March 14, 2018 the seniors will walk out of MHS for 17 minutes around ten o'clock. The protest is to enforce new gun laws. Power to all the students at MHS.:calendar:

I suspect this poster just wants a reaction, but I will respond anyway. If you really want a brilliant explanation of why these walkouts (that will be happening all over MA) are completely pointless and a thorough waste of time, I encourage you to head over to turtleboysports.com and read their article about the Somerville High kids who are going to stage these walkouts every Wednesday...for eternity, I guess. It is a hilarious and accurate take on these kids who just protest for protest sake. They don't even know what they are walking out for really. But, they are going to get out of school to protest in a state where all of our elected officials already agree with them, and where we have very strict gun laws.

Turtleboysports is a website for racists and idiots who like laughing at homeless people. It is truly charming.

Also, what if the students care about Federal policy? Considering we live so close to NH and ME (states with incredibly LAX gun control laws) they apply to people living here as well.

I assure you that the kids KNOW 100% WHY they are protesting. The kids you alright... you, on the other hand, not so much.

And we didn’t know why we were protesting in the 60’s/70’s? Please!

True that

It is encouraging to see our high school kids being politically active for a good cause. The two old grumpy posters didn't have to go to school worrying if someone will wander in and start shooting a semi or fully automatic assault rifle because they were illegal for civilian use back when they went to school.

Nope, we didn't worry about some maniac shooting up the school with an AR. We worried about the Russians dropping an H-bomb on our heads.

I wish Florida, the strength to fight for strict laws like Melrose, Ma. This state is blessed.

I would argue that MA is no more "blessed" than anywhere, nor do we have any more "strength" than FLA. That's just crazy-talk. I also am not sure that this walkout shows any "power" on the part of our high schoolers. I suspect that these walkouts will yield nothing, and if that is the case, they will only succeed in making the kids feel good about themselves in the short term. That is fine with me, but it won't make them feel powerful. Regardless of how you feel, I encourage you to visit this website: https://www.womensmarch.com/enough-faq to read about what the goals of these walkouts are. I was fine with it, when my kid said they were walking out in support of the victims, and in support of stronger laws for school safety (I am not really sure what stronger laws we actually need, but it still seemed harmless). Then, I went to the website, and realized we have yet another example of politically extreme adults highjacking an event that should be run by the kids. In the process, they have lumped a whole bunch of other issues in with this walkout- I am talking about police brutality, BLM issues, militarized policing, and imperialist foreign policy (not kidding). When I showed this to my child and his friends, and we talked about it, they decided not to participate. These are not their issues. They are not part and parcel of school safety issues. Again, these are adults choosing to politicize this to extremes that were not intended by the Parkland kids. I am wondering what is in place for kids who choose not to participate in the walkout. I have emailed and asked, but have not received a response yet.

The walk on March 14th, was agreed with the superintendent for the victims and stronger gun control. CT, of course would change the walk to be against, the president of the United States. I will not walk for the BLM issues, police brutality, militarized policing, and imperialist foreign policy. The students, staff, and parents were told false information.

I will not walk out of school for all this other stuff. It was to be for strict gun control and Florida victims this is BS.

Peaceful march against gun violence.Yes walkout shows any "power" It will. High schools all over the country.Just look at the news.

I think it is you who doesn't understand.
"It doesn't say they have to be against those things. The walkout is for what it is for." So, if the school walkout is associating with this site (and Melrose is listed on the site), the walkout is for what the site says it is for, and all of these things ARE included.
"This website simply provided a platform for the kids to organize." Nope. If it is "just a platform", it wouldn't have a manifesto-like statement, like the one it currently has.
I oppose walkouts for the sake of walkouts, and if my child wants to participate in a walkout, I want him to understand and believe in the cause. I don't want him walking out because everyone else is or his teachers are, or any other reason than to support something he is on board with. I am not highjacking his experience. I am teaching and guiding him to be a really critical observer and participant in political activism, and to not get used by people who have agendas other than his own. I would think that everyone would agree with that sentiment, but apparently you are okay with kids just blindly protesting everything under the sun. You are fine with ignorant political protest. Would it be okay with you if your child supported the right to free speech by participating in a walkout sponsored by some alt-right group that had "free speech" as ONE of the causes listed on their webpage? Doubt it.
This walkout could have been focused on school safety and laws to help achieve that. This, unfortunately, is not that. I don't want my child being used as a pawn for a group that has decided to expand the meaning of these walkouts. This will get reported as thousands of kids walking out in support of all of these causes (not the original meaning of the walkout). If you think that this will be presented in the press as solely about school safety, then it really is you who doesn't understand. Also, it is a shame that you can view someone who is working hard to raise a child to be politically aware in such a way that you find it perfectly fine to label and degrade me when you don't know me at all. For the record, I don't identify with "NRA, GOP, and White supremacist flags", and I never mentioned "brown people". These are clearly triggers for you, and you use them when someone has a different view from your own.

We have encouraged our children to participate in the walkout. High School and college activism is the only way the gun laws will change. Democrat and Republican voters simply dig in along party lines and call each other names...nothing will ever change on the current course. Kids got the U.S. out of Vietnam, tore down the Berlin wall and are responsible for many of the major shifts in political stalemates the globe has seen in the last 100 years. Encourage the kids to rise up and call out the NRA and their political flunkies...they are the victims and the only way Washington will hear is if the victims force them to.

