On Bernie Sanders and North High School

On Sanders and North High School

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is coming to North High School on January 2, 2016. This is a good thing for North High School and Worcester.  Although it is not quite on the level of President Obama going to Worcester Voke, it is a big deal.

I cannot say I agree with Bernie Sanders on everything, but I agree that the excesses of capitalism need mitigation. Mr. Sander is trying to reduce the economic disparities of the profit system in order to save it from itself. Although he thinks this is revolutionary, it is not. Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the New Deal to save capitalism from collapsing in a crisis similar to the Great Recession of 2008.  Saving capitalism is almost a traditional or conservative political agenda.

I disagree with Mr. Sanders in that I do not think the profits system, economic disparities, and their superstructure of racism should be saved. Generation after generation, we go through an economic crisis of one sort or another. It is time we had a system where corporations are not legal persons and money is not speech.

Getting back to the issues of Senator’s Sanders visit to North High School, for years the students have been the butt of color blind racism. I remember when the old North High School on Salisbury St. was closed and the kids from the East Side had to go to a remodeled middle school building, the former Harrington Way Junior School.  Our children on this side of City did not have a new high school for 100 years.

In the 1990s the City had an opportunity to build a new high school. There was a discussion whether to build a New North High School or a New Voke. Some people suggested that the two high schools be combined. This discussion did not go far as many of the Voke Alums seems to look down on the students from North as not quite as good as the Voke kids. I have no other explanation for not combining the two schools except a sort of color blind racism.

Even after the new North High School was built, I remember  Councillor Konnie Lukes complained about the bad kids at North High School.  She quipped “ Maybe it was not a new building that they needed” I am even more upset that some of the teachers have taken the attitude of the need for full time police in the schools because of the “bad” kids. The hurtful words of the Marine who headed up JROTC comes to mind. Even the EAW says that the teachers need police protection because of bad students. All of this is hurtful and discouraging to the students.  Our children are no different than children elsewhere. I think color blind racism is a factor behind these comments and policies.

Kudos to Senator Sanders for choosing to come to this inner city school whose students have in many ways been emotionally and verbally abused by so many.  May this Bernie Sanders  event be the start of a good new year for North High, all of the children in Worcester, the City of Worcester, and Bernie Sanders.

I am not sure that Mr. Sanders will be the President of the United States. If he does become president, he can expect me to criticize him from the left for not doing enough.

Snow's Limited Judgment

Snow’s Limited Judgment

Snow, rain, freezing rain, and a flash freeze came to Worcester on December 29, 2015. As of late afternoon of December 30, 2015 many of the streets in Worcester are still ice packed and unplowed. The City Manager, Edward Augustus Jr., has stated in his December 30, 2015 public letter, “Many of our streets are not in the condition our taxpayers have the right to expect”.

Manager Augustus has admitted in his letter that the wrong decision “was made”. The use of the passive voice in the assignment of blame leaves open and unclear who is to blame for this mess. Most politicians are skilled at the use of the passive voice.

The manager in his letter also said that the Department of Public Works (DPW) deployed salters and sanders well before the precipitation arrived.  It did not call in the plows because the forecast was for “slush”. I suppose this makes some sense.

When it was clear to the DPW the weather and street conditions would be more than slush, the DPW called in the plows in the late afternoon of December 29, 2015. This does not seem to have been entirely accurate as many of the main streets are still ice covered in the late afternoon of December 30, 2015, especially the break down lanes. I have not seen one plow truck on my street or anywhere in Worcester on December 30, 2015.  Perhaps the Manager can say what streets were plowed.

Mr. Moosey of the DPW said that there was a limited response to the flash freezing of snow and rain as reported in the Worcester Telegram. Unfortunately his response not only did not excuse the error in judgment, but failed to address another important issue. 

The issue of pedestrians was not addressed. Because of the ice and snow the sidewalks have to be shoveled and treated. We pedestrians have gotten used to the failure of some property owners to shovel and treat their sidewalks. Even the City of Worcester fails to do so on some of their properties.  When a sidewalk is unshovelled or untreated pedestrians usually can walk in the break down lanes in the streets.

