Organizations Petition for Charges to be Dropped Against Spring Valley Student
Several organizations petition for charges to be dropped against Spring Valley student.
Columbia , S.C. (WOLO) — On Thursday afternoon, Richland Two parents along with several organizations including Color in Change delivered a petition with more than 150,000 signatures to solicitor Dan Johnson’s office.
The petition is in support of dropping the charges against two Spring Valley High School students charged with “disturbing the schools” during an incident involving former school resource officer Ben Fields earlier in the semester.
Supporters of the two students went to deliver the petition to demand justice for Shakara Murphy and Niya Kenny. In October, a video captured Deputy Fields pulling and pushing Murphy out of her desk, Kenny captured the incident on tape.
Now, petitioners are asking Solicitor Dan Johnson to drop the charges, arguing Deputy Fields shouldn’t have been in the classroom in the first place to mitigate the situation.
“The only disruption in the class were the adults,” said Efia Nwangaza. “Beginning with the teacher who failed in his responsibility to counsel and nurture. Also, the school administrator and principal that relied on law enforcement on crimes as opposed to counseling to address an issue that in earlier days at worst would’ve been a trip to the principals office.”
According to Solicitor Johnson, the FBI is still handling the case involving former officer Fields. In a statement, Johnson said “No prosecution decisions in these cases will be made, nor can they be fairly made until all investigations are complete, and all evidence is collected and assessed according to the relevant laws.”
