Posted on 04/26/2005 5:02:47 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
ST. PETERSBURG - The mother of the 5-year-old girl who was handcuffed at school by police has withdrawn her daughter from Pinellas public schools and is moving out of state, superintendent Clayton Wilcox said Monday night.
The development was the latest in a bizarre saga that began Friday, when a videotape of the handcuffing was made public.
Since then, wrenching video images of the wailing kindergartener being handcuffed by St. Petersburg police have raced around the globe, airing and re-airing on television news shows in the United States, Great Britain, Spain, around Asia and beyond.
On Monday morning, the Largo lawyer representing the girl's mother appeared on five network news shows. He returned wearily to his office to find a fax from the mother, 24-year-old Inga Akins, stating he had been fired. The fax had been sent from the tabloid TV show A Current Affair, on which the mother appeared Friday and Monday.
Also on Monday came the prospect that the Rev. Al Sharpton would be coming to town. The famous New York crusader and one-time presidential candidate is intrigued and considering weighing in on the episode, his staff said.
"Instantly he felt that it smelled bad, but he wants to research it first," said his spokeswoman Rachel Nordlinger. "It could be a case of police brutality or a case of her civil rights being violated."
Wilcox had no further information on Akins' move to pull the girl out of school. She was handcuffed at Fairmount Park Elementary on March 14 and transferred to another public school after the incident.
Wilcox said he found out about her leaving the system when he asked his staff Monday how she was doing in the new school.
A call to Akins' cell phone went unreturned Monday night.
Pinellas County records show that a St. Petersburg apartment complex where she lived moved to evict her on March 31, about two weeks after the handcuffing that put her daughter's face on TV screens across he world.
Wilcox said the girl had been out of school since Thursday.
John Trevena, who had been serving as the attorney for Akins, said he learned from an executive producer at A Current Affair that the girl and her mother traveled to New York City over the weekend, where they stayed at the show's expense.
The case of the handcuffed little girl was the top story on the tabloid program Monday night, with images of the girl smelling a flower and running through a park laughing.
The show interviewed a child psychologist who said the handcuffing might be racially motivated. A Current Affair also said the girl "had to flee her home to escape the media."
The show blamed Trevena's release of the video to major media outlets last week, including the St. Petersburg Times . The lawyer said a producer from the show "raged" at him last Friday, saying the release of the video violated an exclusive agreement between Akins and A Current Affair.
Trevena said he had been unaware of any agreement.
The show made no mention of its part in the media frenzy that has followed the video.
A Current Affair clearly communicated it had every intention of running the videotape, Trevena said. He also said the show interviewed Akins and her daughter only days after the handcuffing incident.
On Friday, a few hours after the video began screaming across the world, the show announced to the media that it had an exclusive.
It sent out a news release titled: "Five-year-old African American girl handcuffed by three police officers. A Current Affair gets first national look at incident on tape."
The program Monday evening did not disclose on air how much it had paid Akins for the story. When asked what the sum was Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the show laughed at the question. She said there would be no comment on the story.
Trevena called the program's actions "highly unethical and possibly illegal." He said he was concerned that his client was in New York discussing the case with another party without legal advice.
The videotape shows the girl defying an assistant principal and another school staff member as she tore items off walls and swung at the educators.
Later, it shows the girl in the assistant principal's office tearing items off a bulletin board, climbing on a table and swinging at the assistant principal numerous times.
The video ends after about 28 minutes with the girl crying as three St. Petersburg police officers place her in handcuffs.
The girl had a history of problems at the school, though the full extent is not known because student records are not public.
District officials have discussed an incident several weeks before the handcuffing in which a city police officer was called to the school because of a behavior problem with the girl. The officer said something to her about the possibility of being handcuffed if her behavior continued.
Akins later objected to that conversation, part of an ongoing feud with the school over her daughter's treatment.
District officials say the video started as an exercise by the girl's teacher to improve her craft in the classroom. But they acknowledge that the girl's history may have played a part in the decision to keep the camera rolling that day.
Though city police are being harshly criticized for their role in the incident, the department declined Wednesday to elaborate on the rationale for the handcuffing, citing a pending investigation.
Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said the department stood by a statement made in mid March, which was that department policy allows the handcuffing of minors in certain situations.
How did an incident that received mild attention in March blossom into a worldwide phenomenon five weeks later?
The video, said Matthew Felling, media director at The Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.
"It's not necessarily about the little girl, it's about the visceral nature of it," he said. "Is it compelling? Yes. Is it emotional porn? Yes. Is it internationally relevant news? No."
