Planned CHS Student walkout
Posts on social media during and immediately after the walkout report this as a peaceful demonstration by about 20 students. There were adults present but they were kept on the other side of the Valley Street fence and did not interfere with the protesting students. On the whole, a non-event. Did anyone hear or witness anything different?
joan_crystal said:
On the whole, a non-event.
Peaceful demonstrations by students are, in my book, among the best kinds of events.
joan_crystal said:
Posts on social media during and immediately after the walkout report this as a peaceful demonstration by about 20 students. There were adults present but they were kept on the other side of the Valley Street fence and did not interfere with the protesting students. On the whole, a non-event. Did anyone hear or witness anything different?
So the protest was on the side or back of the school? Not the front?
yahooyahoo said:
So the protest was on the side or back of the school? Not the front?
Ritzer
In an update to an earlier article, Village Green posted a statement that the students released before the walkout:
Yes. That statement indicates 100 to 200 students participated in the walk out, which is a substantially larger turnout than reported in the social media posts I saw yesterday.
The article points out that “press were not invited” so no pictures or anything. Too bad. It would have been interesting to get a real sense for the crowd.
My daughter said “like 3” people participated in the event. So somewhere between 3 and 200 students walked out!
(I’m sure she’s underestimating for dramatic effect)
joan_crystal said:
Yes. That statement indicates 100 to 200 students participated in the walk out, which is a substantially larger turnout than reported in the social media posts I saw yesterday.
That’s Village Green itself saying 100 to 200 participated. The only number in the students’ statement, which they released ahead of the walkout, is the death toll in Gaza.
I wonder if there will be any coverage in either the News-Record or the Star-Ledger. Even if press isn’t “invited” per se there’s nothing to stop them coming and taking some pictures and talking to people.
And yes, I find it a little concerning. The decline of local news media is atopic for a whole other thread but this is an example of the kind of event that needs some reporting. The community would be well-served by access to more information.
The letter from the student organizers makes a specific point of remaining anonymous. But for the first time I am seeing a statement of their desired goals. So that’s something. They also allude to reactions from community members in the form of emails to school administrators that they view as problematic. I would be interested to see those communications and learn what kind of rhetoric is being employed.
I hope there is follow-up from the school district about this event and the world events that led to it. One problem with that approach is the complex history of the Middle East, as well as conflicts between the western and Muslim cultures, and the long history of the persecution of Jews throughout the world. It’s almost like you need a semester-long college course to have any depth of understanding about what’s happening right now.
There weren’t 200 kids on the field yesterday. Maybe less than 100 as I passed.
A couple of open questions:
"Condemning the administration for censoring pro-Palestinian voices..." Is that in reference to the high school administration?
The letter seems to imply the planning of the protest was going on for some time. Does anyone know when the idea was first proposed to the CHS leadership?
Someone on the "SOMA Talks" page on the Facebook played "junior G-Man" and took a video of part of the walkout, in case anyone wants to go see it.
bub said:
One aspect of "protests" that rankles me is when they do things like blocking bridges and tunnels, which just happened in NYC. You have a right to protest as zealously as you want to about anything but blocking my way is an act of coercion if not violence. You don't have a right to block my way and should be arrested for doing so.
And why would anyone think I would be sympathetic to their cause if they are making me miss a flight or be late for work?
What it wasn’t about was freeing the hostages. I fail to see how one can argue for a ceasefire without also arguing for freeing the hostages.
Steve said:
What it wasn’t about was freeing the hostages. I fail to see how one can argue for a ceasefire without also arguing for freeing the hostages.
Imagine, high schoolers who may not realize they haven’t figured it all out yet.
Whoever wrote the statement made good use of the verb “include,” which denotes a list that isn’t a full one.
Given the unique response we anticipated for a walkout on this topic compared to previous ones, we took the time to clearly define the main points of our cause. These include calling for a permanent ceasefire now, condemning the administration for censoring pro-Palestinian voices, advocating for Palestinian freedom, taking a stance against both Islamophobia and antisemitism, and preventing the conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
Imagine these things were pointed out to them and they still didn’t say it. Imagine that they use the word “Zionist” in a pejorative manner and refuse to understand lwhat that means. These are HS seniors who are going to college next year - possibly even quite prestigious schools - but insist that “they won’t be silenced.”
Steve said:
Imagine these things were pointed out to them and they still didn’t say it. Imagine that they use the word “Zionist” in a pejorative manner and refuse to understand lwhat that means. These are HS seniors who are going to college next year - possibly even quite prestigious schools - but insist that “they won’t be silenced.”
No need for me to imagine. I was once a high school senior myself.
Forget about being a high school student, look at the protests all over… not one mention of releasing the hostages!
