South Carolina: High School Drug Raid Sparks Incredulity, Outrage

South Carolina: High School Drug Raid Sparks Incredulity, Outrage 11/14/03

A November 5th drug raid at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina, has sparked national media attention, local outrage, a state police investigation, and a rapidly coalescing protest movement in the usually tranquil Charleston suburb. As television viewers nationwide saw, the 6:40am raid featured an aggressive squad of police bursting into a school hallway with guns drawn, forcing cowering students to the ground, and handcuffing those they claimed complied too slowly with officers' shouted demands while police drug dogs sniffed for contraband. None was found.

The Goose Creek police were called in by Stratford High Principal George McCrackin, who told local media he had seen an increase in "drug activity" at the school in recent weeks. But while McCrackin made the decision to seek police assistance, it was Goose Creek police commanders who made the decision to treat students in their community as if they were enemy combatants. In an interview with the Charleston Post & Courier two days later, Goose Creek police Lt. Dave Aarons defended police tactics. Police drew their guns as "a matter of officer safety," he said. "I don't think it was an overreaction," he said. "Anytime you have qualified information regarding drugs and large amounts of money, there's a reasonable assumption weapons are involved."

Along with finding no drugs, however, police also found no guns. Both the Goose Creek police and the school district have since retreated into a defensive silence. A police spokesman told DRCNet Thursday that the department could not comment because of an ongoing investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). SLED spokeswoman Kathryn Porter confirmed to DRCNet that an investigation is underway, but declined to say anything else. School district officials did not return repeated calls for comment from DRCNet.

But if the school district and the police aren't talking, a lot of other people are. "I couldn't believe this was actually happening here in the US," said Sharon Smalls, whose 14-year-old son Nathaniel was one of the students victimized in the raid. "I thought it was a bad joke until I actually saw it on the news. Most parents are really outraged about this," she told DRCNet, "and the only ones who are not outraged are the ones whose kids were not involved. It is not ever okay to point a gun at a child's head," she said.

"Those police put Nathaniel on the floor with guns to his head and searched his pockets, his socks and his shoes," Smalls said. "I know the school says they were surveilling the kids for some time, but why they went after these particular kids, I don't know. They didn't find any of them doing anything wrong. Nathaniel is frightened and confused."

Nathaniel Smalls is probably not alone in being traumatized. "I would expect to see some degree of fear in students as a result of this operation," said Dr. Ken Ruggiero of the National Crime Victims' Research and Treatment Center (http://www.musc.edu/cvc/), which just happens to be located in nearby Charleston. "I would expect elevated fear and distress among kids who have never been exposed to that kind of scenario, but also among kids who have been exposed to violent neighborhood crime or domestic violence as well," he told DRCNet. "This could trigger emotional reactions for these kids and that would be bad for them."

Ruggiero noted the irony of a crime victims' center commenting on the trauma resulting not from criminal activity but from police behavior and made the depressing observation that perhaps high school students need to be educated about the possibility of being caught up in such heavy-handed police actions in the future. "I'm sure many of those students suffered at least a temporary high level of fear and distress," he said. "Maybe we need to make them more aware of the likelihood that these things may be possible in the future. But I hope we can find better ways of managing this in the future."

University of California-Santa Cruz sociologist Mike Males is no trauma specialist, but he knows a thing or two about targeting youth. Author of such books as "Framing Youth: Ten Myths About the Next Generation" and "The Scapegoat Generation: America's War on Adolescents," Males viewed the Stratford High raid with a skeptical eye. "The extreme step of deploying a team of gun-brandishing officers to a school hallway, tactics applicable to violent criminals, is not justified even if the evidence presented by the school principal and school board are accepted as accurate," he told DRCNet. "It is not clear why -- if camera surveillance videos were clear enough to show actions as subtle and secretive as drug sales -- the students suspected of selling drugs were not simply identified and arrested individually. Nor would it make sense for drug sellers to deal inside a school knowing they were being caught on video cameras when there are many unmonitored places to sell drugs."

But for Males, the Stratford raid is only the most outrageous recent example of an adult world petrified by kids. School officials are afraid of massive drug activity and even more afraid of being seen as not forcefully addressing it, said Males, but "the striking and puzzling reality is that subsequent evidence consistently shows that nothing even remotely approaching such drug abuse or student violence exists." School drug testing turns up few positives, Males noted, while lengthy undercover investigations produce few and unspectacular results. "I am not aware of a single raid, sting, testing operation, or other action that has turned up the drug rings, doped students, and violent enterprises school and police officials insisted were taking over the school," he said.

