Wellllll....

If I never worked in a school system and had I not read about Shaquanda Cotton or read about the little seven year old boy who was placed in handcuffs, I could say what! But here it is again, this time a little girl taken away in handcuffs from her school. This is too much, Florida.

Police arrested a 6-year-old Florida girl and even handcuffed her when she acted out in class. Police officers said Desre'e Watson, a kindergarten student at Avon Elementary School in Highlands County, had a violent run-in with a teacher on Thursday

.

The police must be hard up in finding criminals. They have entered the school system and began arresting little ones. It ain't right. No it ain't right. If they are scared of the criminals on the street, give up the job. I don't care, how you try to sell it this is not community policing. Leave these children alone in the school.

Parents its time. It's time you went to school and take back your schools for educating your children. And if the teachers don't like the students they are teaching it is time for school boards to tell these so called wannabees to find another career. Parents it is time.

Shaqanda Cotton will be free-March 31

Electronic Village has these little sayings that sits in a corner of his blog. I love them. And at the top is a little box that tells you how many users are online. The top of his blog is like a little bulletin board.

I rush down to read his post, and at the end, he challenges you to share your thought, I usually don't. Tonight, I am tired, but I go back to the top, and I see something new. It says, Shaquanda Cotton is free. Shock. Disbelief. What does that one sentence means, as I click on the link and see.

Howard Witts writes:

HOUSTON -- Shaquanda Cotton, the black teenager in the small east Texas town of Paris whose prison sentence of up to seven years for shoving a teacher's aide sparked nationwide controversy, will be released Saturday morning, prison officials confirmed on Friday.

Amazing Grace.

May Creola Cotton and Brenda Cherry be encouraged..nobody said it would be easy.
Keep the faith.

Now here's a fact. for these folks, who had to wipe the egg from their faces...just the facts as we pray for them.

Shaquanda Cotton's Protesters.

Rickey Smiley and other supporters of Shaquanda Cotton rallied for her release. Despite the rain, a crowd of on 350 strong turnout in Shaquanda Cotton behalf.

However cries of racism, has been attack as the mother, Creola Cotton, just playing games.

Dennis Eichelbaum, an attorney for the Paris school district, said the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has vindicated the district by finding no evidence of discrimination in three cases the agency has closed. Five other investigations remain open.

Eichelbaum said Creola Cotton is preventing the district from fairly defending itself by refusing to let the school district make her daughter's entire records public.

"Mrs. Cotton has been wrongfully attacking the character of the district," Eichelbaum said. "She's being disingenuous with regard to her daughter being an innocent child."

"She's playing a game," the attorney said.

Really now.. and what game is that?

That's not what the people of Paris Texas are saying.

Local residents responding to a civil rights rally outside the Lamar County Courthouse on Tuesday were in one accord — saying love and justice for all needs to prevail in Paris, Texas.

They said public protests are necessary and most problems are with the school system and law enforcement.

African-Americans Bloggers Recognized by Newspaper Journalist

Howard Witt recognizes African-American bloggers. Witts was surprised by the way many African-American bloggers got the word out about Shaquanda Cotton. The power of the African-American bloggers impact crosses all borders including beyond the borders of the United States.

Witt expresses his belief that Internet blogging is more powerful in getting out information about injustices that are occurring within these community. Witt is right. Many appointed leaders in some communities are stymied in effecting change among the status quo. It is when the citizens organize en mass that change occur. Governor Rick Perry, did not want millions of African-Americans showing up in a small town in Texas, called Paris. Bottom line.

Perhaps, the virtual civil right movement will be utilized to build protest movements in other ciites where injustices is melded out on a daily basis.

Note: African American Political Pundit posted about bloggers blogging about race a few days ago, read here.

Governor Rick Perry and Shaquanda Cotton

Howard Witt of the Chicago Tribute writes:

The sentences of many of the 4,700 delinquent youths now being held in Texas' juvenile prisons might have been arbitrarily and unfairly extended by prison authorities and thousands could be freed in a matter of weeks as part of a sweeping overhaul of the scandal-plagued juvenile system, state officials say.

4,700 delinquent youths


Among this number, Shaquanda Cotton is included. Cotton refused to admit guilt to an incident where a complaint was filed against her. Cotton was given a seven year indeterminate sentence. Cotton would serve this sentence in a high risk juvenile correction facility.

Outrageous.

The Texan of the Year, Governor Rick Perry appointed a special master to investigate juvenile facilities in Texas.

Jay Kimbrough, a special master appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to investigate the system after allegations surfaced that some prison officials were coercing imprisoned youths for sex, said he would assemble a committee to review the sentence of every youth in the system.

This was good news for students like Shaquanda Cotton because the committee could make determination to release youths who were were being held in an arbitrary manner, including Shaquanda Cotton.

Among the leading candidates for early release is Shaquanda Cotton, a 14-year-old black girl from the small east Texas town of Paris, who was sent to prison for up to 7 years for shoving a hall monitor at her high school while other young white offenders convicted of more serious crimes received probation in the town's courts.

Arbitrary manner lifts the blame off of racialist practices in the two institutions, the schools and the courts and places it simply on administrative mishandling.