He said too many media outlets had been airing only part of the video, which is about 28 minutes long.
"This story is driven by 10 seconds of footage - two seconds of the tantrum and eight seconds of handcuffing," he said. "Completely taken out of context, but that is the media's way."
Sterilization.
I'm sorry. Couldn't resist.
I can also envision some civil litigation with the school system, the parents and their children as plaintiffs - a real "class action".
"That also means mom will have to find a way to stay home with her"
Hmmmm...you may have hit upon something here, though :)
grrrrr.....
"Sterilization.
I'm sorry. Couldn't resist."
lol! I have the same exact thought at least once a day.
I think the officers did the right thing by handcuffing her -- this child was obviously out of control and she could have caused some real harm, not only to others, but to herself as well. As it was, the tape showed her punching someone (the assistant principal or whoever). "Arresting" her and putting her in a police car -- well, I think that might have been over the top. But restraining the child I think was the best anyone could have done under the circumstances.
The other thing is: We don't know whether this child has some physical or emotional problem that caused her to act out. I could only hope her parent(s) will look into that possibility, if he/she/they have not already done so.
The conversation happened three or four years ago. He wasn't married then, he was just becoming visible as a pro-golfer. The young women had to have been very very smart and accomplished. I felt very bad for them because they didn't realize that being negative like that rubs off on them.
BTW I thought Tiger Woods was half Asian and 1/4 black.
She hasn't, believe me. The mother is part of the problem.
That reminds me: My grandmother would not marry my grandfather until he legally changed his name. She was only half Jewish and had her father's WASPy maiden name. She did not want to be a Mrs. Finkelstein because it was so identifiably Jewish and she didn't want her children to suffer because of it. This was in the 20's and there was a lot more prejudice than there is now. I think.
W&I 5150 in this state is instant justification to take control of an individual for their own safety and for other's safety, regardless of age.
You may count the number of hits (misdemeanor battery) the girl laid into the vice principal. You may look closely and see her try to bite also when removed from the top of the desk or table. Age has no bearing on the law. To NOT cuff her, and have her continue to attack others and property would have been wrong.
If I was the VP, I would swear out charges of battery and PC 594 vandalism in this case, and force the mother to have to stand before a judge and be accountable for this child, and possibly be forced into mandatory counseling. The child would be then, in this state, a W&I code 601 (incorrigable) or a W&I code 602 (juvenile offender) and would have the system of probation become involved to check on the family for improvement over a period of time.
I've already made up my mind to, on day one of school, tell the teacher that if my son causes any problems for her or is in anyway not a good boy to give me a ring and we'll be sure to nip it in the bud.
I haven't totally decided whether or not to send him to the county school here (thank God it definitely won't be city schools) or some private Christian school like I went to. Just not sure yet..
Just a thought, but an important one. It would appear that the mother of this child is fairly low income and probably not very highly-educated, however, it is also important to remind parents of any income or educational level that there is such a things as over-parenting. That can be just as harmful as under-parenting and neglect.
He's pretty mixed like I am, except my mom isn't from this country and the indian blood is Arawak :-) He also was raised by a immigrant mother and a patriotic father like myself which brings on a completely different dynamic in one's mentality. My mom had adopted Tiger as her son except he doesn't know it yet.
When you say over parenting -- what do you mean? I'm genuinely interested.
You make a very important point.
She hasn't, believe me. The mother is part of the problem.
***
And that's too bad. It's so easy to blame the school, the officers, etc. etc. rather than determining the root cause of the problem and seeking a possible solution that would be beneficial for the child.
True story: Friends of my father's had a daughter who had a learning disability. She was first sent to Catholic school where the nuns immediately recognized the problem and told the parents about it. Instead of trying to get help for their daughter, the parents pulled their daughter out of Catholic school and sent her to public school. She "graduated" from public school, but in reality, she was just passed from grade to grade without really receiving an education. Had she received some sort of special education, she might have been reasonably productive within the limitations of her disability.
You sound like you have it pretty together as a parent and I congratulate you. It takes responsible families to make a village! :) I had four and my youngest is a mother. For me, it's a "been there, done that" thing, but I know when this became a major societal issue. That was back in the late eighties and early nineties and EVERYTHING changed. I wish you luck.
You said exactly what I was thinking as I was viewing the videos.
Well I defintely don't have it 'together' but I do analize this stuff a lot because I want to make sure he grows up to be a proper young man. I'm lucky his mommy is there, she's the parent really, I'm the pushover. :)
Pinellas.......smells familiar.....
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