Kelly Walker, a journalist and father of five formerly from Tucson, is expanding his efforts to protect children from bad policies in schools despite being arrested and prosecuted after one school pushed back. Since the bad experience, he’s built a platform of advocacy for parents and children harmed by school policies at Real Freedom Talk. He now produces videos about abuses in schools and appears on major talk shows to discuss his experiences and expose what is happening in Tucson schools.
Walker said what prompted his activism was observing the increase in mental health problems among children due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. A student committed suicide near his home, and the suicide rate among children in Pima County increased 30 percent. A nearby school admitted they had locked students in closets and forgotten about them. He said parents from the community came to his former coffee shop, Viva Coffee House, and asked him if he could do something about it.
On September 25, 2021, Walker and another dad were arrested for confronting school administrators after the dad’s child was forced to retrieve a dirty mask from the garbage and wear it. The mainstream media published an article titled “Angry Men With Zip-Ties Ambush School Principal After COVID Masking Request.” Walker said if this was accurate, he would have been charged with felonies, not misdemeanors.
He told The Arizona Sun Times that the school superintendent asked Pima County Sheriff’s officers to profile and target him before he “ever set foot in a meeting,” which is documented in a police report. Walker said a retired sheriff’s lieutenant, who is now running for Pima County Sheriff, was the one solicited and responded, “This isn’t the Soviet Union!”
Read the rest of the article at The Arizona Sun Times
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