Education
Education

Another cop. Another teen. They didn't tangle; they tangoed.

By Maureen Downey
Oct 28, 2015

Maybe this is the better way to defuse potentially tense situations with teens. A female police officer in Washington, D.C., wanted teens to disperse after a fight Monday and ended up in a dance-off with one of the young women.

According to the Washington Post:  (This is a great story. Take time to go read it.)

That's when Aaliyah Taylor, a 17-year-old senior at Ballou High School, walked up to the officer and started playing "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" on her phone. Then she did the Nae Nae dance. The officer, according to Taylor, laughed and said she had far better dance moves than that.

"Instead of us fighting, she tried to turn it around and make it something fun," Taylor said. "I never expected cops to be that cool. There are some good cops." Taylor said the officer told the group that if the teens won the dance-off, they could stay. If the officer won, they would have to leave.

And so the dance-off began. Both competitors declared themselves the winner and everyone went home happy.

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

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