UPDATE via BlkSeaGoat:
I spoke with Sheila in the office of the DA-John Chisolm, Office of Sensitive Crimes. She stated that they have no record of the case being referred to the office and had received one call regarding the case. She promised to look into the case an would get bach to me.
You may call, email, or write to:
Office of the District Attorney, Milwaukee County
John Chisolm, D.A.
821 West State Street, Room 405
Milwaukee, WI 53233milwaukee.da@da.wi.gov
414.278.4653
Hat tip to Around Harlem. Ain’t this some mess right here. This little Black girl who wears braids with beads was playing with them and apparently they made noise that annoyed the teacher so what did the teacher do? She brought her up to the front of class and cut off one of the girl’s braids.
Lamya Cammon is angry, confused, and scared by the incident last week in which the apparently frustrated teacher cut one of her braids off after she wouldn’t stop playing with them in class.
Cammon, 7, sports a few dozen braids, but one is conspicuously absent.
“She told me to stop playing with it. Then cut it off and sent me back to my desk,” Cammon said. WISN
The teacher was not charged by the district attorney. She just got a fine for disorderly conduct. She should have been charged with battery of a child. But then again, she’s a little Black girl, what’s one braid really? Are you freaking kidding me? The District Attorney is clearly sending a message that it is okay to violate the personhood of a little Black girl. Not to mention the public humiliation. I remind you that Milwaukee is the same city where an 11 year old girl was assaulted by up to 20 men and boys and the women of the neighborhood objected to the men being sent to jail saying:
Five years? Ten years? That’s ridiculous,” said LaToya Bell, 22, sitting on a porch with four others who nodded in agreement. “They (are) getting time for nothing. That girl, she knew what she was doing.“
LaToya Bell, 22 speaking about the gang rape of an 11-year old by up to 20 men and boys.
Yes, Milwaukee, you have a problem.
But the most hysterical part of this is that they are trying to blame this on the teacher being under stress. I don’t know the county where this happened but if some intrepid reader has time, put the email, phone and address information for the DA’s office in the comments. I’d love to call and email.
22 comments ↓
I’d have SCALPED the teacher and transferred sutody of my child to my sister so that I could serve my prison time… PROUDLY.
I spoke with Sheila in the office of the DA-John Chisolm, Office of Sensitive Crimes. She stated that they have no record of the case being referred to the office and had received one call regarding the case. She promised to look into the case an would get bach to me.
You may call, email, or write to:
Office of the District Attorney, Milwaukee County
John Chisolm, D.A.
821 West State Street, Room 405
Milwaukee, WI 53233
milwaukee.da@da.wi.gov
414.278.4653
Being here, I am far to aware of the sentiments of the people. The fact that there has been only one inquiry is perhaps a lie but due to the fact that the coverage of the incident was limited to only one station and no newspaper is telling. Then again, the referral may be a lie as well and it may not have been referred at all.
I have spoken to omany who did not even hear of it. They will not charge her unless the mother presses it, which appears in her “calm” state, that she will not. But I want you all to know that there is an org here called MMABSE, which is the Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators, Inc. I am sure they are aware of it, but as Black educators don’t you think THEY would be stating position on this. Bet you they won’t because many are part of the TEACHERS UNION, a powerful entity here in Milwaukee. There is also an NAACP, Black politicians, Black clergy, etc. I wonder what “church” the mother attends. Until Black people stand up for Black people, we will continue to have these types of incidents. I wonder what would have happened if the mother cut a lock of the teachers hair off because she was :”frustrated”? There are protocols to discipline in the schools, this is akin to corporal punishment, it is psychological and emotional abuse at best. I discussed this incident on my internet radio program last Sunday. You can tune into the archives at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/queen-ifama. Further, it is the the “what ifs” that are even more disturbing. What if, she had accidentally jabbed those “school scissors” in this child’s eye because she jerked, or something? I mean people have been locked up for less. When will we learn that it IS the POWER OF THE PEOPLE that gets and maintains a just society. We just can’t leave it to those we vote for. Still, MAMA gotta start raising some hell about it.
I just posted on this story too. Here’s the address of the school as well:
Congress Elementary School
5225 West Lincoln Creek Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53218
Thank you for the address for the DA’s office and school. And BLKSeaGoat’s comment @ 7:33am. I would have done the same thing. What about our daughters indeed…
I bet if Lamya had taken scissors to her teacher’s hair she would have been taken from the school in cuffs.
At minimum that teacher needs to be fired.
Gina,
In cases of simple assault does the mother or the victim have to press charges? Can’t the state pursue criminal charges without the cooperation of the victim or witnesses?
I was polite when I called this morning, and I sent my email along with the media clips you posted here. If they were not aware of this case, they are now. I will follow-up before close of business today.
That teacher crossed the line she wanted to humuliate that little girl by cutting off her hair and having the class watch. Being frustrated while working with children comes with the job but if you are a professional things aren’t supposed to get to u. You don’t cut someone else child’s hair without their permission. This child was violated and so was her mother. Cutting someone’s hair without permission is like tearing a page out of the Koran. Somethings u just don’t do and i can guarentee u that the teacher would not tear a page out of the Koran just like she shouldn’t have cut this little girl’s hair.
The mother should sue the teacher and the school. In her lawsuit it should require that the teacher pay for pain and suffering as well as paying to have this child’s hair done by a proffessional stylist until her hair grows back.
If u can’t handle the stress of your job, you need to quit. If things like this goes on someone will be hurt.
I would like to see a teacher cut off a little girl’s blonde locks.
