Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tell Ten!
I can't imagine being a 16-year-old pallbearer at my best friend's funeral. Could you?
Stop the violence!
Increase the peace!
This was the rally chant from a youth-organized, youth-led march commemorating the lives of Brandon Nicholas Johnson, 16, and Donnell Eric Davis, 15, of San Diego.
"The teens were killed in a freeway shooting March 16 in Bonita [near their community].Hundreds of people attended the services at Bayview Baptist Church in the Encanto neighborhood of San Diego. An overflow crowd gathered outside the church.
Gunfire on the roadways is rarely random, authorities said. It usually stems from road rage, and sometimes victims are targeted.
Sheriff's investigators suspect the teens killed in Bonita were fatally shot simply because they were in an area claimed by a gang." (source)
One of my homegirls and I are looking into supporting this community's local high school, Lincoln High School, by possibly working with their 9th grade Social Justice School teachers to do workshops, facilitate discussions, have poetry-writing sessions or just be in the classroom to work with the youth outside of a university setting.
Today, we got the grand tour. Everything from stepping into a classroom that requires their students to memorize and recite The Definite Dozen, a more meaningful and progressive alternative to the mindless delivery of the Pledge of Allegiance by school-age children; to the decision, or calling, to join the aforementioned anti-violence march/rally/protest. The Dozen is not to be misconstrued for the definite dozen that calls for a basic understanding of respect, often used in sports speak to honor the game and make athletes better people. This Dozen calls for students to be revolutionaries and be responsible for themselves, families, communities and the world. Once I find a copy of it, I'll be sure to post it. It's fresh. If you have it, please let me know.
Aside from wanting to instantly know those anxious faces, I was in awe of a high school classroom that had posters of Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, past community events and theatrical productions, of a teacher who played songs by Dead Prez and Immortal Technique, of another who proudly introduced his students to me as student-activists, and of neighborhood art that complicated common notions of beauty and commemorated Rosa Parks, among others.
The grand tour included a glimpse into the administrative aspect of running a Social Justice school. It seems like a slow-roasting struggle. Imagine infiltrating the education system this way - decolonizing the mind and empowering youth to speak for themselves. How beautiful our world would be! To hell with Diddy and his bitch-ass-ness, miseducation is a serious problem in our communities. Aside from being given a course syllabus (which included a media disclaimer for the parents), and course assignments/activities, I was able to read a 9th grade student's final draft of an essay that supported the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and quoted Article 4 which reads, "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms." The student referenced modern day slavery as an everyday activity, not antebellum slavery. I was no longer in awe, I was in admiration of words from a young mind that can write life into recognizing injustice.
A view of the campus from the Social Justice school building only confirmed the prison-like structure that schools are modeled after, or vice versa. I have never been to such a gated, guarded public high school. This was quite shocking when my high school back in San Jose was affectionately dubbed "the ghetto" by some. So I guess you can say that this setting has become unfamiliar to me after having been out of a community like the one from which I came for about 3 years now. I was informed that Lincoln High, along with 13 (soon to be 14) other high schools in the district have shooting ranges on their campuses for JROTC and ROTC access. Militarization of high schools gives primarily underprivileged, disenfranchised high school students power via weaponry and arms, and it provides a feeling of power that they can find nowhere else, feeds and recruits them as they comply into joining the front lines of war zones and perpetuates the cycle of injustice and inequality as we all know it. There is a zero-tolerance policy for weapons on public school campuses in California. So why is it okay to allow weapons onto a high school campus when it's for the conditioning of war, for the army, which has historically been an institution of discipline and violence? It's not okay. It's not safe. It's not right.
The teacher that my homegirl and I were chillin with, before the anti-violence rally came marching down the street, took us down the neighborhood to look for what we thought was the delayed group. As we stood on the corner of Imperial Ave. and Euclid St. waiting to cross the street, he looked at us and said, "You're standing on the four corners of death." How the hell am I supposed to respond to that? How do I shift fear from freaking out into a collected shell hiding behind sunglasses? What tomorrow's leaders (student-activists) and this teacher told us was that each corner of the intersection was marked off as a different gang territory, beginning at each corner. "Even a famous rapper got shot here," one of the young revolutionaries added. Mind you, I wasn't shocked, just kind of... vulnerable. More on this later. Moreover, this a preface to the gang violence that takes place in this neighborhood. Very real, real enough to hold a rally for two boys who just happened to be victims of what a 16-year-old student-activist/head organizer of the rally called, "a senseless crime." It really could have been anyone.
