A student newspaper at a Minneapolis middle school gave students tips on how to attend Black Lives Matter protests, advising students to avoid speaking with police, wear nondescript clothing and, if they were white, to avoid talking on a megaphone.
The Justice Page Middle School’s Rhino Report, a student run paper advised by faculty, sent out their weekly newsletter on February 15 with the first page dedicated to protest tips for students planning to join local BLM demonstrations.
The paper said that many students would be joining protests against the Minneapolis Police shooting of Amir Locke, 22, a black man who was killed in a no-knock warrant raid on February 2.
‘Many of us are – and have been – taking to the streets to protest this injustice,’ the paper read as it went on to list several tips students should keep in mind if they choose to protest.
‘When it comes to Black Lives Matter protests, if you’re not Black, remember that you’re there to show your support and amplify Black voices,’ the first tip read. ‘ESPECIALLY if you’re White, if they’re offering the megaphone for anyone to speak, it’s not for you. You are here to listen and to show support.’
The Justice Page Middle School’s Rhino Report, a student run paper advised by faculty in Minneapolis, printed protest tips for students to follow on February 15
The newsletter was printed after protests erupted over the shooting of Amir Locke, 22, during a no-knock raid in Minneapolis on February 2
The protesters filled the streets of downtown Minneapolis to demand justice for Locke, after body cam footage released by the Minneapolis Police Department showed the fatal interaction between Locke and SWAT team members
The paper went on to ask people filming the protests on their phones to not post anyone’s faces, ‘especially if it’s someone doing art/graffiti.
Students were also told to wear nondescript clothing and warned that police ‘may still try to come after you’ even if they aren’t breaking the law. The paper told students ‘it’s better to be paranoid than careless.’
The newsletter went on to provide advice on what students should do if they get arrested while protesting, saying they should invoke their right to remain silent and ask for a lawyer.
‘Don’t consent to police searching your phone, don’t consent to a DNA sample (they might say it’s standard procedure, it’s not), insist that they give you a mask, if you’re held for more than 48 hours, it’s most likely an illegal detention, which is a violation of your Fourth Amendment Rights,’ the advice read.
Students were also told to travel in groups, avoid wearing jewelry and to bring first aid kits to the protests.
Parents Defending Education (PDE), an advocacy group to include parents in their children’s education, told FOX News that the publishing and distribution of the newsletter was unacceptable.
‘It is inappropriate for a school system to be providing protesting advice to 12-year-olds, especially when it is for particular causes and varies based on students’ race,’ PDE director of outreach Erika Sanzi said. ‘It is also a problem that it was done behind the backs of parents.’
The Justice Page Middle School and Minneapolis Public Schools did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The newsletter was published from the Justice Page Middle School, in Minneapolis
Graphic bodycam footage shows Minneapolis police enter 22-year-old Amir Locke’s (pictured) apartment while executing a search warrant in a homicide investigation
The newsletter was printed one week after thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Minneapolis on February 5 to demand justice for Locke, after body cam footage released by the Minneapolis Police Department showed an officer shooting Lock during a no-knock raid on February 2.
Police had been investigating Locke’s cousin, Mehki Speed, 17, for the January 10 murder of Otis Elder, when a SWAT team entered the Minneapolis apartment.
Body camera video shows them shouting ‘Police, search warrant!’ ‘Hands!’ and ‘Get on the ground!’ after they entered.
An officer kicks a sectional sofa, and Locke is seen wrapped in a blanket holding a pistol. Three shots are heard, and the video ends.
The city also released a still image from the video showing Locke holding the gun, his trigger finger along the side of the barrel.
Minneapolis police have said Locke was shot after he pointed his gun toward the officers, but Locke’s family has questioned that. Locke’s family has said he legally possessed the gun.
Locke was shot and killed by police on February 2 after Minneapolis police entered an apartment with a no-knock warrant
Minneapolis Police Department bodycam footage shows, 22-year-old Amir Locke wrapped in a blanket on a couch holding a gun moments before he was fatally shot by police
Police have said Locke was not named in the search warrants.
Locke’s death sparked protests and a reexamination of controversial no-knock arrest warrants. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced a moratorium on such warrants while the city brings in outside experts to study its policy.
Speed, Locke’s younger cousin, was arrested earlier this month and charged with with two counts of second-degree murder stemming from Elder’s killing.
A charging document said police used surveillance videos to connect him to the homicide near Prior Avenue North and Oakley Avenue after a witness told police that a silver Mercedes-Benz had fled the scene.
Investigators shared the security footage with a Hennepin County official who recognized Speed because he was on probation, according to the charges.
The document said video showed the Mercedes parked near Elder’s vehicle, with two males getting out and approaching – one entering the passenger side and the other standing outside the driver’s door.
‘This male stepped back and a loud gunshot was heard,’ the document says.
