Capitol Police apologize after officer forced student to stand during Pledge

[TexasTowelie]

Capitol Police apologized after an officer physically compelled a 16-year-old student to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance in the Senate gallery during last week’s short-lived special session on gun legislation.

Monica Hutchinson, a Henrico resident, said her son, Jae, was at the Capitol on a trip with 42 members of the Boys and Girls Club. He chose to remain seated during the Pledge to bring attention to “police brutality, civil rights attacks, racism, attacks on the LGBTQ community — anything that makes the statement ‘liberty and justice for all’ not ring true.”

That’s when the officer, who is white, approached Jae, who is black, “tapped his shoulder first then grabbed his shirt to pull him up,” she said.

Link to tweet

Satirical Alexandria - Rated Fx by the NRA
@SatirclAlx
I’m sitting in the senate gallery of Virginia. I just witnessed a female state trooper force a young black male to stand for the pledge. She physically touched him and pulled on him. That is not legal. That is assault. @DickSaslaw @AdamEbbin @JeremyMcPike @ssurovell

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11:21 AM - Jul 9, 2019
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Sen. Jenn McCellan, D-Richmond, organized a meeting Friday that included Jae, the officer, Capitol Police Chief Col. Steve Pike and Senate Clerk. Susan Scharr.

Read more: https://www.virginiamercury.com/blog-va/capitol-police-apologize-after-officer-forced-student-to-stand-during-pledge/

[stopdiggin]

1. there is no conceivable excuse for this

in 2019 there is no way to claim a lack of understanding, or training, on the issues involved here. This is "because I can get away with it" behavior. And we need to make sure that "No .. you can't" is the immediate response. This officer needs to be demoted, and immediately reassigned to a non-public function. For this to happen in the seat of our laws, freedoms and ideals ... Jesus wept!