WHS anti-war protest garners respect

Students followed campus rules, did not commit vandalism
and prompted other messages, pro & con
by NATHAN WRIGHT – Staff Writer
As darkness fell, Brandon Hassur led approximately 20 Windsor
High School students on to campus with arms full of banners, chalk,
flyers and carpenters tape. Hassur’s March 2 anti-war protest
wasn’t the first high school protest the community has seen, but
Hassur’s proclaimed “Project Peace” was unique: the students
followed the rules, avoided vandalism, and earned the respect of
the administration.
“I was impressed that they were able to do so in an appropriate
manner,” said Windsor High School Assistant Principal Patricia Law,
who has never seen such a protest in the past. “I respect them for
taking measures to respect the school.”
The protesters used chalk instead of spray paint, carpenters
tape instead of cheaper tape that strips paint from the walls and
banners that can be taken down. Some of the school-preferred
materials aren’t cheap; Hassur says his group spent more than $40
on the blue carpenter’s tape.
“We’re defying the principle of youth being aggressive,” said
Hassur, who looked into school policy before launching the protest.
“We all go to school here, I’m not going to screw everyone over
just to get my point across.” Hassur clarified his rights with WHS
Principal Jeff Harding prior to the protest, asking what he could
and couldn’t do.
When the student body arrived on campus Monday, March 3, they
found banners hung around the school, flyers attached to walls and
messages chalked on to the concrete. The administration’s only
objection was that the students climbed on campus roofs to hang
some of the banners, an action they considered a safety issue. Law
says that because of this safety issue, the banners were taken
down. Hassur says they hung the banners high because they feared
they would be taken down immediately if they were within reach, and
he wanted the student body to have an opportunity to see all of the
banners. The chalked messages lasted for days, and many of the
flyers are still up.
Law says that because the students used appropriate methods,
their message lasted longer, an example to the entire student body.
Since the protest, many students have used chalk to make their own
points, both in support and against the conflict in Iraq. More than
a week later, students are still chalking new messages. The
administration also returned the removed banners to Hassur,
allowing them to be used in the future. “We got the banners back so
we can do it again,” Hassur said.
Windsor High School isn’t planning on disciplining any of the
students responsible for the protest. “We’re not going to pursue
it, because there’s nothing to pursue,” Law said. “There was no
vandalism.”
Hassur is pleased with the protest and how the Windsor community
has responded, and hopes to continue spreading his message of
peace. “It’s cool to have people respect the way you went about
it,” he said. Hassur is starting a club at WHS, called “People
before Profit,” that he hopes will educate students on their rights
while participating in non-violent protest.