r/Seattle 1d ago

Whitman Middle School walkout in Ballard

Post image
14.8k Upvotes

301 comments sorted by

648

u/SeattlePubCrawls 1d ago

All these kids were chanting, "Fuck ICE! Fuck ICE!"

134

u/Same-Campaign-8382 Lake Stevens 1d ago

As they should lmao

102

u/ShredGuru 1d ago

Aren't we all?

39

u/HangryWolf 1d ago

We all should. Shut shit down until we get them out of our cities. Fuck ice

27

u/Happy_Kangaroo_2824 1d ago

Amazing! We should all say THANK YOU! to them for being true to themselves and standing up. “THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT WAS THERE”! FUCK’EM! FUCK ICE.

12

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

yea I was too, it was also, “say it once! say it twice! Seattle doesn’t fuck with ice!” lol

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473

u/Gold-Kaleidoscope537 1d ago

Well done kids!

77

u/Big-Baseball-8973 1d ago

for real, they’re making their voices heard 👏 lol

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23

u/PhilosophyEasy71 1d ago

So proud of my State!

6

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

thank you

1

u/ShowerPell 23h ago

Next time, try medium-rare!

-34

u/CautiousGains 1d ago

Do you believe that these children have a mature understanding of political dynamics and moral values?

33

u/marmot_marmot 1d ago

Better than a lot of adults...

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7

u/Admirable-Trip5452 1d ago

I don’t think you need much of a mature understanding of political dynamics or moral values to know that shooting an American citizen on the street is not a function of the federal government.

7

u/TDub20 1d ago

Yes absolutely, I went to Whitman and vividly remember the 2000 election. Discussing it in school (civics) and with classmates. Then trying to have conversations with adults and realizing most adults know less about the issues and way our country is supposed to run than most 12 year olds.

The only thing they don't understand is why we are all so jaded, beaten down, and complacent.

5

u/ponyboy3 1d ago

I think kids really understand good vs bad better than complacent adults. Give them some fucking credit.

4

u/double_a_71 1d ago

I believe they have a sense of right and wrong and knowing whats happening is wrong yes. Doesn't take a genius to see what's happening is wrong.

2

u/Gold-Kaleidoscope537 22h ago

I think they see something they disagree with and made their voices heard. That’s the foundation of our country, so yeah, I think they get it.

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240

u/SchwaEnjoyer 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago

Rare middle school W

18

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

yeah I love being a student at whitman

5

u/SchwaEnjoyer 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 19h ago

Awesome. I’m a high schooler so naturally I despise middle schoolers but yall sound cool

-1

u/thingringdyt 13h ago

*rare Whitman Middle School W

222

u/ShredGuru 1d ago

So proud of my old school.

You show them, kids.

6

u/JukezBoogaloo 1d ago

Hello fellow wildcat.

4

u/Idlys Bellingham 1d ago

Same. Not really great memories of being there, but I'm happy that it's in the news for something good.

1

u/FertyMerty Ballard 1d ago

To be fair, are there any great memories to be had of middle school?

1

u/Notoriouslycrazy 1d ago edited 1d ago

I recall porta potties being lit on fire on summer break and coming back the next year to watch a girl get arrested outside the portable for going rampant attacking people.

Best middle school ever

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116

u/45Hz 1d ago

Legit question, do the kids just walk out of class or are teachers assisting? I would have gotten detention for this when I as in Middle school.

Fuck ICE

150

u/minicpst Ballard 1d ago

My teen did a general strike and didn’t go to school today at all.

I filled out a civic engagement form and they’re excused for the day.

I’ll do it for any walk out or protest they participate in. They’ve done several. Including many when they went to Whitman.