But this storm we could not. The breakdown lanes were not plowed and were as bad as the unshovelled sidewalks. Plowed streets are important for pedestrians which did not seem to be a concern for the Manager or Mr. Moosey of the DPW. Neither of whom mentioned us in their public communiqués.

This seems to fit the pattern of Worcester ignoring or marginalizing pedestrians. There seems to be about one pedestrian death per week in Worcester. There is a perception that the police look first to see if the pedestrian was at fault and then looking for the fault of the driver in a pedestrian motorist accident. It is time to have a default law assuming that the motorist who hits a pedestrian is always at fault for not yielding to a pedestrian.

Getting back to the snow and ice issues, the City Manager should review how decisions are made in terms of when to do more than a “limited” response to road conditions. The Manager should take full responsibility for any and all errors of judgment and stop using the passive voice in assigning blame.

It was shameful how Governor Baker shifted blame for last season’s MBTA failures. This season’s failures clearly are the responsibility of Governor Baker. I hope that Manager Augustus does not trap himself into this shameful practice of shifting blames. He should own up to this and other errors in judgments he has made.  

Are Electronic Pulses Dangerous?

Transmitting Technology, a Possible Danger to Some

The electronic pulses that come from transmitting 

devices are  concerning to Patricia Burke and

Judith Alden. They are a part of the opposition to 

the use of smart meters now being installed in 

Worcester in a pilot program. There are now 

15, 000 smart meters that have been installed by 

National Grid in the City.

A smart meter is electronic and transmits data to National

Grid which uses them to analyze electric usage by 

individuals and on a macro- level.

During my talk with Ms. Burke she pointed out that there is 

a recognized condition of hyper sensitivity to electronic 

pulses that are found in electronic and transmitting 

devices. She said that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 

monitors the cases of this condition.  Ms. Burke also said 

that the CDC does not consider the pulses to be per se 

dangerous until they raise a person’s temperature above 

98.6 degrees Fahrenheit; she thought that the standard was 

not effectual should be changed.

Ms. Burke and Alden are opposed to all transmitting 

devices. They indicated that the natural gas utilities also 

have transmitting meter. They pointed out that some people 

are sensitive to smart phones, wi-fi, and telephone 

towers.  However smart meters are the priority.

A spokes person for National Grid, Danielle Williamson, 

responded that the smart meter transmissions were 

within the standards of the Federal Communication 

Commission, the CDC, and state regulations. She also said 

that the safety of its customers and workers are 

National Grid main concern.

More interestingly Ms. Williamson described the 

relationship between National Grid and the so called 

Sustainability Center at Clark University.  National Grid has 

leased space in the Center and hired student interns to talk 

about energy savings with customers. Included in the items 

discussed are smart meters and they are creating energy 

efficiency.

Ms. Burke take on this matter was that there are 

some environmentalists who do not see the harm caused by 

smart meters and are only concerned with the data 

collection for efficient energy use. National Grid has asked 

the State to allow government aid for the costs of the 

Sustainability Center. The Attorney General, Maura Healy, 

has written a report opposing State help with the 11 million 

dollar bill. Ms. Burke felt that this cost would be passed on 

to customers.

Ms. Burke and Alden belong to Halt Massachusetts Smart 

Meters. There is another group in opposition to smart 

meters is Worcester Opts Out, run by John Provost.

I remember when National Grid came to our house to install 

the smart meter. The installer did not say why he was 

changing the meter. I thought that it was a routine 

maintenance similar to the natural gas company swapping 

meters every 7 years. I knew something was different when 

National Grid started to send us letters saying we were 

using more electricity than our neighbors.

After talking with Ms. Burke and Alden, I am wondering 

how these impulses are affecting my family and me. They 

said we can ask the electric company to install a different 

type of meter, but I won’t be able to get the analog meter 

again. 

One of the things I would like to have changed is National 

Grid sending letters comparing my electric usage to my 

neighbors, a waste of paper and another guilting.   

