PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Councilmember David Oh started a martial arts self-defense class for kids this week. He is pitching it as an anti-bullying tool, but it’s a far different approach than city and school district officials endorse.
Oh offered the free classes to the Brazilian community after seeing viral video of an assault on a Brazilian child at Farrell Elementary School in Rhawnhurst. He said he doesn’t expect to turn the students into martial arts fighters, but he does hope they learn to defend themselves.
“Showing the children that people care about them,” he said. “They are the victims, and rather than all the attention being put on the bullies who harass and torture them, they are getting attention as well.”
It’s no surprise that Oh is advocating martial arts for kids. He’s a well-known enthusiast, and is a member of the Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society Hall of Fame.
What raised some eyebrows is how he offers it as a strategy to address bullying.
Related
“How to defend themselves, how to evade, how to avoid, what they can do when push comes to shove as to how to neutralize the attack,” said Oh.
A spokesman for the Philadelphia Office of Children and Families said the city believes children should be taught conflict resolution that does not involve violence. The School District of Philadelphia said it offers a variety of evidence-based anti-bullying approaches.
Oh said there’s room for his approach, too.
Related
“What you may be talking about is trying to avoid being beaten and bullied by someone, and a group of people that intend to beat and bully you, so that doesn’t work too well,” Oh explained.
“If someone is coming at you, you can kick. You can strike.”
About 30 students between 5 and 16 years old attended the first class at a charter school in Tacony that donated space. The lessons run for ten days.