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Granada High (CA) punishes student for
wearing sticker
Another Incident of Repression of High School Students:
Granada Hills High
School in California punishes student for wearing a world can't wait
sticker.
Contact the school and demand this repression stop: (818) 360-2361, http://www.granadahillshighschool.com/contact/
Statement from Joseph A. Chavez, Parent and Guardian of Davey Moore Chavez:
On 11-2-05, at 10:30a, my son Davey Moore Chavez, who is a sophomore at Granada
Hills High School, was wearing a, "World Can't Wait, Drive out the Bush regime!"
sticker on his t-shirt. A school official approached him and ordered that he
remove the sticker. When he refused, a school police officer (Officer Bowen)
was called and grabbed my son by the arm and demanded that he comply with the
school official's instructions. Again he refused and was sent to the Dean's
office. The Dean, Mr. Percy Pleasant, told him to remove the sticker because it
did not represent the opinion of the school and that the school was no place for
him to express his political opinions. When my son told him about today's march
and walk-out and what it represents, he became very agitated and again demanded
that he remove the sticker or he would face a serious punishment. My son then
told them, "If you want me to take off the sticker, then I have to take
everything off as well." With the exception of his underwear, my son took off
his clothing and told them, "You can take my cloths and the sticker, but you
can't take what I believe in my heart. This war is wrong and the word needs to
get out!"
The Dean then sent him to the Nurses office,
because he thought my son was, "off-balanced, or under the influence of some
controlled substance." The nurse/social worker, Barbara Ackerman, told my son
that she supports what he was standing up for and that it was wrong for the
factuality to react the way they did to him and the other students who were
wearing the sticker. She told him that as a youth, she was involved in the
peace movement during the Vietnam Conflict and that he should contact her if he
ever needed help in the future.
I met with the Mr. Percy
later that day at 2:50p. When I told Mr. Percy that I supported my son's stance
and beliefs, he told me, "If your son wants to change the world, maybe he should
become a Senator and go about it the right way. The school is no place for him
to express his personal political beliefs." He then told me that in regards to
the war in Iraq, "Some wars are necessary and some wars are not." After telling
me that his son was in the Marines and had just returned from a couple of tours
in Iraq, I told him that my son and every student that voices their opinion
about stopping this war should be commended and not punished for exercising
their 1st Amendment Rights. He then told me, "Well that's where you and I just
differ."
Before leaving he told me that it hadn't been
decided what action should be taken against my son for defying a school
official. He told me that he was going to speak with the Vice Principal and let
me know what had been decided.
-------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to the information in the above statement, and a telling exposure
of this repression, a Christian organization openly hold group prayers in a
public lunch area, with banners and flyers and everything, while Davey Moore
Chavez wasn't even allowed to where a sticker.
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