I posted this 8 years ago. Deserves being posted again. I may not agree with the current reasons for protests happening, but I absolutely support your right to peaceably assemble, and while it isn’t a “guaranteed in the Constitution” right, your right to protest.
But I also agree that leaving school during school hours is not cool. Having stuff organized by teachers is beyond not cool. When we had to sign 8 forms just to let our kids go to the local library, no teacher should be able to just take kids out of the classroom and off campus without parental consent and all those same forms used for any other outing. There *cannot* be “rules for thee but not for me.”
And to finish… protests are dangerous. Even peaceable ones. A protest can quickly turn into a mob, and mobs are not people, mobs are a monster all on their own, and they are easily moved and abused by people outside the mob. I have both watched that happen from outside, and been trapped inside a mob and experienced it. Before you go to protest (at any age!!), be sure that you know the realities of what protesting can and does mean.
You could get hurt. You could get arrested. You could get shot with “less than lethal” things like rubber bullets, tasers, chemicals, and water. You could get expelled, if you’re in school, or fired if you’re working. You could get caught up in things you do NOT agree with, a lot more easily than you can imagine, even if you agree with the rest of the protest. You could get yelled at, spit on, and even assaulted.
All but the assault (by a non-LEO) are perfectly legal, by the way. If you’re ordered by LEOs to move, and you don’t, they can and will use “less than lethal” weapons on you. Those “less than lethal” things can cause REAL damage, and they can even cause death sometimes. Assaults during a protest (or worse, during a riot and/or mob situation) are very difficult to prove in court.
All of this is offered from NEITHER political side. It doesn’t matter to me what side you’re on; these are the realities of standing up for your rights, real or perceived. Freedom is not free, and it is NOT SAFE. Being free has never been safe. The fact that we are safer in our country than people in most (if not all) other countries is saying something… but it doesn’t mean “we are safe.” SAFER is not SAFE. Standing up for your rights, again perceived or real, is dangerous, and always will be.
I posted the above to Facebook today, because it came up in my memories. I don’t recall the reason I posted it, but I do remember telling my kids about it. At the time, they were 12 or 13, so right at the rebellious “I’m a real teen” stage. I thought it was horrible at the time, but there are days I miss that… At least I was able to do something about it when they were wrong. Today, I have to grit my teeth and let them make their mistakes. Oy. Anyhow…
The image was what was posted 8 years ago, and the text I just posted today. Though I have no comments yet, I’m sure I’ll get a couple, at least, and maybe ferret out a couple more idiots from my friends’ list. I expect that more than one person will claim to not understand how I can support someone without supporting their cause. That’s the usual response to things like this. My friends, at least, don’t seem to get the idea of “hate the sin, love the sinner” (for lack of a better phrase).
One way I use to describe it a lot, lately, is that here in America, we absolutely have the right to be an idiot, to be wrong, and to keep talking long after we should have (morally speaking) shut our traps. That is our RIGHT. Doesn’t mean it *is* right (as in correct).
But yes, I will absolutely go and protect people I love who feel the need to peaceably demonstrate, even if I disagree with what they’re demonstrating about. Why? Because this is America, and PEACEABLE demonstration is allowed. If they stop being peaceable, I will not support them, and they all know that. But if they’re just holding a sign on the sidewalk and talking to people? Absolutely I will. And if they get arrested while demonstrating peaceably, I’ll record it, and I’ll testify on their behalf later. Because it’s the right thing to do. What I won’t do is interfere with LEOs, because even if I think they’re wrong, that’s how riots and mobs start. I’ll ask questions politely, stay out of the way, and take video. The rest can get argued at the courthouse. Peaceably.
Actually “protest” is a synonym of “peacefully assemble” so yes, it is protected.
You mentioned teacher-organized walkouts. Whether that is protected for the students, it certainly is not for the teachers because it is dereliction of duty (to teach in the classroom).
On “spit on, and even assaulted”, spitting on someone IS assault.
pkoning, I disagree. Better, I bring receipts.
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While the words “protest” and “peacefully assemble” are related, they are most definitely NOT synonyms. They are not switchable at whim. Absolutely not. Nope. NO.
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The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (Congress.gov) Where in there does it mention protests? That’s right, it does not. Just as the Second Amendment doesn’t mention ways to circumvent “shall not infringe,” the First does not allow you to simply swap in other words to make it suit you better (“you” in this case meaning angry Leftists, not “you pkoning” to be clear). Government isn’t permitted to abridge the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and it isn’t permitted to abridge the right of the people to petition the gov’t for grievances. These two are linked, much as the phrase “A well regulated Militia” is linked to the right to keep and bear arms. They don’t modify the right.
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We the People have the right to peaceably assemble, yes. We the People have the right to demand our government fix things it’s messed up, yes. And yes, those two rights are linked. But they are not talking about protests. Protests are what they saw in England, what they fled, what happens when the government is not held accountable. So they built that accountability into the Constitution.
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Now, you might argue that “protest” means something in the dictionary. Essentially, it means “to disagree.” But that’s not what we’re talking about, when we’re talking about the people blowing whistles and stopping ICE from doing their jobs in Minnesota, now, is it? THOSE protests are what I’m talking about. Perhaps the Leftists have taken the word and changed its meaning again, but I think everyone understands what I say when I talk about “ICE protests” or the like.
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I agree whole heartedly about teachers. They should not be supporting walk-outs.
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Spitting is technically battery, but I get your meaning. That doesn’t change the message I’ve left, above.
Schools have a legal obligation, perceived or statutory I do not care which, to oversee the health and welfare of a student while school is in session. When a student cuts class, the school that obligation remains, and punishments are warranted. Should the punishment for attending a protest differ from any other reason? No, the choice to cut is contrary to the school’s obligation, regardless of the reason.
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And, that makes a teacher/school let protest even more abhorrent. The school authority is saying they will ignore the health and welfare requirements for political reasons. And, they are doing so without express consent of the students’ parents/guardians. I know it was a different time, but i needed a permission slip from my parents to walk two blocks home after a field trip. Two blocks I would normally walk anyway, but not following a field trip.
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As to protesting, it is inherently dangerous, and one needs to ask if placing themselves into that dangerous situation is an acceptable risk. “Less than lethal” is the word lethal with a modifier. It is still in the realm of lethal. And, the LEOs are well within their legal authority to deploy less than lethal force. If a student gets harmed by a less than lethal round, who is to blame, the student? The teacher?
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Finally, what is your mission in life? What risks to carrying out that mission are you willing to tolerate? I can speak for no one else, but my mission in life is to return home safe and unharmed so I can care for my loved ones. Protesting for frivolous reasons is contrary to that mission. Protesting for reasons I feel strongly about, may conflict. Joining he military and spending years away from your family sounds like it conflicts with that mission, but the reasons to join the military and defend the country may also be in support of ensuring your loved ones remain safe.
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On the other hand, a lot of the protestors these days apparently do not have the same mission in life. Renee Good’s son will never see her alive again, because she placed politics and the welfare of strangers ahead of returning home to hug her child. Strangers who would not do the same for her. I am not saying Good should not have stood up for a cause she felt strongly about, but when the LEOs said move, she should have moved slowly and safely out of the way.
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Will students encouraged to protest by school officials think the same way?