Harry, You have to speak in the language of the people you are teaching. I taught in a Roman Catholic High School in college. The Nuns marched the kids in with yardsticks ready to whack them if they were out of step. These genuinely nice women turned tyrants in front of a classroom. "Out of school" the kids were terrors in the block.
Once they marched in entering the classroom I had no option but to literally yell at them ala drill sergeant to make them sing. The administration was thrilled that I would take these Ecclesiastical Christians into their own church and "explain the architecture", have them sing their newest songs (Vatican II) at the time. I even met with the Monsignor to discuss the architecture of the new renovation of the church in order to make it more acoustically beautiful for all of that beautiful tradition of RC music. But the key to succes was for me to leave classes vocally hoarse or they simply wouldn't pay attention, sing or anything else. I know plenty of horror stories from every place. But most of them have to do with people who thought they were coming there to help out. The biggest help one can do is to be a good teacher and that means doing whatever is necessary to get the job done in the time allotted. It doesn't do any good to trot out stories about crime. Or worry about it. The most crime ridden group in America is, according to the federal government, the American Indians. And most of the crime is perpetrated against us by Whites. If we were to draw the kinds of conclusions you are making based upon our own experience we would and do (I'm afraid) consider Europeans to be the most violent people on the planet. But then there is all of that wonderful Art and Culture and the social ideals that Hutton spoke about. The truth is this when people band together they go through standard rules of group process and that seems to happen in all groups. When you lock people in poverty and they have no imagination on how to get out, the human spirit turns mean especially if it includes alcohol or drugs. This seems to be more inclined for ethnic minorities but the truth is that the exotic or other always gets the media attention. I would point out that there is just as high an alcoholism rate amongst farmers in Vermont and New Hampshire and Child abuse was so rampant a few years back that the running joke was that being one's own Grandfather was not an impossibility. There is violence is against their own and is hidden. Dr. Rayna Green of the Smithsonian did a comparison several years ago between alcoholism and child abuse on the worst reservations and the farmers stuck with Cabin Fever in Vermont and New Hampshire winters . They made the same choices and had the same alcohol strategies as the Indians but you never heard about anyone with fetal alcohol syndrome in Vermont. It was all laid to incest. You would think they would rather admit to drinking when pregnant but every group has its concept of shame. Anyone who has frequented Non Commissioned Officer clubs in Korea would see much the same strategies in use by American servicemen stuck for a couple of years in a society that they don't understand or speak the language while they are Post bound for their two year stint. The same think happened in Vietnam when servicemen used the drugs in Vietnam and brought Hepititus C home with them, it was not that much different from what you describe here. People with no options are the same the world over. As for understanding the Black Ghetto in New York City, I would suggest Robert Coles, he's been there and has worked and written extensively about it as well as setting more than a few Congressmen straight when they trotted out there statistics. Are you familiar with his old series the Children of Crisis? No one gets off, not even the "Children of Privilege." Washington has been and seems to still be a case of two many hands in the pot and every one of those hands filled with election anxiety lest one of their constituents get killed and they lose an election. So they over control. I know that you understand that anxiety level. You couldn't have your background and not know it. I saw it in Congressmen long dead like Everett Dirkson and in disgraced Presidents and resigned Supreme Court Justices. As for DC and the ghetto, I was there when it burned in 1968, on alert in the military. I worked with people in the ghetto as did my wife who was teaching there at the time. It was heartbreaking as I came home one day and found that my young beautiful wife had written in red ink on our bedroom wall "I'm sorry Jimmy." I was worried as she was lying on the bed in tears. Jimmy turned out to be a 10 year old boy who had his lunch money stolen every day by drug dealers and had nothing to eat. (1968) His Grandmother had a padlock on the refrigerator and he was afraid to admit that he was starving because he loved his Grandmother and didn't want to hurt her. She worked so hard as a domestic. Andrea was critical of the child until one day she figured out that he was not just malnourished but starving to death before her eyes. She then arranged for him to