From WJHG's webpage:

Boycott of Spring Break '07 in Panama City initiated by Student Protest Group

F-S-U Students Call for Boycott of Spring Break in Panama City Beach
Reporter: Mike Vasilinda

Florida State and F-A-M-U college students are calling for a boycott of Panama City Beach this spring break to draw attention to concerns surrounding the Martin Lee Anderson case.

Seven guards and a nurse from the now-closed Bay County Boot Camp are charged with manslaughter for the suffocation death of the 14-year-old boy last year.

Florida State University students say they are concerned a trial date has yet to be scheduled, and have called the Spring Break Boycott for college students nationwide to send a message to elected officials and those in the criminal justice system.

F-S-U student Vanessa Baden says the group wants to send a message. "That’s what we’re hoping to send. We’re hoping to let them know that we will go no holds barred and we will do anything that it takes including withholding our taxpaying dollars and all the money that comes in to Panama City through Spring Break in making sure that Martin Lee Anderson sees justice.”

Cindy Motta, also an F-S-U student says the students are also upset that some Panama City citizens have started a defense fund for the guards. “While we see good thing to see a group of people come together on any issue, we find it unfortunate that they came together to defend a group of men who chose to abuse their privilege in the case of Martin Lee Anderson instead of defending Martin Lee Anderson, a boy who could not defend himself.”

Students say some national civil rights figures including the Rev. Al Sharpton are helping them organize the Spring Break Boycott.

Thats stupid to try to boycott Spring Break, the people who would lose money had nothing to do with the situation. Even if they did make an impact on the economy it would probably just end up pushing back a trial date.

good luck with that`

dear everyone, please don't turn my sb into a political statement.

I know....that article was the silliest thing I've read in a long time.

umm............... I dont see this happening!

Pretty ridiculous seeing as the case they are concerned about is totally unrelated to break.

I am quite impressed that a college student cares enough about a fellow citizen and situation (btw that they don't even know) to voice his or her outrage.....to try to make a difference....to have an opinion other than that of their - well, who the hell knows how they formulate their ideals and/or morals....probably off some website.

It's the "children" that make fun of this extremely sensitive situation in our county that will go on to being managers of the Burger King down the street because they were too APATHETIC to care about anything or anybody but themselves. (I am NOT knocking fast food managers - think of it as a metaphor - do you know what that means?) They have neither the intelligence or the testicular fortitude (and for those of you who made to college not having a 9th grade reading level - that means BALLS)......to make any difference about anything -- other than what club is having the best band or giving away the best crap that they will keep in a drawer until they are 50 and hopefully wake up to say.....what a waste.

Spring break is a time for -- well, taking a break. If you choose to go whereever and stay trashed, put notches in your belts and bras - well, too bad for you....there is more to life .... but how would you know that? What's the last cause you stood up for? More beer? Cheaper cover charges? Lower the drinking age?

I love to party as much as the next person and have done my share. And when I was 18-22 years old - sure my opinions were skewed to my generation - but then I was raised by the Greatest Generation - most likely your great-great-grandfathers.....and it was a different time....however, while the risks and the world may be different today, having morals and an opinion - let's be clear - AN EDUCATED OPINION, were encouraged by our fathers and mothers.

So, come on down to Panama City Beach - have a good time - throw your trash in the streets and on our shores - bring your $$$ and attitudes....we'll take it....but be very careful - we don't want to send you home in a box or have to call your mom and dad to come and get your drunken *** out of jail and the final insult..... pay for the damages you do to your accomodations.

Signed,
A Pirate Looks at 50

P.S. Good for you writing in the forums - at least you appear to be computer literate.

P.S.S. It's early - and this just quite frankly hit a nerve w/ me....can ya tell????????????????????

Oh, I am so glad you wrote this. These are exactly the kinds of things I love to read and reply to.

First and foremost, your condescension is totally unnecessary. You're no ones father in here, so please come off the "I'm older than you, I can talk down to you" high horse. If you were so high and mighty you wouldn't be trolling through spring break forums on a week day afternoon like the college kids you so pompously talk down to.

Sure, I can respect someone standing up for a cause; I've stood up for many myself. And no, I don't feel I owe you the validation of listing them. The problem is the protest is misguided. The situation has absolutely zero to do with Spring Break, unless of course the group is attempting to strangle the local economy, which isn't going to happen. And let me also point out that your economy doesn't EXIST without us. So yea, you will take us and you may not like it, but if you don't you're welcome to bring that up with your local officials. Back to my point: If this were a protest against teens taking trips to Aruba as a result of the Natalie Holloway incident, that might a valid means of protest. But a beef they have with the Bay County Sheriffs Department, albeit valid, doesn't have any relation to the activities and leisure going on on the beach. That's like saying "No one should go to Las Vegas to gamble because there are unsolved murder investigations pending". Preposterous.

Lastly, you said it yourself; this is a break for us. We bust our behinds all year long, classes, papers, tests, or for some of us 40 hour work weeks. We are bombarded day in and day out with headlines and talking heads; Iraq, Terror, Global Warming, Bird Flu, the lists goes on and on. All we want to do is take a week out of our lives away from that and let loose. That is not too much to ask.

So go ahead, sleep well tonight knowing you reprimanded a group of young whippersnappers and that you "showed them". But really, your post and your words are worthless. You, like these protesters, chose the wrong way to voice your message. You think you're super educated with your Aristotle quotes and quips about literacy, but we all know you’re just a miserable old man who still refers to himself as a Pirate.

pown3d

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I think you have the wrong gender!

That was a nice rebuttal, I enjoyed it.

The Dale picture and the Testicular Fortitude comments made me think it was a man. My mistake.

Thank you though... that kind of arrogance fires me up.

Im not going on spring break now...






























PSYCHE!

I will be celebrating the limited amount of freedom that we are programmed to believe we have by getting SMASHED

If Florida had some decent politicians, we wouldn't have to worrry about a court date. Where was the spring break boycott when Gov. Bush stole the Florida vote?