The Politics of Safer Schools

Politics of Safe Schools

The Safety Audit for the Worcester Public Schools was discussed at the December 17, 2015 School Committee Meeting. The Safety Audit concerns itself mostly with keeping the students and staff at schools safe from outside threats. It talked about stronger doors, more security at the front entrances, comprehensive responses, etc. 

The Safety Audit rightly did not concern itself with internal “incidents” such as yelling, bouncing basketballs, cell phone use, or dress code which are things that students, who are still developing,  act out.  The Safety Audit did say that if the police were brought in to resolve these “incidents” many staffers and students would not cooperate with the police. This non cooperation caused by the criminalization of non criminal incidents could have an adverse effect on safety. The Audit recommended that for these “incidents” there should be a policy of no arrests and deferral to school disciplinary policy and not the criminal justice system.

It did not seem that many in the School Committee paid attention to this recommendation.

Many people spoke out against police in the schools and the arrests of students at school. Some in the opposition identified themselves as from the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), Mass. Human Rights, ACLU, and a Unitarian Church.

A speaker from PLP said that the City was not in compliance with State Statutes on the use of police in the schools. The required Memorandum of Understanding ((MOU) was out of date and the City faced lawsuits for any harm done by the police in schools.  Ron Madnick, a former teacher at Burncoat High School said that having loaded guns, carried by the police, was troubling in terms of accidents.

The student representative from South High School said that he agreed students should not be arrested at school unless there was an emergency.  Idella Hazard, a former police officer, said that the police in the schools was racist and a part of the school to prison pipeline. Gwen Davis said that most of the police make six figures salaries and that money would be better spent on more teachers and better students to teachers ratios.

There was one person who spoke in favor of the police arresting students at school. He is the head of the teachers’ union. He said that only bad kids get arrested. He then said that the armed gunmen could have stopped the tragedy in Newtown where 21 elementary school children and 6 staffers were killed. The Minister from the Unitarian Church replied that it was outrageous to bring up Newtown as there are no plans to station police in elementary schools in Worcester.

Dr. Rodrigues was disingenuous when he said that a working MOU existed. He said that it would be posted on the Worcester Public School website on December 18, 2015. It was not.  Dr. Rodrigues had said earlier in the month that the new MOU would not be written until after March 2016. He is learning quickly how to play the Worcester old boy network.

It is encouraging that some thought is going into making our schools safer from outside threats. It is sad that many other people think about school safety in terms of threats from students. Many in the schools and City seem to be afraid of young Black students and anyone adversely affected by poverty, especially teenagers.

It is clear that leadership on this issue will not come from the School Committee which has no person of color or even a progress. The leadership will not come from City Council which refused to discuss the lack of a policy about police in the School. It is not likely to come from the City Manager who made a mess of things with the Department of Justice Race Dialogues.  

There is hope to be found in the little group of people who are demanding that the students in Worcester be treated in a manner that will lead to their success and not to the criminal justice system.   

Dr. Rodrigues Speaks about Cops in Worcester Schools

Meeting Dr. Rodriques

Members of Mass. Human Rights met with Dr. Marco Rodrigues, the interim Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools on December 8, 2015. The meeting was intended to clarify the City government’s policy about full time police officers (school resource officers) in the High Schools and the arrests of students at school. Dr. Rodrigues was open and candid.  The clarifications, however, raised new questions.

Regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is required by statute to be in place before the full time police officers are assigned to the schools, it has yet to be revised.  The revisions will be made, according to Dr, Rodriques, after the special training for SRO is specified.

Dr.  Rodrigues has been in contact with the National Organization of School Resource Officers (SRO) located in Alabama, regarding the development of training requirements for SRO. The training would be about 40 hours. The tentative plan is to have a trainer come to Worcester.  It was fairly clear that the details of the training plan did not exist or were in flux. Sometime in March 2016 is the date of the expected training.

Dr. Rodrigues was uncertain about how parents, teachers, students, or advocates could have input into the rewriting of the MOU. He said that the MOU would be based on the specifics of the training and was intended to be a document between the Police and School Departments of Worcester.  However he did not rule out a public review of the finished document. Ms. Davis said that Mass. Human Rights planned to reach out to the Parents Advisory Groups regarding the issues.

