Gwinnett high school students walk out of class as part of nat'l protests against school gun massacres and gun violence (Atlanta: purchase, metro)

[queerfaith]

Originally Posted by JPD

This IS a learning experience, and a very valuable one, and any school worth its accreditation would capitalize on it and turn it into the most powerful civics lesson of these kids lives.

I very much agree! 17 very valuable moments of learning, shared experience, and when gun laws are changed...they will remember they had a part in it.

[bizchick86]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I'm sure that would be better received by school officials, but it would lose an awful lot of what they're trying to accomplish. It becomes much less of a news story if students protest after school than if they walk out of class.

The point they are trying to make is that they don't feel safe in schools and they don't want to be there until something is done. Do you think the Civil Rights protests would have been as effective if African Americans gathered lawfully in the black only sections of town? If Rosa Parks protested having to give up her seat AFTER she gave it up instead of refusing to do so?

The second word of civil disobedience is DISOBEDIENCE. Nobody cares about civil obedience.

In summary: They ARE doing it right.

Apparently I must spread some reputation around, but the intent was there

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by queerfaith

I very much agree! 17 very valuable moments of learning, shared experience, and when gun laws are changed...they will remember they had a part in it.

You mean, IF guns laws are changed.

That is an excellent point that these walkout protest will provide very valuable moments of learning experience that they will always remember.

But attempting to get tighter gun control laws changed to restrict legal access to assault weapons is going to be an extremely tall order.

That is because gun control appears to be a substantially unpopular proposition with much of the American electorate, including in many deeply-conservative overwhelmingly Republican-controlled 'red' states (like Georgia), which number somewhere in the neighborhood of about 30 of the nation's 50 states right now.

One is most likely to see action on increased gun control at the state government level in overwhelmingly Democrat-controlled 'blue' states (like California, Illinois, New York, etc).

Action on gun control at the federal level likely will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, because of fears by politicians of reprisals from conservative electorates dominated by pro-gun voters in many red and reddish-purple states where most politicians do not even dare suggest, much less vote, to restrict legal access to firearms.

In many red states (like Georgia and almost all other Southern, Midwestern and Intermountain Western states), targeting possession of firearms by the extremely mentally and emotionally disturbed will likely be a much more doable and acceptable proposition at this point in the many states throughout the part of the country where gun rights are considered to be sacrosanct by large swaths of the electorate.

[Born 2 Roll]

Hundreds of students in Atlanta took a knee on Wednesday in a silent protest to honor the victims of February's Florida high school shooting...

...About 600 students at Booker T. Washington High School participated in the student-led demonstration where they kneeled and bowed their heads “as a measure to show respect,” according to district officials.

"Students in Atlanta take a knee to protest gun violence" (The Hill magazine)
Students in Atlanta take a knee to protest gun violence | TheHill

[Born 2 Roll]

In addition to the aforementioned student walkout protests in systems like Atlanta Public Schools, students also walked out of class on Wednesday in Gwinnett County high schools as part of the national protests against gun violence.

Students across Gwinnett County walked out of class Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. in support of National School Walkout Day. The nationwide protest lasted 17 minutes, one minute for each life lost during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting Feb. 14 in Florida.

"School walkouts: ‘We’re not going to stop unless they change something,’ Gwinnett students say" (Gwinnett Daily Post)
School walkouts:


Students also walked out of class in anti-gun violence protests in Cobb County where they got encouragement for protests at Marietta High School from administrators in the Marietta City Schools system, but were actively threatened with retaliation and punishment and were physically blocked from leaving schools by teachers and administrators in the Cobb County school system.

"Students walk out of class; Cobb teens say teachers, administrators blocked exits"
Students walk out of class; Cobb teens say teachers, administrators blocked exits | News | gwinnettdailypost.com

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

"Students walk out of class; Cobb teens say teachers, administrators blocked exits"
Students walk out of class; Cobb teens say teachers, administrators blocked exits | News | gwinnettdailypost.com

Perhaps these Administrators need a visit from the ACLU for denying these kids their First Amendment rights. This is just unacceptable, and illegal. Shame on them, and kudos to the many Universities that have stated they will ignore this on their records.

History will judge these actions harshly.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by JMatl

Perhaps these Administrators need a visit from the ACLU for denying these kids their First Amendment rights. This is just unacceptable, and illegal. Shame on them, and kudos to the many Universities that have stated they will ignore this on their records.

History will judge these actions harshly.

The Cobb County school system did not get a visit from the ACLU over reports of administrators and teachers both threatening retaliation for and physical blocking students from walking out of classrooms and buildings, but the system did get a letter from the ACLU...

"ACLU sends letters to Cobb Co. Schools after reports of students being blocked from protest" (CBS46 Atlanta)
ACLU sends letters to Cobb Co. Schools after reports of students - CBS46 News

COBB COUNTY, GA (CBS46) - The ACLU of Georgia has sent a letter to the Cobb County School superintendent and the principals at Lassiter, Kell and Sprayberry high school in response to reported that the schools may have physically blocked students from leaving school during Wednesday’s protest against gun violence in schools.

