LYNCHING DEPUTY FIELDS
The Ox Bow Incident is an old western about a handful of hapless cowboys caught by a blood thirsty posse on the look out for cattle thieves. Within two hours of badgering them, they eventually hang them from a nearby tree. Never mind the cowboys are innocent. Justice is blind, the posse stupid.
It must have felt that way for School Resource officer Ben Fields in Columbia, South Carolina, who, a scant 48 hours ago, was called into a classroom asked to do his duty, and fired quickly for doing it.
Three videos taken by kids show Deputy Fields being punched by the female student as he topples her out of the chair and out of sight into the corner. Obstreperous as she was, according to all school officials who back up Deputy Fields, his boss still fired him in 2 short days.
High Sheriff Lott made a lot of noise about how thoroughly his department is integrated into all the various communities in Columbia. He also mentioned his heartburn. His press conference was peopled by half the town consigned to watching over the police department. One wonders if this had anything to do with his rush to judgement on Deputy Fields firing. Lott also mentioned the FBI, the DOJ and the US Attorney - all within 48 hours. I'm assuming he may have pondered the Marines, but they couldn't have moved that fast. He still fired Fields.
Fields spent 7 years at that school garnering high praise for his work. Prior to that, more of the same at another school. Pretty much, he gets a clean bill of health from the Department. WHY the rush to unload a stellar deputy without a proper defense on Deputy Fields part?
Much can be learned from the Ox Bow Incident and from what some might call the railroad job in Columbia, South Carolina. Here's a thought: now that a student in Junior High can punch out a policeman and get him fired, I wonder how soon it will take other School Resource Officers (SROs) to get the point that getting TOO INVOLVED in classroom dust-ups can cost them their careers and their pensions.
The War Against Police continues.
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It must have felt that way for School Resource officer Ben Fields in Columbia, South Carolina, who, a scant 48 hours ago, was called into a classroom asked to do his duty, and fired quickly for doing it.
Three videos taken by kids show Deputy Fields being punched by the female student as he topples her out of the chair and out of sight into the corner. Obstreperous as she was, according to all school officials who back up Deputy Fields, his boss still fired him in 2 short days.
Fields spent 7 years at that school garnering high praise for his work. Prior to that, more of the same at another school. Pretty much, he gets a clean bill of health from the Department. WHY the rush to unload a stellar deputy without a proper defense on Deputy Fields part?
Much can be learned from the Ox Bow Incident and from what some might call the railroad job in Columbia, South Carolina. Here's a thought: now that a student in Junior High can punch out a policeman and get him fired, I wonder how soon it will take other School Resource Officers (SROs) to get the point that getting TOO INVOLVED in classroom dust-ups can cost them their careers and their pensions.
The War Against Police continues.
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