By Joe Farmer, Staff Writer and Samy Long, Editor-in-Chief
On September 20th, 2016, at Will C. Wood High School, a Black Lives Matter protest erupted during lunch. It was organized by Elijah Loehr and Lucas Goss on Twitter the night before. The protest was in remembrance of the murder of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man that was shot with his hands up by police officer Betty Shelby in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The goal of the protest was to start a conversation amongst students about the racial injustices in America. According to Lucas Goss, a Junior at Will C. Wood, there were approximately 60 students protesting by the end of lunch. Lucas also mentioned that there wasn’t really any resistance to their peaceful protest other than a group of about 10 students who walked up and played the national anthem, while saluting the American flag. According to Maijoy Hawkins, a Senior at Will C. Wood, “Students walked around the circle calling us stupid, unappreciative, and anyone who was not black were called traitors. Arguments never started during lunch due to the fact we had to keep silent until someone asked us an appropriate question. However, Twitter was filled with Black Lives Matter versus All Lives Matter arguments all that night. I’ve never heard the ‘n-word’ thrown around like that so carelessly!”
The Black Lives Matter protests across the country are protesting against police killing African Americans and broader racial profiling issues, police brutality, and racial inequality in the U.S. Criminal Justice system. Lucas Goss further clarified, “I’d say the most important misconception of Black Lives Matter, is that the organization is anti-cop, anti-police, or doesn’t appreciate the hard jobs police have, or appreciate what they do for the community. You can question the accountability of some police departments, and question the use of force of some departments, while simultaneously being aware of how hard the job is, and appreciating cops for the good things they do. However, the movement isn’t going to turn a blind eye to injustice just because the job is hard. Injustice is injustice, no matter the circumstance, and our main fight is for accountability of police and justice to those who have been wrongfully murdered for nothing. I think clearing up misconceptions is a huge part of this movement, and this issue, being taken seriously.” The Ferguson, Missouri case, where unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot on August 9, 2014 by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, was the first big spark to the Black Lives Matter Protests. Many years before that was the shooting of Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, where a black teenager in a hoodie armed with a bag of skittles was shot by a neighborhood watch advocate, George Zimmerman. On April 18, 2015, protests in Baltimore erupted, outside the Western District police station, over the death of Freddie Gray, an unarmed black man that died while in police custody from spinal injuries.
The Black Lives Matter movement gained most of its solidarity over Twitter and has inspired the minds of many across the country in hopes of bringing light to the racial injustices still present in America today. Even celebrities like 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, and pop superstar, Beyoncé, have joined in the protest.
After the protest, the Principal of Will C. Wood, Adam Rich, asked the participants to join him in his office. Over sixty students spoke with the Principal and the Public Relations Officer from the district, Jennifer Leonard, who reminded them of the school rules, and asked them to cease any further protests for the sake of their safety. Breanne Garcia, a Junior at Will C. Wood, explained, “Ultimately, our principal wasn’t mad. He expressed that he was proud of us for organizing a peaceful movement and maintaining peace for the whole hour. He also expressed that he would like to get involved in helping us educate in a way that does not involve crowding the quad. The next day, he arranged a meeting in the library to discuss a plan for what’s next. He seemed to really understand our views and take them to heart.”
None of the students faced any punishment, and the protest was overall a success as it began discussions amongst students about political issues happening in the country today.
The Black Lives Matter protests across the country are protesting against police killing African Americans and broader racial profiling issues, police brutality, and racial inequality in the U.S. Criminal Justice system. Lucas Goss further clarified, “I’d say the most important misconception of Black Lives Matter, is that the organization is anti-cop, anti-police, or doesn’t appreciate the hard jobs police have, or appreciate what they do for the community. You can question the accountability of some police departments, and question the use of force of some departments, while simultaneously being aware of how hard the job is, and appreciating cops for the good things they do. However, the movement isn’t going to turn a blind eye to injustice just because the job is hard. Injustice is injustice, no matter the circumstance, and our main fight is for accountability of police and justice to those who have been wrongfully murdered for nothing. I think clearing up misconceptions is a huge part of this movement, and this issue, being taken seriously.” The Ferguson, Missouri case, where unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot on August 9, 2014 by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, was the first big spark to the Black Lives Matter Protests. Many years before that was the shooting of Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, where a black teenager in a hoodie armed with a bag of skittles was shot by a neighborhood watch advocate, George Zimmerman. On April 18, 2015, protests in Baltimore erupted, outside the Western District police station, over the death of Freddie Gray, an unarmed black man that died while in police custody from spinal injuries.
The Black Lives Matter movement gained most of its solidarity over Twitter and has inspired the minds of many across the country in hopes of bringing light to the racial injustices still present in America today. Even celebrities like 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, and pop superstar, Beyoncé, have joined in the protest.
After the protest, the Principal of Will C. Wood, Adam Rich, asked the participants to join him in his office. Over sixty students spoke with the Principal and the Public Relations Officer from the district, Jennifer Leonard, who reminded them of the school rules, and asked them to cease any further protests for the sake of their safety. Breanne Garcia, a Junior at Will C. Wood, explained, “Ultimately, our principal wasn’t mad. He expressed that he was proud of us for organizing a peaceful movement and maintaining peace for the whole hour. He also expressed that he would like to get involved in helping us educate in a way that does not involve crowding the quad. The next day, he arranged a meeting in the library to discuss a plan for what’s next. He seemed to really understand our views and take them to heart.”
None of the students faced any punishment, and the protest was overall a success as it began discussions amongst students about political issues happening in the country today.