Plaza flash mob part 2: students' reactions

The flash mob in the Plaza this past Saturday was the main topic of conversation in my classes today at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Of my 80 students, approximately 70% are African-American, 20% are Hispanic, and 10% are Caucasian. Their ages range from 16-40s.

Yesterday I told them to stay up-to-date on the latest reports about the incident and come to class today prepared to discuss it. I was pleased that most of my students did just that, and was not at all surprised that they were full of ideas and opinions.

What did surprise me was that one student revealed that he had received a facebook invitation to the mob. He said it’s called a “flood,” and it’s not the first invitation he’s received. He decided to ignore this invitation, since he was afraid it was going to spiral out of control.

Another student said with absolute certainty that he knew what incited the mob; it was a reaction to the massive school closings planned for this upcoming fall in the KC, MO school district. I asked him if he was absolutely positive this was the reason, and he said that he was. When I asked him how he knew this, he looked at me long and hard and simply said, “because I know.”

To launch our discussion, I asked the students to answer three questions:

1. What assumptions did the news reporters make?
2. What assumptions do you make?
3. What assumptions do you think others might make?

Below are some of the most popular answers to these questions.

What assumptions did the news reporters make?

1. This event was planned through social media channels.
2. The teens started the incident.
3. This will likely happen again.
4. Teens were labeled as “unruly” and “violent.”

What assumptions do you make?

1. The teens need something to do, somewhere to go, and Kansas City has very little for them.
2. Next time will involve even more teens.
3. This was racially motivated.
4. Those involved were acting out of ignorance, and ignorance breeds more ignorance.
5. People will stop patronizing the Plaza.
6. Someone will be killed next time.
7. The Plaza area will begin to enforce a curfew for teens and a dress code for everyone.
8. This will lead to greater profiling by the police.
9. Many of the teens were high on something.

What assumptions might others make?

1. Parents are to blame.
2. The teens were all black.
3. Teens should not be out at night without adult supervision.
4. The city will be better prepared in the future for this kind of event.
5. This was racially motivated.
6. The Plaza is a dangerous place now, and this will hurt tourism.
7. Drugs were involved.
8. It was gang related, because when black people fight, it’s always about gangs.

An overwhelming majority of my students believe this will continue to escalate. One student remarked that the inevitable increase of police presence in the Plaza might lead to greater security, but could also lead to an increase in volatility and hostility.

My students were very divided on how this could or should be addressed. While they did not defend the actions of the mob, they were fairly pessimistic about whether authorities and community leaders could successfully address this issue. Many were also concerned that this will lead to greater racial tension in Kansas City.

I hold great respect for my students, and I love them dearly. They, in turn, respect and trust me. Whatever the future of the Plaza and other Kansas City hot spots, I hope that our classroom, at least, will continue to be a thriving community where we build bridges, strive to understand and support one another, and live out the kind of peace and cooperation that we desire for our city, our country, and our world.