It’s great to see the civil disobedience of yesteryear exists in
the youngest generation as they took to the streets throughout San
Benito County last week to protest HR 4437
– the immigration bill circulating in Washington.
It’s great to see the civil disobedience of yesteryear exists in the youngest generation as they took to the streets throughout San Benito County last week to protest HR 4437 – the immigration bill circulating in Washington.
The best part of the largely peaceful protests nationwide, and the safe and sane demonstrations here at home, is that it brought results and launched the issue to the forefront of everyone’s mind.
And though the mass exodus of students from California classrooms captured headlines up and down the state, it also opened up the young revolutionaries to some criticism. In Hollister, several concerned citizens dialed up the Free Lance to ponder if the kids really even knew what they were protesting. Some did, others did not.
Fortunately the demonstrations didn’t hurt the schools’ bottom line either, according to district officials, because the students had spent time in the classroom before hitting the bricks. What a shame it would have been to have our local schools lose out on needed funding like others in the state due to the protests – especially when the quality, free education offered in the U.S. is a huge draw for the same immigrants students sought to defend.
Though these students exercised a First Amendment right this newspaper takes incredibly seriously, there should still be a degree of punishment for those who broke the rules and a stern warning from the district for those who plan to do it again. Think of it as a lesson in responsibility. The first walkout earned detention, the second garnered in-school suspensions, the third should be even stricter.
Nonetheless, walking out of class does dilute the impact of the student protest simply because most adults know kids will do anything to get out of school. Had the youth of the country given up their Saturday morning or even their Monday afternoon to protest, it would have shown how seriously they all take this issue. When kids give up their TV, Xbox and myspace time to protest in the streets, then you know they’re playing for keeps. Young readers take heed for the next time: Making a personal sacrifice speaks volumes of your commitment to the cause, ditching class, unfortunately, does not.
