It's all gone to shit

Missing the point?

The sending of a black teenager to juvenile detention for not doing her online schoolwork has led to the inevitable protests and calls for her release in Detroit, Michigan. One mother, Sheri Crawley, told local TV news I know if Grace was a 15-year-old white girl she would not be sitting in juvenile detention right now.

So, the 15-year old has been sent down because she's black and didn't do her schoolwork, right?

Erm, not quite. The reality, as is so often the case, is somewhat more prosaic.

Grace had already been in trouble with the law, for assault and theft last year, and completing her schoolwork was one of the conditions of her probation. Consequently, by not completing her schoolwork, she was in violation of her probation order, and it's that that led her to jail.

young woman holding a placard stating “I didn’t do my school work either FREE GRACE”
Totally missing the point. A protester proclaiming that she, like Grace, didn't do her schoolwork. Her placard doesn't mention whether this contravened the conditions of her probation though. Bless.

The bigger question is whether or not, under the current circumstances, the conditions of her probation are fair and equitable. Grace is reported to suffer from ADHD and behavioural issues, and she became overwhelmed without direct personal teacher support, a situation that's been forced upon her by remote learning. Perhaps the conditions of her probation need to take into account her special circumstances?

Sending an already disadvantaged kid to jail really doesn't benefit anyone. But at least we had the opportunity to laugh at the braindead inhabitants of Detroit, Michigan.