Stuyvesant Pre-Walkout—Who’s Protesting?

On the eve of the anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting and the national protest in Washington Square Park, members of the Editorial Board surveyed the student body and asked one question: are you walking out tomorrow? Here’s what told us.

The reason I am choosing to participate in the walkout is because I feel like for the first time students are actually taking control and fighting for each other. And after so many school shootings I feel like something, anything, has to be done to try and stop them. I think that these walkouts are getting the attention of people across the country, which means that we are definitely succeeding in trying to get people’s attention and trying to let people know just how bad all this is and how everything needs to change. I personally think that the great thing about these walkouts is that they are student run. Students actually have the power to change what they want to be changed and see, and they do not need adults to do that, they can do that independently. We just have the power to change so much. I chose to do the walkout to show people that we do have a voice, and to show people that we can change things that we want to see changed.

— Julianne Yotov, freshman

I will not attend the walkout on the twentieth. While I commend everyone who does, I feel that the amount of time set for the walkout is excessive. I know many people, including myself that have prior commitments during that day that simply cannot be missed. The chaotic nature of the walkout, while unpreventable, makes it hard to be able to ensure return to school by a specific time. I would, however, definitely go if I didn’t have as many prior arrangements.

— Thomas Creighton, sophomore

People could say that I could walk out for respecting the victims. The only problem with this is the fact that these so-called "marches" are essentially student assemblies, with each "march" heavily regulated...or organized under the threat of marking cuts, such as this one. If that's the case, then what's the point? Already, I hear about how people aren't going because of the threatening cuts. On a pragmatic level, it's just not worth going: the cuts and the fact that the purpose of the march is undermined by all of these regulatory measures put into place to turn the march into a façade are the final nails in the coffin for me.

— Raunak Chowdhury, junior

I want to but I don't wanna miss class. I would go to the walk out because I support gun control. Innocent people shouldn't have to die because of gun violence.

— Umana Rahman, sophomore

I'm conflicted because the topic of gun control is very emotionally charged and I definitely agree that guns are a huge problem and school shootings are so tragic, but I just don't know what the solutions are.

— Lauren Pehlivanian, sophomore

Q: What are your opinions about students walking out of (your) class to participate in the March for Our Lives?

A: I don't think students should walk out of class to engage in any protest. I think the protest should be done after school or at any other time that doesn't interfere with learning. However, I won't hold it against a student that walks out of class for this protest. I just hope that they do so because they feel strongly about the issue and not because “everyone else is doing it.”

Q: Do you think students who participate in the walk-out are breaking the rules (or "cutting") and should be punished?

A: The students who participate in the walk out are indeed breaking the rules, specifically “cutting.” They are not being punished at all; this is what teachers and the administration must do legally: tell the truth. It doesn't matter if a student walked out of school to engage in a protest or to hang out with their friends in the park. Walking out of school unauthorized no matter the reason counts the same. Students must understand that when individuals stand up for something, that they may sometimes have to break “rules” and be willing to suffer the subsequent consequences. See Thoreau, Gandhi, and MLK.

Q: How does this particular protest compare to other protests/walkouts you have witnessed since becoming a teacher at Stuyvesant?

A: This walk out has more social substance than the ones that have occurred in the past concerning dress codes, which seemed to be more about vanity than anything else.

— Mr. Nieves, English teacher

I am walking out because I am disgusted with how useless Congress has been on any important issues. In addition, I've realized that being young isn't an excuse to be politically inactive and we all have a responsibility to let our government know when it's failing at its job.

— Kiran Vuksanaj, sophomore

I will be walking out on Friday, and so I think that the [previous] walkout was decently well organized and the administration and student organizers were pretty good about letting people know when and where to go and enforcing conduct. Tomorrow I'm assuming it'll be similarly well run...and I think it's better if the administration is not involved because this is an act of protest and civil disobedience. The last walkout was well done, in part thanks to the administration, but the whole point of this is we're stifled by the government and by larger institutions, and by asking for permission we're insisting we need to be heard.

— John Grossman, freshman

I am indeed walking out, mainly because it is amazing to see the youth be politically mobilized in such a grand scale and take part in the movement...and I think it's very symbolic that the administration has taken itself out of this protest, but it is almost ironic that the administration is taking itself out of student affairs like this because we asked them to. There were a lot of complaints about the administration's' involvement last time, and now this is the administration saying they're supporting us by not supporting us, so our walkout can feel more legitimate. It's good overall.

