DENVER DISTRICT 11 VOTERS, THERE ARE ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT TO VOTE IN THE JUNE 2 RUNOFF ELECTION!
THIS IS THE TIME WHEN WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE WHO WILL BEST REPRESENT US AS OUR CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE. WILL IT BE STACIE GILMORE OR SEAN BRADLEY?
I BELIEVE THAT STACIE GILMORE CAN, AND IF ELECTED, WILL BE THE BEST PERSON TO REPRESENT DISTRICT 11.
THE BEST WAY FOR YOU TO EXPRESS WHO YOU BELIEVE IT IS THAT CAN BEST REPRESENT US IS BY MAKING SURE THAT YOU VOTE BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSE ON JUNE 2.
ALWAYS REMEMBER, YOUR VOTE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL…UNLESS YOU DON’T USE IT!
All Denver voters who have a team still in the game are tense as the final seconds of the game tick down. The May 5, 2015 winners are still ahead and although some of the fans of both teams have already left the arena – some because the game appeared so out of reach for the opponent to possibly make a comeback before the final minutes ticked from the clock and others who had conceded the win to the apposing team because they felt that it was too late for their team to come back and win, the diehard fans have remained to the bitter…or sweet end.
Those fans who left hear a sudden roar from the crowd so make a u-turn and try to reenter the arena but it is too late; the gate attendants refuse to let them back in: they have squandered their chance to be a part of this great moment. The goal line teams for the defense and offense are in. Sean Bradley is under center for the offense and Stacy Gilmore has called out the defensive signal for the defense.
It is forth down and the stage is set as the final seconds continue to tick off of the clock. This is it; this is the ballgame. One team will win and one will go home empty-handed to lick their wounds until they earn the next opportunity to compete for this coveted prize. Will it be a running play or will they attempt a quick pass? Sean Bradley commences to call the count.
Twooooo, sevennnnn, tennnnn, elevennnnn, hut! It’s a run! Bodies come together in one massive heap as the runner tries to carry the ball off tackle. The officials rush in and begin to pull bodies from the pile to determine if the ball crossed the goal line. They finally reach the running back and discover the position of the ball. An official steps back to give the official call. As the crow holds its collective breath the official signals…
I call upon voters in Denver districts two, seven, ten and eleven to realize that the election is still ongoing so we need to make sure that our follow-through is adequate. In order for that to be the case, we can only complete our civic duty by voting in the runoff election on June 2nd. Once we have voted we can relax until the next election.
Although there are only seven (7) voting days left before the polls close for good on this election there is still plenty of time for you to cast your ballot. Keep this in mind as you contemplate what you want for your community, what you want it to look like in the foreseeable future and who you believe can best lead it in the effort to reach that goal.
Since I live in District 11 I especially want to leave those in our community with the message to keep working because we are not there yet! To all of those who still have candidates in the race that they are supporting I say always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!
Assure ahead of time that you know where you can either vote or drop off your ballot and then be sure to vote on or before June 2nd.
I met Stacie Gilmore for the first time last night. I think that it was sometime between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. More often than not I am sitting in our computer room either writing an article for my blog or checking out the latest political news; but this time, my wife had arrived there just ahead of me.
As a result, I was headed downstairs to watch the hockey game when my doorbell rang. When I answered the door there was a woman standing there with a big smile on her face that extended her hand and said “hi, I’m Stacie Gilmore.” From there she began to spout a lot of things about how she loves our community, the things she had done since becoming a part of it and how she wanted to see it thrive and grow in the future.
She was a vibrant woman with much to say and who I found to be easy to listen to and she sounded so sincere about what she wanted to do if elected to be District 11’s City Councilperson. Even if I did not hold a special interest in politics and was not an avid follower of it I would not have found her conversation boring. She seemed so frank and enthusiastic about what she was saying that I quickly became engrossed in what she had to say.
As I listened and sized her up, I tried to figure out who this woman really was. I’m well aware, as I am sure that you are, that most politicians will say whatever it takes when they are in essence in an interview seeking to be hired or stumping to retain their popularity in order to place them in the best position possible for reelection so that they can retain their job. However, Stacie Gilmore is not yet a politician; at least, not officially. And even if she is successful in her maiden venture to become one by winning the June 2nd runoff election to become the District 11 councilperson my gut feeling is that she will remain dedicated to those whom she will represent and to the betterment of the District.
