Principal in South Carolina Drug Raid Resigns

[Sophree]

Newsbrief: Principal in South Carolina Drug Raid Resigns 1/9/04

***SNIP***
George McCrackin resigned Monday as principal of Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina -- the school made infamous as an example of drug war excess after police raiding the school pulled guns and sicced drug dogs on cowering students during a November 5 raid. Videotapes of the raid led to national outrage after being televised.

Local reaction was equally fierce, with parents of students involved in the raid, in which no drugs or weapons were found, filing two lawsuits against the school district, the police department, and the individuals involved, including McCrackin. Goose Creek, a normally placid Charleston suburb, also became the scene of demonstrations and protests, with local residents joined at various points by "outside agitators" Loretta Nall of the US Marijuana Party (http://www.usmjparty.org -- see interview this issue) and Dan Goldman of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (http://www.ssdp.org), and later, the Rev. Jesse Jackson...

While McCrackin has resigned as principal, he has not left employment with the school district, Floyd said. "Mr. McCrackin has been under a tremendous amount of stress related to this," said Floyd. "I didn't want to take a dedicated, loyal employee of 20 years and put him in a role that would put increased pressure on him." While Floyd is not sure just what McCrackin's new duties will be, they will be at the school district office, not another school, he said. One duty McCrackin will have is helping the district defend itself in the two lawsuits, Floyd added.

McCrackin, who was principal at Stratford for 20 years, was the only principal the school has ever had. It was his zeal to keep his school drug-free that did him in. Based on surveillance tapes from the school's multi-camera video system, McCrackin called in the cops. And while he claims -- and the claim is not contradicted -- that he didn't know the Goose Creek Police would come in like gangbusters, that wasn't enough for many of the families affected by the raid.
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/319/mccrackin.shtml

Most of the students targeted for harassment by the jackbooted thugs were African-American. They terrorized these poor kids.

There's a photo from the hallway camera, in case some of you missed it, on the Students for Sensible Drug Policy website.

http://www.ssdp.org/

[brainshrub]

1. Uncommented upon in news accounts is the presence of this military man:

Who was he, and what the hell was he doing at Goose Creek?

You can find more pictures here:
http://www.thememoryhole.org/policestate/stratford-raid.htm

[rumguy]

3. Holy Shiite! Who is that guy?

Are there any theories?

[Sophree]

6. wow

I wasn't aware of this shady aspect of the issue. South Carolina is very pro-military, but I wonder what the parents reaction is to this.

[liberalnurse]

2. This Principal was so Ashcroft.......

He has damaged these children for life. What a horrible offender.

If we do not stop *bush, then expect this as a typical day in American Public Schools.

[Terwilliger]

4. GOOD!!

Makes me think people may be somewhat responsible after all.

[Sophree]

8. He's still with the district, though

He resigned as principal because he couldn't take the heat, but he still has a job with the district. I don't get the impression that he's doing it for the right reasons. Plus, he's still heavily involved in the case- on the School Districts' side.

[KoKo]

5. I said when this happened that Charleston area parents would not stand

for this! Then when I didn't hear any more about it, I though that Charleston had become as "fundie" as the upstate.

This is great news! We have hope in SC if this guy got his due! Unfortunately the report is less than honest, blaming outside "agitators" so maybe the area hasn't come as far as my expectations hope. :shrug:

[drdigi420]

7. Too little, too late

The man should be tried for endangering the lives of children.

The drug war is a counterproductive fraud and the single most dangerous threat to our civil liberties and if the Democrats had ANY brains or guts they'd make ending the drug war the #1 priority.

[ShimokitaJer]

9. Great news!

Am I naive in thinking this is the perfect poster child for Ashcroftian Patriot Act excess when our Democratic candidate goes up against Bush in South Carolina? What better example could there be that the abuses the Repubs told us would never happen are already happening.

[Sophree]

10. As paranoid as SC conservatives are

(And I know this firsthand because I'm dating one,) I wonder if this might be a good issue add in SC. We can make B*shco work for SC, we don't necessarily have to concede the state. Especially if we have Clark or Edwards on the ticket. (gratuitous candidate plug)