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Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer
Alexa Gonzalez did what many other students do every day in schools across the country. She doodled on her desk. It may sound innocent enough, only this 12-year-old ended up under arrest. “I couldn’t believe it,” Gonzalez told CNN, “just because I wrote something I was in this whole big situation here.”
The 7th grade New Yorker was frisked and hauled away to the police station. “They handcuffed me to a pole for a while,” she said.
The incident, which has sparked outrage, began last Monday at Junior High School 191 Russell Sage, in Forest Hills, a neighborhood in Queens, New York.
Gonzalez said the school day was nearing an end and she was growing bored in class. That’s when she said she just “started doodling.” She wrote “I love my friends Abby and Faith” on her desk. She called them “two of my best friends.”
Gonzalez said the teacher then pulled he aside and took her to the principal. “You might get arrested,” Gonzalez said the principal warned her.
Sure enough, police officers were called to the school and after patting Gonzalez down, they arrested her. She was handcuffed on school property and then brought to a police station.
Gonzalez was suspended and a family court judge sentenced her to community service.
The New York City Department of Education called the suspension an error in judgment. “The principal made a mistake and lifted the suspension last week” said department spokesperson Margie Feinberg. “She was always in school. She’s back in classes.”
The NYPD has not returned repeated requests for comment.
As for Gonzalez, she said classmates are helping her cope with a nightmare over a doodle. “Some try to make me happy,” she said, “try not to make me think about it a lot.”
For more crime coverage go to cnn.com/crime.
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Sounds ridicolus, didn't they have some drug dealers or something like that to take down, how about that? Stupid, stupid.
I guess it is just easier to pick on 12 yr olds instead of arresting real crimials. This kind of sounds like the boy that brought his pocket knife to school. I sure a more creative punishment could have been thought of by the admin. staff. To have an example made of you like that, I think that's the real crime. It just reconfirms the disrespect and mistrust of authority. This is future of your country, get some religion already. Crime and Embarrassment
this is weird!!!! really really weird!!!
Why shouldnt she be arrested, it could be considered vandalism and destruction of school property. I applaud the principal for trying to teach the kids it is inappropriate for them to do these kind of things to school property and instilling a little dscipline in the school. Maybe the next kid will think twice before doing it.
i always did that in school no one ever said anything..........teachers would get a kick out of what some wrote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So what exactly was the crime? I used to do this all the time and I never heard of this being a crime. I think the NYPD has more important things to do than bother with this.