GoFundMe Account Raises More Than 34K for Spring Valley Victim in Less Than 24 Hours
A GoFundMe account set up by the lawyer of the teen girl who was assaulted by a police officer in a Spring Valley High School classroom this week has raised more than $34,000 in less than 24 hours.
The funds as of Friday 2 p.m. were at $34,255. The original goal for the fundraiser was $25,000, but the overwhelming contributions of generous strangers has helped surpass that goal. The page was organized by Rutherford Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, South Carolina.
"Jane Doe was the victim of police brutality. While seated in her desk, doing her math work, former Deputy Ben Fields forcibly removed her from the desk by choking her, flipping the desk over while she was still seated, and slinging her six feet across the classroom by her clothes. As a result, she suffers injuries to her ribs, back, neck, shoulder; a broken arm, and abrasions to her face," a statement from the page reads.
"The funds raised will be put towards medical costs, educational expenses, and any other expenses she has to endure," it continued.
Since the incident, Officer Ben Fields was fired from his job for violating the Richland County Sheriff Department policies. Another student, Niya Kenny, who was arrested after the altercation, said Fields was known for slamming people.
"He's known as Officer Slam around our school and I've heard in the past he's slammed pregnant women and teenage girls," said Kenny during an interview with "All In" with Chris Hayes on Tuesday.
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(Photo: Spring Valley High School student)
