Lessons of Imus

While some of us might applaud Don Imus getting fired for the insensitive comments he made about the women of Rutgers, let us not forget where he got the power to say what he said; he got it from us.

We often refer to one another as Niggas, Ho’s, and Bitches. We consider ourselves as Pimps, Playas or Gangstas. We reward comedians and rap artists and other black entertainers with multi-million dollar mansions, fast cars, and all kind of awards for their

achievements. When was the last time you heard two Jewish individuals greet each other as Hymies, or two Asians as Nips, or two Whites as honkeys? They don’t!

By referring to each other by these derogatory names that we wouldn’t dare call our parents, we’ve set a trend of acceptability by people of other colors to do the same. Let us resolve not to reward people who think of our men and women in such a negative and demeaning way.

The same way we got the advertisers to pull their support from Imus show, we could do the same to same to the artist by not buying their records or going to their concerts.

If you can’t say it to your mother or father, then you should not say it at all!

Tracy Wm. Heyward

School Policy Threatens Safety

I was born and raised in the Bronx.  I now teach in the same neighborhood in which I grew up.  

I have repeatedly emailed Chancellor Klein regarding his ineffective discipline policies in NYC public schools. Just today, a boy who threatened to bring in a gun and shoot two of his classmates was placed in another class inside our school. All Klein does is shuffle these violent kids from class to class or school to school.   

When an elementary school student commits an act of violence (sexual assault, physical assault on a teacher or classmate, a threat of bringing a gun to school and killing someone) he is recommended for a suspension. While we wait for the paper pushers, who work directly under the chancellor, to schedule the suspension hearing, the violent student continues to sit in class with his victims. Sometimes he victimizes them again and again while we wait. If we are lucky, the violent student is temporarily, or sometimes permanently, sent to another school where only the principal has the right to know why.  

Most teachers are too timid to question this policy. Most teachers just accept a suspended student into their class without demanding answers. And when some of us do have the courage to make a stink about such a ridiculous policy, the violent student is simply placed elsewhere – into the classroom of a teacher too afraid to speak up.

What follows is a true account of this policy in action. It is not an isolated incident.  It is DOE policy and it is what we face on a regular basis.

Last year a student was suspended from another school into a classroom next to mine.  The teacher was never informed as to what he had done to warrant the suspension. She expressed her concern about the safety of her 28 third graders sitting in a class with a potentially violent student.  Her concerns fell on deaf ears — Region One sent him here — so he stays until Region One says otherwise. Later that day, the suspended student pushed one of her students down the stairs and kicked him. The teacher filled out the required incident report.  In addition, she and I e-mailed Joel Klein.  Mr. Klein responded to my email. He stated that he would direct his Youth Development staff to take "appropriate action."  The violent student stayed in our school but was placed in another class where the teacher was too timid to object. A tragedy will one day exit from this revolving door policy. I hope we do not have to wait for that in order to get some media attention.

Roseanne McCosh
The writer is a teacher at PS 8.

Open Letter to the Community

In late March and early April, a group of four long-standing community based organizations in the northwest Bronx spearheaded an effort to respond to the needs of the Norwood and Bedford Park communities. The four groups are the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC), Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC), the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) and the West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood Resource Center (WBHNRC). The group is tentatively called the Norwood/Bedford Park Consortium.  The consortium held two community-wide meetings where residents, through a series of small group discussions and guided activities, developed a list of concerns. From that list, participants voted on the top issues.

These issues were: 1) the need to communicate resources that are available 2) building a sense of community and 3) training for a variety of skills development.  The Norwood/Bedford Park Consortium strives to build a network of leaders, resources, media, activities and strong local institutions that will provide residents with ample opportunity to communicate and build community. The more interactions people have, the quicker their feeling of belonging to a community solidifies. We are calling this effort the Norwood/Bedford Park BLOOMS initiative.

This is only the beginning; we know we need to involve more people and get more input. As we address these issues, and as community residents engage in this process, new needs and new resources will emerge. It is the intention of the Norwood/Bedford Park Consortium to continue to develop our response to the needs that are voiced by community members. The ultimate goal of the Consortium is to provide resources, skills and community organization so that Norwood and Bedford Park residents can take the leadership in making Norwood and Bedford Park BLOOMS. Our efforts will be channeled through sharing information, sponsoring/hosting various community based events and training.

Please watch for announcements and upcoming events in the Norwood News and throughout the community.  If you have any questions or comments about the Norwood/Bedford Park BLOOMS initiative, please contact Jennifer Mitchell at (718) 324-4462 or email at jmitchell@mpcbronx.org.

Mosholu Montefiore Community Center
Mosholu Preservation Corporation
Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition
West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood Resource Center

Tax Would Focus Country on War

This letter was sent by the author, who grew up in Norwood, to Congressional representatives from Hawaii and New York.

I am the husband of a currently deployed Army officer stationed in Hawaii, and with a home of record in New York. I’m writing today for two reasons: to thank you for your support of emergency war funding legislation that included a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq and to ask you to take an additional step and require that any additional funding for the current conflict be paid for immediately, through a tax increase.

When my wife was deployed in Afghanistan two years ago, I found the deployment easier to deal with than her current Iraq tour, even though she was probably in more physical danger in Afghanistan. At that time, I at least had the comfort of believing in the cause that she was fighting for. Right now, I’m not sure I even know just why she — or the rest of our troops — are there. I’m a bit of a cynic by nature, and did not expect my view of the cause to make a difference in how easy it would be to face the separation. To my surprise, I’ve discovered that it’s much easier to make sacrifices when you know why you are being asked to make them.

This brings me to one of the reasons that I am asking that you attach a tax increase to any further war spending — sacrifice. Last night, when my wife called from where she’s stationed, I mentioned that I had learned about the decision to extend Army tours through the media instead of through Army channels, but that it was nowhere near the top story of the night. A radio DJ getting fired for making insensitive and racist comments and the implications of the Anna Nicole paternity test were all apparently much more newsworthy events. My wife was surprised that this surprised me. Her response was, "Of course it isn’t. Why would most people care about this."

She’s right. The vast majority of the American public has little at stake in this conflict. The sacrifices are being made by the military and by military families. As retired Major General John Batiste put it last year, "Most Americans only confront this issue by deciding what color of magnet [to put] on the back end of their SUV." I think that if more Americans were being asked to make sacrifices to support this war effort, more Americans would pay closer attention to what has been (and is) going on.

Sacrifice isn’t the only reason to make sure that this war is funded through taxes now. We also have a responsibility to our descendants. Right now, our two children are already being asked to sacrifice a great deal for this war effort — their mother has been away during 18 of the last 33 months. It is unfair, unreasonable, and irresponsible to ask them, when they grow up, to also pay the financial costs of the war. The current policies, unfortunately, do just that.

Please consider taking these actions, both to support the troops who are deployed now and to support those who are being asked to pay for the war later.

In addition to emailing this letter to you, I am also posting it on my blog (http://scienceblogs.com/authority). I would encourage anyone who reads it there to send a similar letter to their Representatives and Congressmen.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Michael Dunford