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Comment by Navarr | Hacker News Reader

It is definitely profiling and I bet his race had a lot to do with it.

But I think the same thing would've happened if I had brought such a device to school - having been a super dark dressed goth in school, the fear would've been it's a bomb.

Schools are generally very very extra worried about everything these days, suspending him was unnecessary but with it only being three days I don't see it being a terrible thing. The record will get set straight.

So then this just falls back to being unfortunate racial profiling.

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The suspension is pretty minor. Dumb, but whatever. At that age I'd have been happy to stay home for three days.

But there's so much more here. He got arrested and put in juvenile detention. He was interrogated by the police without his parents being informed.

There's no excuse for this. The police involved should lose their jobs and spend some time in jail themselves. Not a lot, but perhaps a couple of days will get some of their colleagues to look up "probable cause" and "civil rights." The principal should lose his job as well, since he is clearly not mentally competent to supervise children.

> He got arrested and put in juvenile detention. He was interrogated by the police without his parents being informed.

This behavior happens ALL THE TIME. The police routinely will get away with what ever they can to get a conviction. The law is complicated and most people don't have a lawyer on retainer.

The police aren't your friend, and you gain NOTHING by talking to them.

I wonder at what age a parent should have The Talk about shutting up and asking for a lawyer.

> Schools are generally very very extra worried about everything these days

Maybe in the US, but where I live, and I guess that's going to be the case in most countries, no one would ever think that this "suitcase" could be a bomb, regardless of the person's appearance. It's saddens me to see a country becoming more and more paranoid and living in fear.

As an example, we used to chase each other in school with BB-guns (here they don't have the orange marker distinguishing them from real guns). When a teacher saw us I'm sure the thought that these could be real never ever crossed their mind.

You really mean suspending him is not so terrible because it was only 3 days? I hope I'm misunderstanding you.

The child learns to not trust anyone and that his best intentions are twisted into punishment. I'm pretty appalled by this.

To explain myself,

in a Texas Highschool I was sentenced to In School Suspension INDEFINITELY with my laptop confiscated for having shortcuts to directories on the network that I "shouldn't have had access to." After about a week of that I'd had enough, asked for OSS - got it, which I thought was enough but apparently wasn't. They ended up wanting to reassign me to an "alternative school" (the type with a dress code, specific hours, locked down no talking etc). I managed to get "homeschooled" for 3 months (re: no school work completed) and somehow still managed to actually graduate High School. It was the most ludicrous situation I'd ever been in for navigating a folder hierarchy in Windows.

3 days is lovely.

Neither is acceptable

I swear, if I was rich, I would have a PAC specifically for school board elections and go after these idiots and their supporters on the school board.

What is wrong with American schools? The more I read the more disturbing it is. Where is the proportionality and common sense?

Have a look at the political leanings of the teachers unions and the administration and you have your answer.

No one wants to be the person who ignored all the warning signs for the next Columbine. Its as simple as that.

And getting only a few toes amputated due to gangrene would be lovely to someone who lost a leg for the same reason. That doesn't mean losing a few toes isn't terrible.

I don't think it would be hard to find people who would have rather have faced what you suffered than what they went through. (Kalief Browder might have been one.) That doesn't mean they would be right to say that what happened to you was "lovely."

A 14 year old kid was led out of his school in handcuffs after trying to show off his accomplishment. That's a terrible thing.

That's the type of thing that actually turns people to extremist views.

Of course it won't get set straight. His "record", such as it is, will say:

- three day suspension for bringing hoax bomb to school

- arrest record, juvenile detention, child protective services called

And that's it. There's no "and then the magical internet outrage fairy came in and fixed everything".

And then he cant get any jobs. Gets so frustrated he actually builds a bomb..and well..you get the point.

The amount of stupidity perpetuated by these administrators and the police is astounding. Never underestimate the poor taste of public authority. Most of their reasons tend to be 'We needed to lay down the law first to assert dominance. That's how we could then subvert the broader scope of his actions. Then we teach him about sacrifice, plea-bargaining. And like a good boy, he says sorry, gets his slap on the wrist, and everybody wins because he learns to respect authority, and be a good little automaton Johnnyboy!"

It's also interesting in light of the supposedly meritocracy we live in - if you're smart and work hard, you'll succeed!

Unless your skin is the wrong colour because then your hard work is seen as suspicious!

And the cop said (and I'm paraphrasing) "Yup that's who I thought"

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