be fed "on the dole" without his Grandmother realizing what had happened because Jimmy wouldn't eat if it offended here. Even at ten and starving he was proud. I could tell you so many stories and yet this is the one most clear truth I know from living there and through it. When we as a society can tolerate such things in the name of idealism and ideology then every death of every child is a strike against our right to call ourselves human. After Dr. King was murdered, the people's rage finally peaked. They let Andrea leave the ghetto but as she left they were setting fire to things and expressing their rage in the only way that wouldn't get their children killed by the Army. By burning down their own houses in protest. The rest of the country may have never heard of Greenwood in Tulsa or the Green Corn Rebellion of the 1920s but these ghetto Blacks had and they knew a history that we were never taught except by them. Do any of you know about the Green Corn Rebellion? How about Greenwood when the Tulsa Tribune advocated killing Blacks in the most affluent black community in America? You tell me. Do you know the history? I was in Washington when the capital burned and was on alert when the local military mutinied in the Vietnam War. Never heard that one either right? They covered that up real fast. I've been the fly on the wall to many events. Cheers. REH > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Brian McAndrews" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 6:27 PM > Subject: RE: [Futurework] The District of Colour Bar > > > > Lawry, > > > > Some 80% of violent crimes are committed by blacks. Also, 51.5% of the > > homicides. > > > > This in 13% of the population. > > > > A kid was killed yesterday - a gang killing. He had already lost 4 > brothers. > > > > So, complaining at so many blacks in prison isn't particularly worthwhile. > > > > Also, it's understandable why the police - including black police - are > > likely to profile. > > > > And it's the reason why it's not easy to get teachers to teach in the > black > > areas - the job usually goes to new teachers who don't have much refusal > > power. Two young white ladies were in this position in an all-black high > > school with which I was involved. They were wonderfully liberal and wanted > > to empathize with the kids - treat the seniors as friends, and all the > rest. > > > > That the kids were uncontrollable was an understatement. The more educated > > ones would take out paper-backs and read them taking no notice of the > > teacher. Those, no doubt unable to read spent the time causing trouble. > > Both teachers, bless them.really tried to treat them as human. > > > > I was in the room when one teacher finally broke. She stopped being nice. > > She let go at them at the top of her lungs - and the class went quiet. No > > doubt attracted by the noise, the social studies chairman came to the open > > door. She went over to him. He said, "I'm glad you've finally become a > > teacher." > > > > I think she stayed on teaching. The other one fled - apparently, went up > to > > Oregon and less threatening classrooms. > > > > I hope Brian has a segment on "how to survive" for his teacher-students. > > > > What can be done? > > > > Harry > > > > ==================================================== > > > > Lawrence wrote: > > > > >Hi, Brian, > > > > > >The article, I assume, is correct on the number of murders, so I guess > the > > >rate may have increased last year. The US, generally, has a high murder > > >rate (too many guns out there) and Washington does not have the highest > > >murder rate in the US, I don't think. > > > > > >Crime IS one of the areas that breaks down along racial lines: murders > are > > >overwhelmingly black on black and related to drugs(as I suggested, a > > >consequence of the prevalence of drug addiction among the black > community). > > >Callously, a prevalent attitude in DC is that druggies killing druggies > over > > >deals gone bad and drug turf wars is 'ok.' Occasionally, an innocent > > >bystander is gunned down, and the city rises in indignation, but as long > as > > >it is internal to the world of drugs, people tend to turn a blind eye, > IMO. > > >If one excluded drug-related killings from the murder numbers, the crime > > >rate would be, I would guess, pretty low. > > > > > >Drug-related murders are largely confined to small areas of the city. > People > > >generally know where these areas are, and avoid them, except for the > unlucky > > >inhabitants of those areas. Subjectively, I think the areas have been > > >getting smaller, though I could be wrong; it may be that they are just > > >shifting from area to area, and to the poorest areas. Drug users from > > >outside those areas drive to them to purchase their drugs, but the > > >shootings, between drug dealers, take place in those areas. > > > > > >I was here also during the sniper attacks. It held the area hypnotized > for > > >many days. One of the highlights was the outpouring of sympathy for the > > >victims and their families, the lack of racial speculation over the > identity > > >of