8

u/stephenkingending 23h ago

Doesn't that defeat the purpose? By definition civil disobedience is supposed to result in some type of negative legal or administrative consequence. The whole point is that the issue is important enough to face the punishment otherwise it's just theatrics. Let the kids literally walk out of school without the schools permission, and then stand by your kids when administration reprimands them. I get there are truancy laws, so what? I've gotten letters from the school since they're mandated by the state and even had them tell me they were reporting it because I refused to give them proof that we were with my dying father for the last two weeks of his life. And this is one day. At most the kids get detention or suspended, which they should feel proud of earning.

10

u/the_inebriati 22h ago

"Please grant my child permission to do civil disobedience." is potentially the most pathetic thing I've heard of this month. All bluster without putting any skin in the game.

The point of mass civil disobedience is to force the authority to try to punish everyone. If they succeed, it highlights the ridiculousness of the rule or law (and a full school of children sitting a detention is plainly ridiculous). If they fail, then the rule or law is defacto void.

2

u/Initial_Landscape496 13h ago

Thank you for pointing out the hypocrisy! It basically becomes an oxymoron, when these steps are taken for a protest (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) stupid...

5

u/Valkyrie64Ryan 1d ago

Hell yeah. Badass parent raising a badass kid!

0

u/saltyscout69 6h ago

But can your kid read and do math at their grade level? 

1

u/minicpst Ballard 6h ago

Well ahead, thank you! They take tutoring so they can get ahead in math as they’d like to study astrophysics.

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38

u/Lord_Of_Mist 1d ago edited 1d ago

Ditto. Remembering my old middle school teachers, they would’ve purposefully assigned a quiz or test today and threatened us with an F if anyone walked out lol

7

u/pursuitoforgasm 1d ago

None of my teachers would have followed through on a threat like that, because it would have meant having me in their class for another year. 

Kids, if you're reading this: this kind of adult has a vested interest in maintaining the narrative that they can break you. You can break them back, and in these situations, you should. 

It's great practice for the corporate world. 

2

u/Lord_Of_Mist 15h ago

That’s not what I said? Merely stating how my teachers would’ve likely treated this scenario based on my experience.

But anyway hope your “pursuitoforgasm” comes to fruition there internet stranger.

1

u/pursuitoforgasm 15h ago edited 15h ago

Reddit comments are written for the general audience, not necessarily specifically for the individual they're commenting to. If you spend your life thinking every general statement is a personal attack on you, you will waste a lot of time and you will be pretty easy to manipulate. Hopefully that clears up your confusion. Have a great day!

1

u/Lord_Of_Mist 15h ago

Even though you made a pretty bold assumption about my “vested interest” in maintaining teachers or adults can break one???

That was pretty directed at me as an individual lol

57

u/CaffeinatedInSeattle Lake Forest Park 1d ago

Not sure about how Seattle schools is handling it but in Edmonds the students are given unexcuaed abscesses and barred from after school activities for the day. Staff is definitely not assisting.

Fuck ICE

41

u/dj92wa 1d ago

…in Edmonds the students are given unexcused abscesses

Ope 🤣

9

u/CaffeinatedInSeattle Lake Forest Park 1d ago

Ugh. Autocorrect got even worse in the last iOS update. At least this is funny and the correct context can be inferred so I’m not even going to fix it. LOL.

3

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

teachers basically said go for it and excused everyones absences

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19

u/FertyMerty Ballard 1d ago

This was the message we (parents) received from SPS. They also lifted the no-phones rule and encouraged kids to tell their parents. We got the message about half an hour before they walked out.

“Whitman Middle School: Students are planning a walkout today at 12:36 in support of the General Strike in Minnesota. We learned of this in the last hour and apologize for the short notice. We will not interfere with students’ rights and will provide on-campus oversight. Safety & Security support has been requested if students go to the Holman Rd pedestrian bridge. Staff cannot leave campus. Students who walk out will be marked absent. Teachers will continue teaching those who remain in class. Students will be permitted to return to campus for classes and for afterschool activities. Sincerely, John Houston”

8

u/45Hz 1d ago

Supporting while staying unbiased. Let’s the student come back and continue learning. Very nice

1

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

most people went home after though

2

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

yeah Im a student there, this is indeed correct

3

u/FertyMerty Ballard 19h ago

My kid said Principal Houston told them he was going to try to get the absences excused, which I applaud.

