Standing Up for Human Rights
Pony Express Editorial Board
Pony Express Editorial Board
With the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, there have been widespread protests, fighting against racism and police brutality towards the black community.
After protests originally started in Minneapolis, where Floyd was murdered, they have spread around the globe, causing an uprising in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
While most protests have been peaceful, violence has been ramping up in the past few days. Police were sent in after violence and looting broke out near protests, and curfews were instituted across the country including here in San Jose, keeping citizens inside from the hours of 8:30p.m. to 5a.m. from Sunday, May 31 to Thursday, Jun. 4, after city council voted to end it.
Atrocious videos have surfaced online of police using force on peaceful protesters, using mace, tear gas, and rubber bullets to deter them. One clip from a protest in downtown San Jose shows officer Jared Yuen was seen taunting protesters attempting to further agitate them.
With President Donald Trump providing military support to the police and authorizing the use of live rounds, it is clear where the current administration stands on this matter. In one of his tweets, he even used the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” a phrase that first appeared in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Like that era as well, the police are still on the other side of those wanting basic human rights and using violence in attempts to silence them.
There is no question that there is a problem in this country, as racism has been institutionalized in the justice system from the start. This country was built on slavery, and once slaves were freed, black codes and segregation reinforced this prejudice. The system still isn’t free of racism where officers display clear bias against black Americans and frequently stereotype them.
Stories of black mothers having to teach their sons how to stay safe from police in public and black people being so scared of cops that they would not call the police even in an emergency, shows how deep this injustice goes.
Although protesting may not be an option for everyone right now during a pandemic, there is much that can be done online and across social media. Many people have been speaking out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, posting links to these petitions, and educating the public on the results of systemic racism that affect black citizens everyday.
Issuing its own statement, the San José Unified School District commented about the recent protests and events, showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, while acknowledging its own past.
“As one of California’s most diverse public school districts, San José Unified has its own history of racism, discrimination, and social injustice. We learn from that history and strive to not repeat it. We cannot tolerate anything that diminishes the dignity each and every member of the San José Unified community is entitled to,” the statement said. “We must denounce all forms of racism, discrimination, and social injustice. All people must be valued for their inherent humanity and treated ethically. As students, families, teachers, and staff, we must commit ourselves to ensuring that this is the policy of all public institutions and those holding power.”
While this does support racial justice and equality, it does fail to acknowledge all that still needs to be done to help create more positive change inside our district.
At Willow Glen High School, many students and former students have been exposing racist tendencies and problems at the school via Twitter. One student in particular, Delaney Disario, wrote a letter to the school highlighting these issues and offered current students the opportunity to sign it.
The WASC accreditation earlier this year found that even Pioneer still has discriminatory issues. Teachers have given out a disproportionate amount of referrals and suspensions for black and brown kids, yet fail to acknowledge that bias. Videos of students surfaced earlier in the year, showing white kids saying the n-word with no shame, and no one calling them out for doing so. There is clearly racism in our community and within our schools, which needs to change. Merely claiming to be committed to change is the bare minimum, and not enough. The district needs to make changes like educating teachers about their biases and punishing students who use slurs and derogatory terms inappropriately to show that they truly support students of color.
As the district said itself, “we know from our own experiences that change is possible. It is our responsibility to come together and leverage our strengths to end all forms of racism, discrimination, and social injustice,” but in order to end these issues, they must actually take action to change from within first.
After protests originally started in Minneapolis, where Floyd was murdered, they have spread around the globe, causing an uprising in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
While most protests have been peaceful, violence has been ramping up in the past few days. Police were sent in after violence and looting broke out near protests, and curfews were instituted across the country including here in San Jose, keeping citizens inside from the hours of 8:30p.m. to 5a.m. from Sunday, May 31 to Thursday, Jun. 4, after city council voted to end it.
Atrocious videos have surfaced online of police using force on peaceful protesters, using mace, tear gas, and rubber bullets to deter them. One clip from a protest in downtown San Jose shows officer Jared Yuen was seen taunting protesters attempting to further agitate them.
With President Donald Trump providing military support to the police and authorizing the use of live rounds, it is clear where the current administration stands on this matter. In one of his tweets, he even used the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” a phrase that first appeared in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Like that era as well, the police are still on the other side of those wanting basic human rights and using violence in attempts to silence them.
There is no question that there is a problem in this country, as racism has been institutionalized in the justice system from the start. This country was built on slavery, and once slaves were freed, black codes and segregation reinforced this prejudice. The system still isn’t free of racism where officers display clear bias against black Americans and frequently stereotype them.
Stories of black mothers having to teach their sons how to stay safe from police in public and black people being so scared of cops that they would not call the police even in an emergency, shows how deep this injustice goes.
Although protesting may not be an option for everyone right now during a pandemic, there is much that can be done online and across social media. Many people have been speaking out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, posting links to these petitions, and educating the public on the results of systemic racism that affect black citizens everyday.
Issuing its own statement, the San José Unified School District commented about the recent protests and events, showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, while acknowledging its own past.
“As one of California’s most diverse public school districts, San José Unified has its own history of racism, discrimination, and social injustice. We learn from that history and strive to not repeat it. We cannot tolerate anything that diminishes the dignity each and every member of the San José Unified community is entitled to,” the statement said. “We must denounce all forms of racism, discrimination, and social injustice. All people must be valued for their inherent humanity and treated ethically. As students, families, teachers, and staff, we must commit ourselves to ensuring that this is the policy of all public institutions and those holding power.”
While this does support racial justice and equality, it does fail to acknowledge all that still needs to be done to help create more positive change inside our district.
At Willow Glen High School, many students and former students have been exposing racist tendencies and problems at the school via Twitter. One student in particular, Delaney Disario, wrote a letter to the school highlighting these issues and offered current students the opportunity to sign it.
The WASC accreditation earlier this year found that even Pioneer still has discriminatory issues. Teachers have given out a disproportionate amount of referrals and suspensions for black and brown kids, yet fail to acknowledge that bias. Videos of students surfaced earlier in the year, showing white kids saying the n-word with no shame, and no one calling them out for doing so. There is clearly racism in our community and within our schools, which needs to change. Merely claiming to be committed to change is the bare minimum, and not enough. The district needs to make changes like educating teachers about their biases and punishing students who use slurs and derogatory terms inappropriately to show that they truly support students of color.
As the district said itself, “we know from our own experiences that change is possible. It is our responsibility to come together and leverage our strengths to end all forms of racism, discrimination, and social injustice,” but in order to end these issues, they must actually take action to change from within first.