Last night, the Network for Public Education issued this statement on the death of Michael Brown:
The killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri, is a national tragedy. The Network for Public Education sends our condolences to his family and community. We also decry the inequitable treatment that Michael and millions of other young people of color receive in the form of racial profiling and disparate justice. School segregation and systemic oppression culminated in the August day when Michael was killed, and if unchecked, will continue to hurt many more young people.
We hope that those joining us in decrying this injustice will not only condemn this direct act of violence but the violent systems that perpetuate inequality. Join us to fight for educational and social justice for all young people. We desperately need equitable law enforcement that is responsive, respectful and protective of the entire community it serves; we also need equitable, fully funded public schooling. We need a criminal justice system that is restorative and non-oppressive; we also need to support educators to implement restorative practices within our schools. We need to devote resources to providing a strong neighborhood school in every community; we also need to ensure that community members have access to job opportunities to support their families.
Michael Brown was a fellow human being whose life was ended violently and prematurely. We urge people not merely to say, “Never again,” but to join us in the struggle to ensure that all of us receive due process and fair treatment. We encourage and support educators across our society to continue to teach and model justice in our classrooms in solidarity with the young people of our country to help build the future that Michael Brown deserved.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
In a prior post on Michael Brown ( https://dianeravitch.net/2014/08/14/this-was-michael-browns-high-school/) I read that he attended a school district that was 98% African American.
Sorry if this is an ignorant question, but how is that even legal? I thought, after Brown vs.Board of Education, segregated schools were illegal, and that the Justice Department had bussing programs to mix up the demographics of schools. Does the Justice Department no longer do anything about school segregation? If not, why not?
Never heard of this “organization”, are they another front group for the Unions and Corporations with just a web site.
Joseph, from your question it doesn’t appear that you have information on the various elements of society and you are just opposed to “gubmint schools” . If you are here to learn more about the inner workings of the public education system you are in the right place; however, asking questions in an informed way, rather than insulting or mocking, is helpful. I am assuming that you have not heard of all the organizations that can be involved in a democratic process and none of us know them all ; you might want to first study what Schattschneider says about the semi-sovereign nature of the individuals in the free society such as we hope is expressed in a democracy. Or, assuming you would know that about democracy, it might be good to learn more about the relationships for federal – state- local. For a basic course in civic education I would recommend the Center for Civics Education in Calabasas CA….. but as far as civility, that is another matter.
“. . . but the violent systems that perpetuate inequality.”
And education standards, i.e., CCSS and the accompanying standardized tests are a big part of those “violent systems that perpetuate inequality” through sorting and separating students and rewarding some and/or sanctioning/punishing others. Should public education be instituting systems that discriminate against many due to innate characteristics, i.e., mental capabilities????
Duane: thank you for recognizing the “ancient domination systems” that have been with us for 2,000 years or more… and thank you for the details and he descriptive language in your comments…. it explains a lot of the fury that I have felt in the past experiences…. I wish more of my colleagues shared these views. We’ve had quintiles and quartiles on tests for decades…. inventing new experimental tests that are expensive will not help in this regard. I read that Maryland , one state alone, has to set aside 100 million dollars for the experimental tests and computers to deliver them…. I don’t see this as moving us into the future…. but I have been called “stodgy ” or Czarina for expressing that view…. thanks again…Duane for all you do.
Jean,
You’re welcome and thanks for the kind words!
I’ve often wondered why these malpractices haven’t been exposed for the discrimination and harm that they cause many students.
Your writing is quite enlightening also. As KTA states, keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
And rewarding, sanctioning, punishing teachers.
NJ T,
You are quite correct, along with schools and districts. But I purposely left those off, especially the teachers so that the edudeformers can’t point to the comment and say, “He’s only worried about the teachers and not the students”. You know how words can be twisted, eh.
If my school was opening today, and the news of the unfolding tragedy in Ferguson was continuing to dominate the media, the opportunity to raise the consciousness of my students about segregation, income inequality and the myths of American Exceptionalism would be obvious and the lesson plan and discussion would flow without much effort on my part. The problem as I see it is that the kind of discussion and questioning I envision in school is less and less possible, largely because the powerful 1% want it that way. They don’t want critical thinking. They want test takers who will grovel for low paid jobs after graduation. They want us to impart lessons valuing selfishness and conformity instead of community and respect for diversity. They want to produce and sell more and more high tech weapons to the police and the military and use the volunteer army to enlist a perpetual underclass while downgrading the needs of society like environmentalism, health, and peace. And they want teachers who have no tenure and fear for their livelihood if they transgress and teach their students to think for themselves and question the world they are growing up in.
