First Marylin Zuniga – Now Art and Humanities Classes – Cops Calling the Shots in Discourse at NJ Public Schools
It started with the persecution of Marylin Zuniga. She is the elementary school teacher whose students wanted to send get well cards to Mumia Abu Jamal, a former death row incarcerated man who was convicted in a sham trial over seen by a judge with proven racist beliefs. Mumia Abu Jamal has been denied access to adequate health measures and has been subjected to medical and dietary neglect resulting in severe health deterioration. Ms. Zuniga allowed some of the students to write cards out to Mumia as an after class work voluntary activity.
The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, a scandal plagued organization whose members have been involved in police violence, drug related scandals and other corruption complained about it and the media broadcast the complaints resulting in a massive backlash agains Ms. Zuniga and ultimately to her being removed as a teacher – inspite of massive community protests in defense of her.
Now the stage is set in NJ – the police are getting to the point of calling the shots of what is acceptable discourse in the halls of NJ public high schools. In at least two cases so far, police have intervened in attacking educators and high school students – one case an art class project and in the other case a humanitarian class project. The pressure from the police is effective – both in intimidating administrators to the point of acquiescing to the police demands and also in creating a chilling effect where administrator, educators and students will likely think twice before freely expressing their views about the violence and impunity emanating from today’s policing.
First there was an art project at Westfield High School. Students there expressed themselves artistically in pieces that were themed around the protest of the ongoing killing with impunity –
throughout the USA as well as in NJ. News report:
In this case the art was exhibited for a couple of days at an art show and police and media went haywire that students would dare to criticize police impunity. By the time the superintendent responded the art show was over so no repressive measures were taken to censor the art. A superintendent letter was issued attempting to clarify the situation – and contain the controversy:
I have to give the superintendent credit for tactfully rebuffing the attempts to attack the art exhibit – hopefully though it will not result in suppressing future free expression by students at Westfield High School.
The more recent flare up does not have such a result however. In this case it was a humanities class in which posters addressed several sides of policing issues – including critical of police killings with impunity –on the hallway walls of the school. Once again – cops – perhaps emboldened by Marylin Decarcerate The Garden State: First Marylin Zuniga – Now Art and Humanities Classes – Cops Calling the Shots in Discourse at NJ Public Schools: