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In Hyde Park, high school students protest
By adamg on Fri, 12/05/2014 - 3:18pm
About 150 students at the Boston Community Leadership Academy marched around Hyde Park this afternoon protesting recent grand-jury actions involving police officers and blacks.
"Hands up! Don't shoot!" they chanted, along with "No justice, no peace!" They walked from the Hyde Park Education Complex to Logan Square, up to the E-18 police station - where a phalanx of officers quickly appeared to stand watch. Some passing motorists honked in support. Then they marched down the sidewalk along Hyde Park Avenue back to their school, which they circled, as students still in classes opened windows to wave.
On the steps of the school, students took turns leading the crowd in chants. At one point, though, one black girl softly said, "They call us thugs. We're not thugs." Another student resumed the chanting.
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Comments
will they register to vote?
Glad to see high schoolers getting involved. Will any of them bother to register to vote when they turn 18? For that matter, how many of protesters last night (or any of the protests) voted in the last election?
Thats the same thing I was thinking
I thought the protests nationwide last night were awesome. Apparently lots of college students and young people of all races. But how many of them them voted in the last election? Not many, so the handed the election to the Republicans and the crazies, who did vote.
Concern trolling much?
Do we know that the people out last night don't vote? If so, how?
No specific data on the marchers obviously
But in the last election
New Republican voter suppression laws in several states prohibiting the use of student IDs for voting purposes and/or prohibiting students from voting at all in their allegedly "temporary" location of their college. There is some evidence that this Republican voter suppression worked very well in Texas for example. And other Republican voter suppression/ id laws were specifically designed to disenfranchise young voters and voters of color. (And the elderly, but I didn't see very many elderly marching last night)
Lowest overall turnout since WW2- 36% of eligible voters.
Lower turnout (compared to 2012) of young people in general and also specifically young people of color
Lower turnout of people of color (compared to 2012).
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that very few marchers last night voted Republican if they voted at all, and the Republican won most national, state, and local elections.
My educated guess, and its only a guess, is that most of the demonstrators last night, who from the pictures and videos were overwhelmingly young, did not vote in the last election. Just a guess.
OK, I obviously don't know where all the protesters are from
But all ten of the people arrested last night are from the Boston area. And even though we elected a Republican governor (more for reasons unique to Massachusetts than a reflection of any national trend, I'd say, but that's another discussion), we've obviously not seen the sort of Republican voter-suppression measures other states have.
Never heard of an absentee
Never heard of an absentee ballot?
Absentee ballots still
Absentee ballots still require id's in the states with voter suppression laws.
Many people don't have a drivers liscense. Many people don't have picture ids, for example the elderly, and young urban people. And the Republicans, knowing this, have passed laws to prevent young people and others from voting. And in many states, the laws are written so that student id's are not accepted. Voter id laws are specifically written and targeted so that Republicans can vote and Democrats cant vote.
And the laws make it hard to even get a specific id for voting only, forcing people in Wisconsin for example to travel hundreds of miles to the nearest voter id center.
The reference to absentee ballots is dishonest and irrelevant to the discussion
You can get a state id that's
You can get a state id that's not a driver's license. Don't give excuses about waiting in line or the seven dollars it costs. The options are there, no excuse.
Many people don't have
WTF is 'young urban people' supposed to mean? Are you trying to stereotype young city dwellers as poor minorities? How condescending of you to imply that the elderly and young city dwellers are incapable of accomplishing the simple task of applying for an ID. They already went through the same, if not more difficult, process of registering to vote to demonstrate they are quite capable of applying for an ID
The elderly can't collect their benefits without ID and young people need to provide photo ID to take the SATs, apply for jobs, buy liquor/cigarettes, apply for any kind of education benefits, etc.
Student IDs aren't accepted as voter IDs because they can be issued to people from out of state. They are also easily faked and not considered legal ID for official transactions, buying liquor, etc. If a student wants to vote, they have to do it like deployed military members do, by absentee ballot.
This whole ID as voter suppression is laughable bullshit when you can't even buy over the counter cough syrup or a cell phone without being carded anymore.
Asking someone to prove they are who they say they are before serving on a jury (the other BIG constitutional right and OBLIGATION that requires photo ID) or voting is important to maintaining the integrity of the social contract. If anyone can can claim to be someone else the entire system is undermined and can no longer be trusted
Well... sort of
Opposition to voter ID laws would disappear overnight if the states that are requiring IDs also made it easy to get those IDs, as opposed to requiring people to take time off from work, to travel long distances, or to pay fees.
