Former teen star Raven Symone is relatively new on the panel on ABC’s The View, but she seems determined to make up for lost time by saying the most controversial and potentially offensive things. The latest show was no different, with Symone trying to blame a 16-year-old student for getting thrown across the room and dragged on the floor by a cop.
The incident, which has received plenty of media attention in the US, involved a 16-year-old girl and a cop with a reputation for being violent, Ben Fields, and started over the girl’s refusal to put down her phone. According to Raven Symone, she was just as much to blame for what happened as he was.
“You follow rules in school”
In the After The View segment, Raven and two of the co-hosts talked about the day’s hottest topics, including the Valley High School incident mentioned above.
As you can see in the video below (starting at the 2:50-minute mark), Raven said that the cop was wrong in acting the way he did: there is absolutely nothing that can justify this kind of force, especially on a child.
On the other hand, she adds, the girl wasn’t without blame. There are “two wrongs” in this scenario, she says.
“The girl was told multiple times to get off the phone,” she reasons. “There’s no right or reason for him to be doing this type of harm, that’s ridiculous. But at the same time, you gotta follow the rules in school. First of all, why are there cell phones in school? This shouldn’t even be a problem to begin with, and he shouldn’t have been acting like that on top of it.”
Don’t blame the victim
As you can see from the tweets below, Raven’s opinion is again proving very unpopular. Even if the girl refused to get off the phone and to leave the classroom as instructed, the cop overreacted and employed techniques that were uncalled for in this situation.
This wasn’t a criminal with a gun threatening his or other people’s life: this was a girl who was sitting down and probably refusing to put down a cell phone. The cop was wrong to act this way, and Raven is wrong in trying to blame the girl for the cop’s inappropriate response, people are saying right now.
As you may have heard, Raven has been saying a lot of inappropriate stuff on The View, including how she wouldn’t hire people with “ghetto” names even if their resume were promising.
So according to @ravensymone the student assaulted by the ex-cop #BenFields deserved it bec she didn't put away her cell phone. SMH!
— Derrick Thompson (@DerrickT4) October 29, 2015
"I want Ben Fields to hit the Quan on Raven-Symone's neck!đ ". Adrian! I think I broke a ribđohGawd! Lowers casket.đ https://t.co/pKLRg2JV99
— â
Showing_Offâ
(@Araya_Hope____) October 29, 2015
Remember when former deputy #BenFields rocked the students desk over and threw her and you tried to victim blameâşď¸âşď¸ https://t.co/fsS0v8huaa
— I_Ali (@uff_iyo_ish) October 29, 2015
Two things that made me go hmmmm today (1) Raven Symone and (2) Ben Fields isn't a racist because his girlfriend is black! #springvalleyhigh
— Kevin Maxwell (@kevin_maxwell) October 28, 2015
Can someone ask Sheriff Lott if Raven Symone is the African American woman Ben Fields is dating?
— Gord Macey (@GordMacey) October 28, 2015
Raven Symone, better watch out! Ben Fields is coming for you! pic.twitter.com/vjw05lkeNK
— Bryan Powell (@TheBryanPowell) October 28, 2015
@ravensymone Sheriff Lott: Officer Ben Fields used excessive force on this young student from the moment he put his hands on her. U stupid!
— Sham (@666Edwardali) October 28, 2015
@ravensymone I can't believe you would try to bring up some reasoning to Ben fields actions. Who cares 99% kids are on their phone.
— KrystalKush (@lilnug_) October 28, 2015
Wow Chief says Ben Fields can't be racists he's been dating @ravensymone for long time. That figures #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh
— sandra (@sandy10percent) October 28, 2015