Immigration protests
Re: “2,500 join schools walkout,” April 20 news story.
State Rep. David Schultheis said it was “shocking” to see all these students protesting. He commented on how “a lot of Hispanics are having trouble in school and that the dropout rate is extremely high … .” This is an extremely narrow-minded and hypocritical comment from someone who is both a public servant and a critic of immigration policy.
What better lesson in democracy could these young people have than to participate directly in going to the Capitol to state their case? What better lesson than to organize themselves, and do it respectfully and peacefully, to make a strong statement? This is citizenship; this is the America we were taught about in school. This is the students teaching us. For Rep. Schultheis to criticize these students is to say he doesn’t appreciate listening to the voice of democracy.
Roger W. MacDonald-Evoy, Cheyenne
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This is the first time I have agreed with any statement by Gov. Bill Owens. When asked about the student rally for immigrant rights at the Capitol, he was quoted as saying, “I would be more impressed if they demonstrated on a weekend, rather than on a day when they missed school.”
Perhaps if all these “concerned students” would spend as much energy gaining an education as they claim to be willing to spend on immigrant rights, they would be able to present a more viable reason as to why they were there, rather than, as some of them who were interviewed said, “I’m just here to get out of school.”
LeRoy Dies, Castle Rock
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Re: “Celebrate kids who don’t skip school,” April 20 David Harsanyi column.
David Harsanyi may believe that “ditching” school to attend a rally is a sign of delinquency; however, as a sophomore in a Denver high school, I was offended by Harsanyi’s attitude towards young adults. He may have forgotten what it feels like to have passion, or maybe he regrettably never got a chance, but I know what it feels like. To me, walking to the Capitol was not an excuse to skip school, it was an opportunity to put what I had learned in history class into action. An opportunity to exercise democracy, which is something that I, as a young adult, am not presented with frequently.
I believe it’s safe to say the importance of this rally went right over Harsanyi’s head, and for that I’m sorry. He may have got the impression that most were uninformed or just didn’t care, but it’s not right to judge approximately 2,500 students by a few who were just along for the ride – like in any movement.
Olivia J. Hendrick, Denver
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If students wish to walk the streets in protest of impending illegal immigration reform measures, they should be tested on just what is in the proposed measures. Three questions that should be included on the test:
1. How do you define illegal immigration?
2. What are the purposes of immigration laws?
3. How long has the United States had immigration law?
The students should then be required to write an essay on what they find objectionable or offensive about the impending changes to the laws. Any essay that does not mention illegal immigration vs. legal immigration would demand an F grade. Any student who cannot answer these questions should then be denied participation in other protest marches.
Bobby McGill, Valrico, Fla.