The Safety Audit for Worcester Schools is now completed and it should be presented to the Worcester School Committee at the December 17, 2015 meeting.  Dr. Rodriques did not go into detail about the audit. Ms. Davis said that her group was planning to attend the December 17, 2015 School Committee meeting to present a petition against arresting students at school. She also said that was interested in the details of the Safety Audit.

When the issue of the arrests of students at school came up, Dr. Rodriques did not seem to have all of the facts at hand. He said he could not comment on whether or not the number of arrests of students at school was up or down. He was not able to break down the arrests by race or by type. It was stated by one of the attendees that most of the arrests were for disruptions or disorderly which are not crimes or are subjective.

Ms. Rodriguez of Mass. Human Rights said that the Latino children are more disproportionately and wrongfully arrested than other groups of students. She said she was very concerned.

Dr. Rodriques said that Worcester has one of the highest graduation rates for an urban school district. He said that at 79 percent, it is much higher than Boston, Lowell, or Springfield. He also said that the dropout rate is continuing to decline. In regards to a recommendation from the State, the Worcester School System has lower suspension numbers than previous years.

My impression of Dr. Rodriques is he has the enthusiasm and the energy of the young with the professional experience and education to have a significantly good impact on the Worcester Schools. In a majority minority school district Dr. Rodrigues has the potential to make a positive difference that others would not be able to accomplish.  He is already making that difference and he certainly seems to want to do so.

No Place For Hate

Good People Asking For Normalcy

Stephen and Mona are people of the Muslim faith. They came to City Hall on December 7, 2015 to ask for a return to normalcy. They are saddened by the killings in San Bernardino, Paris, Beirut, and elsewhere.

The Worcester City government held a press conference to send message for tolerance and against mass murders and religious bullying. There were about a dozen city employees standing behind the speakers, Ms. Milner (Manager’s Committee Against Hate and Bias), Ms. Turchek ( Human Rights Commission), Manager Augustus, and Mayor Petty. They all said the right things and I hope something good comes from their efforts. There was a moment of silence for the murdered people of San Bernardino.

President Obama said much the same the night before in his talk from the Oval Office.  Like the Worcester City officials there was a sort of cynicism or fatigue in his words.

Stephen from the Islamic Center also spoke from the podium; however what he said after the press conference is more interesting. He was anxious to have his community be seen as any other community in the City. He invited us to come to the Mosques during prayers or to schedule a tour.  There are two Mosques in the City. The Mosque on East Mountain Street is associated with the Islamic Center and the Mosque on Laurel St. is associated with the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester. Stephen also said that there are no specific places for prayer and that Muslim go to either Mosque or sometimes both.

Mona is an administrator at the Islamic Center and married to Stephen. She spoke after the formalities about the fear faced by Muslims in this area.  Hate speech is common she said which has led to “minor” assaults such as bottles being thrown at the Mosques and some people nearly being run down in traffic.  Mona reported that many people call her after being the victim of hate speech, obscenities, or harassment.

Women especially, according to Mona sought out her advice on whether to stay at home or to go shopping or to send their make relatives instead. Women and children are most identifiable as Muslims because of their dress. Mona indicated that these more vulnerable are the usual victims of racial and religious harassment.

There are several Muslim umbrella groups in the area. The Center for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Justice are two. Ascentia (formerly Lutheran Refugees) is working with the Muslim organizations in the transition of refugees to life in Massachusetts.

Even though Stephen said that Mosques were working with Worcester Interface, I did not see anyone from Worcester Interface or any ministers or priests.

Sometime this week there will be a meeting between government officials and some of the leaders of the Muslim community to express their concerns in a more appropriate venue. I think we all learned a lesson from the Department of Justice hearings on this matter.

Although theirs is a plea for normalcy, recent events do not bode well for any of us. Mass killings are the new normal.  Syria has become the new Balkans. The war hawks, Know Nothings, and some Presidential candidates have new people to bully and harass.