Bodycam footage shows a Massachusetts cop hunting a middle school for a book suspected to be inappropriate, before the police chief apologized for the search.
The search was performed after someone reported that a book with explicit material was being read in an eighth-grade classroom.
The plain-clothes cop was reportedly wearing a bodycam when he entered W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School in Great Barrington. The footage released is largely obscured by some of the officer’s clothing.
The officer was looking for the graphic novel, Gender Queer: A Memoir, after police received a complaint on December 8 about ‘concerning illustrations’ in the book.
The officer, believed to be Joseph O’Brien according to the Berkshire Eagle, begins the video speaking to Principal Miles Wheat and the teacher in question, who tells him the book is not in the room and may have been taken out by another teacher.
Bodycam footage shows a police officer searching a Massachusetts middle school for a book suspected to be inappropriate , as the town’s police chief is apologizing for the search
O’Brien then asks who might have borrowed the book before saying that it should be turned over to the principal when they bring it back.
‘When it does return, I think it needs to be turned over to [Wheat] and we’ll go from there at that point,’ O’Brien says in the clip.
‘Like I said, it’s not the general material itself, it’s the images that are in it that constitutes material that you can’t disseminate to children.’
He then suggests that he could potentially search and remove any book in the school for inappropriate material.
‘I would make it a point yourself, as a teacher, to go through the books that are there to make sure there’s no other images that would be deemed stuff like that,’ O’Brien said.
‘We could sit here and search every room and ask every teacher. I’d rather not go that route and, you know, disrupt everything over one book.’
O’Brien tells Wheat that the problem is not the book’s content but certain images inside it.
‘It’s not the general idea of what the book’s about. It’s you can’t present that kind of material to people under 18,’ he tells Wheat.
The officer, believed to be Joseph O’Brien according to the Berkshire Eagle , begins the video speaking to Principal Miles Wheat (pictured) and the teacher in question
The plain-clothes cop was reportedly wearing a bodycam when he entered W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School in Great Barrington.
The teacher then tells O’Brien – after being asked if there are any other books with similar content in the room – that he’s welcome to look through them.
The principal had told Boston.com the book is not included in the curriculum, but a teacher had made it available in her classroom.
The teacher then notes that the book is kept ‘separate on purpose’ upon request from a general circulation area.
O’Brien makes clear that if any teacher has the book, ‘it doesn’t mean they’re in any kind of trouble.’
Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti initially said the person who made the complaint provided an image that showed illustrated characters in sexual acts.
The anonymous complaint included that teachers were ‘discussing subjects related to LGBTQ material and telling them not to tell their parents about it,’ according to The Daily Beast.
The tipster even alleged that they once saw a student sitting in a teacher’s lap and kept a book with ‘illustrations of sexual content’ on their desk.
The teacher, who is remaining anonymous, called the tip ‘a horrific lie-riddled homophobic attack on the only queer teacher, and our brave LGBTQ+ and ally students who enjoy a safe space in our voluntary Gender & Sexuality Alliance club.’
The book received condemnation from both the ACLU and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey
The search led to a walkout and protests by students at the nearby Movement Mountain Regional High School
However, on December 22, Storti posted an apology to the Great Barrington Police Department Facebook page.
‘As the Chief of Police for the Great Barrington Police Department, I apologize to anyone who was negatively [a]ffected by our involvement at the WEB Dubois Middle School on December 8, 2023,’ he wrote.
‘Over the years, our relationship with our schools has been positive and collaborative, so together we worked with the school to try to navigate this sensitive situation.’
‘If our involvement caused distrust and alarm, that was not our intention. I promise you our actions were not meant to disenfranchise anyone or influence school curriculum.’
‘We are aware every day of larger issues that can stoke anger, hatred, and lead to discrimination. It’s been my personal goal as your police chief to head a department that can act as an ally to our community in times that can be polarizing.’
‘Whatever your race or gender, ethnicity, legal status or mental health, we strive to serve you all equally. I wish to emphasize again to our residents, teachers, students and wider community that it is not our role to seek out, censor, or ‘ban books’ in our schools.’
‘I appreciate that I cannot take our alliance with our community for granted. The professional actions of police do, and will, come under scrutiny. It is our job to act with integrity and professionalism. We make our best efforts to be transparent about our work.’
‘If there is an opportunity to be included in these discussions going forward, we welcome a seat at the table,’ he concluded.
Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti initially said the person who made the complaint provided an image that showed illustrated characters in sexual acts
Berkshire Hills Regional School District Superintendent Peter Dillon and Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee Chairman Steve Bannon also issued a joint letter of apology for the incident.
The search led to a walkout and protests by students at the nearby Movement Mountain Regional High School, as well as condemnation from both the ACLU and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who also praised the student protesters.
‘Book banning has no place in Massachusetts,’ wrote Healey, the first openly lesbian governor in America.
‘Our administration stands with educators who are committed to ensuring that their students have inclusive, comprehensive resources. I’m proud to see these students stepping up to support their teacher, their peers and an inclusive learning environment.’
Managing attorney with the ACLU Ruth Buorquin told The Berkshire Eagle that ‘Police going into schools and searching for books is the sort of thing you hear about in communist China and Russia.’
The book by author Maia Kobabe, who uses ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns, explores gender and sexual identity from an adolescent’s perspective. According to publisher Simon & Schuster, ‘it started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual.’
‘Are you really calling the cops over a book?’ read a student’s protest sign
The graphic novel has previously sparked backlash, particularly after a Louisiana lawmaker read explicit passages out loud during a Senate hearing.
The book by author Maia Kobabe, who uses ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns, explores gender and sexual identity from an adolescent’s perspective
According to publisher Simon & Schuster, ‘the book started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual.’ Author Maia Kobabe is pictured
Senator John Kennedy, 71, read aloud from Gender Queer during the hearing because it is currently allowed in Illinois schools.
He was making his point amid the continuing Republican fight to keep inappropriate subject matter out of the reach of young children at public schools and libraries.
Kennedy read out loud during the debate: ‘I got a new strap-on harness today. I can’t wait to put it on you. It will fit my favorite dildo perfectly.
‘You’re going to look so hot. I can’t wait to have your c**k in my mouth. I’m going to give you the b****w**b of your life, then I want you inside of me.’
But in an interview with the Washington Post, Kobabe said the book is not recommended for kids.
Kobabe refuted: ‘It keeps being called a children’s book. Senator Kennedy implied it was a children’s book.
‘But I think that’s coming from a misreading of the comic-book form. ‘Gender Queer’ is a comic, and in full color, but that doesn’t mean it’s for children.
The book’s publisher, Lion Forge, initially marketed it toward older teens and adults, and Kobabe previously said that the memoir is for ‘high school and above,’ meaning it could be read by 14-year-olds.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) read graphic and sexually explicit passages from Gender Queer during a Senate Judiciary Hearing
It is advertised currently by Simon and Schuster as a guide ‘for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere’ – without providing age-limit guidelines.
Kobabe has two new books set to come out – Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding with Dr Sarah Peitzmeier, and Saachi’s Stories.
In April this year, The American Library Association announced that Kobabe’s ‘Gender Queer’ was the most ‘challenged’ book of 2022 – the second consecutive year it has topped the list.
It faced 151 challenges last year for its explicit content.