Tag Archives: Broward County

“[T]he riffle was a friend of his.”

The bravery of the Broward SO is exceeded only by their linguistic skills. [/sarc]

Uhm…
1) the video is still up
2) what’s a “riffle”?
3) they used my dad’s name as my mom’s
4) why did I need to tell you I didn’t threaten anyone, why didn’t you bother to look up the Tweet before?

I sent Mr. Kashuv a message earlier, hoping to clarify some points. I haven’t received a response, but I think this answers some of the questions:

Mr. Pittman, it was an illegal and unconstitutional detainment. See U.S. Code § 1983 and JDB v. North Carolina
1) the derogatory mentions of poliical beliefs.
2) the LEO in back of me holding my chair.
3) not contacting my parents prior
4) Calling me into a locked office

Taken to an office and the door locked, deputy holding his chair behind him. Sounds like “custody” to me, and questioning without parental or legal representation. Still no mention of Miranda being read to him.

Broward County taxpayers are not going to be happy about the inevitable settlement.


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Broward County grabs shovel, digs deeper

The Broward County Sheriff’s office and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School seem determined to cost taxpayers millions in legal settlements.

I found this report today:

BREAKING: Anti-Gun Control Parkland Survivor Kyle Kashuv Questioned By School Security For Visiting Gun Range With His Father
Near the end of third period, my teacher got a call from the office saying I need to go down and see a Mr. Greenleaf. I didn’t know Mr. Greenleaf, but it turned out that he was an armed school resource officer. I went down and found him, and he escorted me to his office. Then a second security officer walked in and sat behind me. Both began questioning me intensely. First, they began berating my tweet, although neither of them had read it; then they began aggressively asking questions about who I went to the range with, whose gun we used, about my father, etc. They were incredibly condescending and rude.

Then a third officer from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office walked in, and began asking me the same questions again. At that point, I asked whether I could record the interview. They said no. I asked if I had done anything wrong. Again, they answered no. I asked why I was there. One said, “Don’t get snappy with me, do you not remember what happened here a few months ago?”

They continued to question me aggressively, though they could cite nothing I had done wrong. They kept calling me “the pro-Second Amendment kid.” I was shocked and honestly, scared. It definitely felt like they were attempting to intimidate me.

This is only one side of the story. As yet, I haven’t seen responses from the school or sheriff.

On the one hand, the authorities might well say that they are acting in a new abundance of caution in the aftermath of their previous massive collection of failures. That could even be reasonable.

They’ll still have to explain in court why a person who assaulted people and damaged property at school, who put guns to people’s heads and threatened to kill them, who vandalized property, who killed animals maliciously, who credibly threatened to shoot up his school — et cetera and so forth — warranted less of an investigation than a pro-rights kid who appears on national TV, meets with Senators, goes to the White House, and has never threatened anyone.

Working with Kashuv’s account, we have a kid who posted nonthreatening accounts of learning shoot with his father and an instructor, with pro-Second Amendment statements (i.e.- political speech outside of school). His principal tells him some students didn’t like his posts, but that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Apparently Kashuv was considered so nonthreatening that he continued on to multiple classes without incident.

Until after noon, when he was sent to see “Mr. Greenleaf.”


Aside: Kashuv refers to Greenleaf a an “armed school resource officer.” Earlier reports identify a “Kevin Greenleaf” as a “civilian security monitor” and a “security specialist at the high school”. If he is a civilian and armed on school property, isn’t that a violation of Florida Statute 790.06? If he is a law enforcement officer — a sheriff’s school resource officer — why do multiple reports refer to him otherwise?


Kashuv says he met Greenleaf who, rather than speaking to him informally where they met, specifically took him to an office, where they were joined by a “second security officer walked in and sat behind me.”

If I was surrounded by armed people, I’d consider myself to be in custody. Oh, wait; I did consider myself in custody. And that wasn’t even in a private office.

Then a third officer from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office walked in, and began asking me the same questions again.

“Third officer” reinforces the concept of custody. And it raises the question of whether a civilian “security monitor” or “security specialist” presented himself as a law enforcement officer. I would very much like to see Greenleaf’s status clarified.

I’ve mentioned “custody” a few times for a good reason. A person in custody must be read his Miranda rights and allowed to stop talking without legal representation. A minor has additional protections because the courts assume that a minor can reasonably believe he is in custody under conditions that would not necessarily apply to an adult.

Kyle Kashuv was sixteen at the time of the shooting, and is still a legal minor. He was taken to a private office, apparently by an armed person, and questioned there by two, and then three, armed people whom Kashuv identified as “officers.” I am not a lawyer, but that sounds a lot like a situation in which he would believe himself to be in “custody.”

So Kashuv’s account raises questions that need answering by the school and sheriff’s office:

  • If the questioners said Kashuv had done nothing wrong, was this harassment purely for his out-of-school free political speech in support of Second Amendment rights?
  • Is Greenleaf a civilian unlawfully armed in a school?
  • If Greenleaf is a civilian, is he presenting himself in a way that would cause a reasonable person — especially a minor — to believe he is a law enforcement officer; that is, impersonating an officer?
  • Was Kashuv in custody and questioned without Miranda rights to parental or legal representation?

If Greenleaf is an armed civilian in the school, I expect we’ll see the school throw him under the bus. “Oh, we didn’t know he was carrying a gun in school. We’ll fire him immediately.” To cover their own asses, the sheriff’s office may have to arrest him.

I’m looking forward to statements from the BCoward Sheriff’s Office and the school.


Carl is an unpaid TZP volunteer. If you found this post useful, please consider dropping something in his tip jar. He could use the money, what with truck repairs and bills.

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