I held her captive at my door for so long that her husband, Scott, finally showed up at my door to subtly and politely encourage her to move on. After politely speaking to me he turned to Ms. Gilmore: “We’ve got an election to win” he said. I held both of them captive for a little longer – probably much longer than I should have under the circumstances, before releasing them to complete their campaign efforts before it was dark.
Stacie Gilmore’s decision to run for City Council in Denver’s District 11 and her vision for the District is a microcosm of the phenomenon that is currently taking place all around America. Women have long been underrepresented in American government. Now it seem that not only are more of them stepping forward and presenting themselves as viable political candidates seeking to play a more active role in politics from the very top level to the lowest level of government in this country, but they are also demonstrating that they are ready and very capable of handling leadership roles at every level.
My point is that since the inception of this website I have always encouraged everyone to vote. Further, I have encouraged them to always exercise their right to vote and not in just Presidential elections. So it would be hypocritical and I would be remiss if I failed to mention the importance of this local election in District 11; the District in which I live.
Elections like the runoff election that will take place on June 2nd are extremely important. We get to decide at what basically amounts to the entry-level of politics, who we feel is best qualified to represent us, do the most to make our neighborhoods the best that they can be, encourage improvement in our neighborhood schools and help to foster business growth, foster the growth of well-paying jobs and affordable housing. Not only are elections like these the springboard for many of those who land at the state and federal levels of our government as Representatives, Senators and Presidents but what they do at these various levels many times ultimately trickle back down to have an impact on us.
As a resident of Montbello for almost 35 years, I am aware of many of Ms. Gilmore’s accomplishments and contributions to the District 11 community. With her knowledge of our community, past contributions to it and the time that she has lived in Montbello she is well aware of all of its nuances. Anyone who lives or has lived in the Montbello Green Valley Ranch Community for a substantial period of time knows that the ‘time’ connection is an intricate part of one’s ability to sort through the fodder and reach the real issues in order to form workable coalitions that will be beneficial in the nurture and growth of our District.
Ms. Gilmore has proven that she can cause those in District 11 with diverse agendas and interests to coalesce around issues that will be mutually beneficial to them. She is without doubt qualified to serve as our City Councilperson and based on her longstanding presence as a resident in District 11 and her contributions to it she is the person who can and will best serve those of us who live here.
Just in case that you missed the last debate between the two June 2nd runoff election candidates, in the event that you might be interested in watching it you can click here to check it out. And finally I want to leave you with the following very important message which is: always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!
Our community has a very important decision to make on June 2nd. Who will be the next District 11 City Councilperson? Who will truly serve all of our residents, businesses, and interests in our district? Who is running to represent the people first and foremost?
I love our community! I have lived and worked in our community for almost 20 years. As a working Mom, with deep roots in serving our youth and families, I will be 100% committed to serving full time on city council. It will be my first and only priority professionally. I fully embrace and champion each of our community’s nuances, from the history and pride of Montbello, including Parkfield to the future growth and opportunity of Green Valley Ranch and High Point, along with Denver International Airport. I am proud that my family lives in Montbello and my husband, Scott and I are raising our children in such a diverse and vibrant community.
My optimism is endless for our families, children, seniors, and business. For almost 20 years, I have been a proactive force in my community and through founding and leading the nonprofit, Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK). Through ELK we have invested more than $5.25 million into our community through youth and family based education, and career development programming. Most recently we secured $250,000 to start the restoration work on the 5.5 acres of land off Albrook Drive by Denver Health Medical to create a 4.5 acre open space and build a 6,000 sq. ft education center to serve our youth, families, and seniors through ongoing programming. We deserve the best in District 11 and we must have a city councilperson who has a strong history of work in the community. There is much work to be done, from addressing community safety, improving our quality of life, infrastructure, and economic growth and development.
The next city councilperson must value all people in our district and not marginalize anyone. I have spent my life addressing and leading conversations around institutional racism and oppression, power and privilege, and facilitating our youth learning how to communicate about race, stereotypes and bias. I want to be a unifying influence for our community and I am prepared for this commitment to serve as our next city councilperson. I will honor your trust in me, by being accountable, responsive, and protecting our citizens and business interests, our community pride, but also pushing us to explore, discuss, and grow so that we may become the best District 11 ever!
