John,
"Headaches, blurry vision, trouble remembering, and having a hard time
sleeping."^1
John, those are the painful reminders 16-year-old Taylor Bracey
must live with after being violently arrested by Osceola Florida Deputy
Fournier last month.
Since then, rallies have been held at Liberty High School, where Taylor
was knocked unconscious by Deputy Fournier. Both of Taylor's parents have
come out to make public statements demanding Deputy Fournier is held
accountable beyond the typical slap on the wrist.
Fournier has been placed on administrative leave but is still collecting a
paycheck, while Taylor and her family have been left to deal with the
aftermath of this brutal attack.
John, Black kids in FL schools are being targeted and harassed
by the police. How many more students must face this same brutality before
we stand up and fight back to demand justice?
Over 48,000 Color of Change members have already signed the petition. Now,
it's your turn to speak out by adding your name.
[ [link removed] ]deMAND justice Sign The Petition
Until justice is real,
Erika and the rest of the Color of Change team
P.S. Read our original message below
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Deputy Fournier violently arrested a 16yo Black teenager and has faced
zero accountability.
[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change logo[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Sign the petition. FL schools have more cops than nurses. Black students
are being targeted & harassed.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition
Dear John,
Last week, a Florida police officer body-slammed and violently arrested a
16-year-old Black girl -- and he still hasn't been held accountable.
Viral video footage of the incident shows Deputy Ethan Fournier
body-slamming Taylor Bracey, a 16-year-old Black girl, knocking her
unconscious, and handcuffing her while she lay motionless.^2
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Department has initiated an investigation
into the incident, but we know this is not nearly enough.^3 Deputy
Fournier is on administrative leave but is still getting paid. Meanwhile,
Taylor is experiencing headaches, memory problems, trouble sleeping, and
depression after enduring this brutal attack.^4
Let’s be clear: a grown man should never body slam a teenage girl,
especially under the guise of “keeping other students safe.” He is sitting
at home collecting a paycheck while Taylor and her family are suffering.
It’s unacceptable.
[ [link removed] ]That’s where you come in, John. We need your help to put
pressure on Osceola County Sheriff Marco Lopez to demand Deputy Fournier
is fired from the police force for good.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name. Deputy Fournier must go.
Black kids deserve to go to school to learn and grow, not to be targeted
by the police. Time and time again, Black students are more likely to be
treated like adults and arrested by law enforcement. And Black girls are
facing the brunt of these violent arrests. Last year, we saw Grace, a
15-year-old Black girl from Michigan, thrown in jail because she didn’t
complete her homework. She spent months in a cage because her teachers
decided to take a “zero-tolerance” approach when dealing with behavior
problems.^5 Earlier this week, we saw a 9-year-old Black girl
pepper-sprayed and arrested by Rochester police.^6
Black communities are over-policed -- and instead of investing in the
resources and care students need, too many schools are hiring cops.
Because of these policy choices, Black children are targeted by the police
and disproportionately arrested and sent to juvenile detention for minor
behavioral issues.
Here are the facts, John. Schools with police have 3X as many
arrests compared to those that don’t, contributing to the school-to-prison
pipeline.^7 Not only do these policing programs siphon money away from the
mental health and counseling resources that students need to thrive but
they turn small incidents like not doing your homework or getting in a
fight into criminal infractions.
[ [link removed] ]We must act now, Black kids should not have to suffer violent arrest
while these cops walk away unscathed. Sign the petition.
When teachers and staff don’t have the support they need to address
behavioral problems, they turn to the police. But instead of addressing
underlying issues or de-escalating tense situations, cops are quick to
arrest, handcuff, and detain.
In Florida, there are more police in schools than nurses. That's because
Florida has a law that requires every school to have an officer or armed
employee.^8 The result? Arrest rates have spiked. And we know the police
do nothing to make schools a safer environment for our children to thrive.
[ [link removed] ]Firing Deputy Fornier is the first step. Tell Osceola Sheriff Marco
Lopez: Cops shouldn’t be able to brutally attack children and get away
with it. Sign the petition.
Until justice is real,
--Erika, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Malachi, Megan, Ernie, Madison, Ariel,
Trevor, Ericka, Ana, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
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References:
1. "What happens next in the Taylor Bracey case?" Osceola News-Gazette.
[link removed]
2. "Video Shows Florida Sheriff’s Deputy Slamming Black Student to the
Ground, Appearing to Knock Her Unconscious." The Root.
[link removed]
3. Ibid.
4. "Black Student Who Was Knocked Unconscious by Florida Officer Is
‘Traumatized’ and Seriously Injured, Family Says." The Root.
[link removed]
5. "A Teenager Didn’t Do Her Online Schoolwork. So a Judge Sent Her to
Juvenile Detention." ProPublica.
[link removed]
6. "Police Handcuffed & Pepper-Sprayed A 9-Year-Old Girl, The Latest
Example Of Why They Shouldn’t Interact With Kids." Refinery29.
[link removed]
7. "Police in Schools Continue to Target Black, Brown, and Indigenous
Students with Disabilities. The Trump Administration Has Data That’s
Likely to Prove It." ACLU.
[link removed]
8. "There are now more police officers in Florida’s schools than nurses —
and student arrests are rising." The Washington Post.
[link removed]
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[ [link removed] ]ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change.
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