What Will Happen Next?

Our world is seemingly engulfed within a whirlpool of diminishing sensibility and decreasing ability to behave rationally. This apparent epidemic is infecting large numbers of us, and appears to be hitting the USA in a way that destroys the very fabric of a civilized nation. A recent example of irrational action struck me as being particularly insidious since it pertains to the treatment of a small child in a public school in New Orleans by supposedly educated school teachers and administrators. This example is illustrative of how irrational we are becoming and the deepening threat to civil discourse and community coherence. I use this example to elicit your introspective thoughts and actual behavior regarding the necessity of regaining our collective senses and restoring rational behavior. Please consider the root causes of our nations’ chaotic political discourse and relate the so-called bigger issues to what happened to this small child in a public school in the USA. If this deplorable event touches you, think about your response to the irrational political discourse that is plaguing our country. Has the infection escaped and caused irreparable harm already. We must regain our senses before the infection becomes incurable.

Here is the e-mail that I received from the Southern Poverty Law Center that deserves attention from all of us and must spur us to take constructive action against the growing threat of irrational speech and actions:

“It's not right for a 6-year-old boy to be handcuffed and shackled to a chair by an armed security officer because he "acted up" in school. But that's exactly what happened at the Sarah T. Reed Elementary School in New Orleans. In keeping with our work to reform the abusive juvenile justice system in the Deep South, we've filed a lawsuit against the school district to stop the brutal and unconstitutional policy of chaining students who break minor school rules.
Our client, J.W., is a typical first-grader. He's just four feet tall and weighs 60 pounds. He enjoys playing basketball, being read to by his parents, coloring and playing outside with friends. But his school treated him like an animal. Within one week, he was twice forcibly arrested, handcuffed and shackled to a chair for talking back to a teacher and later arguing with a classmate over a seat. The amount of force used on J.W. was simply ridiculous and, predictably, inflicted severe emotional distress. Shockingly, this level of punishment is official school policy. We're not just fighting for the rights of J.W., but for all the students at Reed Elementary.

Unfortunately, J.W.'s story is hardly unique. All across the nation, schools have adopted draconian "zero-tolerance" policies that treat children like criminals and turn schools into prison-like environments. The primary function of school is to help educate our children so that they can become productive, well-informed adults. These policies do just the opposite — they seize on any opportunity to criminalize behavior and eject children from schools, driving up dropout rates.
Since being chained and shackled, J.W. has become withdrawn and afraid to go to school. His counselor reports that he has been "deeply affected and traumatized." We're determined to hold the school and school district accountable for what they've done and to stop their barbaric treatment of children so that no one else suffers like J.W.”
Thank you for supporting our work and for everything you do to protect children in your own community. We'll keep you apprised of any updates in this appalling case.

Thank you for your support,
J. Richard Cohen
President, Southern Poverty Law Center