Racial Unrest in L.A. Schools
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The riot police have encircled our campus. They are wearing helmets with face masks and carrying billy sticks. Overhead is a whirring helicopter that circles incessantly. And we teachers have been informed to keep our students in class, out of the halls and employ a program that is educationally sound.
The students? They want to hang out the windows, see and hear what is going on in the yard and on the street. What excitement! Learning? “Please open your books.” “Nah, I don’t feel like it.”
This is not an environment to learn--to probe the unknown--to gain an education. This is an environment of camaraderie, subterfuge and rebellion.
The riot police? They cannot change attitudes or produce a shift in racial tension. Only the students themselves can do that. But frankly, Scarlett, they don’t give a damn.
DIANNA LEE DAVIDSON, Van Nuys
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