Eleven hours in detention. Most of that time spent handcuffed on a bus and part of it spent in a jail cell with no food, water or use of the facilities. That is how my son spent a recent Saturday.
He and his friends went down to see what the Wall Street protesters were doing. They talked to people to get a sense of what was going on. They were then led by the police to the Brooklyn Bridge to where he was arrested.
Was I angry with him? No. I wasn’t even angry with the police officers who held him. They overreacted, but they were doing their jobs.
I am angry with the members of the media who were not there and have no idea what they are talking about, yet feel the right to spew their views over the airways and in print.
Some of the statements made were, “These kids have a right to protest, but it’s their sense of entitlement I reject.” Or, “they are out protesting with their iPads, iPhones and all the technology big corporations provide them.” What are they entitled to? No jobs after four years of school? One hundred thousand dollars of debt with interest that they will take 20 years to pay back?
I am a high school teacher and my husband is a computer programmer. We raised our three children to believe what everyone else in America was taught — if you work hard in school, get good grades and go to college, you will be able to follow your dreams and be a success.
The adage is not if you major in business or if your parents are rich. What has happened to the middle class? Where has it gone? These kids are looking for it. They want to be a part of it. They are the ones who are going to have to clean up this mess we have created, and I for one am thankful that they have stepped up.
Laura Kropa Freehold Township