Confused, angry letters-to-the-editor continue to be published in the Keene Sentinel, followed by the requisite vitriolic posts in each letters’ comments section. I’m posting links and the text below. If you feel inspired, please write your own letters-to-the-editor here.
“Protestors Don’t Belong Near School”
As I was out for my daily exercise recently, I passed the Keene Middle School just as the buses were lining up and the children were beginning to exit the school after a day of learning.
This day, however, was the first time I have been disturbed by an event such as an afternoon school exodus.
What was unsettling was that the children were exiting to a small group of protesters touting signs that say “school sucks” and blasting libertarian rhetoric through their bullhorns. I also noticed that the school administrators seemed to be just as disturbed by the scene as I was, but were not responding in the best interests of their students’ safety.
Then I realized that the administrators were caught in a Catch-22: If they chose to ignore the protesters, then they would return the next day to protest the middle school. If they were to call the police, then the protesters would win, because they would get it all on tape and then edit it to fit their message.
All this sideshow drama would ultimately shift the focus from the original issue, which was that a small group of protesters were interfering with the daily operations of the school.
The protesters’ right to free speech should not supersede the rights of children to navigate Washington Street free from ideological harassment.
In future, I would urge our administrators to ask these people to leave, and if they choose not to, then have them removed. Every day there are school buses, car and foot traffic and a few hundred students all leaving simultaneously, which on the best of days is a highly choreographed procedure with little room for error.
For administrators there are numerous things that could go wrong, and worse case it could mean injury or possibly the life of a student. These protesters can go 500 feet over to the Main circle and yell from there. They should not be allowed to continue to harass minors as they exit from school.
PATRICK McKENNEY
Washington Street
Keene
What has become of the Central Square common?
Pot smoking allowed at 4:20 each day?
Teens hanging all over the newly painted gazebo with no regard for the efforts of the Eagle Scout who just painted it?
Barbecue grills?
Baring of breasts?
Placing pot seeds in and amongst the plantings on the common to grow pot, simply for shock value?
I, for one, am a proponent of freedom of speech, but what message is being sent to everyone by the events of late?
Residents and out-of-town visitors feel intimidated to walk onto the common and enjoy its serene atmosphere and beauty when large crowds gather.
It is time for the town fathers to amend the by-laws, give our local law enforcement more power to stop this behavior.
If residents want to smoke pot, so be it, but someplace else; if they feel the need to grill, why not try their backyard or one of our beautiful parks or picnic areas designated for this?
And, if they feel the need to bare breasts, do it in their own yard, not for the rest of us to see.
We need to curtail this behavior once and for all, before it is totally out of control.
GARY LEBLANC
20 Gates Road
Marlborough