Whenever I'm marching or participating in a rally, or most importantly, using my voice as a tool/instrument to guide, be heard, tell, educate, teach, preach, be listened to, etc., I get real raw and vulnerable. No joke. Somehow, the significance of voice arises as the main tool for expression and is what grabs the attention of passers-by. Expression -> art -> movement -> protest -> for a cause -> power. Word association explains it all. Art and activism go together. Community activism & community art is necessary.
Lately, I've been thinking about ground work. And really doing it for community. I feel like I have something to give now. So much that it's urgent. This deserves the utmost political expediency. The teachers at the Social Justice school kept talking about practice. There's a lot of theory, but the youth need practice, they say. I saw them practice today. I need practice today. Right now, this is where my heart is. It is possible to work on self-love and give back at the same time. I made a silent promise/signed a pledge sheet to tell ten about this. Please help me and tell ten.
Brandon and Donnell were not gang-affiliated. They were just trying to go to bowling alley to have fun and then come back. It could have been anyone. Let's not awaken only when we have oppression and pain hit us in the face. Like a mother said at the rally, "This is not a black thing. Pain and death know no color lines."
Stop the violence.
Increase the peace.
This community is thirsty for change. - Enrique Ochoa, teacher @ LHS
// posted by Janice @ 12:30 AM 
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i live in southeast san diego, so this hit close to home. the loss of these two young guys is tragic. my prayers go out to their families.
i went to morse high school, just down the street from lincoln. i was in the jrotc program as well and i can tell you that the ranges in the schools are not used for live ammunition/"real" weapons. students only use pellet rifles. and are taught safety regulation and proper operating techniques of the rifle. i can't speak for lincoln, but only qualified students in the jrotc (gpa/conduct) were able to shoot on the range.
the jrotc program in san diego city school is hardly a means of war conditioning. its a good program that teaches leadership and discipline. at least thats what i got from it. so i would have to disagree with your intentions to citing the jrotc programs.
i regretfully did not get a chance to attend the rally. this community does need a change. thanks for putting out on your blog.
i went to morse high school, just down the street from lincoln. i was in the jrotc program as well and i can tell you that the ranges in the schools are not used for live ammunition/"real" weapons. students only use pellet rifles. and are taught safety regulation and proper operating techniques of the rifle. i can't speak for lincoln, but only qualified students in the jrotc (gpa/conduct) were able to shoot on the range.
the jrotc program in san diego city school is hardly a means of war conditioning. its a good program that teaches leadership and discipline. at least thats what i got from it. so i would have to disagree with your intentions to citing the jrotc programs.
i regretfully did not get a chance to attend the rally. this community does need a change. thanks for putting out on your blog.
Thanks, James, for your comment.
I'm glad that there are people from this community that read this blog.
I may need to clarify, or perhaps articulate, what I mean to communicate. When I wrote about how San Diego high schools contribute to war conditioning, I am honestly speaking to and speaking out against the practices and tactics that federal institutions of "discipline" currently use to recruit youth into joining their forces.
I respect your opinion. I honestly believe that the JROTC program is, indeed, war conditioning. And by that, I mean an institutionalized practice that prepares youth for war by teaching them how to shoot, how to kill, how to end lives - which IS violent and which IS conditioning for war. Thus, I must strongly disagree with reasons as to why you disagree with my reasoning. The issue is not about whether or not they use pellets instead, because either way, youth are being taught these skills that allow them to obtain power in ways that call for the inferiority of others, play God or build on machismo, which may take years to unlearn. I believe in LIFE. By that, I mean by any means necessary. We have to remember and constantly negotiate the ways in which histories of exclusion, violence, silence, war and power have (pardon my language) FUCKED OVER historically underrepresented, underprivileged, disempowered communities of color. So please, don't patronize my words by sugarcoating Truth with soft vernacular and white logic by calling this Truth "leadership" or "discipline."
It is not a coincidence that today's illiteracy rates are significantly high for African Americans, who have, in the past, been denied the RIGHTS to read, write, or learn and have been killed or lynched as a result of it.
