How young is too young to be protesting police brutality?
That's what the parents of 7 and 8-year-olds from New Bedford, Massachusetts are saying after finding out their children participated in a protest against Ferguson instead of going to recess.
A group of 20 second graders chanting "honk if you want justice" were spotted on the side of the road in front of the Alma Del Mar Charter School holding signs on Dec. 12. One sign read "Please don't shoot me Ferguson."
George Borden, a local policeman and the father of a student who participated in the protest, is looking for an apology from his 7-year-old daughter's teacher, reported Yahoo Parenting.
Borden found out about the protest after getting a tip from a friend that prompted him to look in his daughter's backpack where he found a flier that urged people to join a weekend protest "against the unjust systems that allow police officers to kill Black men and boys with impunity."
When he talked to his daughter about the protest after school she apparently turned to him and asked, "Daddy, do you shoot people?"
Will Gardner, the school's founder and executive director, told Yahoo Parenting the school was right to allow the kids to protest because it was a lesson of civics. While he doesn't support teachers sharing their own political and religious views with students, he does encourage activities that are going to teach the kids what it means to live in a democracy.
Learning about protesting is "entirely appropriate for this age group," family therapist Dr. Paul Hokemeyer said to Yahoo Parenting.
"Seven and 8-year-olds are at the point in their development when they are learning to find their place in the world and are becoming less focused on self and more focused on others. To facilitate this growth, its important they know they have a voice in the world and that their voice is validated and heard."
