Don’t Take the Bait

KSL is reporting on a family in Sandy, Utah, whose yard has been under attack. Someone in the neighborhood has been tossing chemicals onto the property and they have encountered people allowing their animals to relieve themselves on their lawn. The motives? The homeowners believe that it is because they have hung BLM flags and banners that read “Will Trade Racists for Refugees.”

Now let’s be clear. No one has the right to deface, destroy, or remove something on someone else’s property. We own the empty lot next to our home and on several occasions, I have gone out and removed campaign signs and advertisements, because, well, I own the space and people don’t have any business putting signs on it without at least asking first. And no one has the right to destroy something that belongs to someone else, even if they do disagree with the philosophy being espoused.

Flags and signs are designed to evoke a reaction. Whether it is a BLM flag, a Will Trade Refugees for Racists flag, one of those signs that begin “In this house, we believe…” or one of the “F**K Joe Biden” flags I see flying from the beds of so many trucks. They don’t tend to change opinions, just solidify them. People display those flags and signs to trigger someone. A person will object, and that person will be branded a racist, homophobe, communist, or whatever. It’s a dare of sorts. Unfortunately, someone in Sandy may have triggered enough people to not only commit a crime but essentially try to nullify the right to free speech and the right to private property — two things in which conservatives firmly believe. Did the family “ask for it?” No. But they undoubtedly knew those things would raise hackles and generate tension.

As an aside, I know of many people who have had American flags and Trump signs stolen or vandalized, and we have all seen how pro-life and pregnancy support centers have been attacked. I cannot recall anyone on the Left decrying those activities.

Related: ‘Genderfluid’ ‘Puppy’ Begins Work at Department of Energy

Elsewhere in Utah, Fox News has the story of a fourth-grade teacher at the William Penn Elementary School who has deleted a social media post from earlier in the year. The school in question is largely white in terms of student census, and she was apparently soliciting opinions about how parents would react to a classroom built for “non-White students.” She wanted to make sure that white kids were not represented, an approach that even included coloring pages. She ended her post by saying, “I feel like some parents might have something to say about that – if my experience with posh, White parents holds true for this year. We’ll see,” While she was undoubtedly looking for praise and affirmation from her peers, it also appears that she was almost looking forward to a fight.

The Granite School District has apologized and is investigating.

Finally, a student at Fishers High School in Indiana walked into his English/Language Arts class and was greeted with a “Defund the Police?” poster on the wall. He had recently lost his brother, Noah Shahnavaz. Noah had joined the Elwood Police Department after five years in the army and was killed in the line of duty after just 11 months of service. The family had spoken with the school before the start of classes, and the administration and staff were aware of the situation. Marina Gibson, the teacher in question, said the sign was a holdover from the previous year and was student artwork. The sign explores the pros and cons of defunding the police.

But according to the story on The Chalkboard Review, Gibson’s activism goes beyond posters. The site reports that last year, when police came to the school to investigate a disturbance by a student who was a suspected drug user, Gibson yelled “police brutality!” and “George Floyd!” She displays a “pride” flag in the classroom and is a part of the district’s “equity team.” The school has a policy against “microaggression” and it is unclear as of this writing if the policy applies to this situation. Chalkboard Review notes that Hamilton Southeastern Schools released the following statement on Aug. 19, 2020:

Our teachers strive to incorporate student-driven, relevant lessons into curriculum while meeting the academic standards as set by the Indiana Department of Education.

 A student’s research project from the previous school year, listing the arguments both for and against the movement of “defunding the police” was left on display in a classroom at Fishers High School. As soon as the school was made aware of the issue, the concern was swiftly dealt with. However, we understand the impact was hurtful for individuals, and we deeply regret the pain it caused.

While we allow teachers and students to examine social issues that are relevant to their lives, we affirm publicly through our partnership with local law enforcement that we stand in solidarity of the men and women who willing face dangerous circumstances each day to keep us safe.

Emily Abbotts, Director of School and Community Relations, Hamilton Southeastern Schools

Ms. Abbotts sent the following statement to Chalkboard Review:

The Hamilton Southeastern Schools Board of School Trustees deeply regrets the pain that was caused due to a student-made research poster that was displayed in one of our high school classrooms. As a district we recognize our responsibility to provide a safe environment for students to learn and we failed to provide that in this case.

Losing Officer Shahnavaz, a young alumnus of HSE Schools, who not only served his country selflessly, but was protecting others in his job as a police officer, was devastating. HSE has let the Shahnavaz family know how deeply sorry we are to have contributed to more heartache for them. The teacher involved has apologized as well, and is deeply remorseful for causing additional pain to her student and their family.

HSE does not advocate for defunding the police. HSE works closely with the Fishers Police Department with the resource officers that are present in our buildings, the officers who help with traffic at our schools, and the officers who help monitor our community 24/7 to keep our students safe. We are and continue to be tremendously grateful for their service. Our students, staff and community are much safer because of our relationship with our police department.

HSE Schools will use this experience as an example of how we can and must do better in the future to ensure all our students feel safe, accepted, and supported.

 Hamilton Southeastern Schools Board of Trustees, via Emily Abbotts

However, the Shahvanaz family released a statement that Gibson had not apologized to her son, but was sorry that he had not spoken with her about it.

As the old song goes “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.” And you and I know that these signs are not just there to raise awareness. They are there to get a reaction, to ferret out anyone with objections so that they can be branded a Nazi racist, sexist, trans/homo/islamo/xenophobe. They are there to elicit a reaction that will be used to justify a foregone conclusion. Don’t take the bait. Don’t back down, but don’t take the bait.