Black Teen To Face Criminal Charges For Taking Carton Of Milk
You may recall the headline this past May when a middle schooler was arrested and charged with larceny for allegedly stealing a 65-cent carton of milk at lunch. Sadly, the situation that had already been blown entirely out of proportion is far from over.
According to the Washington Post, Ryan Turk will have to face the criminal charges in court not long after he turns 15 years old.
“No one needs to be punished for stealing a 65-cent carton of milk,” said Emmett Robinson, a lawyer representing the family. “This officer treats kids like they’re criminals, and guess what happens — they’re going to become criminals.”
To clarify, Turk, who is now enrolled in high school, was a part of a free lunch program and claims that he simply forgot to get a carton of milk, so he went back up and got one. That’s when a resource officer approached him. The officer claimed that Ryan became disorderly when he was told he’d need to see the principal.
Ryan’s family turned down the option of nonjudicial punishment which would have sent him through a diversion program because they feel that he’s innocent.
Remember, this all happened over a carton of milk that he may have very well been entitled to. It looks to be yet another example that supports the idea that black students are punished much more often and harshly than other students.
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