2017-2-16 Save Roosevelt (Facebook)

[0:00 - 0:34] [ Pause ]
[0:34 - 0:45] Hey, what's up, Jason? Um, and whoever else is watching, um, we have a serious issue on our hands.
[0:45 - 0:54] Yes, normally I would do a music show and stuff, which I will be doing along with this serious issue.
[0:54 - 1:09] On this actually a very serious issue, um, for those of you that don't know, um, Roosevelt Academy in Polk County, Florida is in very serious danger right now.
[1:09 - 1:22] The school board there wants to get rid of the sixth grade and for really just for the reason that they don't have money.
[1:22 - 1:26] And if you ask me, that's wrong.
[1:26 - 1:32] So if anybody from Roosevelt Academy, if any of you guys are watching this, I need you all to spread this around.
[1:32 - 1:45] And if anybody from the school board in Polk County, Florida is watching this, specifically pertaining to Roosevelt Academy, you guys need to fucking stop this.
[1:45 - 1:55] I'm a former student there. I'm from Roosevelt Academy. That's my school that I consider like my second home.
[1:55 - 2:07] That's the school I grew up in as a kid. That's my home.
[2:07 - 2:22] Um, basically what Roosevelt Academy school boards trying to do is they're trying to end sixth grade because they don't have the money or the funds to do it.
[2:22 - 2:28] And what they don't understand is that they're ruining so many kids' lives and doing this.
[2:28 - 2:37] Like there's a lot of kids that can't afford a regular middle school education, especially down there because education is expensive down there.
[2:37 - 2:45] I went there. I know that's why I went to Roosevelt Academy because I couldn't afford a normal education.
[2:45 - 2:49] So hence I went to Roosevelt Academy.
[2:49 - 3:01] And what the schools there don't realize is that everybody there is like family to each other. We all push and pull each other to do the best that we can, no matter what grade you're in.
[3:01 - 3:07] No matter what grade you are in, we all push and pull each other to do the best that we can.
[3:07 - 3:19] The tools that I use now for marketing and everything I basically know how to do now is actually very largely thanks to Roosevelt Academy.
[3:19 - 3:34] Like if I didn't get taught how to market stuff, if I didn't even go to Roosevelt, I wouldn't have met the amazing friends who are now like my family who I do consider family.
[3:34 - 3:43] I wouldn't have met them. I wouldn't have met these people that I now call my family and I'm very proud to call family.
[3:43 - 3:49] This school board is taking away so many opportunities for these kids.
[3:49 - 4:02] Like something's got to be done, guys. We've got to step up to these guys and tell them, hey, these kids deserve an education.
[4:02 - 4:08] Like these kids do deserve a fair chance at a good education.
[4:08 - 4:17] And I'll be honest with you, Roosevelt Academy offers a great education as well as a very fair chance for job opportunities.
[4:17 - 4:25] Because when I was down there in Florida going to Roosevelt Academy, you know, I did do on-the-job training.
[4:25 - 4:34] I wound up working at a care center for almost two to three years and wound up getting paid out of it by customers.
[4:34 - 4:41] It was under the table, but it was still money in my pocket. It waits until I had to move.
[4:41 - 4:50] But you know what I did with that money? I saved it for a good while and wound up getting my own stuff.
[4:50 - 5:00] I wound up getting my own computer for a while and whatnot because I saved up the money and let it draw interest for a certain amount of time.
[5:00 - 5:07] And then, you know, I got my own computer and as you guys know, I've got my own recording gear now.
[5:07 - 5:21] But it's all thanks to Roosevelt Academy giving me that job opportunity that I was able to succeed at what I wanted to do in life.
[5:21 - 5:35] Like, the school doesn't understand the consequences of their actions and just how they are affecting these children's lives.
[5:35 - 5:46] They are destroying a kid's right to be in the sixth grade. They're destroying a kid's education in the long run and don't even know it.
[5:46 - 6:01] So for you school board members in Florida at Roosevelt Academy that are watching this, you guys better watch out because those of us who are Roosevelt Academy Eagles still,
[6:01 - 6:18] I have former Roosevelt Academy members like myself, like Marcus Morales, Jackie Victor Archer, Miss Edwards, Miss Bell,
[6:18 - 6:38] you know, Quinetta Ward, Stephanie Johnson, Miss Edwards, Miss Glockner, Miss Johnny, Mr. Reiser, Mr. and Mrs. Bagby.
[6:38 - 6:50] We're all family there to each other, even Miss Kimbrough. We are all family to each other there.
[6:50 - 6:58] We are all family to each other. And that's something you guys can never take away from us.
[6:58 - 7:13] And by taking away the sixth grade from these kids, you're taking away not only an education, but you're taking away their family because a lot of these kids don't have that good at home.
