Teenager Tased In School By Police For Not Complying and Showing I.D.
School defends action against sixteen year old
Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Wednesday, June 4, 2008







A sixteen year old child was shocked with a Taser stun gun by police at a North
Carolina school last week for failing to comply with orders to show an officer
his I.D. badge.
Quayshaun Leak was tased and arrested in an incident which Richmond Senior High
School has since defended as proper policy and "within appropriate bounds of the
officer's authority."

The Richmond County Daily Journal reports:

Quayshaun Leak was charged with disorderly conduct by disturbing students,
assault on a governmental official/employee and resisting a public officer. The
incident involved the Richmond County Schools Special Police at RSHS.

During the incident Leak admits to not complying with the officers
instructions, but denies giving the officer any reason to tase him.

"I didn't give him my I.D. badge when he asked for it," Leak said. "I threw it
on the floor. And as for when he grabbed me by my shirt, I didn't push the
officer. I just shrugged away and backed up against the wall."

According to Leak's statements, that was when he was tased by the officer.


The incident has prompted the cousin of the young boy to file two discrimination
complaints with the United States Department of Health and Human Services
Officer for Civil Rights:

...the first complaint alleges Leak was "brutally attacked" and that his
mother was not allowed to view the video tape of the incident. The second claims
Leak was denied the right to file charges against the arresting officer because
the magistrate "did not believe the child's version."

A spokesman for the school defended the action, referring to the policy of
Richmond County Schools Special Police which states "The use of a Taser, an
instrument that is classified as 'non-deadly force,' may be considered as a
reasonable use of force in limited circumstances in the professional discretion
of the special police officer."

In the past month multiple medical experts have gone on record stating that they
believe there is ample evidence to suggest the "less than lethal" weapons affect
the heart of those shocked and and can even induce sudden and lethal cardiac
arrest.

Despite this, Taser International continues to win lawsuit after lawsuit,
effectively silencing medical researchers, victims and critics of the stun guns.

Doctors have condemned as corporate "intimidation" court decisions ordering
medical examiners to remove any references to the use of a tasers in autopsy
reports. Hundreds of deaths after the use of Tasers have prompted prominent
groups such as Amnesty to call for a suspension on all transfers and use of
Tasers.

In addition, the UN's Committee Against Torture issued a report last year which
read: "The use of TaserX26 weapons, provoking extreme pain, constituted a form
of torture, and that in certain cases it could also cause death, as shown by
several reliable studies and by certain cases that had happened after practical
use."

Despite these facts, the comments on the Richmond County Daily Journal article
exemplify the attitude that has allowed an environment that promotes this kind
of activity to be fostered within schools and in everyday life.

A selection of some of the most toe curling comments follows:

" Maybe MOM shoulda taught the kid not to be such a punk and he wouldn't have
had to ride the lightning. Maybe he didn't need to be tased....but perhaps, he
should've followed a directive from a superior authority. Lesson learned! We
hope."

" I say tase a few more of them, that will keep them unruly kids in check."

" I think the trouble maker got off easy. He should have been tased fully and
then he might behave himself. Evidently he didn't get the instructions correct
from his parents to behave at school and in public. What we have here is a
failure to communicate."

" Its all about respect. If he would have had respect for adults in the
beginning he wouldnt be in this position. He wouldnt have been asked to see his
ID badge because he would have had it where it was supposed to be in the first
place. ANYONE who doesnt follow the rules and gets out of hand as this young man
did deserves the same punishment."

"He should have been following directions! He put himself in this position-the
fault or blame lies on no one but the boy. He is 16 and old enough to take
responsibity for his actions or to understand that there are consequences when
you dont follow directions!"

" I feel like the Officer should get a raise in pay and carry at least two
tasers for people like this."

The majority of the comments engender the idea that a lack of respect is the key
factor in this and similar incidents. However, it is hardly surprising that
young people feel the urge to resist when they are forced to carry I.D. cards,
are constantly watched by cameras, are subjected to fingerprinting, iris
recognition and biometric hand scanners, and are faced with armed
government-hired thugs policing schools that have more in common with maximum
security prisons than real institutions of education.

This is the lesson young people are being taught, if you do not carry
identification at all times, if you do not accept constant surveillance and
adhere to systems of tracking and control, if you do not comply with orders to
do so by the authorities in charge of those systems you will be punished, most
likely in the form of infliction of pain and further stripping of your freedom.

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