the perpetrators, and the immense outpouring of support for and indeed > > >deep admiration for our lead police officer, Moose, a black. Racial > > >consciousness was essentially absent during this ordeal, and IMO, this is > > >what true 'tolerance' is all about. The notion of race becomes > irrelevant, > > >and consciousness of it as a factor in human affairs fades. > > > > > >So, back to your question: yes, DC has a high crime rate, by > international > > >standards, but not unusually high by US standards. The social impact of > > >crime in DC is mitigated (for better or worse) by its localization among > > >drug dealers and in the locales they operate out of. > > > > > >I hope your dean was not too freaked out by what she was told, and had a > > >chance to enjoy a city that has many extraordinary offerings for the > > >visitor. > > > > > >Cheers, > > >Lawry > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Brian McAndrews [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > > > Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 12:02 PM > > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Subject: RE: [Futurework] The District of Colour Bar > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi Lawry, > > > > My dean was at a conference in DC recently (during the sniper scare) > > > > and she was told that DC has a very high violent crime rate. Any > > > > truth to that? > > > > > > > > Take care, > > > > Brian > > > > > > > > > > > > >Greetings, everyone, > > > > > > > > > >This is one of those articles written by someone who knows just > > > > enough to be > > > > >profoundly wrong -- or worse, to miss the point entirely. > > > > > > > > > >To point to some of the more egregious areas: > > > > >1. Washington is as segregated as Johannesburg. Fact: any person > > > > of any race > > > > >can be in any part of Washington (or its suburbs), any of its > > > > institutions, > > > > >any of its public accommodations, without being insulted, > > > > relegated to the > > > > >back of the line, or sent away. Fact: At any restaurant, at any time, > you > > > > >will see a mix of races taking their meals. Same for: parties, > classes at > > > > >any of the District's five universities, public transportation, > museums, > > > > >theaters, etc.. Fact: Washington's neighborhoods do break down into > > > > >well-segregated ones (e.g. Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Gold Coast, > > > > >Cleveland Park, etc.) and those that are predominantly one race > > > > or another > > > > >(e.g. Anacostia, Upper Northeast, Spring Valley, etc.) But (a > > > > vital point > > > > >the writer only dismisses in passing) the reason is financial, and > not > > > > >racial segregation. Yes, there are big gaps in income in Washington, > and > > > > >generally whites and Asians earn more than blacks and Hispanics, > > > > especially > > > > >recently immigrated Hispanics. This has a lot to do with the way the > > > > >District was constituted (lots of blacks found refuge in the > > > > District during > > > > >and following the civil war, and then, more recently, the Marion > Barry > > > > >administration made the District into the employer of last resort for > > > > >blacks, attracting many to relatively low-paying clerical and manual > city > > > > >jobs. > > > > > > > > > >2. Some brief history: The District was created as a Federal > government > > > > >enclave. It was designed for Federal workers, and the idea was that > these > > > > >should be impartial when it came to state-level politics. Voting, as > the > > > > >writer correctly suggests, and representation have now become big > issues. > > > > >The District has non-voting representatives in the Senate and in > > > > the House, > > > > >who are remarkably effective, as they attend all functions except > actual > > > > >voting, and effective due to their personal qualities. Ellen > > > > Holmes Norton > > > > >is outstanding, but this is idiosyncratic, and the issue will > > > > continue to be > > > > >pursued. > > > > > > > > > >3. One of the major though usually unspoken aspects of the > representation > > > > >issue is the matter of the state of the black community. Under Barry > (a > > > > >convicted cocaine user), the black community developed a set of > profound > > > > >problems: a. drugs and the consequent breakdown of the black family > (as > > > > >measured by out-of-wedlock marriages, single-parent families, teenage > > > > >pregnancies, school truancy, dependency on welfare, children > > > > born to secure > > > > >additional welfare payments); b. a sense of entitlement to City > > > > jobs (which > > > > >led to the creation of massive bureaucracies, a lack of > > > > performance-goals, > > > > >fundamental breakdowns in city services [schools, transportation, > welfare > > > > >administration, sanitation, parks and recreation, etc.],and massive > > > > >corruption at senior levels of the bureaucracies. These > > > > breakdowns brought > > > > >to a halt the progress toward representation that had been achieved > under > > > > >Mayor Washington (Barry's predecessor and first