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Black Teen Girl’s Aggressive Arrest At School Sparks Questions About Criminalization Of Youth

Thirteen year-old Connsuela Bautista after being arrested at her middle school. She says the arrest was aggressive and left her with injuries.
Thirteen year-old Connsuela Bautista after being arrested at her middle school. She says the arrest was aggressive and left her with injuries.

When Connsuela Bautista got to school for her first morning class at Southeastern Randolph Middle School, she says she was immediately called to the principal's office. When she arrived, she saw sheriff’s deputies waiting for her. 

Frank Stasio talks to reporter Jordan Green about the implications of arresting youth at school and how the school-to-prison pipeline disproportionately affects black communities.

Bautista says she was then hustled outside, pushed up against a wall, and then her face was pressed to the ground causing injuries before she was arrested. Reporter Jordan Green heard about Bautista’s arrest and looked into juvenile complaints filed in Randolph County. He found that African-American youth, like Consuela, make up less than four percent of the student population in the county, but they account for more than a quarter of filed juvenile complaints.

Green speaks with host Frank Stasio about the implications of arresting youth at school and how the school-to-prison pipeline disproportionately affects black communities. 

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.