There is an infamous state where the Proud Boys have targeted educators. You’ve heard about the rest on the news, which identified the agitators as Proud Boys and their ilk. I once more witnessed the same men threaten parents, teachers, queer kids and activists for a few hours before leaving their designated protest area, encircling the pro-LGBTQ, pro-educator group, and begin to throw fists. Galvanized and pissed off about what happened at Saticoy, I went, too. My babysitter, who had shown up with a tiny rainbow sign, stood on the sidewalk too scared to approach, sobbing.ĭeclaring victory, this same group took their show on the road to the Glendale Unified School District Board Meeting on Tuesday. One Parents’ Supporting Teachers member stood next to fellow LAUSD folks and livestreamed the scene, shocked. Crowd members yelled, “Get out of here, Jew!” and “f-ot!” at him. According to journalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, a member of the group carried bear mace (illegal). LAUSD School Board president Kelly Gonez had to be removed for her own safety. They called us “groomers” and “pedophiles.” On a PA system, one man announced his desire to “zip-tie the principal” and to hurt teachers, staff and those present on the pro-educator, pro-Pride side. The men spotted me and my fellow PTA parents. They had brought in trucks and buses with banners that read, “Leave Our Kids Alone.” The group was well-funded, well-organized and frankly scary as hell. I rounded the corner, coming face to face with at least a hundred angry childless men and the occasional woman wearing matching T-shirts. How 'Nimona' Explores the Model Minority Stereotype Through Its Queer API Love Story But as I parked for the counter-protest, I wondered, “Was this even necessary?” It seemed like anger over misinformation that could be cleared up by parents and school officials sitting down together. When I had heard that school staff at nearby Saticoy Elementary in North Hollywood had reportedly been harassed for scheduling a “ Pride” assembly (reading a book called The Big Book of Families), I went there to show solidarity for the teacher who had fled in fear, as well as the school staff and the LGBTQ community. You’re probably not, either. Welcome to the new battlefield in public education: fighting violent paramilitary groups outside of your child’s school. The bewildered retired librarian I chatted with outside the Glendale Unified School District Board meeting last Tuesday also wasn’t expecting it. As a TV writer and Los Angeles Unified School District parent, I’ve bounced between WGA picket lines, school pick-ups, and fighting Proud Boys.
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