Mayor to protesters: Stay in school
The student organizer of a planned anti-Trump walkout today that could involve hundreds of Boston kids is rejecting pleas by the mayor and superintendent to stay in class as “suppressive” of students’ “constitutional right” to protest as they choose.
In a video posted on Twitter yesterday, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang said, “I understand some of you are planning to walk out of school Monday. Losing classroom time won’t help anyone. There’s a time and place for these conversations to happen. And peaceful advocacy for what you care about is important — but not during learning time.”
School officials have said protesters will be marked absent. In a Herald interview yesterday, Mayor Martin J. Walsh tried to assure students he’s watching out for the city of Boston.
“I’d much prefer the students stay in school,” Walsh said. “There’s better ways of advocacy than what’s being planned.”
Nearly 700 Boston Public Schools students have pledged on social media to walk out of class at 1 p.m. today and march on the State House and City Hall in a protest of what they see as threats to minorities under a Trump administration. One of the protest’s organizers, Excel High School junior Jhalen Williams, said Walsh’s admonitions to stay put in classes will not deter them from walking out.
“I think it’s suppressive,” Williams told the Herald, “and I disagree with that comment along with any comment that advocates for people not to exercise their constitutional right.” In a statement posted to Facebook, organizers said they accept that Trump will be the next president and added, “We have the right to protest and stand together against the inexcusable statements he has made about, and the harmful policies he promises to enact against immigrants, Muslims, black Americans, the disabled, the LGBTQ+ community and women.”
The walkout aims to “send a loud and clear message to Donald J. Trump and to ensure our local elected officials commit to protecting and uplifting all residents of Massachusetts for the next four years,” the statement said.
The student statement notes that similar walkouts in protest of school budget cuts got the attention of city officials. But Walsh said, “There’s a better way to pass messages along. There’s a lot of emotion in this country right now over this election. We can’t forget our young people — certainly their emotions, as well. Some are concerned about their parents that might be here undocumented. Some are concerned about reading the press and seeing what’s on TV about people’s rights being taken away.
“I think there’s a lot of uncertainty. I think there’s a lot of concern in this country. My request to all the kids, particularly in Boston and around the country, is, you know, let’s see what happens here ... Let’s have dialogue about what’s the best way to approach things that could potentially be harmful to different groups of people.”
Walsh would not say whether he will meet with protesters if they show up on City Hall Plaza for a 4 p.m. rally.