Justice in the handcuffing and arrest of 6-year-old Salecia Johnson

The Issue

On April 13th, our six-year-old daughter, Salecia Johnson was handcuffed and arrested at her school, Creekside Elementary in Baldwin, GA for a so-called 'temper tantrum'. She was charged with battery and suspended for the remainder of the school year.

The school took all of these actions without notifying us. Although they claim to have called, we did not have any record of these calls on any of our phones. As a result our daughter was in police custody for more than an hour before we knew.

Salecia has been traumatized by this experience. She's afraid to return to school and recently woke up in the middle of the night saying 'they are coming to get me.'

In all of this, the most important thing is that this incident does not become anymore of a setback for Salecia and her future. Although we are now being told that Salecia can return to school after a week and there are reports that the charges have been dropped (the police have not notified us), a record of her arrest exists. Also, we believe there should be a more in-depth examination of what happened and why police were brought in to deal with a matter of school discipline.

We are calling on Milledgeville officials to remove any record of Salecia's arrest and end the use of police in school discipline.

Please join us in demanding justice for Salecia. We cannot allow this to happen to another child.

Thank you,

Constance Ruff

 

avatar of the starter
Constance Ruff with Advancement ProjectPetition StarterAdvancement Project is a policy, communications and legal action group committed to racial justice founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999. Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras. From Advancement Project's inception, we have worked "on-the-ground," helping organized communities of color dismantle and reform the unjust and inequitable policies that undermine the promise of democracy. Simultaneously, we have aggressively sought and seized opportunities to promote this approach to racial and social justice among our colleagues and allies in the organizing, legal, policy, and philanthropic communities.
This petition had 192,911 supporters

The Issue

On April 13th, our six-year-old daughter, Salecia Johnson was handcuffed and arrested at her school, Creekside Elementary in Baldwin, GA for a so-called 'temper tantrum'. She was charged with battery and suspended for the remainder of the school year.

The school took all of these actions without notifying us. Although they claim to have called, we did not have any record of these calls on any of our phones. As a result our daughter was in police custody for more than an hour before we knew.

Salecia has been traumatized by this experience. She's afraid to return to school and recently woke up in the middle of the night saying 'they are coming to get me.'

In all of this, the most important thing is that this incident does not become anymore of a setback for Salecia and her future. Although we are now being told that Salecia can return to school after a week and there are reports that the charges have been dropped (the police have not notified us), a record of her arrest exists. Also, we believe there should be a more in-depth examination of what happened and why police were brought in to deal with a matter of school discipline.

We are calling on Milledgeville officials to remove any record of Salecia's arrest and end the use of police in school discipline.

Please join us in demanding justice for Salecia. We cannot allow this to happen to another child.

Thank you,

Constance Ruff

 

avatar of the starter
Constance Ruff with Advancement ProjectPetition StarterAdvancement Project is a policy, communications and legal action group committed to racial justice founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999. Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras. From Advancement Project's inception, we have worked "on-the-ground," helping organized communities of color dismantle and reform the unjust and inequitable policies that undermine the promise of democracy. Simultaneously, we have aggressively sought and seized opportunities to promote this approach to racial and social justice among our colleagues and allies in the organizing, legal, policy, and philanthropic communities.

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The Decision Makers

Milledgeville Mayor, City Council, School Board, GA Dept. of Education
Milledgeville Mayor, City Council, School Board, GA Dept. of Education
Gloria Wicker
Gloria Wicker
Baldwin County School Board
Harold Simmons
Harold Simmons
Baldwin County School Board
Mike Couch
Mike Couch
Baldwin County School Board
John Jackson
John Jackson
Baldwin County School Board
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