About a dozen people spent several hours Friday protesting in front of the Middletown City Building in response to what they are calling “the unlawful use of force” by a local police officer.
On Monday, a school resource officer at Middletown Middle School tried to break up a fistfight between a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy during lunch period. As Officer Trey Porter intervened, he pushed one of the students to the ground.
The altercation, which was captured on cellphone video and went viral on the Internet, created a stir among viewers, many of whom questioned the amount of force exerted by the officer on the student. Porter, a four-year veteran of the Middletown Division of Police, was transferred back to the midnight shift while an investigation into the incident continues.
Maj. Mark Hoffman, assistant police chief, said it is unlikely Porter will face disciplinary action even though there were “other things” he could have done to stop the fight. Hoffman said Porter had no record of past disciplinary actions nor performance issues and declined to comment on the status of the internal investigation of the incident.
“I anticipate the investigation will be completed sometime next week for review by the chief (Rodney Muterspaw),” Hoffman said.
Vanessa Maree, the mother of the 12-year-old boy who was shoved, has said she wants Porter fired. And many of the protesters gathered Friday at the City Building agreed, as they chanted “Justice for Cameran” and carried signs that read: “Fire Porter. Take His Badge,” “Protect Our Children. Do Not Abuse Them,” “Discipline For Porter” and “MPD Condones Excessive Force Used On Middle School-aged Children.”
“I’ve seen officers let go for less than what he did,” said Clifford Adams, one of the protest organizers.
Adams said he is not related to the student, but is a concerned citizen who wanted to do something after he saw the video. He said at a minimum the officer should be suspended pending the investigation and have to take a training “refresher” on use of force, mediation procedure and “how to conduct himself in these types of situations.”
“It wasn’t an accident,” Adams said. “Officer Porter is trained to make split-second decisions. He clothes-lined the kid. He could have redirected his path by a foot or two.”
Violete Sheeks, the 12-year-old’s aunt, said she simply wants justice for her nephew and that something needs to be done. She said it “wasn’t fair” for Porter to just be sent back to the night shift.
“He needs to go back to class and learn how to break up fights,” she said.
Sheeks said her nephew is still shook up from the incident and has since returned to school.
Adams said by indicating that the officer would not face any discipline, it sends the message that the city doesn’t care about the situation. He said he might go to Tuesday’s Middletown City Council meeting to further voice his concerns. Adams told this news organization that he had not spoken with any City Council members, City Manager Doug Adkins or Public Safety Director David VanArsdale on the matter.
“A lack of disciplinary action sends the message they (city officials) condone it,” he said.
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