Student protester/speaker sends in journal account, says to write congressman and stay in school - By N.L. Belardes
Here's a firsthand account from a Bakersfield High School student protester sent in to me today about his experiences during the protest on Day 1:
Jordan Fisher's Account of the Bakersfield student protest - Day 1:
Tuesday the 28th
6:00 PM- I go to Target and spend 4 dollars on a large piece of white posterboard and a thick ended sharpie.
6:45 PM- I arrive back at home and fashion my sign, which reads "Without Mexicans California is Screwed"
Wednesday the 29th
7:00 AM- My alarm goes off.
8:30 AM- I get out of bed and take a shower, taking care to pick out my Rage Against the Machine shirt.
9:30 AM- I arrive at school, where things are clearly in a heightened state of tension- police officers were everywhere and every entrance and exit to the school where heavily monitored. after searching forever, I finally found a spot in the forbidden staff lot, but since the day was about rising up and fighting the power, I figured it wouldnt kill anyone to park in a teachers spot.
9:45 AM- After taking a look around to see if kids were actually going to stay until 10 and then leave, I determined they weren't, grabbed my sign, and met a few friends. One of my friends also made a sign (which was impractically wordy and impossible to read) and on her way to her car to get it, we ran into the principal. Being part of the upper tier of educational kids at BHS (we did forensics, journalism, ACA DEC, etc.), Mr. Reese was no stranger to us and addressed us by name when he told us that we were not to take our cars, but we were free to exit campus via campus way out on to H street.
10:30 AM- After some confusion regarding our marching route, we finally arrived at the courthouse. The march overall was a unique experience. As a white kid, I was unsure what the reaction would be, but I found that it really didnt make a difference - they were just happy to see that I was there to support the cause. People were orderly, stayed on the sidewalks, and kept positive about what they set out to do.
10:45- Things finally got started with the megaphones and such, although they werent nearly loud enough and the speaking didnt necessarily get the message out that it could have. A lot of peole really liked my sign, and when they called for representatives from schools to speak, I took it upon myself to get up there and say a few words. All I really had to say was that it wasnt a cause that just mexican people should be fighting for, and that it would affect people of all races. My main point however, was that walkouts are only so effective - if you really want to make a difference, the best thing you can do is write to your local congressman and most importantly, get out and vote.
11:20- Things pretty much disbanded, everone decided we were going to march to CSUB and we headed back to campus where I had to jump the fence when no one was looking to get my car. myself and two friends who didnt quite feel like marching to CSUB from downtown was desirable once again left campus and went on a quest to find something to decorate my car with to show we were part of the brigade. We settled on colored electrical tape, as it was the best Pep Boys had to offer, and crafted slogans such as " Viva Freedom" "USA" and "I {heart} Mexicans!" in various colors on the windows and taped my sign to the back of my car.
12:00- We caught up with the crowd again, and by this time they had made it to the corner of stockdale and new stine. We drove up and down, honking and waving and cheering until the police started to make shifty eyes at the fact that there was someone hanging out of my sunroof while I was driving, so we decided that the day called for some mexican food.
12:45- We went to the Los Hermanos on Gosford and Stockdale and finished our food just as the crowd was making its way across the intersection. We rejoined them, driving along with them and honking and cheering, and when they finally made it to CSUB we hunted down a parking spot and joined the protest again. this time, there was a proper PA system, and everyone could hear- again I took it upon myself to represent my school and spoke a few more times, restating my encouragement to become active politically and to get out and vote, and I also thanked the police officers who dedicated their day to making sure we safely made it from downtown to CSUB.
2:20- things finally wound down, and we headed back to school. in my mind, it was a successful day.
However, I do have a new message. Although I think it was great that we got everyones attention with the walkout, go back to school. At this point, it's only costing the school money, and you, your education - not mention the thousands of dollars being wasted paying officers overtime to make sure you dont riot. What we need to do now is write to the government officials who actually vote bills down and represent us and really make a difference. I'm not saying the fight is over, but if you want to win, this is the next step.
Thanks,
Jordan Fisher (Senior, BHS)
Jordan Fisher's Account of the Bakersfield student protest - Day 1:
Tuesday the 28th
6:00 PM- I go to Target and spend 4 dollars on a large piece of white posterboard and a thick ended sharpie.