Through my commitment, transparency, and passion to truly serve and protect our community, I will put quality of life and improvement of opportunities back at the top of the list for District 11. I urge you to thoroughly research and think about what qualities you want in our next District 11 City Council person. Voting is one of our great powers in our democracy and I want to make sure your voice is heard on June 2nd for District 11.
Please cast your vote in support of my candidacy for District 11 City Council. I am number one on the ballot, and first when it comes to experience, commitment and the resolute belief that we can get what we deserve in District 11. If you would like any more information please visit my website at www.votestaciegilmore.com or check out my Facebook page at Vote for Stacie Gilmore.
Although the May 5, 2015 election in Denver is over, not all candidates have finished the race. Since I am a strong advocate of everyone’s need to value and respect the franchise and exercise their right to vote, I want to remind voters that our responsibility during this election cycle has not yet been completely fulfilled.
On June 2nd there will be a runoff election to elect those candidates who did not receive over 50% of the vote during the May 5th election. For those who are not already aware that voter turnout is usually higher for a regular election than it is for a runoff election, especially when a major political candidate is not on the ballot for the runoff election, you may now consider yourselves officially informed that turnout is higher for a regular election.
Even if the turnout during a regular election is low it will likely be substantially lower during a runoff election. It is unfortunate that many of us shun our civic duty because we fail to realize the value that we receive through our vote and its potential to help many others who we might not even know or because we feel that the value we receive from casting it is outweighed by the time and effort that we expend in order to cast it.
At any other time outside of them opting not to vote, if one were to ask these same people to help someone in need they would be more than happy to do so. That is because altruism is a basic part of most peoples’ social construct and the personal reward for philanthropy is more obvious and usually more quickly attained than it is for a ballot that we cast.
It is very likely that an outsized segment of those who vote in special elections and runoff elections are avid members of a political party’s partisan base. It does not matter whether it is because these avid voters believe more strongly that their vote will actually have an impact on the outcome of the election or if it is simply because they have a deeper interest in politics than other voters who may find voting to be just a necessary imposition. The bottom line is that they will likely have a major impact on the election and might even be the ones that ultimately decide who the winners will be.
I want to specifically address the runoff in District 11 between Stacie Gilmore and Sean Bradley because this is the District in which I live. Ms. Gilmore mentioned in the article that she wrote and I posted to this website that she has lived in the Montbello Green Valley Ranch community for almost 20 years. Anyone who has lived in this District for a substantial period of time knows that nuances that can at times become not so subtle and be divisive exist between the Montbello and Green Valley Ranch populace.
In order to properly represent constituents in District 11, the successful city council candidate must be able to effectively work in the best interest of both Montbello and Green Valley Ranch residents. In order to do this that council member must be able to find common ground for constituents during times of controversy. In order to find true common ground it will be important for that council member to be intimately familiar with those previously mentioned Montbello Green Valley Ranch nuances. This will be beneficial to them in articulating a solution that will be more likely to be accepted by both sides.
Because Stacie Gilmore has lived in this District for a long period of time and is familiar with these nuances, it gives her an advantage over relatively new-comer Sean Bradley. Since there is little doubt that the June 2nd turnout will be lower than that of the May 5th election turnout and it will be largely composed of partisan base voters, if both camps are still canvassing neighborhoods, they will most likely focus their main efforts on the avid base constituents so don’t be surprised if they knock on your door.
Regardless of which candidate you support and whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent; be sure to vote. It is an intricate part of our civic duty, there are plenty of available polling places, the time and effort that it will take to reach them will be minimal, it will be well worth our time and ultimately will provide an added value to our respective community.
Finally, always remember, your vote is the most important one of all, unless you don’t use it!
Now is not the time to take the pressure off of America’s justice system. The appearance of the responsible officials and our politicians finally beginning to make an effort to actually try to address the problem is not enough. We have seen this act far too many times before already. Officials and politicians from the local level all the way up to the White House who are responsible for assuring liberty and justice for all have not been doing their jobs.
