creekland Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 I know of at least one middle school kid at a recent protest who was beaten so badly he had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Link to a local (or other) news article about this? Nothing comes up when I search and I'm positive any kids getting severely hurt while out of school at a protest would make the news - at least locally, but I also bet it'd get picked up nationally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JusDelenH Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 As long as she called me beforehand, I would be all about it. My kid is a little activist and I would shocked if she hadn't walked out for a cause she strongly believes in. I am firmly believing that one day I will walk into our basement and find a wild animal that my child stole from some inhumane situation. So this would be a battle I wouldn't even bother fighting with her. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 I don't have the original news story at this point. I saw it about a week ago. I just did a search and did not find it within a reasonable amount of time. However: An incident with a 15yo being beaten and taken to a hospital happened in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was reported by many news outlets, easy to find if you google. That was not a middle school student, but it could have been misreported at first. Or maybe there was another incident I saw reported. So let's say it was "only" a 15yo kid who got beaten up. It doesn't make me feel better about sending my kids out to a protest with a bunch of teens, particularly one where emotions obviously run high. (And my kids at age 10ish may not realize how high emotions may run about a given subject.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 (edited) Apparently it was a fifteen year old counter-protester. Here is a link (if there is a wall, you can read the article by entering any email address) https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/11/16/maryland-high-school-student-beaten-anti-trump-march/tduy1VYNV8D0nrSDHo7tYK/story.html Edited November 22, 2016 by bibiche Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Apparently it was a fifteen year old counter-protester. Here is a link (if there is a wall, you can read the article by entering any email address) https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/11/16/maryland-high-school-student-beaten-anti-trump-march/tduy1VYNV8D0nrSDHo7tYK/story.html It was a student with a view that was minority in that group and in that state, yes. It is my understanding that any public gathering of people to voice opinions can and often does have people on more than one "side" of an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 It was a student with a view that was minority in that group and in that state, yes. It is my understanding that any public gathering of people to voice opinions can and often does have people on more than one "side" of an issue. Just correcting the misinformation you were spreading. :) And a teenage counter-protester running into trouble is a far cry from a middle schooler going with a large group of other children to a peaceful protest potentially running into trouble. I would think that even the most innocent of middle schoolers knows that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 (edited) Just correcting the misinformation you were spreading. :) And a teenage counter-protester running into trouble is a far cry from a middle schooler going with a large group of other children to a peaceful protest potentially running into trouble. I would think that even the most innocent of middle schoolers knows that. So you are basically saying it served the 15yo right for having a different opinion and expressing it in a "peaceful" protest? I have to say that is the response I expected from you. He should have known better than to be the minority voice. Though that is usually the whole point of protesting - to let the minority voice be heard. I don't think most young teens / tweens understand how fast discussion can turn into violence when tensions are high. Edited November 22, 2016 by SKL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 It was a student with a view that was minority in that group and in that state, yes. It is my understanding that any public gathering of people to voice opinions can and often does have people on more than one "side" of an issue. FWIW, a 15 year old being in the minority on a touchy subject and being vocal about it AT school also causes fights. We can (and do) get several in a year... even with swift punishment for all involved in the fighting. Since my school is average, the stats are still worse for a kid being in school than going to a protest. (My school alone "beats" one incident at a protest. Then add in data from other schools.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 So you are basically saying it served the 15yo right for having a different opinion and expressing it in a "peaceful" protest? I have to say that is the response I expected from you. He should have known better than to be the minority voice. Though that is usually the whole point of protesting - to let the minority voice be heard. I don't think most young teens / tweens understand how fast discussion can turn into violence when tensions are high. That's not at all what I am saying re the counter-protester. I eschew violence. What I am saying is that the scenario is not the same. I would always strongly advise my child to avoid going alone as a counter-protester to a march because of the potential for negative reactions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 That's not at all what I am saying re the counter-protester. I eschew violence. What I am saying is that the scenario is not the same. I would always strongly advise my child to avoid going alone as a counter-protester to a march because of the potential for negative reactions. You would advise ... but in the OP scenario, the parents weren't aware let alone involved in the decision. Also - it wasn't only the "counter-protester" who had a bad experience. It was also the 17yo who got arrested for beating him, the others who were involved, still others who presumably watched with horror. Most of the people whose day was ruined were NOT counter-protesters. For me, the benefits of a middle-school class going to a protest like this without parental involvement don't outweigh the risks. At some point of maturity, the benefits of letting the kids decide does outweigh the risk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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