Approximately two dozen black parents and activists have presented a petition to a South Carolina prosecutor asking him to drop a “disturbing schools” charge against a 16-year-old student who was videotaped being yanked from her desk and thrown to the floor by Police Officer Ben Fields. Several protesters spoke Thursday afternoon outside the prosecutor’s office at the Richland County Courthouse. They say it was unfair and unacceptable that the student and 18-year-old classmate who filmed the October 26th incident faced charges the day of the incident when they left Spring Valley High School in Columbia while Deputy Fields was not charged.
Fields was later fired and the FBI is investigating. Prosecutor Dan Johnson issued a statement Thursday saying he can’t make any decision about dropping charges until the federal investigation is finished. Meanwhile, students from Spring Valley High School, although they believe Officer Fields was “harsh” in throwing the student, they do not believe he should be fired and they are protesting on his behalf.
