This article was updated on December 1, 2024 and edited to include a description of the altercation from the point of view of the officer's bodycam.
A minor altercation at Fort Bragg Middle School escalated into a significant police response earlier this fall, raising questions about the role of law enforcement on school campuses and sparking community conversations about racism and safety.
The incident occurred on September 30 just before the lunch period, Superintendent Joseph Aldridge explained in an interview. An assistant principal observed an unsettled atmosphere on campus and invited School Resource Officer (SRO) Rory Beak to monitor the area, as he had done previously. While handing out stickers to students, Beak, who wears a uniform and carries a weapon, witnessed a fight erupt within arm’s reach and attempted to de-escalate the situation.
The video of the officer's bodycam, which was released as a public record, shows children milling about with focus on a large boy wearing a do-rag. A group of children is present, and the boy in the do-rag is saying: "Don't push him, he didn't do anything."
The boy in the do-rag walks away, accompanied by a group of friends. Less than a minute later he returns and confronts a much smaller boy, whose head comes up to his chest. The larger boy moves aggressively toward the smaller boy.
The video shows Beak grab the larger boy's arms to keep him from swinging at the smaller boy. Beak says firmly "no, no, no, stop, stop, stop," as the larger boy continues to try to struggle free.
Beak continues talking to the boy: "Stop it right now.,"Stop it right now. Hey, hey. Back up." The boy continue to try to engage with the smaller student, who has retreated and is not viewable in the video.
As the larger boy continues to try to wrestle free he starts yelling: "I'll knock your ass out [racial slur], I'll knock your ass out [racial slur]."
At this point, a crowd of kids has gathered and what was originally just an altercation between two children threatens to become a melee. Beak calls the child by his name and says "stop resisting." He clips on a handcuff and says on the radio: "651 I've got one in handcuffs at the middle school." Beak yells at the crowd to get back: "Back up, all of you!"
The larger student is sitting on the ground with his legs in front of him. It appears he has been eased down gently, as his back has remained in view of the bodycam at all times. He is still continuing to spew insults, although now they are directed at the officer.
"Stop it," Beak says. "Dude, stop it." He tells him this again and again as the child continues to yell. "Stop, you are making this whole thing worse. Calm down. I need you to calm down. You are not helping your situation."
The child then yells out his number and calls for someone to call his mom.
Beak continues to talk to him. "I need you to calm down. I need you to calm down. You are so angry right now. I need you to calm down."
The child curses the officer and repeatedly calls the officer a racial slur. He asks the officer to "call my mom."
Four minutes after the incident began, the child is helped to his feet and is led away from the playground. The boy is continuing to yell and struggle with Beak.
Sounding breathless, Beak says into his radio: "Responding units, I'm in the quad."
As as Beak continues to try to guide the student out of the school yard, he asks the student again to calm down.
The student, who has continued to protest, now sits down again, with his legs in front of him, and says: "I'm not moving. Call my mom, bro, call my mom. Get off me."
At this point, another officer joins Beak. They gently pick up the student, who is now screaming hysterically and carry him outside to a police car.
The student is told he is under arrest for assaulting another student and for resisting arrest. The student, who has not stopped screaming, is now threatening the officers.
“The student was not hurt during the exchange," Aldridge said. This was confirmed by the video.
Both students involved were from a minority groups, according to community members. According to the principal, the altercation began when the smaller student called the larger student's sister a bitch.
However, a vocal group of community members focused on characteristics of the larger student and repeated inaccurate reports that the incident was triggered by a racial slur. False reports also circulated the larger student was "hog-tied".
KZYX News originally reported that no racial slurs were used. This was incorrect. The larger student screamed racial slurs for roughly six minutes.
Faith Simon, a nurse practitioner, addressed as school board meeting shortly after the incident. Simon said: "Over the last few weeks, I have spoken with middle schoolers who witnessed the events of September 30th. They all told me the same story. The kids were deeply shaken by witnessing the actions of the police on the campus that day. They almost all used the words racist or racism when they told me their stories. This concerns me.
"In California, black students who make up only 6% of the California student population account for 15% of all student arrests. Latino students account for 28% of the population, yet 44% of the student arrests on campus. I certainly hope that we're not seeing that here on our campus. One recent study specifically looked at middle schools that hired police on campus and found that they not only do not reduce serious incidents, but have a greater increase on the student's chances of being referred to police for low level violations."
Regarding racial slurs, Aldridge acknowledged such language occurs among students and outlined the district’s procedures for addressing it. Students who use slurs are required to engage in educational activities, such as reading articles and watching TED Talks and to present what they learned to a panel of administrators.
In response to the incident and subsequent community concerns, the district paused the SRO program and re-convened a safety committee that had gone dormant. The district is actively seeking community feedback, including via a facilitated meeting hosted at the high school library in November. Another session is planned for January.
Aldridge said the district is working toward a comprehensive safety plan, aimed at balancing student welfare with appropriate security measures.
Beyond the SRO program, the district is expanding support services, including a new counseling initiative that offers families up to 12 weeks of free, real-time counseling.
The January meeting will provide further opportunities for the community to weigh in on the district’s safety and equity efforts.