I spoke to the NAACP-Milwaukee and they said they can’t intervene legally until the parent files a case. I also wrote to the principal of the school. Here’s the number and e-mail to contact the school directly:
Tel: (414) 616-5300
E-mail: 116@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us
We can also file complaints to the Milwaukee Public School System. I think their number is (414) 475-8467
Since when has the NAACP ever needed a legal intervention? *Giggles*
“Since when has the NAACP ever needed a legal intervention? ” You got that right. If a black boy had done that to a white teacher and sent to jail, they would be rallying to get him out.
At any rate, I am outraged by this. If this young girl’s mother won’t fight for her, what kind of message will she get of her own self worth? It will be that nobody cares — that’s what. So many implications here, but the message is getting out thanks to the few who have made it their business to do what they could. The story has made Essence Mag http://www.essence.com/news/hot_topics_4/crazytown_usa_braids_not_safe_in_milwauk.php?xid=121609-ENews-Wednesday-FrustratedTeacherCho-mainstory-imglink and as of 2:45 EST, there are 311 comments.
Thanks for posting, I’m calling the school, the school board, the DA’s office and the NAACP. How about one of the local salon’s stepping up and offering to do little Lamya’s hair and fix it in a manner as not to show the missing braid. We are talking about self esteem here. I know we want the world to know what this so-called teacher did, there is video to prove this. But get her hair redone and by all means, get Lamya out of this teacher’s class. If a teacher can’t deal with the stress of teaching, then she (or he) has no business in the classroom.
Thanks everyone for researching and providing contact information. I’ve written to both the DA’s office. The only appropriate disciplinary action for this teacher is to fire her- Unions be dammed!
Lets put pressure on EVERYONE about this!!!!
This is despicable. Unbelieveable, yet of course!
I want to sound out the school officials, the district, and neighborhood for not supporting this little black girl.
I understand that this unstable person was back to teaching. The classroom should’ve been completely empty!!!!
And is there a way to send regards to this family?
I’m livid over this! This is a f@$*ing Slavery move!
I read some of the silliness over at MESSENCE. I’ll take a gander and presume that the race of the teacher is……………. B L A C K.
Had this teacher been white we’d know their name, age, sex, blood-type, vegan or vegetarian status because the NAACP would have gotten involved WITHOUT the assistance of the child’s mother…
So the follow-up story is an even hotter mess. Helen Cunningham, the mother of Lamya has 6 kids, is a single mother, and appears to be satisfied with the outcome of her daughter’s assault.
Lamya’s father is probably absent and sorry… typical. No wonder the DA isn’t doing anything… Helen Cunningham doesn’t care enough about her daughter to restore her dignity… why should anyone else?
I am so offended by this story- that an adult would assault a child and attempt to shame her in front of the classroom is reprehensible. I am not an African American- this is about more than Black vs. White- it is about respect for humanity, for our children and no way no how would anyone get away with something like that with one of mine. Another very good reason to homeschool!
With six kids, she probably doesn’t have the money for an attorney or the time to miss work to go to court.
Lorraine said: At any rate, I am outraged by this. If this young girl’s mother won’t fight for her, what kind of message will she get of her own self worth? It will be that nobody cares — that’s what…
I think my memory is serving me well: I remember a story in one of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies, wherein, when she was a young girl, one of her schoolteachers hit her as punishment. Angelou told her grandmother what had happened; her grandmother marched Maya to the school, then, in front of the classroom and Maya, her grandmother slapped/hit the teacher.
What that teacher did to that girl in Milwaukee was abuse. It was a violent act against a [defenseless] child. I put “defenseless” in brackets, because the reality is that all children are defenseless against the strength and authority and intimidation of an adult–it ain’t a fair fight with an adult against a child. Adults should not hit children. It should be illegal and immoral for an adult to traumatize a child. And I don’t care if that adult is the child’s teacher or the child’s parent. That teacher’s action was traumatic for that girl: in her present (when it happened) and in her future–believe you me, the only thing that that girl “learned”, will be to shy away from and mistrust and/or hate her teachers.
Lorraine, you are so right in your assessment. I’m only speculating here, but I would guess that the girl’s mother won’t fight for her because the mother probably spanked/beat/whupped/slapped her daughter as a means of discipline herself. The mother probably sees nothing wrong with some sort of physical violence (a slap, or a hit, or tap with an object, or, maybe, a punch or a full-on beating) to teach her daughter a lesson herself. You see, it is hard to stand up for your kid when you believe, as a parent, that it is okay to hit your own, and you believe that a physically violent act (no matter how mild it is) is an expression of your love and care and concern for your child, and that an act of physical violence is the ultimate tool that you have for “teaching your kid a lesson”–it is not.
The teacher is in fact a white woman. That poor child doesn’t stand a chance.
Truly in this day in age Come on people. Most times living here I’d rather be back home in the real south. People in Milwauke or the Wisconsin period have no RESPECT for one another nor do they protect the children. Say what you want about the south this incident one would have never aken place and two if it did SHE”D BE IN JAIL or if it was TEXAS worst. The end of it all frustrated or not that was ungodly and cruel. That baby will always be traumatized by this incident.
the teacher in question is white. that was in the essence interview with the girls mom. The system would not cover the teachers identity if she had been black. Also the police would definitely have arrested a Black person for committing such an egregious crime.
when Venus and Serena ran through tennis like goddesses… people first were introduced to those braids and it was great. the media is the first culprit to rarely put positive images about blacks in the news, there is a disparity of image, of power, of rights… until that is conquered, this will keep happening. We need more than one black president, we need a few hundred years of black presidents, and the black educated and the black middle class to stand up and be counted.. with the amount of prejudice and class distinction in America, we need to ban together and fight like Martin Luther King, Jr.’s example. If kids learn it in school, that a teacher (authority figure) can treat you bad … i.e., because your braids are too loud (white girls don’t have braids) then it must be ok to treat me bad because i am different, (different is bad) and the cycle continues.
this is called indoctrination… this is where we must stop it, from the beginning…