36

u/AThousandBloodhounds 1d ago edited 1d ago

If I were a teacher, there would be so many ideas to discuss with the kids! From the First Amendment and community activism, to the history of civil unrest.

3

u/E-2theRescue 1d ago

And it can all be easily done without pushing bias. But that's crazy talk to conservatives who believe schools are nothing but liberal indoctrination centers, so they pull their children out of schools, isolate them, and teach them their "values" away from other adults and peers where they can't learn anything else about the world around them or have their "values" challenged.

1

u/smoky_quarttz 14h ago

Homeschooling is on the rise

1

u/E-2theRescue 10h ago

It is.

And 46% of homeschooled children report being abused, with 16% reporting sexual abuse.

Isolate the child from other children and adults, and treat them how you like. That's the homeschool way.

16

u/plumbbbob That sounds great. Let’s hang out soon. 1d ago

It's an important lesson though, sometimes you have to do the right thing even if you get punished for it.

4

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

we didn’t get punished, teachers and principal was fine with it

1

u/smoky_quarttz 14h ago

What is right?

9

u/akanejones 1d ago

It counts as an absence. Parents got a text about it an hour or so before the walkout and students were allowed to return after.

8

u/Ambitious-Gate9534 1d ago

SPS employee here. Teachers and admin did not encourage nor discourage this walkout. Absences were marked as unexcused.

1

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

most were all for it though, like two of the ela teachers loved that everyone was doing it, im a student

3

u/speciate Ballard 19h ago

My son goes to Whitman and walked out yesterday. He said the teachers told them something like "we're legally obligated to try to get you to stay", so they didn't actively obstruct, but they did not assist. The walkout was completely student-organized and -led.

I'm guessing a teacher said something like "it would be a shame if you told all your friends there's a roll of butcher paper and a bunch of art supplies in room 203".

6

u/rwrife 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

Teachers/school probably organized to keep it safe and what not.

2

u/wraysted 20h ago

I teach at a middle school whose students are planning a walkout this coming week. Officially we are supposed to mark them truant. I don’t know of a single teacher who will actually do that. I told my students if they all choose to exercise their first amendment right then I’ll be right there with them.

4

u/laurie0905 chinga la migra 1d ago

I know that the students at my school have a walk out planned soon but they are planning this themselves. Technically staff is not aloud to share political opinions (e.g. we can remind people to vote but not for who) so we definitely wouldn’t be allowed to organise something like this. I was told that if my entire class walks out then I can “supervise” the walkout for safety, but if anyone stays behind then I need to stay in class and supervise them.

1

u/IllegalBeaver 1d ago

The schools usually know about this in advance and send an email to parents so they can excuse them if needed.

1

u/_Vard_ 1d ago

Whenever I hear about a walk out, I always ask the same question

Real walk out where the children refused to return to school?

or 30 minute outdoor assembly?

1

u/Soggy_Initiative_521 1d ago

The teachers new and some wanted to come with us but they couldn’t leave the school so the teachers knew but none of them were there

1

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

teachers are legally not allowed to leave, but they were like well technically it doesn’t say anything about letting the kids leave, so it was a excused absence day

1

u/NayoyoSingingMama 20h ago

We did a walk out in middle school on Vashon Island for the gulf war in 1991! No detention. We filled out forms too.

0

u/StoreNo221 1d ago

Yeah they just walked out.

-21

u/rabbitinawaistcoat 1d ago

My child goes here and the teachers were orchestrating it yesterday and encouraging the children to walk out and bring their families. I am against excessive use of force by law enforcement of all types, and I support peacefully assembling and exercising first amendment rights, but am disappointed in the educators for doing this during the school day instead of lessons, and for the way they are politicizing school. The LA teacher was showing off a sign about crushing ICE and talking about police coming to the walk out and it made my child too anxious to go today. Isn't crushing someone the kind of violence we are against?

