Larry Rubama
The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Mayor Paul Fraim plans to apologize to a Booker T. Washington High School senior who was taken to school in handcuffs by a police officer.
Fraim said he does not believe the police violated city procedure. "But I'm apologizing because we didn't have a process in place that would alleviate the situation without the need to handcuff the young man.
"It's our fault we don't have a process in place."
Dominique Marsh, a quarterback for the school's football team, said he was stopped by an officer while walking to school around 9 a.m. two weeks ago. His classes didn't begin until 10:20 a.m., and he was going in early to meet with a teacher to fill out college application forms.
The 17-year-old said he was within sight of Booker T.'s football stadium when an officer asked him where he was going. Marsh said he was headed to school, and the officer told him he needed to drive him there. That is standard police procedure for dealing with potential truants, city officials said.
Marsh said he objected, that he didn't want to tarnish his reputation by being driven to school in a police car. The officer then grabbed his arm, the student said, and told him either he was going to school or to jail.
"And then he threw me on the car," Marsh said.
The officer handcuffed the teen, who said the restraints were tight and he began experiencing shortness of breath and had an anxiety attack. The officer, whom city officials have not identified, drove Marsh to school, where paramedics provided Marsh first aid.
The high school's football coach, Che Jacobs, said he arrived at about the same time as the ambulance.
"Why did he handcuff Dominique and bring him to school?" Jacobs asked. "Nobody wants to come to school in handcuffs."
Marsh has been the Eastern District's most prolific passer the past two years and is being recruited by several colleges. He and his grandmother filed a complaint with police internal affairs.
"It's sad," Marsh said. "Kids who are doing what they need to do still get stereotyped.
"It was so embarrassing. People are coming up and asking me what happened. I did nothing wrong."
Booker T. Principal Kevin Monroe said Marsh is "a great kid who's never given us any problems. I felt bad for him."
Monroe called the incident a "police matter " but said he doesn't believe it's right to handcuff a teenager just because he might be a truant.
The city and school division have instructed the police to clamp down on truants. Virginia Beach police spokesman Jimmy Barnes wrote in an e-mail that his department is also diligent in seeking truants.
Norfolk Councilman Paul R. Riddick said it shows a lack of sensitivity on the part of the police.
"If this had been a white student walking to Maury, he would not have been handcuffed," Riddick said.
Fraim said Norfolk's procedure needs to change.
"We should have in place a procedure for the police if they suspect a young person is a truant," he said. "There has to be a number they can call and quickly determine a young person's status.
"We have to find a way short of driving someone to school in handcuffs."
Pilot writer Kristin Davis contributed to this story.
Larry Rubama, (757) 446-2273, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371,
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All I have To Say Is/What Did You Expect?
Blacks should know by now you don't mix police with your children. They will never treat your your children with the same respect and compassion as they'd treat a white child. Not even the black police officers. Why you continue to gravitate like moths being drawing to the flame/believing they won't get burned this time. Didn't you all at least consider this type treatment when you decided to get police involved with your children? Mixing police with children, especially black and brown children, have never had a positive outcome. If you noticed, no other group in America that has been discriminated against, be it Jews, Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans--routinely go to those who would most likely abuse them the way black people continue to do.
I don't undertand why we
I don't undertand why we feel we have the right to constantly point the finger at everyone else for our problems, like we are not guilty of doing any wrong. We get abused because of how we decide to behave on a whole. The Chinese were used like slave labor building the railroads in the west. The Japanese where rounded up during WWII because of fear and hatred and thrown in detention camps. The Mexicans and Latinos today are still discriminated against, it might not be as prevalant here as it is in FL, TX, AZ, NM, CA for example but trust they are targets. Jews were have been slaughtered for centuries but they do not constantly cry about it. Blacks sold blacks into slavery not just whites. Stop using rascism as a crutch.
The situation at hand
The situation was totally over the top and the Norfolk Police just need to change their code of acts regarding the teenagers hanging out in their own neighborhoods, period! It’s just not during school, it’s all the time. The Norfolk Police can be rough towards our youth at times and as a school teacher I hear the stories everyday. The policy is there, but don’t abuse it. (NORFOLK POLICE)
MR.IMPORTANT
Do you have kids?
Other than ur students, do u have kids? Do u remember what it was like 2 b a teen? Most teenagers have learned 2 lace their stories with just enough truth 2 make it believable. Officers don't just go about harassing teenagers hanging out n their neighborhoods, unless, 1.there is a history illegal activity n the area, 2.they've received complaints by concerned citizens 3.the teens in ? have a criminal history. Officers have better things 2 do with their time than harass a bunch of teenagers, trust me that is not what they signed up for. Unfortunately somewhere n the course of raising our children many of us have forgotten 2 teach our children how 2 respect authority, they lack respect for parents, teachers, LEO, pastors, & even mentors.
Hearing The Story, Mr. Important,
and witnessing the event first hand are two distinctly different situations. That's the reason hearsay evidence is allowed in courtroom testimony only under very limited circumstances.
You don't believe EVERYTHING you're told, do you?
truancy
The school system already has a policy for kids that don't have classes and come in late or leave early. My son doesn't have an 8th bell class and leaves early every other day. He has a pass from the school district that states he is allowed to be out of school during eigth bell that he is required to have with him if he leaves early. He only needs to show it to the officer and they will leave him alone. He has been stopped twice and asked to see it. He is white so they aren't picking on just the blacks. If the studant had his pass with him and showed it to the officer this wouldn't have been an issue. That lays the blame squarely on the student not the officer who is only trying to do his job. Maybe Riddick and the Mayor should call the school distr
Maybe Riddick and the mayor
Maybe Riddick and the mayor should call the school district and check the policy before opening their mouths and sounding stupid
Policy to handcuff ANYBODY
Policy to handcuff ANYBODY in a police car, how do they steer? The policy is to handcuff perpetrators, not citizens. Why is the Police hiding the identity of the officer? They next thing you know is they will be shooting women when trying to serve a warrant!!
Re The Last Sentence Of Your Post
Why stop there, VBNOW? To punctuate that remarkably insightful comment with an exclamation point, why didn't you include "Pulling the wings off baby birds" and "Setting fire to orphanages" as well?
Really??
That's the best that you response have? Why they are not naming the officer is unknown to me but to have the Mayor apologize is silly. People are placed into a police car all the time handcuffed (me included, not charged just detained); the mayor did not apologize on my behalf?? Guess I was not a star QB on a local football team.