There is no law that stipulates ID for buying a cell phone; that's a business decision made by some telecommunication carriers.
Also, buying cough syrup or cell phones aren't legally protected rights of any sort.
well put
in yo face adam ;)
Right back atcha
Champ.
Great comeback.....
Chief.
For that matter, how many of
Why is it that, after protests over the criminal justice system's almost complete lack of ability to indict cops who kill despite said system's ability to "indict a ham sandwich," the dominant discussion turned into a dissection of the protesters backgrounds? It's completely irrelevant to the point. It's a deflection from the larger issue, and even if each protester turned out to be a bowl of fruit loops in disguise, it says nothing about the glaring issues with the justice system and what the solution should be.
Seriously, stop it. It lowers the debate, and makes us all look stupid.
Real food for thought when
Real food for thought when one is being choked to death.
Voting is not always the answer
Lately I keep seeing this response to protesting... "Great, but will they vote?"
What has voting done for the minorities of this country lately? We still spend far too much money on "defense" projects, give tax breaks to the richest people and corporations on the planet, and show a general lack of interest in helping people. For most people, the system itself seems rigged against them. Taking to streets to literally speak voices of concern is EXACTLY what these patriots need to be doing. Going into a booth once a year and voting for the lesser of two evils will not solve these problems. Civil liberties will always be more important than politics, so further actions are necessary.
Its great to see young people
Its great to see young people involved in politics/activism. A lot of people say that after the 60s young people in the US have been apathetic, so seeing this is refreshing and heartening as things won't change without people pushing those in power to do so.
If nothing else...
...it's a great opportunity to get out of classes, have fun with your friends, take selfies and post them up on Facebook.
Tongue in cheek - kinda.
I don't think they cut class or anything
For one thing, there were a few adult types from the school with them to make sure they stayed safe. For another, the march was around 2, which is about when dismissal might be anyway, assuming they run a similar schedule to another BPS school with which I'm more familiar, kidlet-wise.
Students marched in Fields Corner too
Around 150-200 students marched down the middle of Dot Ave in Fields Corner this afternoon. Last seen heading for the Grover Cleveland School on Charles St. Lots of police on foot, on bicycles, on motorcycles, and in cars.
I guess I'm old
Apparently the Cleveland closed a while ago. Its now the Community Academy of Science and Health
I got stuck right behind this
I got stuck right behind this on dot ave today. A lot of those kids seemed pretty young and small. I agree they have a right to protest no matter their age but putting a four foot tall twelve year old kid in the middle of a busy street seems irresponsible.
If there were adults supervising their march I couldn't see them from the rear vantage I had. But since they went right by C11 they were in good hands before long. No incidents reported I hope...
Hyde Park Education Complex?
If it's not working just change the name.
Good on them.
I'm a former inner city public high school teacher, albeit not in Boston. I say good on them. The current educational fad is promoting civic engagement with youth, which I think is fabulous. It requires young people to be able to read and think critically, apply prior knowledge, and communicate with others. Effective activism, whatever your stripe, also requires data literacy, which is becoming increasingly important in both civil and professional circles.
Bring on youth-led participation in civic actions. Let them become familiar and comfortable with the system. Then they can work for whatever change they believe in peacefully and productively.
I say good for them too
As long as their civic action is prompted by accurate facts. Not hysteria. Not urban legends. Not racial opportunists. And not misperceptions, and even Obama has mentioned that's an issue among the protests.
So Proud
So proud of the students in my neighborhood. You guys are great. True Patriotism.
Now if only they'd pull up
Now if only they'd pull up their pants.
Har har har
Of course, the actual protestors in the actual photos are pretty well-dressed, but, you know, URBAN YOUTH!!!
Racist Much?
Why do you hate black people?
Last time I checked skin
Last time I checked skin colour has no immediate relation to the ability of pants to sit around your waist
What's the creepy obsession?
Does underwear turn you old fudds on or something?
Seriously - this whole obsession with teenage boys' clothing and underwear is seriously creepy.
Thank God
The former Mayor's name was finally taken off the "Welcome to...." sign.
This is what Community Leadership education is all about!!!
I am so very proud of all the Boston Community Leadership Academy students (including my daughter) who protested police brutality and schooled the Hyde Park police dept yesterday. Education is a two-way street and from experience I know some of those cops in that precinct need to learn a lesson about racial justice!