Police Crack Down on BFF

Law enforcement is definitely in the New York City public school system where a 12-year-old junior high school student was recently arrested for doodling on her desk.

“Lawyers for Alexa Gonzalez claim police used excessive force and violated her rights during the recent incident at Junior High School 190 in Queens.”

Alexa’s mother Moraima Camacho said that “teachers pounced on her daughter and dragged her to the dean’s office” for writing “I love my friends Abby and Faith”—in washable green ink on her desk.

“Police were called and officers cuffed and arrested the girl,” who took Alexa to the police station and “handcuffed her to a pole for more than two hours,” according to the N.Y. Daily News.

She has now filed a $1 million lawsuit against the NYC Police Department. “Alexa was also suspended from the school when an offending item—Wite Out—was found in her pockets, but the suspension was later lifted.”

Deborah Lambert writes the Squeaky Chalk column for Accuracy in Academia.