Too many innocent, unarmed people – especially young Black men – have died and many who were justifiably arrested, whether the charge was a misdemeanor or a felony, have been unnecessarily brutalized by the arresting police officers and incarcerated for excessive periods of time. Those in authority have winked at this problem while too many of the rest of us have just accepted it and turned our heads the other way out of sheer frustration.
We have come to believe that this is just the way that it is and accept the status quo because we feel that there is absolutely nothing that we can do about it. Too many Americans have died or otherwise been abused by our justice system because they have little or no money, which means they have no power. Our justice system is skewed toward those with money and power and although most Americans realize that this is a problem and talk openly about it, again, we accept it because we have come to believe that this is just the way that it is and there is nothing that we can do about it.
Those who feel this way are wrong. We can and should – no must, do something about it. We can vote! We can use the power of our vote to oust those who have become comfortable with the title of politician and refuse to do the job that they were elected to do. Too many politicians have willingly and openly accepted the fact that many Americans believe that they will lie and do almost anything else to remain in office once they have tasted that power and potential to line their own pockets: and so they use this to their advantage.
I borrow words from the late Dr. Martin Luther King when I say that they do their jobs “in times of comfort and convenience” but become shrinking violets when it comes to doing it in times of “challenge and controversy.” During these times of challenge and controversy they play politics…and we allow them to get away with it. While it is true that we have the ability to vote now, with some of the things that are going on in the political world with many politicians working to figure out a way to prevent us from voting, there is no guarantee that we will retain it.
I decided to write this article because of an article I read in the Associated Press dated May 3, 2015. The article was by Jeffrey Collins and entitled ‘State police won’t release dashcam video of officer shooting.‘ The article reminded me of a time back in the late 1950’s when the police chased my dad (followed would probably be a more appropriate word) home. At the time, we were living on Arapaho Street in Denver in what was referred to as ‘the projects.’
The story can best be told via an excerpt from my book, ‘Living Between The Line’ and it goes as follows:
Vernon enjoyed nice clothes and good liquor and over the years had become a heavy drinker. His drinking and driving did not make for a good mix and since Vernon did not have a Driver’s license, this only made matters worse. As fate would have it Vernon’s drinking and driving without a license ultimately caught up with him. One day while Matt was still in elementary school and still cruising the neighborhood on his cool scooter with his friend Billy he witnessed a scene that he will never forget. Matt and Billy had just arrived in front of Matt’s house when they heard the sound of a siren.
Matt and Billy turned their heads in the direction of the sound and to Matt’s amazement there was his dad being chased by the police. Perhaps it should be said that he was being followed by the police because although the police had their siren on, when they passed by Matt and Billy on the street in front of Matt’s house they were smiling and talking to one another.
Vernon was only traveling about 25 to 30 miles per hour but he refused to stop. He was signaling for every turn that he made. The funny thing was that he was not using his turn signals but was giving hand signals. In this case, he had his arm outside of the window and pointing toward the sky, which meant that he was preparing to make a right turn.
Matt and Billy ran to the corner just in time to see Vernon arrive at the corner at the end of another block and see him once again place his arm outside the window and point toward the sky. Vernon continued to do this until he reached the parking lot behind his apartment in the projects where he got out of the automobile and the police officers approached him. Vernon was obviously very drunk!
Bonnie had witnessed this scene from her apartment window and had an idea where Vernon was headed when he passed in front of the apartment so she was at the parking lot waiting when Vernon arrived. By now, Matt and Billy were in Matt’s back yard watching to see what would happen to Vernon: Matt was afraid because he feared that his dad would go to jail. Fortunately, as Vernon stood bobbing and weaving in front of the police officers, they only gave him a good long lecture and released him to Bonnie. Bonnie took him into the house and put him to bed.
Unfortunately, the story in the article that Mr. Jeffrey Collins wrote ended in the death of the 68-year-old driver in the driveway of his own home. He, like my dad, was drunk. The police officer who shot him was indicted on criminal charges. Click on the link to the article above if you would like to read it in the Associated Press.
My point is that equal justice under the law is the right of every American despite the color of their skin and regardless of what law they have broken. Excessive or unwarranted lethal force by the police must be neither condoned nor tolerated. Although Grand Juries likely do the best that they can in accordance with the law, there is a fatal flaw in this process that must be addressed and corrected by those officials and politicians who have the power to correct it.
