Rage against US cop who slammed black girl in class

A white police officer used excessive force on a black high school student while asking her to leave the classroom, sparking a debate on racism. American media including the New York Times reported the case on Tuesday of the police officer slamming the student to floor and arresting her for not following his order to leave the classroom. There has been public criticism of his action, as it was recorded and uploaded on the Internet. The criticism has expanded to the subject of abusive law enforcement.

The video captured the excessive suppression that occurred in a classroom in Spring Valley High School, South Carolina on Monday. A white police officer tried to grab a black student`s arm, and when she resisted, he became angry and used force to put her down. Then he dragged her across the classroom and arrested her. Other students seemed terrified. The video did not show why this happened, but whatever the reason may be, the officer`s actions do not seem appropriate. The student was making such a scene that supposedly even the vice-principal was present in the classroom before the police came.

The video that has become viral sparked outrage. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, one of the presidential candidates from the Democratic Party, said on her Twitter, "There is no excuse for violence inside a school. The #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh is unacceptable — schools should be safe places." The FBI, Human Rights Bureau, and prosecutors and police of South Carolina started investigation at the same time. Officer Ben Fields has been suspended. He had been a security officer of the school.

pen@donga.com