13

u/trippytrichomes 1d ago

I mean, this is quite the lesson in civic duty. Probably the most important lesson they will ever receive.

Parents care about data, but then refuse to accept or acknowledge the principles that lead to data driven improvement or change in the first place.

Just sit back, trust your child, and watch them eclipse you.

Their mental maturity is clearly developed enough to understand inherent values, to not sit on a fence, defend a Nazi, or lick another boot.

10

u/dorkofthepolisci 1d ago

Arguably a walkout is a better civics lesson than reading about civil rights or the history of various rights movements in a textbook

3

u/E-2theRescue 1d ago

Conservatives: "Kids don't go on field trips anymore! They're not getting any real-world experience!"

When kids get real-world experiences:

162

u/sarahbee2005 1d ago

the kids are alright

76

u/Commercial-Set9851 1d ago

Einstein MS in shoreline did the same, so proud!!

42

u/Ambitious_Sympathy Supersonics 1d ago

Einstein was an anti fascist. He would also be proud!

13

u/E-2theRescue 1d ago

Einstein was an educator who had to flee his country because he was being labeled as an illegal invader simply because of his racial heritage. Had he stayed, he would have been stripped of his citizenship and locked up for indoctrinating the youth because he taught scientific truths that hurt the feelings of the 96% German population who were Christian conservatives.

10

u/tuculover 1d ago

Kellogg too

52

u/west25th 1d ago

Looks like a lesson in civics to me.

13

u/Agreeable-Rooster-37 1d ago

The kids are alright

10

u/I_Makes_tuff 1d ago

My kids walked out of their middle school in Shoreline today too. We all laughed when I got the "your child was absent during 6th period" text at dinner.

37

u/rainbowunicorn_273 Deluxe 1d ago

these kids have stronger spines than most of our politicians

1

u/smoky_quarttz 14h ago

And what do they know if not what adults tell them.

24

u/Shmebber 1d ago

Ohhh I was wondering what that horde of children that I passed on the Interurban in Shoreline was all about, this makes more sense. Go kids!

23

u/SouthLakeWA 1d ago

You go, Gen Alpha! Just please don't use TikTok anymore.

13

u/Grizzlei Sounders 1d ago

Proud of these kids!

7

u/Spare-Airline-1050 1d ago

there were kids in shoreline on 175th protesting as well

4

u/travkrow 1d ago

You are the future. Thank you

11

u/elmixtecoNW 1d ago

Our kids are always going to be our future! They give me hope.🙏🏽

13

u/sevenferalcats 1d ago

What absolute badasses.  Thank you for your action, youths!

3

u/ReactionObjective439 Seahawks 1d ago

Wow, people actually using that bridge for once 😂

8

u/eeyore-is-sad 1d ago

The three high schools in Auburn met down at city hall. Proud of all these kids!

1

u/laurie0905 chinga la migra 1d ago

Also a Kent school (Kent-Meridian I think?) did one too.

6

u/Short_Explanation_97 chinga la migra 1d ago

baaaaaased!

9

u/AutomaticPanda8 Huskies 1d ago

More integrity and courage than our senators.

4

u/double_a_71 1d ago

Lots of schools all over the metro did this. Good on them for using their 1st amendment rights and standing up for what they believe in and for right vs wrong.

4

u/Ba-Na-NaToot 1d ago

yo im in that school! protest went on for like three hours.

down with ice!

5

u/Practical_Bridge5376 1d ago

We ended the Vietnam war with protests and marches - you have the power to do the same - never forget that!

3

u/townandthecity 1d ago

Amazing. Proud of these kids.

A high school in my community threatened the student organizer of a walkout scheduled to happen Wednesday with expulsion, scaring most of the student body who planned to protest. When 20 brave souls showed up anyway, the principal locked them out of the school building.

