Parents Upset After Police Arrest Students, Ages 6 to 11, at Their School for Not Breaking up a Fight

by 04/29/2016

Murfreesboro, TN – Some parents in a small town in Tennessee are highly upset after several kids between the ages of 6 and 11 were handcuffed and arrested at their elementary school for not stopping a fight. The altercation was caught on camera and happened in the children’s neighborhood after a heated basketball game, not at Hobgood Elementary School – where they attend.

In the video, the children can be seen standing around and not making an attempt to dissolve the situation. Several children were seen instigating the fight, and after seeing the video, the police decided to obtain arrest warrants. At least 10 children were charged with criminal responsibility, which is legal in the state of Tennessee.

Several angry parents and community members held a townhall meeting at a local church, First Baptist Church, and lashed out at the Murfreesboro City Manager Rob Lyons and Police Chief Karl Durr.

One parent, Zacchaeus Crawford, whose three children were arrested, told the media: “There are innocent kids that have been arrested that have been entered in a system they have no business in.” He added that the situation has contributed to the already tense racial climate in the city.

A local youth pastor commented, “I hope we’re not setting a precedent where there’s a fight and we send everyone and their mom to jail.”

The city manager and police chief responded by promising to make changes to prevent this from happening again, but neither official gave specific details on what the plan was.

Another official for the school district praised school officials and employees, but added that the arrests deeply disturbed him. •

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