I refuse to believe that the rich and powerful, politicians and those officials who head justice-related institutions from local levels all the way up to national levels do not see what is happening. I refuse to believe that they are incapable of comprehending how dangerous this road that we are traveling is.
It is my opinion that there is something else that is preventing these obviously intelligent and smart people from attacking this problem and doing the right thing to correct it. I believe that that ‘something else’ is money and politics. And until the preponderance of those big money people decide that things can go so terribly wrong if we continue down this same road that it will have a negative impact on their money and as a result force change, or voters step up and force politicians to do the jobs that they were elected to do, we will continue to have this problem.
Stacie Gilmore is running for Denver City Council in District 11. Following is her vision for the District should she be elected:
I love our community! I want us to get what we deserve in District 11, opportunity, education, infrastructure, and the economic development that will ensure we have a high quality of life. I have lived and worked in our community for almost 20 years. We have always been known as the Far Northeast, and while I honor our history, I have come to see District 11 as the Front Door to our City and the Region. Think about how you treat the front door or entry way to your home, you keep it beautiful, inviting, and modern. We deserve to be at the forefront of smart, sustainable economic growth, job creation, infrastructure solutions and educational achievement that serves our children and families. I have lead an educational nonprofit for the past 19 years, and after that time in education it is clear to me that we must do better for our working families. Families are struggling, with employment and the education system. As the next city councilwoman, I will continue my life’s work in being a champion for our working families to ensure they have the training necessary to compete for livable wage jobs, to support their children’s education, and to have the time and space to give back to our community through civic engagement.
We are at a crossroads for our community, for too long it has felt like things are being done to us, instead of with us. We must have our voice heard, because it truly is “Your Voice, Our Community”! I have outlined my priorities for the first 100 days in office and then a few long-term priorities as well. I am accountable to the people who vote me in office, first and foremost, and I want to build community, partnerships and strong working collectives to ensure we are moving together in a strategic and measurable direction to gauge our progress.
Priorities for First 100 Days for District 11
1. Hold monthly town hall meetings;
2. Push District 11 budget priorities for infrastructure improvement;
3. Create an Interactive Development Map on my council website for existing and new development in District 11 so residents know what is happening and can comment;
4. Push small area plans with Community Planning and Development for locations of redevelopment and growth;
5. Create a Community Newsletter to improve communication and engagement in District 11.
Long-term Priorities for District 11
1. Work with Public Works, Community Planning and Development, and area developers to create a strategic workplan to address our transportation issues;
2. Champion the widening of 56th Avenue, the estimated budget for this project is $55M and we must remain diligent that it gets completed in a timely manner, including the undergrounding of the Xcel Energy power lines;
3. Work closely to build partnerships with stakeholders of the 61st and Pena development, including a full list of employment opportunities with Panasonic and other businesses so we can start the skill and education training necessary for our residents to compete for and secure these jobs;
4. Establish a workforce development center in District 11, with an emphasis on jobs leading to livable wage careers to expand our residents (youth and adult) educational and employment readiness baseline.
I am honored to have a wonderful list of endorsements including the strong support of many community members in District 11. They believe in me and my commitment to our neighborhood and I take that support very seriously. I am also honored to have been endorsed by The Denver Post recently.
Please cast your vote this week in support of my candidacy for District 11 City Council. I am number two on the ballot, but first when it comes to experience, commitment and the resolute belief that we can get what we deserve in District 11. If you would like any more information please visit my website at www.votestaciegilmore.com or check out my Facebook page at Vote for Stacie Gilmore.
According to a Reuters article by Ian Simpson dated 4/27/2015 entitled ‘Police: Seven officers injured, one unresponsive in Baltimore riot’, Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods and Crips gangs allegedly threatened to “…’take out’ law enforcement officers.” Those of you who read my posts in politicalpawnsandpuppets.com probably recall an article in which I said that a young Black male who had experienced a number of encounters with the police made the statement that “the police are just a gang with badges.”
