A new video circulating on social media showing Delaware State Police arresting three teens at the Christiana Fashion Center parking lot has prompted calls for consideration on how police treat minors.
But the behavioral and mental health effects these interactions are having on kids are also a cause for concern.
The video, in which a trooper can be seen holding his knee to the back of a 13-year-old boy, was posted on TikTok days ahead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new report on the worsening rates of teen mental health.
The report and new data serve as a reminder to those who engage with teens that repeated images of Black people in distress can cause mental anguish and behavior changes. It is also a worry now confronting the mother of a teen girl seen in the video being thrown to the ground by a Delaware State Police officer.
What happened?
Marneshia Whaley, the mother of a 17-year-old girl arrested Saturday night, said her daughter and three friends went to hang out at The Main Event located at the Christiana Fashion Center. When they arrived, they heard screaming in the parking lot and went to investigate.
Whaley said her daughter saw Delaware State police officers pinning a small boy to the ground, so the girls whipped out their phones and started recording.
In the video, the officer with his knee in the back of the boy on the ground stood up and walked past the person recording. That’s when he seized Whaley’s daughter, she said.
Whaley said the officer grabbed her daughter as she walked away, pulling her arms behind her back. In the video, the trooper can be seen holding the girl with her arms behind her back.
Her daughter was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct because she used “profanities” and “failed to disperse,” according to court records.
“She wasn’t resisting… she was terrified,” Whaley said, adding that her teen had never interacted with the police before that day, but had started recording after seeing similar videos of police interactions. Whaley said that when the officer grabbed her daughter, “she went into a slight panic attack.”
What did police do and are they investigating?
A spokesperson for Delaware State Police said they are aware of a “partial video” circulating online showing the arrest outside The Main Event and that the “incident is being reviewed internally.”
While some people have already provided information and video from the scene, police asked that anyone with more information or who may have witnessed the incident contact Internal Affairs at (302) 739-5911.
Mother of teen girl shares mental health concerns
Whaley kept her daughter home from school Monday following the girl’s arrest Saturday night, saying that she was concerned her daughter wasn’t expressing her feelings in reaction to what happened to her only 48 hours ago. She had also received a message from William Penn High School that morning advising of an increased police presence due to the killing of a 15-year-old classmate.
“I just think the increased [police] presence might be a bit traumatizing today,” Whaley said.
Whaley’s mother said that because teens are not adults, police need to be better trained on how to deal with juveniles. And she wants accountability for what she considers excessive force used on the three teens arrested in the TikTok video.
“From what I saw in that video, there was no compassion at all,” Whaley said about the teens’ emotional states.
Mental health of Black teens impacted by violent police videos
Mental health experts say children and teens who experience violence as either victims or bystanders are more likely to internalize the trauma. Experts say young people viewing violence online have similar reactions.
A 2019 University of Southern California study found Black and Hispanic youth repeatedly exposed to online violent police videos reported experiencing symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Tysheik Covington, a Delaware school counselor, said the exposure to this type of content also sets up a vicious cycle leading to children who will react in ways that are detrimental to their safety.
The child treatment specialist said children who have not received support after viewing or learning about violent police videos tend “to behave as people who are required to protect themselves.”
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Covington said casual exposure to videos depicting mistreatment by police is generating desensitization in children who may then assume a defensive posture when they encounter them. She said because they are still kids, they are likely afraid while still wanting to assert themselves, but the police officers view the behavior as aggressive.
She said how police treat Black and brown people is not just a Delaware issue, but a nationwide issue.
“It’s not as if they can move somewhere to get away from it,” Covington said. “So [for teens], it feels like something that is inevitable.”
What experts say parents can do
The CDC advises that poor mental health in teens can be mitigated through connection to family, friends, and community.
As a local school counselor, Covington also gives these tips to parents so they can help their teen manage their mental health:
- Always monitor social media
- Check cell phone use
- Make time with your kids to discuss their concerns or explain viral news
Reporter Anitra Johnson’s work focuses on actions taken to change, improve, and give back to communities in distress. Contact her at ajohnson@delawareonline.com or 302-379-5786 with tips and story ideas. Follow her on Facebook.