”Free Palestine” and “from river to sea”… you don’t need to imagine very much there don’t you?
I guess it's good to see a distinction between anti-zionism and antisemitism, but the former means no Israel. You can march in front of your HS until the cows come home but will get no traction for that. It's hard enough finding a nonviolent solution for Gaza.
bub said:
I guess it's good to see a distinction between anti-zionism and antisemitism, but the former means no Israel.
When I was in high school, IIRC, we understood anti-Zionism to mean anti-expansion by Israel into Palestinian territories. It wouldn’t surprise me if, 40-plus years later, that understanding was now defunct. It also wouldn’t surprise me if, on the other hand, students were still discussing anti-Zionism in those terms.
The same ones chanting “from the five to the sea” and “free Palestine” who have no knowledge of history? No, they think that anti-Zionism means bye-bye Israel and Israelis.
And notice no criticism of Egypt which sealed its border with Gaza and does not permit people or supplies to cross.
Same reason that people choose to protest in front of Jewish owned or perceived to be Jewish businesses. Hmmm.
What undermines the moral legitimacy of these movements is the lack of ideological consistency. The protest choices often flow from marriages of convenience or just broader ignorance. It's terrible that 20,000 Gazan civilians are dead (not to mention 1500 or whatever massacred Israelis on day 1) , assuming the numbers are accurate, but over 600,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war (massacred really), abetted by Iran and Russia, but if you looked to the world's progressive movements for a lead on this, you wouldn't know anything was going on over there. Certainly these dumb HS student wouldn't have a clue. Gaza is the protest flavor du jour so they go with it.
Possibly, and I think this is a factor in my own feelings about the whole thing, we don't expect better from Russia, Iran, Assad, Hamas, et al. But many or most of us have grown up seeing (and still try to see) Israel as a "good guy" in the area, and/or as a necessary refuge for Jews mistreated in other places. This was more than easy on Oct. 7 and after; but as the retaliation has gone on and on, and as more comes to our attention about the numbers and behavior of settlers in the West Bank, and how the government(s) have enabled them, it seems necessary and urgent to try to find a solution that works for Israel and also works for the Palestinians both in Gaza and in the West Bank. Uprooting people from their homes to widen opportunities for bombing, then also bombing where they've fled to, and constricting availability of aid, is not a good look.
And yes, Egypt should be part of the immediate humanitarian solution. And the US and others should have been following up on two-state (or other) proposals for years and years, but have let it slide.
Will leave my thoughts about the current Israeli governing coalition out of this. Probably already need to duck and cover - it seems very difficult to say anything about this disaster without lighting someone up.
DaveSchmidt said:
When I was in high school, IIRC, we understood anti-Zionism to mean anti-expansion by Israel into Palestinian territories. It wouldn’t surprise me if, 40-plus years later, that understanding was now defunct. It also wouldn’t surprise me if, on the other hand, students were still discussing anti-Zionism in those terms.
No. Israeli citizens who oppose expansion into Gaza and the West Bank are still Zionists.
Not happy with the situation in Gaza and I'm no fan of Bibi and the extreme right in Israel. But those who talk about the continued acceptance of Hamas in Gaza after what happened are delusional. The idea that peace can be had with Hezzbolah to the north and Hamas to the south are out of touch with reality.
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From a Facebook post dated yesterday:
CHS WALKOUT For those of you who are concerned about students who are not participating in the walkout please note the following and share with any other concerned parents:
I called CHS today ask what is happening tomorrow. I spoke with Anthony Vecchione, Social Worker. He was quite nice and very forthcoming with info:
1. SECURITY: a. No one from outside of school will be allowed to enter the school. b. Kids have the option to go to their classes or to the library. c. I asked about security for the kids in the library. He said there will be “a handful of security staff” and school staff inside the library during the 4th period. d. I asked about security after the rally when everyone mixes in the halls and are hyped up. He said there will be security placed throughout all the hallways on duty all day long to observe and protect. e. Additionally, counseling staff have cleared their schedules to be on call and available all day long.
2. LIBRARY: a. There is no special program planned at all. b. The intent is to provide a safe space and have the kids know they are in a controlled area so nothing can go awry. c. Kids are free to do their class work, study, chat, and hang out. d. There will be designed study areas. e. There will be staff, administrators, social workers, counselors, and child study team members in the library to be there in case any kids need to talk things out and are having a hard time for any reason, not just because of the rally. There will be a separate area for this purpose.
3. TEACHERS: a. Teachers have been instructed that classes are to continue, and they must be in class, be available, and doing their contractual job as normal. b. If staff or teachers have an off period, the school cannot mandate where they may or may not be or even if they need to stay in school. So they can choose.