Chicago high school students walk out of class over gun violence

[groundloop]

Source: ABC News

Students at a Chicago high school staged a classroom walkout Monday afternoon to protest gun violence just days after a shooting near their campus left two teenagers dead and two others wounded.

Students at Benito Juarez Community Academy in the Pilsen neighborhood on the city's southwest side, left their classrooms and gathered around a makeshift memorial where Friday's shooting occurred. The students called on city leaders to bolster security on their campus and crack down on gangs.

Many of the students released balloons into the air as they held a vigil for the victims.

"I want Benito Juarez to be safer because, honestly, I felt like this situation wouldn't have happened if it wasn't a lot of gang activity around the school," one of the student protest organizers, Kiya, told ABC Chicago station WLS-TV. "It's scary for people like me, who are not gang-affiliated, that have to go to school every day and then wonder, 'Dang, am I going to get shot?'"

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/chicago-high-school-students-set-walk-class-gun/story?id=95546503

[SoCalDavidS]

1. All They're Doing Is Missing Out On Education

If they think that walking out of class is going to accomplish ANYTHING, they're fooling themselves.

The reality is that even if there were a mass shooting at their school, with 10's of casualties, NOTHING would change.

[AZLD4Candidate]

2. I know. How dare they exercise their right to protest in school

Hugo Black said it best in Tinker: "It is a myth to say that any person has a constitutional right to say what he pleases, where he pleases, and when he pleases." Thankfully, he was in the dissent.

And the same can be said for any march: "All they are doing is missing out on their paychecks. If they think that walking out of their jobs is going to accomplish ANYTHING, they're fooling themselves."

[SoCalDavidS]

4. Striking Is A Completely Different Animal

I'm talking specifically about protesting Gun Violence.

Other protests at least have a track record of success.

If all the people getting killed in mass shootings doesn't change anything, protesting won't either.

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. I wonder if people said that to Susan Anthony when she was beaten and arrested in 1868

for trying to vote.

I mean, her protesting meant nothing at the time too.

And I didn't mean striking, I meant protesting on the street for anything.

Why even bother? Just give up. I mean, nothing ever changes anyway.

[wnylib]

6. Thanks for making that point.

I have the movie, Suffragette, about women in Britain striking for the right to vote. Their treatment was brutal - arrests, beatings, abandonment by their husbands, taking their children away from them as punishment.

And yet, today, British women vote.

I remember civil rights protests of the 1960s, when dogs and hoses were turned on protesters for daring to exercise their rights as citizens to vote, eat in restaurants, go to public beaches, etc. And their leader was assassinated. But less than 50 years later, we had a Black president. Didn't eliminate racism, but was an achievement compared to the pre civil rights era.

Jobs used to be listed in classified sections of newspapers by gender. Most of the professional jobs were male. Most of the non professional jobs were female. Now we have a female VP who is also a woman of color.

You don't get change with defeatism. You get it with persistence.

[jimfields33]

3. Releasing balloons is a no-no now

We know they kill birds and wildlife. This is well known and has been deemed illegal in places and spreading.

[mopinko]

9. trust me. this is a chi school in a poor hood. they aint missing much.

who do they think they are, david hogg?
srsly. applaud these kids.

[wnylib]

7. We need more of this.

More school walkouts to protest gun violence. Maybe some occasional job walkouts to do the same. Make social pariahs people who oppose gun regulations and sales limits.

[Magoo48]

11. I would suggest rolling high school walkouts consistently, nationwide, for however long it takes.

[wnylib]

13. Works for me.

[RobinA]

15. Why?

How does that help alleviate gun violence? Are people unaware that there is a lot of gun violence?

[wnylib]

19. Why does anyone protest anything?

It keeps the issue in people's minds. It demonstrates commitment to gun control laws, mental health care, and the banning of AR 15s. The more people who join in, the wider spread and stronger the commitment gets. It lets politicians know where we stand. With enough public support, a politician's refusal to seriously address the gun violence issue can affect his/her ability to get reelected.

[oldsoftie]

8. The headline should read they're walking out over gang violence

Because all their quotes are about that.
That really is the bigger problem & they talk about it

[Crazyleftie]

10. I hope the comments above are intended to be sarcastic

otherwise they are from trolls ignorant of history and the everlasting fight for a better life

[Crowman2009]

12. About damn time we have some student walk outs!

Hopefully this sets an example for those students concerned about transphobia, homophobia, and book banning in there schools. Feel free to respond with other issues worthy of a student walkout.

[republianmushroom]

14. Guess they are getting tired of just thoughts and prayers.

[RobinA]

16. This Is

just about as useless.

[ananda]

18. Good for them! I say, do whatever it takes.

Period