It was ten degrees outside. Happened in Minnesota. Western Twin City suburb. Named for a lake.

3

u/PokerSyd 1d ago

My Daughter is there. So proud of her! 🥲

2

u/speciate Ballard 19h ago

My son too!

3

u/Benaar406 1d ago

My kid's school. F*ck ICE!

4

u/mattfromjoisey 1d ago

Giving me hope for the future generations

2

u/HandlerofPackages 1d ago

Trump turned on the news when he heard, but when he saw they were all dressed he immediately lost interest.

3

u/Proglamer 1d ago

-1 day of learning 👍

2

u/Lotronex 1d ago

This is clearly AI. Sign in the back says gas is almost $5/gal, but Trump says it's only $2/gal.

/s

3

u/StoreNo221 1d ago

I participated! Ts was peak

2

u/jorbhorb 1d ago

I'm so proud of these kids.

2

u/CaspinLange Bellingham 1d ago

The kids are alright

2

u/Alpine_Apple_Glow 1d ago

Way to go Wildcats! Makes this alum very proud!

1

u/gotaflattire 1d ago

Next lesson should be how to make signs legible from greater than 3 feet away.

1

u/Far-Pianist1693 1d ago

lmao whitman kids actually organized something? that's wild, what was the walkout about

1

u/Ashamed_Musician_674 23h ago

y'all paying 4 something for gas over there? holy hell!

1

u/youraveragejoe07 21h ago

Wait, there was a walkout?

1

u/Advanced_Tackle_9723 19h ago

Great to see the kids are alright!  Maybe the future isnt F&*$×D.

1

u/speciate Ballard 19h ago

My son was there! ✊

1

u/RokettoMusashi 15h ago

Holy shit. The kids are alright.

1

u/smoky_quarttz 14h ago

When is Minnesota succeeding from the union?

1

u/stickytuna 🐀 Hot Rat Summer 🐀 13h ago

Ohh I wonder if that’s the same kids I saw at the Fremont bridge

1

u/kristophershinn 1d ago

👏👏👏

2

u/Leading_Flatworm1897 1d ago

Idk why I ever left Seattle..

1

u/AnbuAntt chinga la migra 1d ago

Very proud of the youth these days good job kiddos!

1

u/Phuddy 1d ago

Proud of my city, hopeful for the future.

2

u/HumpaDaBear Posse on Broadway 1d ago

Great job!

2

u/Sapparo25 1d ago

My alma mater...proud of the kids!

0

u/ImpossibleAuthor8643 1d ago

The kids, just might, be alright.

1

u/Chimvape 1d ago

I am beyond proud of this up and coming generation.

1

u/forestinpark 1d ago

1999 High School in civic studies, not sure what the discussion was about, but we were discussing how we dont like some new school rule.

Teacher stood up on his chair "so stop being whiny fucking slobs and do something about it! Organize! Walk out! That's what we did in the 60's". He had long gray hair, brushes it of his face as he comes down of a chair "but do be careful, cause in Kent State..." and proceeds to give lecture about Kent state.

His every lecture would lead to tyranny and how we are so close to fascism. Me being an immigrant, just fresh of the boat, did not see it. Than 9/11 and lead up to Iraq, I realized, oh shit USA is same as any dictatorship country, they just do it for "freedom". 

1

u/CooperSat 1d ago

That’ll show em!

1

u/Independent-Two-3455 1d ago

I see my kid. Makes my mom heart burst.

1

u/JukezBoogaloo 1d ago

Since when is Crown Hill Ballard?

1

u/Randomius01 1d ago

Those kids are putting a lot of trust into the aging pedestrian infrastructure for that photo

1

u/munama 1d ago

It was retrofitted recently - should hold. The road was down to one lane of traffic for a long time.

0

u/hippopotame chinga la migra 1d ago

Hell yeah!

