Maricopa High School Students Stage Protest

[Maricopa360]

(Maricopa)  On Friday April 30th at approximately 8:00 AM, a group of High School students peacefully left their classes to protest the signing and passage of the Arizona Senate Bill 1070 on Immigration Enforcement. High School Administrators in preparation provided the organizers of the protest with an opportunity to make the walk-out a teaching/learning experience.  Officers from the Maricopa Police Department along with District security were present to ensure student safety and to make sure that protest did not disrupt classroom instruction. A small group of students were involved in an incident that did necessitate one student arrest for the disruption of an educational institution.  The District does not support or oppose this legislation and the actions of the District were to be supportive of students’ first amendment rights while also ensuring the safety of students and the orderliness of the campus. The District is deeply appreciative of the efforts of the Maricopa Police Department who assisted during the student protest.     

Tom Beckett
Director of Human Resources
Maricopa Unified School District

[mallardisme]

I absolutely refuse to publicize this.

[Tigg]

I absolutely refuse to publicize this.

At least they've been learning about their civil rights, which is more than I can say for many adults.  They have a constitutional right to peacefully protest and they organized their protest within the the law.  Whether or not you agree with them walking out of class to protest, they do have that right, as long as they don't disrupt others learning.

[mallardisme]

No, thay haven't. If they did, it would have been the American flag that they would wave. LOL

Ditch day!

[eelhead]

Yeah I was going to say don't be so quick to say they are learning about their civil rights. I know a lot of adults that don't know them as well but so many kids today are sheep and do they really know what they are marching for. Do they all know the argument on both sides? Only a hand full of kids probably know what is going on. Like some of the people on here most kids think the white man government is after the brown man. The majority of people are ignorant and are only going to see what they want adults and kids alike.

[mallardisme]

Don't get me wrong. If the kids have something to say, I wanna hear it.

This, however, just seems misguided at best and sheepish at most.

Gaaa... protest about a bad principal. Yell about issues that are real on campus.

...Expalain to me how your free education, that I am working for, is a problem with this bill.

Hell, in an essay, please explain to me why this is a bad bill. I want to hear both sides as a debate.

(Understand that I am not really in favor of the language of the bill)

....Or fly Mexican flags on the 347 on a ditch day... Your choice.

[Desert Dweller]

The kids should, at the least, receive an unauthorized absence. 

The taxpayers pay (and then pay some more) for their education.  The schools are struggling as it is to keep their financial heads above water.  In addition, there are image issues at MUSD.  Those in the student body who contributed to this disruption serve the cause of those who refuse to vote in another penny for education.

I will bet a paycheck that if I were to ask the students involved a few basic civics questions or specifics on the legislation they are protesting, they wouldn't be able to answer them correctly.  What they know is what they have heard from the media or other misinformed sources.

Isn't it ironic that some folks risk their lives to cross the desert so that their children have a chance at a decent education and then others choose to walk away from it?

[mallardisme]

The kids should, at the least, receive an unauthorized absence. 

The taxpayers pay (and then pay some more) for their education.  The schools are struggling as it is to keep their financial heads above water.  In addition, there are image issues at MUSD.  Those in the student body who contributed to this disruption serve the cause of those who refuse to vote in another penny for education.

I will bet a paycheck that if I were to ask the students involved a few basic civics questions or specifics on the legislation they are protesting, they wouldn't be able to answer them correctly.  What they know is what they have heard from the media or other misinformed sources.

Isn't it ironic that some folks risk their lives to cross the desert so that their children have a chance at a decent education and then others choose to walk away from it?

Steve is a Viet Nam Vet. What happened to his generation was unforgivable as they came back from war. (sorry, DD, it was relevant to the convo)

Yea... I don't take a lot of credence with MHS' ditch day. These kids have no idea about why things were protested years back. This was just 'ditch day Friday'... And, Damnit, at least use the correct flag, if you have something to say.

Many people did and still do stand for these kids right to a free education. I invite all of these kids and thier families to the next school board meeting.

---Off soap box---

[AzSandSlinger]

I will bet a paycheck that if I were to ask the students involved a few basic civics questions or specifics on the legislation they are protesting, they wouldn't be able to answer them correctly.  What they know is what they have heard from the media or other misinformed sources.

What exactly is being misinformed?  The new law will read as such:

A.R.S. 11-1051.  Cooperation and assistance in enforcement of immigration laws; indemnification


B.  FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON.  THE PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).

i.e. if a mexican (or mexican-looking "person") is "loitering" (i.e. "hanging out") they can then be asked for "their paper's" no matter their true Citizen status.. a sad step back in what our forefathers would have wanted.. Nothing says racism more than "walking while brown."  DD.. you are old enough to remember the racism of the 60's.. but maybe too White to remember?


