A rally to drop criminal charges against two Spring Valley high school students is scheduled for this Thursday, December 17, in Columbia, South Carolina. A 15-year-old girl who was viciously assaulted by a school resource officer back in October and Niya Kenny, the classmate who filmed the attack, were both charged with disrupting school, a criminal offense in South Carolina. The video of that attack went viral and the officer, Ben Fields, was subsequently fired from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. A coalition of groups is conducting the rally which will be held at the Richland County Justice Center. Organizers say they plan to drop off 150,000 signatures demanding that the charges be dropped against the two girls, and that Fields be charged in the attack.
Fields was summoned to a classroom at Spring Valley High School to remove a student who was being “disruptive.” The disruption occurred when the student, who had taken out her cell phone, refused to leave the classroom when asked to by the teacher. Speaking to the New Yorker in October, Kenny told her classmates to take out their cell phones and start recording when she saw Fields come into the classroom. His reputation at the school was that brutal—his nickname was “Officer Slam.” Fortunately, Niya Kenny was that astute. When she protested Fields’ actions he arrested her as well. Kenny’s mother said she is proud of her daughter for doing the right thing, although the arrest might be on Kenney’s record.
A court date for Kenny was continued until sometime in January, while the investigation of Fields continues. You can read more about that here.
A rally for both girls was held at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia at the end of October which drew about 60 supporters. Color of Change initiated the petition which can be found here.