So, are you living in denial thinking Ferguson-related violence is only for Chicago, St. Louis and other big cities?
Think again.
A woman driving by Champaign, Illinois’ Centennial High School Thursday found something she wasn’t expecting: A protest originally organized on school grounds by three teachers had grown out of hand. Roughly one hundred (some say as many as two hundred) students left the school grounds as the “protest” spilled into the street in front of the school in this city of about 70,000. They were shouting and acting like a miniature Ferguson mob.
The elderly motorist, completely unaware that the gaggle of students in the street were organized and “marching”, found herself in the middle of the group who didn’t yield the right of way as jaywalkers. The woman panicked as the students began yelling at her, wildly gesturing and screaming. The high school young adults began pummeling her car, breaking her mirror, and one or more windows in her car.
At this point, the woman – no doubt fearing for her safety – accelerated to get clear of the mob, hitting some of the “protesting” jaywalkers, further exacerbating the situation.
Ironically, Champaign police were on the scene watching the entire event unfold.
The motorist was not ticketed.
CHAMPAIGN (News-Gazette) — Police have put out a call for additional information on Thursday’s demonstration at Centennial High School and the incident involving a car traveling through the student protest.
About 100 to 150 students left the high school after participating in a “die in” to protest the recent grand jury decisions not to indict white police officers in the killings of two black men, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City.
After lying down in the hallways, many student demonstrators left the building and stood outside. Some of them walked into Cresecent Drive in front of the school. As that occurred, a vehicle travelled through the crowd.
At least one of the students struck the vehicle’s window and caused damage to the glass, according to police, who were called to the scene.
Champaign police identified an 18-year-old student who was responsible for damaging the vehicle and the student was initially taken into custody for criminal damage to property and mob action.
Some of the comments are priceless, including those from witnesses:
150 students decided to skip an hour of class, but only 8 were dedicated enough to express their opinions on their own time. At least 1 of those 8 students broke a windshield. This was the proudest moment for the school principal.
I just lost all respect for Greg Johnson. This is what makes you proud? I want to see these three teachers disciplined for organizing this protest that put my child in harm’s way! My daughter called me today scared to leave the classroom due to the mob action taking place outside. Is this what you are teaching your students? Maybe you should teach them to obey the law, listen to the police, and not try to grab their weapons! If you follow those guidelines, you won’t get shot!
And making signs saying “black lives matter”? Really? Who said that they didn’t? Blacks on black violence is much more prevalent than white on black violence let alone police violence. Perhaps the energy used in this demonstration could have been used to explore why this is the case.
Mam, what are you thinking? High school should absolutely be a place where sensitive topics like the Brown case should be discussed academically. It should never be a place where 150 students disrupt the workings of the school, causing fear and alarm to other students who are trying to go about their day in a productive manner. The fact that the protest you organized got out of hand to the point where hundreds of students left class, took to the streets and caused the police to be called and a student arrested is shameful. And please stop trying to blame the driver for all this. The last thing you expect while driving is to be surrounded by angry people walking in the roadway (that’s where the cars are supposed to drive, remember?)
Apparently there were no major injuries to students in the incident with the car attempting to pass on the street. Most likely the woman driving the car was terrified to find herself surrounded by a crowd of angry chanting adolescents in the street who hit her car as she tried to drive past the crowd. It is unfortunate that she didn’t realize that the street was impassable and didn’t turn to avoid the crowd before being surrounded. She probably had the erroneous notion that the students would politely step aside to let her pass on the public roadway.
Why do school teachers support demonstrators on behalf of African-Americans who commits a crime and is shot, or injured for resisting arrest the police and assume the police are immediately deemed guilty and the criminal is deemed innocent before a full investigation is undertaken? .What else are these teachers doing in their classrooms? Are the students learning anything?
This is why Johnnie can’t read nor write nor do much math and American students lag behind much of the industrial world in academic tests.
My children are not sent to this school to have political views and misconceptions pushed upon them by the district. My children are there to be educated. It is mine and my wife’s job to teach show them the many choices they have in life and to let them decide, not the school. I have a son who is somewhat introverted. He was scared to death from being around what was happening. No student, either black or white, should ever be make to feel uncomfortable at school.
Finally, as many police officers have been told numerous times “my taxes pay your salary”. This is the same for teachers. My tax money is not there for you to push your political agenda or to decide what my childeren should be believing. You have crossed the line, my children will not be going to Unit 4 schools any longer. We will either go private or make every effort to move to better district.Good luck with the new school vote next year……..not going to happen now.
Dear Kid,
Your teachers did you no favor. Whether or not they led you astray remains to be seen. But if this is how you choose to continue to behave, you will fail in life. You were in the street. You broke the law. Breaking the law is never justified. Ever.
At the very least, you pounded on the women’s car. This would be perceived as threatening to most people. She was outnumbered by over 100 people. You broke her window. Do you think such action makes you respected? Does it get you whatever it is you want out of this protest? No. It makes you out to be a thug to be feared.
If you don’t like some of the laws in some far off place, work to change them. Write letters. Make phone calls. When you are old enough, vote and run for office. Educate yourself to become a police officer. Effect change. Turning into a thug won’t do that.
You can’t effect change by cutting class. You need every bit of education you can get because right now you are on the wrong path. Keep going and you will end up in jail as you should when you break the law.
No one cares what color you are anymore. It is your character that counts. Being a thug gets you no where. This isn’t the 60’s anymore. Don’t mention the civil rights movement to me. The future is now. Do not use issues from the 60’s to justify you not doing what you need to do now. Obey the law. Get an education. Effect change if you feel the need in a lawful manner. Grow up and be the worthwhile person you can be.
Stop making excuses.
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