Power U and Edison students demonstrate against school police. ‘You are here in great numbers because you are angry and want to get your voices heard! What we want to do is create an outlet where your voices can be heard and your demands met!’ —Marleine Bastien, Haitian Women of Miami

Assistant Principal Javier Perez is accused of physically mishandling a student Feb. 28. Youth say their friend, Watson, was “choke slammed,” “slammed to the floor” and “kneed in the back” by the administrator for refusing to leave a classroom that he did not belong in.

Students said their demonstration started during lunch. Protesters congregating in an area just outside the cafeteria were met by police, who were initially contacted by the school administration, students said. Many were forced back into the cafeteria when school and city police officers moved to end the demonstration.

“It didn’t get violent until (Assistant) Principal Perez sent three police officers after Jerry White!” said student Tara Gedeus, who started crying. Nervous, in tears and speaking March 2 before a crowd of 300-400 students, teachers, community leaders and activists, she continued to describe the confrontation. “I watched as they slammed him on the floor! As this took place the other four officers became angry themselves and began pushing students and grabbing anyone close to them. They called for back up and Edison was hell right in front of my eyes!

“Girls were being pulled by their hair ... slammed with no sympathy!” she said. “This is not what we expected! All we wanted was for our voices to be heard! How are we supposed to feel safe if one of our own assistant principals is laying hands on us?”

Ms. Gedeus’ account was just one of many heard at an emergency community meeting called by the school principal Jean Teal.

“We are here because we care!” Principal Teal stressed to the community. “I know that you have concerns and are upset ... We are not going to be able to solve all of the problems today, but we seek to leave here with understanding so that we can bring about order.”

Though she was out of town the day of the incident, Principal Teal assured the crowd that “all actions will be investigated.” Principal Teal emphasized that students would soon be taking state sanctioned standardized exams and it was important to have a calm environment. After several years of stigma, grades at the school have improved and there is a desire for “a safe and secure learning environment,” she added.

Not feeling that their voices were being heard as promised, a unified group of students sitting in the first three rows of the school auditorium repeatedly chanted loudly, “Let us speak! Let us speak!”

After much commotion, student activist and Power U Center for Social Change member Chris Ford was granted permission to talk. “Miss Teal you’re doing a great job as a principal, but the people around you are not!” he declared.

The young man discussed his experience during the incident and contrasted it with the police version presented to the media. He said tasers and police dogs were employed for intimidation purposes, and disputed police claims that students threw cafeteria chairs.

“How can that be when all of the chairs are bolted to the floor?” he asked emphatically.

There was no response from police officials who sat emotionless. Miami-Dade Public Schools Police Chief Gerald Darling made a brief statement, saying he could not account for the actions of city police, but would not rest until the incident was “thoroughly investigated.”

Student leader Chris Ford admitted some students defended themselves from police attacks. “Just like Newton’s Law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction!” he said.

When the violence had ceased, at least 30 students were hospitalized with injuries, including a pregnant young woman. One police officer was treated with minor injuries. Twenty-seven students were arrested, none of whom had prior criminal records, said their lawyers.

Mr. Ford read a list of student demands that were posted on flyers and passed out by students. The demands included the arrest of Assistant Principal Perez, dropping all charges against those arrested, returning all personal property confiscated by police to students, no administrative retaliation against students for the demonstrations, the release of all unedited videos from school cameras and an official apology to students from administrators and police.

Other students vividly described brutality of police and the horrific bloodshed. Some were so emotionally distraught they cried at the podium and could not read prepared statements.

M.G.T. speaks to activist Marleine Bastien after meeting.

Marleine Bastien of Haitian Women of Miami, the organization responsible for bailing many students out of jail and providing them with attorneys, spoke passionately to students, families and the community.

“You are here in great numbers because you are angry and want to get your voices heard! What we want to do is create an outlet where your voices can be heard and your demands met!” Ms. Bastien added. “Mr. Perez’s behavior was not appropriate ... We are asking that he be removed from the school!”

“Things for youth in the state of Florida are really bad!” said Carline Paul, executive director of Haitian Youth of Tomorrow, stressing that lawyers will keep working with the students to achieve justice.

The next morning over 300 students and activists protested peacefully across the street from the school at Edison Center Park. Motorists traveling Westbound on Martin Luther King Boulevard honked horns in support March 3 as they drove slowly past students holding signs with slogans such as “Perez Must Go,” “Arrest Perez,” and “Justice Now.” Complying with a police-issued 10:30 a.m. cut off time, by 10 o’clock all students returned to class.

With the notice that Assistant Principal Perez had not been present at the school since the violence, by mid-week it was clear that he had been reassigned to public school offices downtown. The bittersweet partial victory was followed by yet another demonstration in front of school police officers.

Miami-Edison students along with Power U and Cop Watch organized a March 5 after school protest, with significantly less student participation.

Many of the activists, organizations and clergy that defended the rights of Miami-Edison students came to a town hall meeting at Miami-Edison Middle School that same night demanding that school Superintendent Rudy Crew make a statement about the incident. They were anticipating language that suggested charges against the students arrested would be dropped. Mr. Crew told the gathering he was not going to comment about the incident beyond saying it was “unfortunate and upsetting.”

Instead, Mr. Crew centered most of his hour-long discussion on plans to improve county schools in the midst state plans to cut his education budget by $200 million due to an “economic slow down.”

In response to Crew’s lack of response, activist Marleine Bastien told The Final Call, “I am very disappointed. ... It is insulting!”

Noting that Mr. Crew has a history of avoiding making public statements about controversial school related issues, Ms. Bastien added, “He did this tonight because he knows he could get away with it ... Usually they have questions and answers at the end!”

Despite displeasure with the manner in which Mr. Crew has dealt with the incident, Ms. Bastien, along with other activists and community members, have pledged to continue working with the students to obtain justice.