On January 15th, 2008, 10-year-old I'Mecca Pearson was handcuffed by cops on her school bus in Bed-Stuy because she didn't move fast enough to take a seat. According to a lawsuit filed by civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel, one cop "put his knee on the back of the child, grabbed her arms, and applied metal handcuffs." The lawsuit alleged that Pearson was "unreasonably seized, assaulted, and battered," and sought $500,000 in compensatory and another $500,000 in punitive damages. Today it's being reported that the city will settle for $50,000.
"The sequence of events after the Pearson incident, requiring Velcro instead of metal wrist handcuffs, is a positive development," Siegel tells the Daily News. In January the NYCLU filed a class action lawsuit against the city, arguing that "NYPD personnel assigned to New York City’s public schools have repeatedly violated students’ civil rights through wrongful arrests and the excessive use of force." Less than two weeks later, 12-year-old Alexa Gonzalez was arrested for "doodling" on her desk in Junior High School 190 in Forest Hills; her family is suing for $1 million in damages.
