Dubuque School Bans White T-Shirts

[The Straight Story]

Dubuque School Bans White T-Shirts

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Rumors of racial tensions at Dubuque Hempstead High School have forced administrators to ban students from wearing white t-shirts.

A statement to the media from Hempstead said, “This week we learned that students were going to wear white t-shirts to school as a show of white supremacy.” That’s after Dubuque police responded to 24 reported disturbances at that school already this year.

Some parents they surprised to learn what’s been going on here in the past several weeks. Parent Stacy Hubanks says she didn’t know anything out of the ordinary was happening at her son’s school, until her cell phone rang. “On Monday, we received the automated message saying that they banned plain white t-shirts due to some controversy.”

Hempstead Principal Lee Kolker sent a written statement to the media explaining the t-shirt ban: “All students in our school were asked to not wear plain white tee shirt that could be perceived to represent white supremacy.” Kolker went on to say: “a group of students both black and white have been in arguments, about teenage issues, and then have resulted in name calling and racial slurs.”

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Dubuque-School-Bans-White-T-Shirts-112346354.html

[madrchsod]

1. oh good god is that stupid.........

i did`t think the people up there were that stupid but i guess some are.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. So promoting white supremacy is okay with you?

My first thought was if the school hadn't banned the shirts, and had a big race riot, they would have been accused of promoting racial tension.

But as with most stories like this, schools can't win for losing.

[Toucano]

12. Where does it end?

I do sympathize with the schools predicament, but if students are allowed to declare something as simple as a plain white t-shirt to be a symbol of white supremacy, what's to stop them from declaring yellow #2 pencils a symbol of white supremacy?

Why not have an assembly and address the issue head on?

Or beat them to the punch. Declare a campus-wide white t-shirt day as a symbol of "our bright futures". Or something.

The children are not served by allowing them to dictate school policy like this. The adults need to do something proactive.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. There's a fine line between protecting kids and smothering them

I'm just glad that decision is above my pay grade. :)

[Telly Savalas]

16. A white supremecist at school is a symbol of white supremecy

Ban the snot-nosed little fuckers.

[47of74]

17. I went to the school that is the subject of this article.

Back in the early 90s we had all the simmering racial tensions because of the plan to recruit minority professionals and their families to the cities.

One day they decided to hold an assembly as the mayor wanted to address all the high school students about the racial problems the city and schools were experiencing and give us his own point of view on the issue.

Hempstead had their racial tensions, but it wasn't near as bad as the problems at Dubuque Senior - which is one of the other high schools in town. Tensions got so high there that the administration there had to call in the police at one point to restore order at that school.

Now we have the children of the same jerks who caused all the problems back in the 90s at both schools doing it all over again.

[Toucano]

18. I should have realized: the problem isn't the students, it's the parents.

Thanks for your insight.

[47of74]

19. That occurred to me last night...

It occurred to me last night that some of the people I went to high school with - especially those that were upperclassmen/women during my first couple years there - probably had children that were getting to be high school age themselves.

Leaving the racial angle aside for a minute, that makes me feel old. I'll be out of high school 20 years in about 2.5 years.

[JoePhilly]

10. I'm with you ...

1) All of this T-shirt nonsense is nothing BUT nonsense.

2) Personally, I don't mind seeing a confederate flag in the back window of a pick up truck ... I prefer the racists to "SELF-IDENTIFY".

3) Other kids in the school can wear other colors ... lots of other colors.

4) In most schools, you need to get physical to get in real trouble. So don't do that. Let the racists self identify so you know who to avoid.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. The first comment is interesting:

These are of the ramifications of that no good mayor back in 1990 who decided to import undesirables into Dubuque from Chicago as part of a politically correct initiative. This is now what you get. "Chickens have come home to roost" as Jeremiah Wright once said. I notice that white t-shirts are banned, but I wonder if black t-shirts would be banned to be worn by black kids? I already know the answer. The answer is no, they would be encouraged to wear them as a show of "solidarity." Total double standard and total BS. I wonder when the feds will be in to investigate "civil rights violations" of the black students? That should be happening any minute now. I wonder what "teenage issues" they are arguing about? Probably white girls or "snows" as they are affectionately known.

I'm thinking the school should get some credit for trying to avoid racial problems. They do tend to be a distraction.

[47of74]

5. What actually happened

What actually happened was that the mayor and city council made an effort to recruit minority professionals and their families to come to the area after a cross was burned at the home of a black family. Of course our local white supremacist element twisted and told everyone who would listen that the city was going to take a bus to Chicago, pick up the first 100 black people they found, and bring them back to Dubuque.

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/03/us/seeking-a-racial-mix-dubuque-finds-tension.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I figured there was more to the story

Very sad. I thought we would have moved beyond this racial crap by now.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. I am not sure that is the entire story yet

For example white t shirts are often the uniform of the day for non-white gangs where I am.

My real concern is that the school was fed a line and reacted, effectively allowing outsiders to control them. If so, there is more to come.

[47of74]

4. What if the kids are wearing white t-shirts underneath another shirt

Are they going to bring back the one assistant principal who was just plead guilty to sleeping with a 17 year old student to help with searches then?

[Obamanaut]

7. Will they likewise ban black and/or tan t shirts? nt

[lunatica]

9. The white supremacists will just come out with something else that can't be banned

Like getting a buzz hair cut. But the school is right to avoid racial tensions. I think they were forced to do this.

[JoePhilly]

11. I agree with your first point, but not the second.

I think what the school should do is be clear that ANY display which is intended to increase racial tension is not condoned. But that students can where any color shirt they want. Encourage kids to wear many colors.

However, they should then state that any physical actions taken will be dealt with severely.

[rucky]

13. The Latino gang used to wear 'em at the school I taught.

That would be pretty confusing if both gangs were at the same school.

[surrealAmerican]

15. This is just the sort of incident that leads many schools ...

... to require uniforms.

They desperately need to address the underlying issues here. The racists will just come up with some alternate "fashion statement" if they can't wear blank white tee shirts.