Published: 30 November 1999
One such example is that of a Mississippi school district targeting the Star of David. The school board voted unanimously in August of this year to ban a student from wearing the Star of David. This past the board because officials in the sheriff's department said that the symbol looked very similar to some local gang affiliated symbols.
By September, the school board dropped the ban under national pressure and threats of lawsuits.
Still, this brings up the question again about communities' rights to secure peace. With more and more violence occurring in communities, whether gang related or not, people are demanding a more secure neighborhood, workplace, school, and shopping center. The idea of security is compelling.
However, how far do we go in security? Had the Star of David been banned, then how long till the Cross would have been banned as well? If we censor religious items from personal use, we have no true religious freedom. That includes not only Christian but also the other religions. For if we ban the primary symbol of Judaism, then the others including Christianity can be banned in this fight to stop violence.
Furthermore, gangs like certain colors and professional teams. Would these items be banned as well? For the sake of security, within a mere generation, our fashion could be dictated by our governments, rather than by the fashion industry. I say this with a bit of sarcasm; however, government regulations would be worse than any fashion industry. At least with an industry, we have choices; we would have no choice with government regulations.
Communities need to be safe. However, the targeting of personal religious symbols in order to retard gang violence is simply wrong, no matter how good the intention. In these cases, I paraphrase the historical quote of Benjamin Franklin: any person who would trade his freedom for a bit of security from gangs is a fool who deserves neither freedom nor security.
Back to Listener and Roarer
Back to Articles
Bacl to Homepage