Here is a link to a copy of the letter from the ACLU of Georgia to Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and the principals of Lassiter, Kell and Sprayberry high schools...

https://docs.google.com/viewerng/vie...66073cd92d.pdf

Given the Cobb County's history as a hotbed and national epicenter of hard-right conservatism, I cannot say that I am the least bit surprised that the Cobb County school system took this tact with student anti-gun violence protests that had a major element of advocacy for gun control.

Seeing that gun rights and gun rights expansion is a treasured and virtually sacrosanct value for many around these parts (especially in an area with as deep a history of conservatism as Cobb County), there appeared to be many people in charge that had a major problem with what they viewed as a sacrilegious and even existential dissent against such a treasured cultural value in Second Amendment rights.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The Cobb County school system did not get a visit from the ACLU over reports of administrators and teachers both threatening retaliation for and physical blocking students from walking out of classrooms and buildings, but the system did get a letter from the ACLU...

"ACLU sends letters to Cobb Co. Schools after reports of students being blocked from protest" (CBS46 Atlanta)
ACLU sends letters to Cobb Co. Schools after reports of students - CBS46 News


Here is a link to a copy of the letter from the ACLU of Georgia to Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and the principals of Lassiter, Kell and Sprayberry high schools...

https://docs.google.com/viewerng/vie...66073cd92d.pdf

Given the Cobb County's history as a hotbed and national epicenter of hard-right conservatism, I cannot say that I am the least bit surprised that the Cobb County school system took this tact with student anti-gun violence protests that had a major element of advocacy for gun control.

Seeing that gun rights and gun rights expansion is a treasured and virtually sacrosanct value for many around these parts (especially in an area with as deep a history of conservatism as Cobb County), there appeared to be many people in charge that had a major problem with what they viewed as a sacrilegious and even existential dissent against such a treasured cultural value in Second Amendment rights.

Excellent post as usual B2R, and I would rep you if I could.

Unfortunately this is in line for Cobb leadership, and is reminiscent of the huge stink over KSU football players and students 'taking a knell' with interference from none other than the County Sheriff.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed in the Marietta School District. The Cobb County powers that be are clearly completely out of touch with a very large number of their residents on several issues, including transit. Recent polls confirm this, and the hundreds of thousands of the more enlightened folks that live there deserve better.

This isn't the same Cobb that spawned Tom Price and Newt Gingrich any longer, and hasn't been for a while. They need to vote in huge numbers this Fall.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by JMatl

Excellent post as usual B2R, and I would rep you if I could.

Unfortunately this is in line for Cobb leadership, and is reminiscent of the huge stink over KSU football players and students 'taking a knell' with interference from none other than the County Sheriff.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed in the Marietta School District. The Cobb County powers that be are clearly completely out of touch with a very large number of their residents on several issues, including transit. Recent polls confirm this, and the hundreds of thousands of the more enlightened folks that live there deserve better.

This isn't the same Cobb that spawned Tom Price and Newt Gingrich any longer, and hasn't been for a while. They need to vote in huge numbers this Fall.

Thank you.

Another feckless move on behalf of the Thought Police a/k/a Our American Secondary Educational System. It's far more important to impose their will and teach their charges to fear and respect those who wield power over them than to teach the lesson of self-expression and to stand up for what you believe to be true in your heart.
These days, I wouldn't turn a child of mine over to a government school if my life depended on it. I saw the sea change coming when my youngest daughter was coming up and promptly pulled her out; it was costly, but in retrospect was damn well worth it.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by JMatl

Excellent post as usual B2R, and I would rep you if I could.

Unfortunately this is in line for Cobb leadership, and is reminiscent of the huge stink over KSU football players and students 'taking a knell' with interference from none other than the County Sheriff.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed in the Marietta School District. The Cobb County powers that be are clearly completely out of touch with a very large number of their residents on several issues, including transit. Recent polls confirm this, and the hundreds of thousands of the more enlightened folks that live there deserve better.

This isn't the same Cobb that spawned Tom Price and Newt Gingrich any longer, and hasn't been for a while. They need to vote in huge numbers this Fall.

That is an excellent point that the Cobb County of 2018 is not the same Cobb County of the past that spawned hard-right conservative political figures like Tom Price and Newt Gingrich.

...Which is what the conservative hard-liners who still lead the county socially (like Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren like you mentioned) are intensely afraid of... That political, cultural and social control of legendarily conservative Cobb County is at increasing risk of being taken over by moderates and progressives (as well as by racial and ethnic minorities) as the county's population continues to grow and as the county's demographics continue to change and trend increasingly heavily away from political domination by deeply conservative white Republicans.

To the hard-liners that still control the county's political and social climate (for the time being), Cobb County is the crown jewel of deep Southeastern conservatism that they take great pride in leading and dominating.

Growing fear over changing demographics in the county is one of the main motivating factors why there continues to be reactionary moves made in this era like attempting to physically bar students from participating in these national anti-gun violence protests in the Cobb County school system, preventing cheerleaders from taking the field for the national anthem after protests at football games at KSU (a university that Cobb's activist conservative community has long considered to be their own), etc.