One of the pillars of political discourse over the past couple of years is a misunderstanding of constitutional rights. There’s also a terrible misunderstanding of what opinions and facts are. In California, a teacher fulfilled his duty as an educator by sharing a video of himself instructing his students on their constitutional rights. Specifically, it concerns your rights when ICE is involved. Not only was it presented in an engaging way, but one conservative online thinks it was “wrong” of the teacher to teach his “opinion.”
In the video, TikToker Mr. Shearhod—Christian Shearhod—is standing at the front of the class, with a screen behind him. The first question to the students is what ICE actually stands for: Immigration and Customs Enforcement. All good so far, right? He then asks a series of questions that don’t normally get asked (let alone thought of by the average person), such as:
Is ICE above the law? No. “No one is above the law, and if they break it, they should be held accountable, just like any of y’all, right?” Mr. Shearhod says.
Can ICE lie to you? The response is mixed, but Mr. Shearhod quickly clears it up, “Yes, they can, and absolutely will. They’ll also try and bait you into saying or doing something that’ll get you in trouble.”
Can ICE racially profile you? Though several students answered “No” confidently—and I don’t blame them for getting it wrong—but Mr. Shearhod states otherwise. “ICE can judge and target you based off the color of your skin, the language you speak, or the job that you work,” Mr. Shearhod states.
Mr. Shearhod then reveals a copy of a red card that he gave to his students earlier in the year. On it was a series of basic rights everyone should know when interacting with ICE. Don’t answer the door, don’t answer any questions, and don’t sign anything. You shut up and tell ICE you want a lawyer (and your parents, if you’re a minor).
Nothing in the teacher’s lesson thus far has alluded to illegal activities or loopholes for people to exploit. It’s all pretty straightforward, void of any opinions. In fact, Mr. Shearhod even recommends the “best thing” you can do is“stay away from ICE.”
One conservative had a problem with Mr. Shearhod’s lesson, which the teacher responded to in a follow-up video.
“I don’t agree with everything ice does all tho I am conservative but I think that teaching your opinion in school is wrong,” the commenter says.
Mr. Shearhod responds by telling the poster teaching kids their rights is meant to “keep them safe.” Christian continues, “If I had said ICE is a bunch of cowardly, heartless, murderous, pieces of [expletive], that might be a bit bias…” but notes he had to leave that part out.
It’s a shame that conservative doesn’t understand the difference between rights and opinions. It’s too bad he didn’t have Christian for a teacher.