[7:13 - 7:22] And they see Roosevelt as their salvation. They see that as their safe haven.
[7:22 - 7:32] Granted, yes, I did have a good life. I really did. I had a great life at home, great family life and still do.
[7:32 - 7:42] But when I went to Roosevelt, I also felt at home there. I felt like going to Roosevelt, I could do anything I wanted with my life.
[7:42 - 7:54] And for those of you that don't know, you see these books, you see these notebooks right here. These are all from when I was going to Roosevelt Academy in Florida.
[7:54 - 8:00] Every single one of them have memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
[8:00 - 8:10] And it's thanks to the friends that I made there. Because I wrote at Roosevelt Academy, I learned how to read, I learned how to write.
[8:10 - 8:17] Hell, I even learned how to do math. Even though I still suck at math, I learned how to do it.
[8:17 - 8:25] So honestly, if it wasn't for Roosevelt Academy, I wouldn't even be able to write a song, much less a poem.
[8:25 - 8:33] Roosevelt Academy taught me how to write. They taught me how to write cursive. They taught me how to write poems, letters.
[8:33 - 8:41] They taught me all of that. And you take that away from these kids, you take the sixth grade away from these kids.
[8:41 - 8:52] You're not only taking away a future generation that can change the world, you're taking away kids who have something to say.
[8:52 - 8:59] You take that away, what are these kids going to have to read and write about 10 years from now, 20 years from now?
[8:59 - 9:02] What are these kids going to have to read and write about?
[9:02 - 9:10] Nothing. And it's because you guys will have taken that away from them.
[9:10 - 9:14] These kids deserve a fair education.
[9:14 - 9:25] Yes, I get that they need to be in regular schools, but integrate that into it. Give these kids a normal education as if they were in a regular school.
[9:25 - 9:35] You can do it. I should know. I've gone through that. I know you guys can do it if you guys get crafty enough.
[9:35 - 9:50] But do not take away the sixth grade. Do not take that away from these kids. Because I guarantee you, those of us who are former Roosevelt Eagles from Roosevelt Academy, we will not back down.
[9:50 - 9:56] And we will continue to fight for these children. We will continue to fight for these kids.
[9:56 - 10:08] Hell, to be honest with you, if I had kids, personally, if I had kids and I was still living in Florida, you guys believe Roosevelt Academy will be the first school I'd send them to once they got old enough.
[10:08 - 10:16] That would be the school I would send them to. You want to know why? Because I'm proud to be a Roosevelt Eagle.
[10:16 - 10:34] I still have all my uniforms in my closet and they still fit. And every time I put those uniform shirts on, I feel very proud because I feel connected to Roosevelt and what it has done for me.
[10:34 - 10:43] Roosevelt's not only done a lot for me, but it's done a lot for a lot of other people too.
[10:43 - 10:58] Hell, to be honest with you, if I never went to Roosevelt, I wouldn't have met people like, you know, my girlfriend at the time when I was going there.
[10:58 - 11:09] I wouldn't have met my best friend Marcus, who is literally my brother damn near, who I'm also proud to call my bandmate and brother.
[11:09 - 11:14] If I didn't go to Roosevelt, I wouldn't have met him.
[11:14 - 11:19] All right? And he's one of my best friends. He's one of the best friends I could ever ask for.
[11:19 - 11:27] He's always there when I need him, like, no matter what. Like, I could call that man up at two or three in the morning. He wouldn't do his shit.
[11:27 - 11:38] He'd be like, "Hey, what's going on?" And that's how a lot of these kings that go to Roosevelt feel. They feel loved. They feel wanted. They feel like they're home.
[11:46 - 12:00] No, not Facebook. An old school of mine that I went to, the school board there is trying to shut them down, or at least shut down in sixth grade.
[12:00 - 12:11] And not only myself, but a lot of good friends of mine and some former students that are protesting.
[12:11 - 12:23] And for all of you former Roosevelt Eagles out there that are watching this, believe me, if I could be there to join you for that protest, I would in a heartbeat.
[12:23 - 12:28] Because I am honestly proud to call myself a Roosevelt Eagle.
[12:28 - 12:45] Let me show you something.
[12:45 - 12:52] You see this shirt? You see that shirt right there?
[12:52 - 13:09] That, to me, is not only a uniform. It's more than a uniform. It's a symbol of my family there. It's a symbol of something that I'm proud to be part of.
[13:09 - 13:23] There, Roosevelt, everybody there is like family. Everybody there to everybody. We're all cool with each other. We all consider each other family.
[13:23 - 13:44] And for you guys to try to shut Roosevelt down, that's wrong. And I can promise you, those of you that are watching this that do work at the Roosevelt Academy School Board, who are not on the side that I'm on, we will stop you.
[13:44 - 13:56] And we will keep the sixth grade one way or another, and we will not stop fighting until you guys surrender and keep the sixth grade for these students.