How would it look and how accurate would it be if the line above instead of reading “Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods and Crips gangs allegedly threatened to… read; Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods, Crips and Police gangs allegedly threatened to…?” My opinion is that it would look terrible and it would also be either unfairly skewed favoring those who are either anti-police or totally blinded by their anger about how the police treat people of color – in particular Black people, if one assumed that it was accurate or the inverse would apply if one assumed it was inaccurate. In other words, the skew would favor those who were either simply pro-police no matter how the police conducted themselves or totally blinded by their bias – realized or unrealized – toward people of color, in particular Black people.
Just like all Black people are not the enemy, outlaws, thugs or rabble-rousers simply because they are Black, neither are all police officers ‘gang members with badges.’ But just like some Black people are the enemy, outlaws, thugs or rabble-rousers, some police officers are – in essence, ‘gang members with badges.’
The gang in police departments across the country consists of those dirty police officers who do exactly what gang members do; steal, commit armed robbery, embezzle, bribe, and in other ways bully crooks and other hardworking citizens who many times have done absolutely nothing wrong. Because regular citizens – in particular Black people (young Black people are still struggling to comprehend and accept this) have figured out how to game the system by subordinating themselves to all police officers (this should not be necessary) and conducting themselves in the manner of a child being addressed by their parents, gang member police officers see this as respect just as all bullies do. The truth is that this is not respect but raw fear! How sad a situation this has become for all involved; clean police, dirty police, crooks and everyday innocent hardworking citizens!
Even honest, well-meaning top-level police officials seem to be afraid to even make an effort to correct this problem. Are they afraid that this type of behavior has gone on for so long that it is so engrained into their police departments that it cannot be removed without totally destroying the departments themselves? Could they be right? Does this culture go all the way to the very top and the only way for the country to rid itself of it is to rip it out root and branch and start over? That’s a bit of an overstatement but I’m sure that you get the gist of what I mean.
As a result of the recent death of Freddie Gray at the hands of Baltimore police, Baltimore has erupted in flames. And although at this point the current situation is a long way from being like the riot that occurred there in 1968, the comparison is already being made. The police and local, state, and national politicians began immediately to pontificate and publicize how the actions of lawless people like those who were looting, destroying property, and attacking the police and innocent citizens would not be tolerated. Then they immediately took action to back up their rhetoric.
It is a shame that they refuse to show this same kind of determination when it comes to lawless police officers who are doing to citizens what basically amounts to the same thing that these lawless looters are doing. Because justice is so one-sided in this particular case as a result of the refusal by these officials to address this problem, many people are frustrated and feel that they have no avenues available to them to have their problems and concerns addressed; therefore, they resort to violence. It is a shame that they have come to believe that this is what it takes to shed the feeling of being invisible; but from their perspective this is when the media’s cameras begin to roll and they are noticed. I make this observation to neither excuse nor rationalize their behavior but simply to state the reality of the situation.
As long as the police are so afraid to tackle this problem that many of the police departments around America refuse to even admit that it exists and our elected officials refuse to touch it because it is a political hot potato, then we will continue to have the Florida’s, New York’s, Ferguson’s, Cleveland’s, Oklahoma’s, Alabama’s, South Carolina’s and Baltimore’s.
The list of places immediately above where police have used unwarranted excessive or lethal force is by no means exhaustive. As American citizens we must continue to keep the pressure on all of the officials who are a part of this problem because they must also be a part of the solution. They must be a part of the solution even if as a part of that solution includes removing them.
Whether we are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, we must use our voting power to let our elected officials know that we expect equal justice under the law for all people. Gangs trying to ‘take out’ law enforcement officers are not the answer. Many gang members are either already outlaws because they have broken the law and if they are not already outlaws, they are well on their way to becoming such. This includes police officers who are members of the ‘gang with badges’ who under the guise of enforcing the law are greater enemies to it than are those who openly – and some who proudly, claim the title outlaw or crook.
Despite our color identity or any other terms that we use to identify ourselves, as citizens, we have to step up and speak up. Gangs that evoke the names of those innocent and unarmed Black men who have fallen at the hands of the police and then commit violent acts in retaliation against the police for having killed them amounts to nothing more than breaking the law. It is not the right thing to do! They should be held to account and punished if they are identified and caught.