"Even more bizarrely, none of these calming results seem to ameliorate adults' intense fear," Males continued. "Even after investigations find a school's students are clean, officials and officers immediately return to claiming, absent any evidence, that there must have been massive drug activity at the school that only their stern intervention deterred and that future repressions will be undertaken. Clearly, the scary fact we are facing is not stoned students, but a complete breakdown of adults' rational ability to perceive what is really going on and a frantic response that puts guns against 15 year-old bodies to ward off a problem that doesn't exist."

[Males is compiling a compendium of similar drug or violence enforcement outrages in high schools. If anyone wishes to submit an incident, Males can be contacted at mmales@earthlink.net.]

The National Youth Rights Organization (http://www.youthrights.org) were also outraged. "What the police and principal conspired to do and carried out was a scene out of Iraq, not South Carolina," said Alex Koroknay-Palicz, president of the group. "It reflects the shoddy treatment of youth. Most businesses don't want drugs in their offices, but they don't send in armed police with guns drawn. Our society has respect for people who work in offices, but not for students. Students are treated as second class citizens," he told DRCNet. "The Supreme Court used to say the Constitution didn't stop at the schoolhouse door, but now everything is reversed."

The raid also raised the hackles of constitutional scholars. "First of all, Goose Creek is not the Sunni Triangle," snorted University of South Carolina law professor Eldon Wedlock. "From what I can see, the behavior of the police there was outside the law," he told DRCNet. "Even though the Supreme Court had decided that students in school have a lesser expectation of privacy, school authorities need to have a particularized suspicion that a certain student is committing a crime. When school officials call in the police, I say the police still have to operate under constitutional rules; they have to have probable cause. Here you have a whole bunch of kids detained -- they were under arrest under any interpretation of the law. They were not free to go," Wedlock continued. "The police did not have any probable cause to arrest those kids -- and if police deprive you of your liberty in any meaningful way, that's an arrest. This was way over the top; I don't know what possessed these people. I don't know anyone in education, law enforcement, or criminal justice who would sign off on something like that." Both the school district and the police department are wide open for lawsuits, he added.

And they could see just that from the American Civil Liberties Union's Drug Policy Litigation Project. "We have some people from our office going down to investigate," said project spokesperson Anjuli Verma. "All we know at this point is what we've seen on the news," she told DRCNet, "but we will be looking very closely at this."

The ACLU isn't the only reform organization headed for South Carolina as a result of the raid. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (http://www.ssdp.org) activist Dan Goldman was expected to arrive in Charleston Thursday evening, and US mar1juana Party (http://www.usmjparty.com) head Loretta Nall has been on the scene since Tuesday. "What we have just witnessed was the most graphic and disturbing example of the increasing criminalization of students," said SSDP national director Darrell Rogers. "What SSDP wants to do is provide a voice to help students speak more loudly and clearly to defend themselves and their rights. We are there to support the efforts of students and their families, and we will be working with other drug reform and civil rights groups to highlight this outrage."

"I met with about 200 students today and handed out brochures," Nalls told DRCNet Thursday. "They are all really upset and interested in putting together a formal organized protest. The student body in general is really pissed off, and they're really happy to find out they're not alone. When Dan Goldman gets in town tomorrow, we'll meet with the students again, and I'm thinking we'll have a rally in front of the police station on Saturday. If we show up with a couple of hundred angry students, maybe the police and the community will get the message."

Nall told DRCNet that most of the students she met with were white, as is 80% of the Stratford High student body. But of the 107 students detained during the raid, about 90 were black. Race appears to be the unacknowledged factor here. As Nall noted, "only the black people are talking about race."

Sharon Smalls and her son are black, and Smalls is one of those people talking about race. "We have a majority white high school, yet almost all the kids targeted were black. Funny how that happens, isn't it?"

Visit http://www.ssdp.org for Students for Sensible Drug Policy's press release condemning the Goose Creek raid.

 

The following is from a drug policy reformer who went to SC after the incident to educate and expand awareness of the issue.

Now I promised you a good story and here it is...