It is not a coincidence that Asian American womyn are the least likely to vote in the U.S., especially not after one considers predominantly, legally sanctioned, exclusively male Asian immigration to the United States in the early 20th century.
This has EVERYTHING to do with youth. The Philippine-American War, the Spanish-American War, the Korean "Conflict," the "Vietnam War"... America has initiated and led by example with popular demonstrations of violence. America has "civilized," or "disciplined," or rather, "assimilated" what they deem as "Other" (read: inferior) cultures. American has participated in the destruction of lives, and THAT is what I am fully against. I don't believe in life through violence first.
I fully support and advocate non-profit organizations like Project YANO (Project on Youth Against and Non-Military Opportunities) that call for the demilitarization of our schools. With that, here is a helpful link to support what I mean:
http://www.projectyano.org/pdf/Jrotcobj_11-02.pdf
My blog/rant was written and is based on progressive ideas and actions that call for pure forms of equality. For all people.
I'm glad that there are people from this community that read this blog.
I may need to clarify, or perhaps articulate, what I mean to communicate. When I wrote about how San Diego high schools contribute to war conditioning, I am honestly speaking to and speaking out against the practices and tactics that federal institutions of "discipline" currently use to recruit youth into joining their forces.
I respect your opinion. I honestly believe that the JROTC program is, indeed, war conditioning. And by that, I mean an institutionalized practice that prepares youth for war by teaching them how to shoot, how to kill, how to end lives - which IS violent and which IS conditioning for war. Thus, I must strongly disagree with reasons as to why you disagree with my reasoning. The issue is not about whether or not they use pellets instead, because either way, youth are being taught these skills that allow them to obtain power in ways that call for the inferiority of others, play God or build on machismo, which may take years to unlearn. I believe in LIFE. By that, I mean by any means necessary. We have to remember and constantly negotiate the ways in which histories of exclusion, violence, silence, war and power have (pardon my language) FUCKED OVER historically underrepresented, underprivileged, disempowered communities of color. So please, don't patronize my words by sugarcoating Truth with soft vernacular and white logic by calling this Truth "leadership" or "discipline."
It is not a coincidence that today's illiteracy rates are significantly high for African Americans, who have, in the past, been denied the RIGHTS to read, write, or learn and have been killed or lynched as a result of it.
It is not a coincidence that Asian American womyn are the least likely to vote in the U.S., especially not after one considers predominantly, legally sanctioned, exclusively male Asian immigration to the United States in the early 20th century.
This has EVERYTHING to do with youth. The Philippine-American War, the Spanish-American War, the Korean "Conflict," the "Vietnam War"... America has initiated and led by example with popular demonstrations of violence. America has "civilized," or "disciplined," or rather, "assimilated" what they deem as "Other" (read: inferior) cultures. American has participated in the destruction of lives, and THAT is what I am fully against. I don't believe in life through violence first.
I fully support and advocate non-profit organizations like Project YANO (Project on Youth Against and Non-Military Opportunities) that call for the demilitarization of our schools. With that, here is a helpful link to support what I mean:
http://www.projectyano.org/pdf/Jrotcobj_11-02.pdf
My blog/rant was written and is based on progressive ideas and actions that call for pure forms of equality. For all people.
thanks for sharing all that information. as you respect my opinions, i respect yours as well. everyone's paradigm is different. so i can respect where youre coming from.
anyway, just like the military, the jrotc program is voluntary. it was an elective at my high school. i dont know if youve every been enrolled to a jrotc program, but i never got to vibe that i was being trained to specifically go into the military, trained to kill. but thats just me. a lot of people went it because of the camaraderie. some thought it was all just bull, but went into the program for the "easy A" so they wouldnt have be in phys. ed.
again, thats just me and my experiences. i can say, as a whole, i got a positive experience out of the jrotc program.
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anyway, just like the military, the jrotc program is voluntary. it was an elective at my high school. i dont know if youve every been enrolled to a jrotc program, but i never got to vibe that i was being trained to specifically go into the military, trained to kill. but thats just me. a lot of people went it because of the camaraderie. some thought it was all just bull, but went into the program for the "easy A" so they wouldnt have be in phys. ed.
again, thats just me and my experiences. i can say, as a whole, i got a positive experience out of the jrotc program.
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