Post In Grand Ledge Facebook Group Gets Deleted for Causing a Stir Which Causes a Bigger Stir

There's nothing like censorship to really get people talking.

On Friday, a Grand Ledge parent made a post in the Grand Ledge Community Facebook group about an incident involving her daughter and another student at school.  No names were mentioned. The short version of the story is that her daughter was suspended but the other student was not.  The problem is, according to the post, her daughter had, perhaps, made an err in judgement, but the actions of the other student were those of a physically threatening nature.  So, why was only one student punished -- and, really, why was her daughter punished at all?

The context of the situation spurred a great debate -- not just about the situation, but what some considered to be worthwhile conversation that had much further-reaching implications in the community than just in this particular instance.

Then, this post by Kalmin Smith, the group's administrator and mayor of Grand Ledge:

The thread regarding a recent encounter between two students at Grand Ledge High School who are minors was removed. This page is not the appropriate place for adults to become engaged in passionate discourse about a dispute between two children. Lets allow the parents, school administrators and if necessary other legal authorities to handle this situation. They have the responsibility to do so and they are in a position to get the facts.

My response was simply "Wow."

I find it comedic and at the same time pathetic that people take their roles as administrators of Facebook groups so seriously. Have you seen some of these community swap/garage sale administrators? Yikes! I mean, if you really want to control the conversation, you need to have your own website.

Facebook, while, granted, does allow an administrator to take such actions on a "Community Page" as deleting a thread that has prompted hundreds of comments from community members, is designed to be a social, communal, open dialogue. This is particularly fantastic on a "Community Page." Especially when the posted description of that page promises "Information regarding activities and thoughts regarding issues of import[ance]..."

And so, when one suggests the proper course of action is to delete a thread that has taken on a "heated" tone at times, the only response I can muster up is "Wow."

What a waste.

Others, however, have plenty to say about it.