On Thursday when I went back to Stratford High School, I had a rather unexpected encounter. I started the day out as usual, passing out DPA's information, SSDP's stickers and a few of the SSDP t-shirts that I had left. At one point, a pair of teachers walked passed and I offered both of them the pamphlet and booklet. One of them asked "What is it?" and one of the students around him answered, "It has to do with keeping our school drug-free." A heavy-set man whose name I later learned was Mr. Green, took both the pamphlet and the booklet. The man next to him, a younger, smaller teacher whose name I later learned was Mr. McCombs refused my offer. In my youthful exhuberance, I said some snide remark to the effect of, "Way to set an example for your students by remaining ignorant." I know I shouldn't have said something like that and I didn't even think he heard me, but I was mistaken. Read on...

Now, after most of the students dispersed, I did what I did the day before and walked through a muddy foot path, about 30 feet over to the school grounds to pass out a few more flyers. As I was walking back through the foot path to my car, I saw both of the teachers again and I kindly offered my last pamphlet to Mr. McCombs, who had neglected to take it before. This time he was very upset. He wanted to know why I would say what I said to him about staying ignorant. He said, "I've been to college and I've been teaching for 4 years, don't you think I may know a little something about keeping kids drug-free?" I said, "You may know a little something, but you probably haven't been exposed to what's in this pamphlet, so why don't you take one and find out?" He told me he didn't have time to read one and I suggested he do what most people do and put it in his pocket to read when he does have time.

Mr. McCombs continued to wonder aloud why I thought it was necessary to undermine him in front of students and I continued to wonder to myself how one snide comment can undermine the authority of a teacher who has their attention every day for an hour? Now at this point, the two teachers began threatening me with this whole issue of tresspassing on school grounds. Since I was in fact on school grounds momentarily without permission, I really didn't want to get into it with them. I was about to leave with the excuse of another appointment (which was true, Ian Mance was arriving around 4:30pm and I wanted to see him as I've been staying at his parents' house for the last week) but then they made me an offer I couldn't refuse....

They offered to take me to see Principal McCrackin. Now, last week Mr.
McCrackin had sent home a letter to parents offering to meet with any of them that still had concerns about the drug raid. However, according to the parents I've spoken with who've tried to meet with him, he's always busy. So I didn't think I would have the chance to meet the man behind the myth, and when the chance just presented itself like that, I thought it was too good to be true.

Well, like everything too good to be true... It was! As I walked through the school, continuing my witty banter with the two teachers, we entered the principal's office and to my surprise, there were two officers of the law instead of one Principal. Immediately, one of them, a very big man named Cpl. Aucoin demanded my identification. Now having just seen BUSTED, I wasn't immediately inclined to give it to him. However I did tell him my name and I showed him the materials I was distributing. I asked Cpl.
Aucoin if I was free to go and he said, "No," that he was detaining me. The two teachers insisted they caught me tressassing and I corrected them and explained they encountered me in between the back of strip mall and the school grounds on that muddy foot path. Then, in came McCrackin...

I'm not sure how many of you have seen a picture of George McCrackin, but he's in his mid to late 50's, I would guess, dark hair that's greying but looks like he colors it. He's about 5 ft. 7in tall and maybe 170 lbs. He's a short, stout man, the kind with a Napolean complex of sorts. He looks tired beyond his years, like a man who has been at his job for too long. He's been principal of Stratford High School since it opened 20 years ago and before that he was assistant Superintendent of Schools in North Charleston and a principal and teacher for years before that, so the man has been in education for quite some time -- his entire adult life, in fact.

That he cares for children was evident from speaking to many people in the community, but that he pre-judges people and labels them "good" or "bad"
and then acts towards them accordingly, was also quite evident from speaking to his students, especially those who were at one time "good", but then did something to get themselves labeled "bad". They speak quite insightfully about how he treats his students.

Upon speaking to Mr. McCrackin and being threatened with an arrest for tresspass, I decided to give up my ID. Cpl. Aucoin ran my ID as Mr.
McCrackin disappeared with his two teachers to persumably view the videotape from one of the school's 70 surveillance cameras. He came back and said he had evidence I was "on his campus." I admitted to passing out a few materials to 6 students, said as much to him and apologized for not knowing I needed his permission to pass out flyers. (It wasn't as sarcastic as it sounds when you read this, honest.) He then asked me where I was parked, I think because he wanted to nail me for parking in "his lot"
as well, but unfortunately as I told him, I was parked in the strip mall parking lot, which is off school grounds. Cpl. Aucoin asked if I saw the sign that said "For Customers Only" and I explained that I had purchased my lunch at the Subway in the strip mall, so I was indeed, a customer.

