Florida State Senate District 11 issued the following announcement on Feb. 26.
Kaia Rolle was quietly sitting and listening to a school administrator read her a story before two Orlando police officers zip tied and arrested her. After watching the officer bodycam footage that was released yesterday, Senator Randolph Bracy (D-Ocoee) was dismayed by the scene and noted: “It is shocking that no existing law prevented this unnecessary response to childhood misbehavior. No six-year old should be handcuffed and taken away from school in the back of a police car.”
In response to this incident among many others, Senator Bracy has introduced SB 578: Juvenile Justice which prohibits arresting children under the age of 12 and prevents them from being charged with a crime. Since 23 other states in our union already have laws establishing a minimum age for arrest, Senator Bracy strongly supports Florida taking action in bringing this reform to the criminal justice system.
Senator Bracy also mentioned: “It was heartbreaking to watch this young six-year old girl pleading for help and asking for a second chance as she was being arrested. The trauma this caused Kaia and her family is something nobody should ever have to go through.”
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up