If the walk were to be for the reason told to us from the superintendent and principal that's ok. Now, it is to be against police my dad, uncle and cousin are all police officers so no thanks.

There are some historical similarities. The student movement in the 60's and 70's was co-opted by radical groups like the SDS and SLA. It wasn't until Vietnam veterans themselves began to get actively involved that the "cause" began to advance significantly.

There are always going to be "special interest groups" that attempt to twist legitimate civic causes to their own agendas. Many of the groups cited on that site fit that bill. It's up to us to minimize their impact.

I am a gun owner, and a veteran. I do not own an assault weapon, and am not a hunter, so I also own no other long guns. The only thing you're hunting with an assault weapon - a weapon of war - is people. No one other than military and police should be able to possess them. If the day ever comes that I really need an AR or AK, it will already be too late.

Years ago you could mail order a Thompson .45 cal submachine gun. Think about that for a minute!

I agree. There wasn't anything in the post to get so excited about. Try Xanax- works better than valium.

Clown Alert! This string belongs in the Bozo Hall of Fame. Two Melrose Messages lunatics arguing over something that is extremely difficult to follow because its completely incoherent. A linguist couldn't follow this string. Maybe you need a charter school English teacher or the head of the department from some second rate parochial school. They definitely speak the MM language Normally you nut jobs are in lock step with each other. Fighting among yourselves is entertaining. This is good. Keep it up, the ignorance shines through.

Poor CP - reduced to total insignificance.

Hey CP, Should'nt you be cheerleading in Lynnfield now? :sweat_smile: :yum: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Lynnfield? Dolan leaving was like hitting the Clown Patrol lottery. You losers have to whine and complain about someone else now. Your Dolan stuff was so ad nauseum it wasn't fun sh*tting on the bozo brigade anymore. How'd Monica do in the bid for the Mayor's interim spot. How will Jerry make out in the ward 5 interim alderman runoff. You are an irrelevant bunch of clowns. I'm still laughing at you fools after November's election. Honk, Honk...can't wait to see what the next big gripe is.

March 14, 2018 the seniors will walk out of MHS for 17 minutes around ten o'clock. The protest is to enforce new gun laws. Power to all the students at MHS.For the victims and stronger gun control.

The sad thing is that CP doesn't even grasp that he/she has become irrelevant. Such a shame.

Or that Melrose city Hall and School Department strive to be inclusive and welcoming to all, Sorry but nothing could be further from the truth. Just read the Office of Civil rights determination letter. Certain people in the city solicitors office and school administration have tried their darnedest to threaten victims AND witnesses to keep their mouths shut about civil rights violations and abusive behavior towards our most vulnerable students. A serious Civil Rights violation, criminal in nature, in fact, as they were using the powers of their office as well as public resources, the local police,SRO and the courts to threaten and intimidate victims and witnesses in order to get them to back down. Massachusetts General Law, defines this behavior as criminal extortion:

Section 25. Whoever, verbally or by a written or printed communication, maliciously threatens to accuse another of a crime or offence, or by a verbal or written or printed communication maliciously threatens an injury to the person or property of another, or any police officer or person having the powers of a police officer, or any officer, or public employee who verbally or by written or printed communication maliciously and unlawfully uses or threatens to use against another the power or authority vested in him, with intent thereby to extort money or with intent to compel any person to do any act against his will, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than fifteen years, or in the house of correction for not more than two and one half years, or by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars, or both.

Ahhh...Waka, Waka, Waka

Did no one ever tell you you'll go blind doing that?

March 14, 2018 the seniors will walk out of MHS for 17 minutes around ten o'clock. The protest is to enforce new gun laws. Power to all the students at MHS.For the victims and stronger gun control.

Ahhh...Wakka, Wakka, Wakka

THE ADULTS HAVE NOW COMPLICATED THIS WALK FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. Of all the potential targets for propaganda, children and young adults are the most vulnerable because they are the least prepared with the critical reasoning and contextual comprehension they need to determine whether a message is propaganda or not.

Actually, the most lax are those of Vermont. You know, the state with the lowest murder and violent crime rate in New England.

It really isn't funny. These School Committee Members just marched right past the heinous actions of their sole employee (yes, we know the one exception, that goes without saying now). They carried on as if their agenda actually means something, as if it is anything but a game and a showcase to continuously polish their public image.

How did the walkout go today?

It went VERY well! At the prescribed time, there wasn’t a single student in the building.

This is about being focused on school safety and laws to help achieve that.

Was the walkout canceled because of the snow day?

Next Wednesday same time same channel. The walk is for everything but the kitchen sink.

If they were so "grass roots", "passionate" and fired up about this issue that is just so important to them, you would think they could have managed to assemble and protest somewhere, even on the snow day... I guess the issue isn't important enough to get out of bed and stand in the cold on a day you have off from school. Only important when you are going to get time out of class, I guess. Yup- power to the people, alright.

Instead of a walkout during education hours, why don't the hold a rally on Saturday morning around 9 AM. Let's see how many show up.

Still divided in Melrose between blacks and whites. The walk out was at ten on Wednesday. No police you could only hear the police cruisers sirens going off. A few students spoke about the issues and one girl said "this is a community of mostly white people and we need to stick together." Blacks stick together more than whites as they should.