Democratic Presidential Candidates React to #AssaultatSpringValleyHigh
Following Monday’s viral video of a white South Carolina school resource officer allegedly lifting an African-American high school student in her desk, dropping her on the ground and arresting her, the hashtag #AssaultatSpringValleyHigh quickly popped up on Twitter. Many used the hashtag to voice their reactions to the video, including some of the Democratic presidential candidates.
Former Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor Martin O’Malley was the first to do so, if only because MSNBC’s Chris Hayes showed him the video during their Monday night interview and asked for a reaction.
.@MartinOMalley reacts to #ArrestAtSpringValleyHigh video #inners https://t.co/HOGmpN4u97
— All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) October 27, 2015
“As a parent and as a father, I would be ripped ballistic if somebody did that to my daughter,” said O’Malley. He later reiterated the point on his official Twitter account Tuesday morning.
As a parent and as a father, I would be ballistic if somebody did that to my daughter. #assaultatspringvalleyhigh https://t.co/Z4M0HtDw4L
— Martin O'Malley (@MartinOMalley) October 27, 2015
Just before O’Malley made the reaction hashtag official on Twitter, however, Bernie Sanders beat him to it with his call to end “the unjust criminalization of our youth.”
Welcome to the school-to-prison pipeline! This unjust criminalization of our youth has to end. #AssaultatSpringValleyHigh
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 27, 2015
It wasn’t until the early afternoon that the campaign committee for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton finally approved a topical message for the official Twitter account.
There is no excuse for violence inside a school. The #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh is unacceptable—schools should be safe places. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 27, 2015
If the fourth Democratic presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig, or any of the Republican hopefuls, publish their reactions, we’ll add them to this post.
[Image via screengrab]
