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.
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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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.
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.
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.
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
References:
- "What happens next in the Taylor Bracey case?" Osceola News-Gazette. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/295249?t=8&akid=49100%2E4731121%2EFCOqTt
- "Video Shows Florida Sheriff’s Deputy Slamming Black Student to the Ground, Appearing to Knock Her Unconscious." The Root. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/294959?t=10&akid=49100%2E4731121%2EFCOqTt
- Ibid.
- "Black Student Who Was Knocked Unconscious by Florida Officer Is ‘Traumatized’ and Seriously Injured, Family Says." The Root. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/294961?t=12&akid=49100%2E4731121%2EFCOqTt
- "A Teenager Didn’t Do Her Online Schoolwork. So a Judge Sent Her to Juvenile Detention." ProPublica. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/255754?t=14&akid=49100%2E4731121%2EFCOqTt
- "Police Handcuffed & Pepper-Sprayed A 9-Year-Old Girl, The Latest Example Of Why They Shouldn’t Interact With Kids." Refinery29. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/294962?t=16&akid=49100%2E4731121%2EFCOqTt
- "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. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/294963?t=18&akid=49100%2E4731121%2EFCOqTt
- "There are now more police officers in Florida’s schools than nurses — and student arrests are rising." The Washington Post. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/294964?t=20&akid=49100%2E4731121%2EFCOqTt
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