[13:56 - 14:05] Because there, these students can get job opportunities. They can do something with their lives and make something of themselves.
[14:05 - 14:19] Now, to be honest with you, my very first guitar, which so many of you may or may not have seen, this right here, you guys remember this one?
[14:19 - 14:34] This was my very first ever guitar ever given to me. And it was given to me by an amazing customer who turned out to be a really good friend of the people at Roosevelt.
[14:34 - 14:40] That was given to me by this old man because he believed in me.
[14:40 - 15:01] He saw that I have a talent and a passion for music. And he gave this to me and I still have the letter to this day of him, you know, thanking me for his help and everything.
[15:01 - 15:10] And, you know, those are memories that I can never forget or anything like.
[15:10 - 15:16] I'm proud to be a Roosevelt, but I'm sure a lot of these kids that go there are as well.
[15:16 - 15:25] Yes, I got into trouble there a lot of the time, but what student doesn't get in trouble every once in a while, you know? I mean, we're kids.
[15:25 - 15:34] I was a kid back then. I was a bit of a rebellious little asshole. I've been there.
[15:34 - 15:54] But I mean, you guys just don't understand what that school means to a lot of people. And I mean a lot of people.
[15:54 - 16:07] That school, like I say, is not only a school for a lot of these kids, but it's also a home and a second chance at life for them.
[16:07 - 16:15] Because a lot of the kids there, they don't have it the best at home. And I know a lot of students that went there that didn't have it that good at home.
[16:15 - 16:27] Some of my closest friends that I still keep in touch with very much so, they had an abusive life. They had a very abusive home life.
[16:27 - 16:36] And going to school there at Roosevelt, it gave them a chance. They felt safe there.
[16:36 - 16:45] So if you take away the sixth grade from these kids, you're taking away a lot from them. You're taking away their lives.
[16:45 - 16:50] You're taking away their chance at a fair education.
[16:50 - 17:11] How do you think it's going to affect them 10 years from now, 20 years from now? When their children and child is staring at them wondering why they don't have a very good life.
[17:11 - 17:23] And it'll be your guy's fault. Because they're going to have to look at their children and they're going to have to tell them the truth.
[17:23 - 17:31] They're going to have to tell them that they were not given the very fair chance to make something of themselves.
[17:31 - 17:41] So you take away the sixth grade from these children, you take away a lot more than you realize.
[17:41 - 17:51] So I urge you all to reconsider. Every single one of you that works there at the school board needs to reconsider.
[17:51 - 18:07] I beg you reconsider. Leave Roosevelt Academy alone. Have the kids do a fundraiser because I know that's what we did at one point when I was there.
[18:07 - 18:20] We did a fundraiser to help people out. I guarantee you if you did a fundraiser for these kids, if you had these kids do a fundraiser,
[18:20 - 18:30] I guarantee you a lot would come out of it. And I mean a lot.
[18:30 - 18:41] Figure out a way to raise the money. I know you guys don't have much money, but that is no excuse to take away a child's education.
[18:41 - 18:49] An education shouldn't mean having to pay money. Whatever happened to the right to a free education.
[18:49 - 18:57] What happened to the right to being able to feel safe in your own school and not have to be bullied at a regular middle school.
[18:57 - 19:07] I know what that's like to be bullied. And if you take this sixth grade away from these kids that are in there, that's exactly what you'll be doing.
[19:07 - 19:18] You'll be submitting them to torture, to bullying, to hurt. And I don't think you guys want to see that happen.
[19:18 - 19:38] God knows I don't because I have several friends who have kids that go there. And for them to have to switch schools and have to suffer with bullying and being picked on and being judged and ridiculed.
[19:38 - 19:48] Do you think that's very fair to them? No, it's not.
[19:48 - 19:56] So for every single one of you watching this right now, I need you guys to share this with everybody.
[19:56 - 20:13] Roosevelt Academy school boards think that social media can't do anything. They think that just because we're behind computers and that we're in different states, they think that they can't be touched, that they can just get away with this.
[20:13 - 20:25] I say it's time we show them wrong. Let's show them that they are wrong. Let's spread this around and get it out there as much as freaking possible.
[20:25 - 20:34] Share it to everybody you know, your friends, your family. Share it to everybody. Let's make some noise. Let's get this situation hurt, guys.
[20:34 - 20:48] Because this is very serious. This is bigger than me and you. This is bigger than any of us. This is about the kids who are our future dependers.
[20:48 - 21:09] Like we depend on these kids for a future. The future of these kids rides on this. The education of these children depends on this protest, on this protest going in our favor.
[21:09 - 21:23] So come on, guys. Let's rally together and let's show the school board that we will not go silently. Let's take a stand for these kids. Let's help these kids have a better future.