Student walkouts and freeway marching

I was asked for my opinion on the current school walkouts, focusing on the student protestors marching on the freeways and the students walking through unexpected neighborhoods the past few days. The short answer is that I support the protesters in general.

I do believe that the student protesters should go back to the school grounds after they have voiced their opinions to their representatives.
The students should return back to their classes and finish school after their messages have been heard. In addition, the students should not put progressive and sympathetic leaders, like Mayor Villarigosa, into uncompromising positions where the government feels it needs law enforcement to ratchet up the violence.

The main reason why the students should return back to campus after their voices have been heard is for their immediate personal safety and the school's overall liability are not jeopardized when off campus. I understand dissent and I can support dissent but safety cannot be eradicated by doing stupid stunts like marching unto a freeway. The students are not only putting themselves into danger, but the freeway drivers and riders, as well, into danger. That is the main reason why marches need the need of law enforcement to block streets and to divert traffic is to keep the entire community safe.

I know that there was a considerable percentage of the student protesters that were ignorant of the anti-immigration bill being reviewed in DC, and these students joined in the walkout because of the novelty of a "Bastille-day" to cut school. But I do know that there was a considerable percentage of students that knew about the bill and probably marched with the millions in Los Angeles last Saturday.

I feel it would be highly hypocritical to keep bashing our youth by saying that they are nothing but a bunch of "hip-hopping-text-messaging-under-achievers" where a substantial portion were implementing their democratic actions and demonstrating their first amendments rights in political dissent. If this ignites a political consciousness in these individuals to be a informed citizen, awakens their civic awareness and responsibility and seeing that all politics are local, as well as, global-

then this was great civics lab exercise that they would never would had experienced from a civics text book.

I also know that these students are pre-adults and they can be pretty ignorant when it comes to their own mortality. That is why our community leaders need to look out for their safety when they fail to look after theirs. It is only nature. When you are young and beautiful one never thinks has themselves as "breakable". I was a pretty conservative kid when it came to doing some stupid actions, but I still did some stupid stunts because I didn't think I could possibly get hurt. Just turn 40 and one's mortality comes quickly into view. Secondly, adults cannot forget that they were teenagers and need to put themselves into our youth's shoes and understand their point of view. Our generation and our parent's generation and done a pretty good job messing this world up. These students are going be in charge soon enough, so why don't start building on solid communication that supports and nurtures them. Perhaps with that formula, they might actually fix some of huge problems we have created. I do know one thing, they not going to fix ANY problems if violence and brutality is used and incarceration is the only option.

In review, the students should be allow to unleash their dissent and be encouraged to become politically active in a respectful manner that does not compromises theirs or the communities' safety.