Rally Tomorrow at Fort Bragg High School to Support Freedom of Speech! MENDOCINO COAST CHRISTMAS CONTROVERSY CONTINUES MSP JUST RECIEVED INFO ON RALLY IN FORT BRAGG, 10:15 AM This just came over the transom @ 5:03 pm: Members of the Mendocino Girls Basketball team and their allies are calling for a rally at Fort Bragg High School this Monday, December 29 at 10:15 AM. Their invitation to the tournament was withdrawn because in other games they had worn t-shirts reading I Can’t Breathe. They are distressed that their right to free speech is being stifled, and they are calling on members of the community to show support in a rally coinciding with the beginning of the tournament. Jin Jackson, Co-Captain of the team, commented, We believe that we have the right to peacefully show our support for the important issues of racial profiling and police brutality, and that we shouldn’t be denied participation in the basketball tournament simply because we are speaking our minds. Even in a small community like ours where, thankfully, these problems are rare, I believe we should do our part to raise awareness of these issues and try to help find solutions to the problems. Students on the team have been looking forward to the tournament all year, but when they were told that wearing these warm-up t-shirts would not be allowed because it might lead to violence, they refused to be censored. Said Naomi Baker, This was a silent protest. In no way whatsoever were we trying to provoke violence. Many schools as well as professional athletic organizations have brought about awareness by wearing these shirts. We were simply expressing our opinions. The teams purchased the shirts on their own, with money donated by a community member who supported their decision, without input from coaches or parents. As Co-Captain Kiera Poehlmann said, I am confident in my teammates and trusted we were all educated enough to form our own opinions about this highly discussed topic. I had engaged in conversations about the Garner incident with teammates both in classes, and on our own time. I was proud to be on a team that wanted to make a stand for what we believe in, and I am even prouder to be on a team that is fighting for what we know to be right, even when basketball got unjustly taken away from us. While they are surprised by the national spotlight that has been trained on their small communities, the teammates are proud to be contributing to an important conversation. They also emphasize that their protest is about racism and police brutality, not opposition to police as a whole. As their open letter said, We appreciate police officers and their difficult and sometimes dangerous job, but at the same time we condemn police brutality that does exist in our country and feel even small communities like ours should promote awareness of such crucial matters. The tournament organizers told the Mendocino teams that they were disinvited from the tourney because they had previously worn I Cant Breathe t-shirts during their warm-up. The organizers later explained, We simply do not have the resources to protect those involved should the situation become aggressive or physical. A group from the girls and boys teams sent an open letter explaining the motive behind their jerseys: We, the players, wanted to express our support for the people who face prejudices, racism, and police brutality daily in our country and convey our concern about these injustices to the public. (MSP NOTE: Another individual, a Fort Bragg High alumnus 2008, has called for a rally at 5:00 pm Monday at Fort Bragg High School. Jasper N Henderson wrote: Meet on the front steps of Fort Bragg High School, 300 Dana Street at 5PM Monday and, and well march to the tournament entrance. Bring t-shirts, signs, banners, and candles. PHOTO--Mendocino varsity team members Kiera Poehlmann & Emily Symonds get instructions prior to their game with Fort Bragg December 16th.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 10:42:58 +0000
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