But if the teenager is released, Kimbrough noted, the decision will have nothing to do with whether she was the victim of racial discrimination in the schools and courtrooms of Paris, as civil rights groups have alleged. Instead, it will be based on whether she has been treated arbitrarily by prison officials since she has been incarcerated.

Texas' juvenile prison system, known as the Texas Youth Commission, was first rocked by scandal last month after revelations surfaced that two administrators at a youth prison in west Texas had allegedly coerced sex from inmates for years and that prison officials and local prosecutors chose not to pursue the cases.

The "if" requires silence. If Shaquanda Cotton is released, buried in the if is that protesters needs to tone it down on the issue of race. And Cotton and her mother are muted in the process, a form of coercion.

Civil rights advocates have long been concerned that Texas' system of indeterminate sentences for youths places too much discretion in the hands of prison authorities, who retain the power to hold or release youths at will. Now the sex scandal--and the concern that some victimized youths may have been threatened with longer detentions to keep them quiet--has prompted Kimbrough to examine the entire practice.

Nearly 90 percent of juveniles incarcerated inside Texas youth prisons were sent there on indeterminate sentences that could run as long as their 21st birthdays. But many of those inmates become eligible for release after serving only nine months, if prison authorities are satisfied that they have completed all the steps, or "phases," of an elaborate behavioral modification program.

"The system is wide open for abuse and corruption," said the ACLU's Harrell. "How difficult would it be for a 12-year-old kid to file a complaint on an assistant superintendent of a facility when that assistant superintendent is actually the one who is sexually abusing her and that same person gets to decide when she gets out? Basically the official gets to say, 'Comply and keep quiet or I'll keep you here until you're 21.' "

Sad. Shaquanda Cotton case should be a wake up call to every city to question and challenge the schools and the legal system unfettered discretionary sentencing practices. The harm in the rush to incarcerate falls unfairly on the shoulders of the young. Many of these youth may not have any legal representative in the process.

When doves cry, somebody needs to listen:

If kids have behaved violently, then those are the ones that may very well have a justification for their sentence extension," Harrell said. "But most of the cases I have heard about have to do with petty instances, like Shaquanda's contraband socks."

The "phases" system also contains a built-in Catch-22 for youths, like Shaquanda, whose legal appeals are still making their way through the courts. One of the first phases that must be satisfied is a requirement that youths admit their guilt--an admission that would instantly compromise their appeals.

Bloggers Need to leave Paris Texas and Shaquanda Cotton alone

Phillip Hamilton of the Paris News is a little upset with bloggers. Hamilton is a little upset to the bloggers who stated that Shaquanda Cotton sentence was seven years. Hamilton wants these same bloggers to know Cotton is not in prison, but a dormitory-style facility. And last but not least, Hamilton wants these same bloggers to know that Cotton's case is about a criminal act and not about racism.

How come so many bloggers reached the same conclusion and Hamilton didn't?

The problem is that bloggers and talk-radio blabbers in the Metroplex and elsewhere have taken the spark the Chicago Tribune story started and fanned it into flames of outrage against our community. Now, other media are flocking to Paris to write about what one CNN producer told me last week is the "broader story" about how Shaquanda's case is affecting Paris.

Shaquanda's case isn't affecting Paris, but outside influences certainly are.

And that's what got bloggers blogging.

How Long? Not Long..Free Shaquanda Cotton

Mary Madewell reports that the Paris branch of the NAACP calls for a timely release of Shaquanda Cotton.

The Paris Branch of the NAACP called for a timely release of Shaquanda Cotton from the Texas Youth Commission after a four-hour executive committee meeting Saturday.

The group also asked that an emergency item be placed on Monday night’s Paris City Council agenda to consider naming a diversity task force.

The group also called for an expedited appeal of the Cotton case by the Texarkana Court of Appeals in motions approved unanimously by nine board members at Saturday’s meeting.

With the media attention, official in Paris are getting a little nervous. Judge Superville suggest that folks look at all the facts in another article by Madewell.

County Judge Chuck Superville says he fears for the community’s safety and is calling for the national media and other organizations to investigate the facts before drawing conclusions about the Shaquanda Cotton case.

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I called Judge Superville's office and left a message. I found this statement to the media about the failure to release Shaquanda Cotton on bond insightful:

The March 2006 case is on appeal with the Texarkana Court of Appeals. The court conducted a 10-hour hearing in August 2006 to consider a request that Cotton be released on bond.

The judge said Cotton could have been released at that time but would not speculate why the appellate court did not grant the bond. The judge said he presented the facts of the case and that attorneys for both the prosecution and for Cotton presented arguments.

The real deal..they just did not give a care.

Another statement by Judge Superville:“That theme was repeated witness after witness—that the mother made it impossible to help Shaquanda,” Superville said. “She blamed everyone except the child for misbehavior.”

Weak as dirty dishwater, can we say foster care.

The spotlight of Cotton's case has illuminated some deep seated racial tension in Paris, Texas. Free Shaquanda Cotton and let the citizens work peacefully in making the necessary changes. Dallas South Blog, Shawn Williams has some interesting comments on his blog. Here's another blog.

Mother says free Shaquanda Cotton

Free Shaquanda Cotton: Leave Shaquanda Notes of Love!



Read more here