Students heading out to their cars for lunch on Monday first had to navigate around human obstacles lying on the floor in the hallways.
About 20 students participated in a “die-in” during lunch on Dec. 15 in front of the administration offices.
Organized by seniors Gabe Gennarelli and Sam Cook, the “die-in” protested recent shootings of citizens by police, including as the July death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY and the August death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. Controversy has sprung from the subsequent grand jury decisions that failed to indict either officer and from the concept of institutionalized racism.
“This [protest] is about people who are dead and shouldn’t be. This is about people of color who are dead and shouldn’t be,” Cook said.
The “die-in” was originally set to occur on the South Lawn, but was moved inside due to rain.
Cook said he was drawn to the “die-in” form of protest, in which participants pretend to be dead, because of its shock value.
“It encourages people to ask,” Gennarelli said.
While others lay on the floor near the counseling offices and principal’s office, Gennarelli and Cook handed out fliers promoting their cause.
Cook and Gennarelli were pleased with the reactions of passersby, which they perceived to be positive.
“I was expecting a little more excitement or gusto than we r
received, but the general response was pretty good,” Cook said.
“There’s a history of student action being seen as something that, while justified, is something people just don’t want around here, they don’t want the disturbance,” he continued. “So it was nice to see [Principal] Sondheim and all the teachers out here standing behind it, saying it was a good thing.”
Gennarelli and Cook plan to host another “die-in” next semester with the help of the Amnesty International club, Redwood’s chapter of an organization that aims to protect human rights worldwide.
“If we had more time to organize and it wasn’t finals week, we could pull a lot more people,” Cook said. “I feel like if we try to keep [protests] peaceful, not obstructionist, then the law is certainly behind us and the administration will be too.”