Now at this point things got really weird. See earlier that afternoon, as school let out, a bunch of kids were speeding around the parking lot and burning the rubber on their tires. Then the police came and chased one of them. I believe Mr. McCrackin was rightly concerned with this incident, but seemed to place the blame in a strange place. (Does this sound
framiliar?) When I told them I bought my lunch at Subway, he went on about how he was going to have that place closed down and what a dangerous situation it was causing. I couldn't understand how a sandwhich shop could be responsible for high school kids doing stupid things in their cars, but I guess it makes sense somewhere in McCrackin World.

After he ended his subway tirade, I got to explaining about the "Safety First" philosophy and from what he said to me in response, I can say with 100% certainty that this man has lost his grip on reality. He told me he knew "Just Say No" wasn't working because they have Red Ribbon Week at school and although it's a school of 2700 people, there were 20-30 who were just going to do what they wanted to do anyways. I was honestly shocked that this man who has been an educator all his life, believes that there are only 20-30 students using drugs at his school. I spoke to at least 20-30 kids every day after school and I know I'm not hitting the lion's share of the drug using population at that school (most of whom are overwhelmingly mar1juana smokers only), just the ones who happen to walk home that way or hang out in that area after school. So with what must have been a look of stupified incredulity on my face, the unexpected happened...

George McCrackin told me to turn around and put my hands on my head with my fingers crossed. He said he was going to search me, as he had the right to search anyone in his school. He asked me if I had anything in my pockets I shouldn't have. The whole time I'm in utter disbelief that I'm being detained and searched by the principal of Stratford High School, Mr. George McCrackin. The irony was too much.

After emptying my pockets and picking my pants back up for me (my belt wasn't tight enough) and not finding anything of interest in my pockets other than cash, keys and scraps of paper, I was told to sit down. He was still looking through my stuff when he asked me, "Who's Steve Silverman?"

(I had Steve's name on a list of voicemail messages to return.) I told him "Mr. Silverman works for an organization called "Flex Your Rights" out of Washington, DC. It teaches young people to assert their constitutional rights during police encounters." Neither the cops nor the principal looked too thrilled to hear about that.

There was another cop in the room this whole time, but he never said much. His name was Detective Brooder, and he used to work for the NYPD's bomb squad. He took much more interest in my ID than anyone else and kept bending it, I suspect to see if it was fake. (Earlier, when I was pulling out my ID, Cpl. Aucoin thought my expired International Student ID card was another license and he wanted to see that as well.) These folks in Goose Creek law enforcement just aren't too bright. At least on these two most recent searches, they're 0 for 2!

Before I left, Mr. McCrackin took two copies of DPA's pamphlet and an SSDP sticker. He told me he would read the pamphlet even if I didn't believe him (which I assured him I did) and I apologized for not having anymore copies of the "Safety First" booklet on me to give to him. I then realized he took the copy of the pamphlet that had the names of the teachers and staff I had just encountered written on the back and when I asked for it back, in exchange for a different pamphlet, I was told, "I didn't need to have the names of his teachers." As if it was going to be so difficult to remember all four names.

A tresspass warning was filled out with my name on it and my picture was taken by Cpl. Aucoin. ("No smiling!" he told me.) After he snapped my mug, I was given the warning which I was told to sign and I was reminded that it didn't have to be this way, they could have had me arrested, if they wanted. Now, having not lined up local counsel in advance, I wasn't too eager to spend an evening in the Berkeley County jail and frankly, I'm glad it didn't have to come to that. Before I left, I was also told to stay away from the strip mall behind the school and that I would be "run out" if I tried to come back there again. I guess tomorrow we'll see about that! I left the principal's office, walked off campus towards my car and on my way I ran into a few more students back in the strip mall parking lot. I told them what happened and we had a nice laugh

Dan Goldman
McCrackin Victim #108

 

That sounded like sarcasm, but can you expound? It IS a big deal that they raided a high school with their guns drawn, forced the students to lie in the hallway, and went over them with drug sniffing dogs.

Don't you think?

 

Doesn't it say something that no drugs whatsoever were found?

We are really overreaching when we have police officers treating an entire high school like criminals when there is absolutely no evidence of criminal behavior. It is also telling that the kids who were handcuffed were mostly black kids. Yet another example of a policy whose time has come.

We can solve the problems inherent in drug use, but we cannot solve them with prohibition.

 

Hear, hear.

Testify, brother!

 

I personally have less of a problem with the police (who are trying to do their jobs) than I do with the idiot politicians who have their heads up their a$$es on this issue.

In this case, however, I blame the police as they are responsible for the tactics they choose to use.