E.  A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, WITHOUT A WARRANT, MAY ARREST A PERSON IF THE OFFICER HAS PROBABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THE PERSON HAS COMMITTED ANY PUBLIC OFFENSE THAT MAKES THE PERSON REMOVABLE FROM THE UNITED STATES.

Nothing says "NO DUE PROCESS" better than that statement..

-Shane

[<3 Amber <3]

Question for you Shane (and I'm not being a smart ass, I'm really asking your position):

Are you so against this because you think this is geared towards "brown" people and that it won't or wouldn't be enforced to an equally illegal immigrant from another country....say China, or Canada, or wherever else people might come from illegally (which is pretty much everywhere...heehee)?

And it makes ME personally wonder if (under this new law) an officer pulled over someone for say speeding, that when they pulled them over all the driver spoke was Russian (language chosen simply for the sake of argument) and had no type of ID on them, they would be treated the same as someone in the same scenario but spoke Spanish.

I would like to say yes, they would be treated equally because that would be the right thing to do but I don't know.

As you can tell I'm on the fence about this law and these are just some of the types of things that go through my head sometimes.

[AzSandSlinger]

Question for you Shane (and I'm not being a smart ass, I'm really asking your position):

Are you so against this because you think this is geared towards "brown" people and that it won't or wouldn't be enforced to an equally illegal immigrant from another country....say China, or Canada, or wherever else people might come from illegally (which is pretty much everywhere...heehee)?

And it makes ME personally wonder if (under this new law) an officer pulled over someone for say speeding, that when they pulled them over all the driver spoke was Russian (language chosen simply for the sake of argument) and had no type of ID on them, they would be treated the same as someone in the same scenario but spoke Spanish.

It it racial profiling period.  Ask yourself this.. If Deputies are traveling through the desert and see two trucks carrying a few people in the back.. Both are 4x4's.. one is filled with Hispanics and the other is filled with white boys in camouflage..  Which one do you think they have "probable cause" to stop.. providing they are both driving legally?

Racial profiling is all this bill is..

...and look... the legislature has already figured out they were wrong..

Late-Night session to remove controversial language from new bill

-Shane

[mallardisme]

Can we get the kids that participated in 'ditch day' to send a get well soon card to PCSO Deputy Louie Puroll?

Maybe a thank you note as well for trying to keep well armed and extremly dangerouse foreign drug smugglers off the streets.....

[xiØn]

According to the bill..... They don't have "probable cause" to stop either one of the two vehicles Shane. Neither was doing anything illegal.

If they were shooting guns or something.... they could stop either one. That would STILL not give them probable cause to ask for papers.

If the good ol boys in camo were all speaking Greek, THAT would be probable cause to ask for papers.

If the hispanics couldn't speak English, THAT would be probable cause as well.

Not racial profiling at all. Both trucks were asked for papers.... regardless of the color of their skin.

[AzSandSlinger]

I meant "reasonable suspicion".. sorry.. and you can't enter other variables.. all others are equal (i.e. they both speak English) unless otherwise stated....

.. and the law has since been revised to remove that verbiage.. imagine that..

.. Mallard.. you cannot associate drug smuggling with illegal immigration.. coyote's maybe.. but drug smugglers don't come here to "work" or milk the system.. they are here to sell drugs.. in other words, not all illegal immigrants are AK-47, drug smuggling, officer shooting people..

.. I actually remember stating something to the effect a long time ago on the Nein.. I stated that if you increase border security by force.. the drug trade, by nature, will also increase force.. You cannot stop a multi-Billion Dollar business (that we feed, BTW) with force and not expect push back..  so you can really only blame ourselves for the increase in border violence.. Been to Juarez lately?

-Shane

[<3 Amber <3]

I am really trying to understand your entire position on illegal immigration Shane so I am really just asking these questions because I'm curious...not being a jackass...lol

I meant "reasonable suspicion".. sorry.. and you can't enter other variables.. all others are equal (i.e. they both speak English) unless otherwise stated....

.. and the law has since been revised to remove that verbiage.. imagine that..

.. Mallard.. you cannot associate drug smuggling with illegal immigration.. coyote's maybe.. but drug smugglers don't come here to "work" or milk the system.. they are here to sell drugs.. in other words, not all illegal immigrants are AK-47, drug smuggling, officer shooting people..

.. I actually remember stating something to the effect a long time ago on the Nein.. I stated that if you increase border security by force.. the drug trade, by nature, will also increase force.. You cannot stop a multi-Billion Dollar business (that we feed, BTW) with force and not expect push back..  so you can really only blame ourselves for the increase in border violence.. Been to Juarez lately?

-Shane

That said, what do YOU think is the right answer to stopping illegal immigration and then removing the people who have already come here? Or do you just say "f" it and just let anyone and everyone come and go?

As far as the drug trade is concerned, what do you think the answer is to THAT problem if you think that we've screwed ourselves by upping security at the border?