Let’s focus our energy in the right place and take steps in the right direction to fix the problem by pressuring those who have the ability to fix it but refuse to do so for whatever reason. Among the right places to focus that energy would be efforts to come together and have reasonable discourse on the problems that exist in the justice system in our country. It is obvious that policing the citizenry is one of those problems and our inability to even agree that this problem exists highlights the fact that it indeed does exist and is demanding a solution.
Let’s take a closer look at big money, which seems to be permeating every facet of our lives as Americans, and the education of our children. Somewhere between the mid-70s and mid-80s, big money burst upon the scene and took a chokehold upon how we go about educating our children.
It does not matter if its intention was to assure that all children regardless of their economic status received a quality education or if its ulterior motive was really just money if it achieved that desperately sought-after and seemingly cunningly-elusive thing called a ‘quality education for all children;’ but upon until this time, it hasn’t. I happen to be one of those who believe that there is an ulterior motive and that ulterior motive is without a doubt money.
Big money has always been more interested in its bottom line than anything else and it appears that this is still the case. It has long been said that if you want to find the answer to questions that you may have, especially when money and/or power is involved, follow the money. The direction that the education of our children has taken is no exception to that rule.
This does not necessarily mean that all of those who have advocated for programs like the Edison Project, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race To The Top (RTTT) are all about the money but we must also accept the fact that money was and remains the driving force for big money contributors who are strong supporters of the current direction in which the education of America’s children is headed.
In January 2013, I wrote an article that was published in the Denver Post under ‘Quality teaching in DPS vs. tenure rights’, which was entitled ‘Quality Teaching Is More Than Test Scores.’ I recently read an article in Salon by Susan Engel entitled ‘We’re teaching our kids wrong: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates do not have the answers.’ If I could write an article that would virtually perfectly summarize my thoughts on what is happening with the education of our children, why we should be concerned about it and why we should band together in every local community to do something about it at the grassroots level, it would be a carbon copy of this article by Ms. Engel.
Ms. Engel’s article does not condemn those who support those who are taking the education of our children in its current direction and those who were or remain advocates of this approach to educating them, instead, she points out why this may not be the right direction and also points out reasons as to why we should reconsider this approach and possibly change it.
There was a time back in the 1990s when I was a board member of an organization called Citizens for Quality Schools (CQS). I believe that this organization had the best interest of Denver K-12 students in mind but, at the time, it was in favor of and pushing for charter schools. They believed that charter schools would not only give parents greater choice as to which school they would like to send their children to but that charter schools would also be an avenue to improving the quality of education that these students would receive.
Although I was not a proponent of charter schools – because of other elements that CQS espoused like Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) Committees and School Improvement Accountability Committees (SIAC), I felt that CQS truly did have the best interest of Denver K-12 students at heart. This gave me hope that we would eventually find the best possible solution for all stakeholders. Now we are in year 2015 and, unfortunately – thus far, big money has continued to prevail.
For a long time now, big money has had its way with respect to how America’s children will be educated and we still have not regained our standing as number one among the nations in the field of Education. If the current road is not the right one that we should be traveling to provide all children with a top-quality education then we should find the right road now and get on it.
An education that is second to none for all children is extremely important not only to all parents but to America as well if we are to effectively compete on the world stage. Therefore, I encourage all of those who read this article to click on the above link to Ms. Engel’s article in Salon. I am sure that you will find that reading it will be worth your time and that it will be a thought-provoking article no matter which side of this education issue that you support.
I don’t know how many of you follow the television series ‘Scandal’ on ABC but those of you who do follow it – if you also follow politics, will understand why I say that it reminds me of the current situation in Ferguson, Missouri. As you might know, the U.S. Department of justice (DOJ) recently released a scathing report on that city and its police department. As a result of the DOJ’s report, Ferguson is trying to negotiate a settlement with the federal government.
Living Between The Line: watch the video then read the book.
It would not be fair if I did not mention that many Ferguson officials disagree with some parts of this report. They say that some parts of the report’s findings are “a stretch” by the DOJ and they will not agree to a settlement if the two sides cannot come to an agreement to resolve their differences on this.
