The pre-teen who was cuffed and detained after doodling on her desk this year wants the city to pay $1 million in damages for its overreaction. Queens junior high student Alex Gonzalez was hauled off in front of her classmates after writing "Lex was here 2/1/10'' and "I love my friends Abby and Faith'' on her desk in erasable maker. The family may have a case, since after the 12-year-old’s arrest a DOE spokesman admitted that “Based on what we've seen so far, this shouldn't have happened," and the NYPD’s Paul Browne said that “common sense” should have prevailed.
The case hinges on “the excessive use of force and violation of the girl's rights” in the ordeal, according to the News. Alexa's mother told the tabloid that "The whole situation has been a nightmare." Two other court cases concerning student arrests are ongoing: that of 13-year-old Chelsea Fraser who was arrested after scribbling “okay” on her desk and of Dennis Rivera, a 5-year-old who was cuffed for throwing a temper tantrum (after which police piloted the use of velcro kiddie handcuffs). The NYCLU has also filed a class action suit on behalf of wrongly arrested students.
