At what point will our children, particularly black children, be seen and treated as the innocent kids they are? In 2014, a second grader named Jamal Thompson was facing relentless bullying in his Kansas City classroom due to a hearing impairment. When a classmate began to taunt him, Jamal couldn’t hold back his tears and began to cry out in distress. In response, his teacher called in the school resource officer, Officer Derek Thompson, who decided to remove Jamal from class and escort him to the principal’s office.
However, when Jamal struggled to contain his emotions and follow Officer Thompson’s commands to quiet down, the officer made a shocking decision—he placed the 7-year-old in handcuffs. Jamal, who was under four feet tall and weighed only 48 pounds, sat restrained in the principal’s office for 15 minutes, waiting for a parent to come and pick him up.
Now, the ACLU is stepping in, suing the school district for what they claim is an excessive use of force that infringed upon the child’s Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. “This child committed no crime, posed no threat, and was certainly no danger to anyone,” stated ACLU of Missouri Legal Director Tanya Rivers. “Handcuffing a child in such a situation is not only cowardly but also a violation of the constitutional rights.”
The ACLU highlighted that the actions taken against Jamal went against state policy, which stipulates that restraints should only be utilized in extreme circumstances. Following the incident, Jamal’s mother, Lisa Thompson, felt her son was unsafe returning to school. After this traumatic event, she opted to homeschool him for the next two years. Can you blame her? Who would feel secure leaving their young child in an environment where they are treated as a threat? He was simply reacting to the bullying he endured, and he was only seven years old.
According to reports from Fox 4 Kansas City, a representative from the school district defended the actions of Officer Thompson, claiming they were following protocol. But let’s be real—this is outrageous. Studies have shown that black children are often viewed as “older” and “less innocent” compared to their white peers, leading to disproportionate disciplinary actions.
Research published in the APA’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff reveals that black boys are often assumed to be responsible for their actions at a much younger age than white boys, who are afforded the benefit of the doubt regarding their innocence. A 2012 report from the Department of Education found that although black students represented just 18% of the student population in sampled schools, they accounted for a staggering 35% of suspensions and 39% of expulsions.
You might think, “Oh, that can’t be true!” But if you hold onto that belief, it’s likely you have the luxury of not being affected by this bias. The evidence is glaring: black children are not granted the same assumptions of youth and innocence that their white counterparts enjoy. This is, plain and simple, institutional racism impacting our most vulnerable—our children.
As Jesse Williams said, “The existence of your neighbor’s pain is not dependent upon your belief in it.” Ignoring these patterns will not lead to progress. If lawsuits are what it takes to shed light on these issues within school districts, so be it. Change is necessary; there are no other options. We often say kids will be kids, yet somehow, this rule becomes a different story for black children.
“No school should be handcuffing little kids. I want it to stop,” Lisa Thompson expressed passionately. “Someone needs to step up and speak out. I may not be a media expert, but if sharing our story helps others realize this is unacceptable, then I will do it.”
If you’re looking for more insights on related topics, check out this post on home insemination kits, which can be a topic of discussion for many families. The journey to parenthood can take many paths, and resources like Make a Mom and ASRM can offer valuable information.
Summary
A 7-year-old boy, Jamal Thompson, was handcuffed at school after being bullied and crying, leading to a lawsuit from the ACLU for excessive force. The incident highlights the troubling reality of how black children are often treated in educational settings, raising important questions about institutional racism and the need for change.