elected mayor of the > > > > >District). Mayor Williams, our current mayor, has begun to turn this > > > > >situation around, but it has been slow slogging due to the > > > > pervasiveness of > > > > >these problems and their de facto acceptance by many black leaders, > > > > >including church ministers, neighborhood leaders, etc. The courts > had to > > > > >move in and place in receivership several of the District's more > critical > > > > >and woeful bureaucracies (schools, medical, judiciary, etc), some > have > > > > >emerged and some are still in receivership. Mayor Williams has broad > > > > >support from all parts of the city (and all races) and is doing, > > > > IMO a very > > > > >good job. This has not yet arrested the flight of people of all > > > > races from > > > > >the District, but here and there within the District, you can > > > > see some areas > > > > >reviving (e.g. Shaw, U-street corridor, 15th & R, etc.) with > > > > participation > > > > >by all races. > > > > > > > > > >4. The author of the article makes a bizarre statement about > > > > Democrats and > > > > >Republicans, and their relationship to race. I would say that almost > > > > >universally, Democrats are viewed as the party favoring racial > > > > justice and > > > > >opportunity (reinforced even more by Republican behavior over > > > > the last 2-3 > > > > >years). Not surprisingly, Washington DC is overwhelmingly > > > > Democratic, a bias > > > > >of all races in the District. > > > > > > > > > >5. I'm not sure what meaning the author was imputing to his > (accurate) > > > > >description of Washington's grid street numbering system. It > > > > makes it very > > > > >easy even for strangers to find one's way around the city. Washington > was > > > > >laid out from scratch by architect Pierre L'Enfant, and he created an > > > > >orderly, elegant and simple design which has been much admired ever > since > > > > >the city was built. The author is quite wrong to describe whites as > > > > >inhabiting a 'sliver' of the city: whites live and work in all the > > > > >quadrants. > > > > > > > > > >I hope this corrects some of the elements of the rather odd > > > > portrayal of the > > > > >District offered in the article. But where would a journalist be > left if > > > > >his instant and superficial sensationalisms were taken away? > > > > > > > > > >Best regards, > > > > >Lawry > > > > > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > > > > >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of > > > > Karen Watters > > > > >> Cole > > > > >> Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 8:52 AM > > > > >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >> Cc: Tanya Campbell > > > > >> Subject: RE: [Futurework] The District of Colour Bar > > > > >> > > > > >> > > > > >> Yes, Tanya this was a good read, part humor part dirty facts. If > > > > >> it weren't > > > > >> for the fact that the seat of government takes up so much of it's > real > > > > >> estate, Washington DC would be just another urban renewal > > > > project in some > > > > >> ways. But hey, they've got great real estate and the > > > > Smithsonian, too. > > > > >> > > > > >> Guess it should be noted that the lost margin keeps getting > smaller on > > > > >> legislation to give DC residents their own reps in Congress. > > > > As soon as > > > > >> there is a change in majorityship, this effort might just succeed > > > > >> after many > > > > >> attempts, another example of dogged democracy, if not fluid > democracy. > > > > >> > > > > >> I would at least hope that DC gets official recognition > > > > before we annex > > > > >> Canada and incorporate Israel. > > > > >> > > > > >> Karen Watters Cole > > > > >> East of Portland, West of Mt Hood > > > > >> Outgoing mail scanned by NAV 2002 > > > > >> > > > > >> A great piece in the Guardian this morning on Washington DC's > > > > racism and > > > > >> contradictions/hipocracy surrounding it as the center of > democracy. > > > > >> > > > > >> It also touches on something that is often missed when talking > > > > >> about the US > > > > >> and that is the state capitals, centres of where democracy is to > be > > > > >> practiced are not often much more than manmade suburbs at their > > > > >> best (DC is > > > > >> an extreme example of this). And from this structure, the vocal > > > > >> minority in those capitals and surrounding often have more > > > > >> ability to drown > > > > >> out the voice of those in cities. > > > > >> > > > > >> (I humbly await pro-suburb criticism.) > > > > >> > > > > >> Regards, > > > > >> Tanya Campbell > > > > > > > > ****************************** > > Harry Pollard > > Henry George School of LA > > Box 655 > > Tujunga CA 91042 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Tel: (818) 352-4141 > > Fax: (818) 353-2242 > > ******************************* > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---- > > > > > > --- > > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > > Version: 6.0.443 / Virus Database: 248 - Release Date: 1/10/2003 > > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