But whether or not a settlement can be negotiated is an aside as to why I mentioned the Scandal television series. I hope that by revealing what I am about to reveal I won’t spoil this episode for those of you who may not have yet watched it. Having said that; here goes: the policeman in this episode that shot and killed a young Black man and then planted false evidence on him got angry when he was confronted about it by the series star, Olivia Pope, who had been hired to represent the police. After he became angry he blurted out; and I paraphrase:
For seven years I have kissed my wife and kids good bye and gone deep into these neighborhoods to protect you people and you don’t appreciate it! The kid that I shot did not respect the badge: he did not respect me! You don’t respect me! You were hired to represent us; whose side are you on?
I can imagine that this angered any policeman who might have watched this episode of Scandal. To be honest, I can see why it would have angered them, especially those clean police officers. It would have angered the dirty cops because they feel that they are the law and therefore can do whatever they choose to do. And it would have angered the clean cops because they feel that – because of a few bad cops, everyone is painting cops with a broad brush by putting all of them in the same category.
Probably none of us needs to have ‘clean cop’ and ‘dirty cop defined for us. We all have our idea of what this means. So since there might be a number of interpretations of these terms out there, allow me to give you mine.
Many of us as civilians might refer to police officers as being good or bad officers. Many of their fellow police officers refer to them as ‘clean’ or ‘dirty’ depending on whether they are doing things within the boundaries of the law or outside of them. As I think about it, I think that – like their fellow police officers, I would prefer to use the terms clean and dirty.
I think that the terms clean or dirty vs. good or bad can better identify these police officers because there are probably a lot of ‘good’ police officers who make bad decisions. They do unlawful things in an effort to assure that someone is held accountable for a crime that they have obviously committed but are likely to avoid prosecution for due to things like evidence that, for legal reasons, is not allowed, because of some technicality or employing a highly-paid and highly-skilled lawyer.
Although their intensions might be virtuous, this does not justify what they are doing or make it any less wrong. My thoughts are these cops are better identified as ‘dirty’ cops than as ‘bad’ cops because the term ‘dirty’ includes all cops who operate outside of the law whether their intentions are good or bad.
Because these cops taint the rest of the police department and destroy the fabric of trust that exists between the police and communities that they serve it is incumbent upon the ‘clean’ cops to help root out the ‘dirty’ ones from top to bottom. This will not be easy to do because they are a close-knit group that trusts their very lives to one another every day while they are on the job. To alienate follow officers even if for all of the right reasons is a great risk; but it is one that must be taken if dirty cops are to be effectively dealt with.
The best moniker for this kind of a cop would be “dumb cop.” But because what they are doing is still wrong; just as wrong – although not as heinous – as a cop who kills an unarmed person and then plants evidence to prove otherwise, they are dirty. And because they are dirty and just as guilty of breaking the law as the perpetrator that they are trying to get convicted, they must be held accountable.
As hard as this might be for fellow police officers and as much as it might hurt them, they absolutely must come to grips with the fact that this is how things must be if the police and the communities that they serve and protect are ever to again develop respect and trust of one another. The pain that police officers endure and the pain that the communities that they serve and protect endure will be equally painful to accept; and perhaps this is the way that it should be: in fact, the way that it must be if either side is to be able to move forward and survive!
‘Clean’ cops have to step up and do the right thing. They can no longer use the ‘blue code’ to protect cops that have broken the law whether they consider the crime they committed to be major or minor. If they do this it will go a long way in expediting the coming together of the police and communities.
And to community members – especially young people of color, I say, this is not the responsibility of the police departments alone. Yes, it has already been a long time and you are tired of hearing the same old refrain that ‘it will take time’, but you must also step up to your responsibility. You, too, must endure the all but impossible to bear pain that it will take to reconcile these two diametrically opposed sides. Youth leaders and other youth activists must take a courageous step and tell their fellow youth that the effort to reconcile is worth a try.
And finally, I say to our elected officials that you must also be courageous and step up. You can no longer remain silent when problems like the one that recently occurred with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) arise and ignore them because it would not be politically smart to address them. Problems like the NYPD problem are occurring in police departments throughout the country and they must be addressed and corrected.
This is not to suggest that police departments should be denied due process and the federal government should go in and force them into submission so that they all precisely fit the same mold. What it means is that our elected officials must figure out some way to assure that under the law, to the greatest extent possible, there is equal justice for all.
