Even in a society comfortable with violence, the video stands out. In the midst of a classroom dispute at Spring Valley High School, Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Fields grabbed the desk of a young female student and slammed her backward to the ground. If that wasn’t brutal enough, the Deputy then drug her multiple feet across the floor before pouncing on top of her. Most in the room sat in stunned silence. In the midst of the chaos, one student named Niya Kenny spoke up. Upon demanding the assault stop, Kenny was arrested and charged with disturbing the school. Around our nation, there are many who sit in stunned silence after watching this video. While shock is an understandable reaction, we do not live in a time where anyone has the privilege of silence. To be silent now is to be complicit in the assault. May we all garner the courage of Niya Kenny and speak out.
Amen.
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