— Rina Sotiropoulou, junior

I’m still undecided...I went to the last one, but I kinda feel like I need a convincing argument that there will be some kind of like real purpose to it that like gets us somewhere you know versus, “Look we’re on T.V.” sort of thing. Because I know there’s like media coverage, but there’s a difference between people who agree seeing it on their T.V. and saying,“ Yeah, right. I agree,” versus people seeing it on T.V. and wanting to do something about it themselves.

— Cecilia Bachana, sophomore

If students want to protest gun legislation and feel strongly about it, then I support it, and it’s up to them to decide whether the cut is worth it based on each class.

— Jessica Quenzer, biology teacher

I think you should respect the kids and I tell my kids to be careful when they are protesting, but I am totally against weapons and kids having weapons, teachers having weapons. This is why I say we should teach kids to play a musical instrument at a young age. For example, in Costa Rica, guns are not allowed and the kids, they just play.

— Carlos Bravo, Spanish teacher

I have a [global/AP World/history] test.

— Literally five people verbatim

I'm not going to the walkout because I don't feel it's worth having a cut on your record. I also feel as if there's an element of conformity; going would make me seem like “the rebel.”

— Alvin Chung, sophomore

I’m not going to the full day walkout, although I do support the movement because personally, I don’t think it’s worth it for me to miss a whole day of school. The timing is bad for me personally, and my parents wouldn’t be too happy...The timing is bad because of various assignments and tests for my classes. My parents don’t have a problem with the protest itself, but attendance is important to them and they wouldn’t agree to cutting a whole day of school for one. They didn’t have a problem with me participating in the previous walkout.

— Farhana Khan, sophomore

Q: Are you participating in the walkout on Friday? Why or why not?

A: Yes, I am. I think this topic is extremely important and relevant to us as a school, but also in general because there is police brutality and all these horrific issues that are going on all throughout the nation. I wouldn’t even say this is only a school problem. There are shootings occurring at the movie theaters, at shopping malls. There is all this fear around guns and I completely believe in gun control.

Q: Is your decision to participate in the walkout influenced in any way by your parents?

A: No. My parents have always told me,“You believe what you want to believe, regardless of what we believe. At the end of the day, it’s your life that you’re living.”

Q: So your parent are allowing you to participate in the walkout?

A: Not exactly. I haven’t asked them, and I don’t plan on asking because I feel like if you have to ask to be a part of a protest, then you shouldn’t be doing it. I think it should be done of your own accord and you shouldn’t ask for permission to fight for your own rights.

— Kathryn Jano, junior

Q: Will you go to the walkout?

A: I don't even know what that's about.

— Mahmudul Rapi, sophomore

I’m not participating in the April 20th walkout for a few reasons. First is that I have a 5th period test and I'm not trying to fail global.

Second is a problem I have with the advocacy—or lack thereof. I have spoken with one of the leaders of SSE about how I feel that there is no clear advocacy for this walkout, and she told me to “check the website.” It felt like more work than I wanted to put in but I did, and there is literally no specific policy changes they want. The website of NYCSE says “...students of New York City are standing in solidarity with the nationwide movement to end gun violence and advocate for stronger gun control. For decades, students across the country have grown up witnessing gun violence in their communities and schools. Now, we are taking a stand against this senseless violence and demanding that lawmakers implement real legislative change. We are fighting for those who have and continue to suffer from gun violence, which disproportionately and systematically affects communities of color…”

I guess my problem would be that there are a lot of different anti-gun violence proposals, and I don't know which ones I would be supporting by going. If there was a clearer advocacy, I might be more inclined to go, but “stronger gun control” doesn't mean anything to me. I want to know which policies they want to change, on a state level and a national level.

I also don't fully understand the efficacy of it. As students we are under 18, meaning organizations like the NRA don't really care what we have to say. Even in a few years when we are of voting age, the NRA's (and pro gun policymakers') demographic is not really 18-25.

— Camilla Green, sophomore

I'm definitely going to participate in the walkout. I think everyone who believes in the principles should attend the movement. Especially following the Parkland school shooting, I believe the government needs to pass more gun regulation. It's a larger responsibility to society as a whole. The walkout a month ago really didn't go far enough it garnering support for gun control, but I think that this one will be far more substantial. As a joint effort across many different NYC high schools demonstrating at one location in the middle of the city, I think we can really make an impact.

— Leo Fleissig, junior

Q: Do you think that the fact that tomorrow is Weed Day will affect anything?

A: I trust people enough to not use this as an opportunity to smoke.

— Rosalyn Burnes, level 3 school safety officer