6:45 PM- I arrive back at home and fashion my sign, which reads "Without Mexicans California is Screwed"
Wednesday the 29th
7:00 AM- My alarm goes off.
8:30 AM- I get out of bed and take a shower, taking care to pick out my Rage Against the Machine shirt.
9:30 AM- I arrive at school, where things are clearly in a heightened state of tension- police officers were everywhere and every entrance and exit to the school where heavily monitored. after searching forever, I finally found a spot in the forbidden staff lot, but since the day was about rising up and fighting the power, I figured it wouldnt kill anyone to park in a teachers spot.
9:45 AM- After taking a look around to see if kids were actually going to stay until 10 and then leave, I determined they weren't, grabbed my sign, and met a few friends. One of my friends also made a sign (which was impractically wordy and impossible to read) and on her way to her car to get it, we ran into the principal. Being part of the upper tier of educational kids at BHS (we did forensics, journalism, ACA DEC, etc.), Mr. Reese was no stranger to us and addressed us by name when he told us that we were not to take our cars, but we were free to exit campus via campus way out on to H street.
10:30 AM- After some confusion regarding our marching route, we finally arrived at the courthouse. The march overall was a unique experience. As a white kid, I was unsure what the reaction would be, but I found that it really didnt make a difference - they were just happy to see that I was there to support the cause. People were orderly, stayed on the sidewalks, and kept positive about what they set out to do.
10:45- Things finally got started with the megaphones and such, although they werent nearly loud enough and the speaking didnt necessarily get the message out that it could have. A lot of peole really liked my sign, and when they called for representatives from schools to speak, I took it upon myself to get up there and say a few words. All I really had to say was that it wasnt a cause that just mexican people should be fighting for, and that it would affect people of all races. My main point however, was that walkouts are only so effective - if you really want to make a difference, the best thing you can do is write to your local congressman and most importantly, get out and vote.
11:20- Things pretty much disbanded, everone decided we were going to march to CSUB and we headed back to campus where I had to jump the fence when no one was looking to get my car. myself and two friends who didnt quite feel like marching to CSUB from downtown was desirable once again left campus and went on a quest to find something to decorate my car with to show we were part of the brigade. We settled on colored electrical tape, as it was the best Pep Boys had to offer, and crafted slogans such as " Viva Freedom" "USA" and "I {heart} Mexicans!" in various colors on the windows and taped my sign to the back of my car.
12:00- We caught up with the crowd again, and by this time they had made it to the corner of stockdale and new stine. We drove up and down, honking and waving and cheering until the police started to make shifty eyes at the fact that there was someone hanging out of my sunroof while I was driving, so we decided that the day called for some mexican food.
12:45- We went to the Los Hermanos on Gosford and Stockdale and finished our food just as the crowd was making its way across the intersection. We rejoined them, driving along with them and honking and cheering, and when they finally made it to CSUB we hunted down a parking spot and joined the protest again. this time, there was a proper PA system, and everyone could hear- again I took it upon myself to represent my school and spoke a few more times, restating my encouragement to become active politically and to get out and vote, and I also thanked the police officers who dedicated their day to making sure we safely made it from downtown to CSUB.
2:20- things finally wound down, and we headed back to school. in my mind, it was a successful day.
However, I do have a new message. Although I think it was great that we got everyones attention with the walkout, go back to school. At this point, it's only costing the school money, and you, your education - not mention the thousands of dollars being wasted paying officers overtime to make sure you dont riot. What we need to do now is write to the government officials who actually vote bills down and represent us and really make a difference. I'm not saying the fight is over, but if you want to win, this is the next step.
Thanks,
Jordan Fisher (Senior, BHS)
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Friday, March 31, 2006.
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I love this account! Very well described as if I had been there myself. Although I live so far away, I commend my fellow Hispanic Community and truly hope that we fight this bill! Another thanks to Nick for being our eyes to keep our spirits alive in Bakersfield, even though we are not physically there!
The story of a student who wants to make a difference in life, not make trouble. I'm glad he shared his story of the protest day with us.
Thanks for the positive feedback, and for the readers of this blog, for the record, this is the same Jordan Fisher who plays bass and sings for the KooKooNots, so be sure to come to our show on April 7th at the Gate.
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