

"This is your mess to clean up. We need you to stop. You may not do this," Dibenedetto patiently but firmly tells the girl, who stubbornly refuses.

Eventually, Ja'eisha did start cleaning up the mess, but after that, she refused to leave the room. Only when Dibenedetto and Tsaousis asked her to make a choice before they counted to five did she finally leave with them.

Things evidently did not improve after that, however. The tape cuts to Dibenedetto's office, which has been trashed, apparently by Ja'eisha. She is seen ripping papers off the wall and refusing Dibenedetto's requests to stay in a chair.

Ja'eisha even becomes violent at that point, taking countless swings at Dibenedetto, who only puts her hands up to block the girl's punches. The only other time the assistant principal touches the girl is when she lifts Ja'eisha off a table she had twice climbed upon.

Shortly after that, voices are heard saying that police have arrived. Ja'eisha sits in the chair pouting as three uniformed St. Petersburg police officers walk in.

"Do you remember me?" one of them asks Ja'eisha. "I'm the one who told your mom I'd put handcuffs on you."

The officers followed up on that threat, pulling the girl from the chair and handcuffing her behind her back. The anguish on the Ja'eisha's face is evident in the tape, which cuts off seconds after she starts screaming.

Watching just the last few seconds of the tape before the girl is handcuffed, it is difficult to understand why the officers took that step. The 25 minutes of tape before that provide some context, but not enough for the girl's family.

"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," attorney John Trevena stated. "Is there anything more that needs to be said about that?"

No charges were filed against Ja'eisha, but Trevena -- who released the video to the public -- promised legal action against the police department and possibly the school on behalf of the family.

But school administrators and police both seemed to enjoy support from their colleagues when pressed by Action News.

"There are times when you have to physically restrain the child or contain the child in a situation like that. And we think she did that appropriately, based on the circumstances," superintendent Dr. Ron Stone said of Dibenedetto's conduct.

Hillsborough County school psychologist Dr. Tracy Schatzberg agreed that the situation had reached a point where school officials had no choice but to turn to police.

"I think she's doing a good job of staying calm and redirecting the little girl. She really only puts her hands on the little girl when she gets onto the table and is in jeopardy of getting hurt," Schatzberg observed as she watched the tape. "I think at a certain point, if we've given her this long and we know that she's not de-escalating and we're confident that we can't help her -- which it looks like they tried to do -- it seems like calling police is the last resort."

St. Petersburg police would not comment on the incident, pending an internal investigation that was expected to be completed within two weeks. But every other police agency Action News spoke with on Friday agreed that while it may not be advisable, there can be times that it is appropriate to handcuff a child.

"The use of handcuffs is a very effective way," added Sgt. Laura Regan of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, who admitted having to handcuff an elementary school girl before to keep her from biting people. "It doesn't hurt the child; it gets their hands behind their back and stops the action that is hurting other people."

"It depends on the circumstances. What is this child or kid doing that he is so out of control that he has to be restrained?" Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said. "You don't know until you're in that situation."

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Boy, times have really changed. Nothing like this ever happened when I was growing up. Oh yeah, I NEVER ACTED LIKE THIS! Ridiculous. Here's my opinion. "Ja'eisha" needs the shit slapped out of her. I am so sick and tired of supposed "parents" dropping the ball when it comes to disciplining their children, then people like educators, private citizens, the governement and authorities get put in the position to deal with them. THEN getting sued or scrutinized for the way the situation was handled. Complete and utter bullshit. And you know this ain't some isolated incident. If she's acting this way at school, you KNOW she acts this way at home.

With all the lawsuits and abuse of the first amendment, children today have no respect for teachers, their parents, etc. Remember when you were little and being sent to the principle MEANT something? Remember when the principle could paddle you? And this little "girl" is just 5 years old! Not even kindergarten age yet. At this rate, wtf is she gonna be like by the time she hits junior high? Fuck it. I say flush her and count your losses.

Fuck this text-book "time-out" method. I've been to enough public places to see that it doesn't work. Too many parents are too afraid to be perceived as being ogres by complete strangers, friends and/or family members. And you know what? Those people don't have to live with the tantrums, screaming/kicking scenes and verbal abuse, so fuck them. Mind your own goddamn business.

These types of out-of-control kids need a good spanking. A Cyber Survey taken by the Detroit News, earlier this year, showed that 84.20% of parents claim they spank their children as a form of discipline. The other 15.80% say they did not. I find this survey more than a little hard to believe. One of the reasons being that I see, firsthand, how kids act in public on a regular basis. Secondly, these moron's response to this particular news story on a message board:

• I guess a timeout was out of the question?
• Sounds like the police in Florida like to scare little kids. i.e. Elian Gonzalez
• My tax money is being used to pay these idiots. They should be fired.
• The kid needs behavioral education not cuffs.

However I'm hopeful when I see people comment, who aren't deluded bleeding-hearts:

• I opt for a good ole fashion wood shed, forget the cuffs, she's a BRAT.
• I saw where the mother has hired a lawyer.........she should be punishing the child for her misbehavior!!
Response by another poster: Nawww...that would be to logical and mom wouldn't rake in a bunch of money. You should be GLAD you retired...with the way our children are becoming.
• Well...it was either hand cuffs or a good spanking...and the person doing the spanking would been given the death sentence.
• Describing this child's conduct as "unruly" is a gross understatement!
• I just saw the video. The child was out of control and would not settle down until the LEOs took command of the situation. She has had previous behavior problems where police were required to intervene. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the kid was a crack baby.
• In the old days she would have gotten a spanking.
• I raised 3...to this day they would not think of behaving like that. All is took was a look and they knew THE LOOK. I know people didn't cringe when they saw my kids coming. I've had a kid like that at my house, they were asked not to return and if they did take her to the nearest kennel first. They did not return....THANK GOODNESS!!
• I wouldn't be a teacher in todays schools for all the tea in China.
• I say spank the parents.
• This one deserved far more than a good scare. Watch the video.

The world and its' inhabitants have all gone insane. I deliberately don't blog about this stuff more often because the insanity of it all just makes for higher blood pressure. Ech. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Hopeless.