September 24, 2009

>Brooklyn Tech Students Stand Together Against Hate [VIDEO]

>What was scheduled to be a forty minute hate rally led by the Fred Phelps clan outside Brooklyn Tech High ended early when they were met with powerful student opposition. The event started after the surreptitious arrival of the Phelps family, including one of the youngest members of the family (under the age of five), with their signs of hate in hand. As they began to capture the attention of onlookers, amidst the confusion of street construction and traffic, a crowd of students quickly formed on the opposite side of the street.

It didn’t take long to see that the Phelps family was outnumbered as more and more groups of students crossed the street to join their classmates, met with chants and cheers of approval- it was truly an inspiring scene. Over a hundred students and passers-by took part in the peaceful protest today, uniting under diversity and inclusion. With their hate speech waning against the student led chants of “go back home” and “Brooklyn Tech,” the Phelps family quietly left the corner of Lafayette St., leaving behind nothing less than a strong union of students and faculty, intolerant of intolerance.

Catch some of the footage below:

   

About Elizabeth Free

       

Elizabeth Free is the communications manager at GLSEN--the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Elizabeth joined GLSEN in 2009 to make schools safer for all students and says one of the best parts of her job is working with GLSEN's Student Ambassadors. She is originally from Texas and has a B.A. in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of Houston.