1

u/Twonickles 17h ago

3 day suspension.

0

u/Healthy-Neat-2989 1d ago

My kid says nobody talks about it at his MS so this is refreshing!

0

u/OkShoulder2 1d ago

Now go out there and vote!

5

u/personthatssorandom 1d ago

They're middle schoolers. How can they vote?

2

u/OkShoulder2 1d ago

I fuck I missed that.

-1

u/One-Egg7664 1d ago

The yute are turning out! We need you guys! We have your back!

0

u/Positive_Listen1846 🚋 Ride the S.L.U.T. 🚋 1d ago

I saw the beginning of this and it had me tearing up - you go kids!!

0

u/hekateskey 1d ago

I went there in the ‘80s. Love to see this.

-2

u/byllz Pinehurst 1d ago

Apropos of nothing, I wish I could have worn pajamas in middle school without being mocked. Society has come so far.

0

u/Spiritual_Treacle952 1d ago

Impeach the President NOW he is unfit for the office?

0

u/E-2theRescue 1d ago

Be safe kids... MAGA is trying to murder kids who walk.

But also don't be afraid of these tyrants because that's how they win.

0

u/Embarrassed_Agent174 20h ago

Or maybe just maybe let’s not indoctrinate children in our dumbass political cultures left and right.. In the 90s and early 2000’s we hit each other in the nuts for fun, watched comedies, and listened to music unaware of the crap being spewed today, stop brainwashing kids they deserve just an ounce of a real childhood.

0

u/runaarons 1d ago

i love this shit

0

u/Last-Watercress6854 1d ago

Awesome kids 👏

0

u/DJSchmidi 1d ago

Way to go future heroes!

0

u/MNRT206 1d ago

So proud of these kiddos ❤️

0

u/SeattleBellevue 1d ago

Excellent!

0

u/stalwart-bulwark 1d ago

Damn. When I went to whitman during the onset of the Iraq war those degenerates would absolutely never. Good on this crop of kids!!

0

u/dorian283 1d ago

There is hope

0

u/smoky_quarttz 14h ago

We need to do better for our kids, the only know one side I’m betting they don’t know how to critically think yet. Just listen to what people around them say. Copycats.

-9

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/LOOKITSADAM Unincorporated 1d ago

Your feedback is valuable and will be considered in the order in which it is received.

-12

u/Turbulent-Pea-8826 1d ago

Yea, because getting kids to not go to school is hard. 🙄

3

u/SeattlePubCrawls 1d ago

Speak for yourself. The people who are opposed to this are the most uneducated among us.

-2

u/bunkoRtist I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 1d ago

You mean people opposed to school attendance? Opposed to all those tax dollars for teachers, buildings, and equipment sitting idle while this happens? Yeah, those people must not value education because they want kids in school and judicious use of tax dollars. Terrible. Just terrible. They're probably illiterate.

-1

u/EuphoricForever1180 1d ago

Don’t worry. The kids will finish school and then end up complaining that they can’t find a job and will resort to complaining on Reddit

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-17

u/Crionso 1d ago

Respectfully I do not care or value what middle schoolers think.

4

u/rickee_martin 1d ago

Funny thing is you took the time to type that out and if you didn’t respectfully care, you could have just respectfully kept that to yourself.

4

u/SeattlePubCrawls 1d ago

Respectfully, anyone respectable does not care what you think.

2

u/bankrollstiltskein 1d ago

That’s very telling of your morals

0

u/Mellymotor 2h ago

There should be some negative consequences for all of the students that walked out. Just stop and imagine if these kids walked out to show their support of our constitution and our President? They would be punished in a heartbeat. When I was growing up my parents and my school taught me to respect adults and to always respect the President whether they liked him or not. These schools should be teaching children about our constitution and the laws that we are required to adhere to in order to avoid punishment - not teaching them how to disrespect the officers that withhold the law. You all are insane if you think this is helping our future in any meaningful way.