Parents claim discrimination in possible action against police

Parents and family members of a group of Latino students are currently looking into taking legal action against the Glendale Police Department (GPD), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and possibly the school district for discrimination against Latino students at Hoover High School.

On Sept. 24, as many as 40 Latino students were taken into two separate rooms during lunch for what the GPD and Principal Jennifer Earl called a “demonstration,” where a false situation is created to show students the potential consequences of gang-affiliated activities.

Family members are still waiting for an apology from the school, the district and the police departments for the “psychological damage” inflicted by the incident, according to an anonymous source.

Earl and Probation Officer Gilda Davis, who was assigned to the school, decided to hold a demonstration after Earl said she was provided with evidence that a few of the students involved were in the process of gang recruitment. She said steps needed to be taken to stop this and show students that there is a different path they can take in life.

According to Earl, there had been more marijuana arrests at the school in the duration of one month than all of last year. At a meeting that took place on Nov. 23 in the district conference room to address the issue, Superintendent Richard Sheehan stated that gangs no longer beat up prospects to recruit them, but have them sell marijuana. Such fears allegedly prompted the demonstration.

During the meeting, Sheehan, Earl and Board of Education member Gregory Krikorian stressed that the intent of the district was to prevent students from getting involved with gangs.

The Glendale Education/Social Justice Advocates Steering Committee (GESJA) denounced the incident.

“During the district meeting, I asked what could have been done differently during this so-called demonstration at the school,” GESJA member Sharon Weisman said. “Sheehan responded that next time there would be better communication, students would not be turned over to the police and pictures would not be taken.”

According to Earl, police were supposed to warn students that the demonstration was not real. The students taken in by police usually spend their lunch break on the first and second floors, where former gang members of the Westside Locos and their rival gang Toonerville used to congregate. Knowing that these areas have a history of gang violence, Earl said it was her responsibility as an educator to warn students of the dangers that come with gang-affiliation.

“Even if someone is not in gangs but knows others who are and spends time in a place that has a history of gang-related tendencies, then that person is still at risk,” Earl said.

The students involved, however, said they felt as if they were being treated like criminals because the policemen asked to see tattoos, took mugshots and confiscated phones, despite the students denying knowledge of anyone joining a gang.

Neither the students nor their parents were warned prior to the event nor informed that it was a false demonstration. Upon hearing of the incident, some parents initially believed that their sons and daughters had done something wrong for them to be taken in. They said that the district and police department are only now calling it a demonstration as a cover-up.

The main concern for the students and their parents is that the pictures still exist and are in the police database. One reason for the potential lawsuit is to ensure that the photos are destroyed.

Although many of the students informed police officers that they are not gang members, they were told that their photos would be put into the police system if they did not change their affiliations and where they spend their time at lunch. Earl, however, said she had Captain Rock of the GPD promise that the photos would be destroyed and that they were just trying to give the students a wake-up call.

She said the demonstration helped better relations between her and some of the students because they now know they can turn to her when they are going through a difficult time. Although a few students said that they do not have a problem with Earl or the district, they still felt distressed by the incident.

“We were very surprised that this happened,” sophomore Giovanni Pablo said. “We are really doing well in school this year, keeping our grades up and always going to our classes, so it felt like a slap in the face when we were taken in and accused of being a part of something that we have nothing to do with.”

Sophomore Karen Lopez felt especially shaken by the incident because she tries to stay away from gangs and does well in school.

Before parents and family members decide to move forward with a lawsuit, Sheehan is reportedly meeting with the Chief of Police at LAPD and GPD to ensure the photos taken of students are erased and not in the police system.

“We have our hang-out spot just like everybody else in the school,” junior Jessica Castaneda said. “If people saw us together, they would realize that we are normal teens, not gang-affiliated troublemakers.”