I am not yet sure what the lesson of Ferguson will be, but if I were part of the 1% I might pay attention to what is happening in our country and perhaps rethink corporate education reform and policies which have allowed conditions like those in Ferguson to fester and grow, before it is too late to save this great experiment in democracy and their yachts.
GST, I like very much your comments.
My addition: We still do not have the full story. I await more details before coming to a final conclusion. Obviously deadly force was used and as people have stated, the anger built up over years of subjugation explodes when something like this happens. I for one, and most will disagree, but I feel sorry for the officer who shot him. His previous record sounds exemplary and as yet his side of the story has not come out. Ergo the anger explodes against him, and IF, I stress IF, he felt he had reason to do what he did he is being prejudged before all the facts are known. The 18 year old was unarmed and was shot 6 times. The immediate response based on just those facts is that the act was unforgivable. Still, I for one am glad that I am not a policeman now. The antipathy in some quarters is such and the real dangers inherent in their job are so real that I take my hat off for even trying to be a police officer. The last I heard, the suicide rate and divorce rate ranks very high for their profession. It must be really scary to face what they have to face. Obviously this does not condone shooting an unarmed teenager UNLESS there are circumstances in which the officer feels so threatened that he tries to protect himself or others. At this point I for one do not know enough about POSSIBLE extenuating circumstance to make an informed decision and will await further information. Whatever happened, yes justice MUST be done and I hope that cool heads will prevail and that if the officer is guilty as is now so widely believed, he will face the consequences but if by some chance there are extenuating circumstances my hope, forlorn one to be sure, is that he will be forgiven for his actions.
Gordon,
I echo your thoughts. The facts need to be identified. The police are often accosted by people who have more powerful weaponry. These attacks can seemingly come out of nowhere. In order to protect themselves they now wear protective clothing and carry militaristic weaponry. The police like teachers are often blamed for doing too much or too little. It is sad to have to work defensively because things that can suddenly go very wrong can somehow be “your fault”. I doubt the officer went to work that day wanting to kill a young man. The young man in this case did enter a store and behave in a violent manner while engaged in a criminal act (if indeed it is he in the video.)
There is some evidence that the officer was attacked in his car. I am waiting to learn more and understand the public being upset with this young man’s body left on the road for so long but then again, if the authorities had swept his body up and away there would have been calls of a possible cover-up or poor evidence documentation. Again, perception is everything and when a tragedy occurs emotions pilot the the aftermath.
It is a sad time for folks on all sides.
Shouldn’t everyone wait until all the facts come out first? The officer suffered a eye injury and other witnesses say he had charged against him. Yet, other witnesses say otherwise. The point is to investigate rather than judge so early. Michael Brown may have been innocent or not.
Twiceborn, you say Michael Brown may or may not be innocent. Of what crime? Does Ferguson administer the death penalty before trial? Are you suggesting he committed a capital offense that deserves the death penalty? Did he steal a pack of cigarettes? Is that a death penalty offense? I know of nothing he did or might have done that made his death necessary. Do you?
The officer and other witnesses (reported in papers) say that Michael Brown attacked him in the car and may have tried to grab his gun, resulting in the first, initial discharge. The officer has injuries consistent with being punched repeatedly. Michael Brown then tried to run away before coming back to confront the officer. It is possible, with the injuries to the officer’s eye, that he interpreted Michael Brown moving towards him as a rush and shot him.
If this is what is accurate, then the crime Michael Brown committed was battery and assault to police office with possible attempted murder.
On the other hand, other witnesses say something completely different and he is innocent. The point is to wait till all the evidence comes out first. I want to know the medical record of the officer and those witnesses who collaborate the officers account.
I am with you Twiceborn. Stealing cigars is hardly cause for a violent confrontation but a shop owner was allegedly strong armed and a police officer allegedly attacked.
If two young men decided to shoot it out in the streets, this would have been just another day with a tragic event. God bless the officer because no matter what the outcome of the investigations, he will have to live with the knowledge that he took a life.
I agree that we don’t know all the facts of the shooting of an unarmed Michael Brown by a police officer, but the point of my earlier comment was to express my concern for a society which can’t seem to ever act in ways to seriously address and cure the problems of poverty, racism and ignorance which create the stages, like Ferguson and Sanford, on which these shootings repeatedly occur. I don’t believe more corporate education reform, more guns, or more segregation will fix these problems. I still believe that adequately funded, integrated public schools with qualified teachers, fully funded food and jobs programs, supports for families and prison reform, are where our focus should be if we are ever to have a civil society with equal opportunity for all. The money is there if our tax laws are changed and our fixation on guns and militarization finally ends. Arming our police with high tech weaponry only reinforces public fear and raises the odds that more innocents will die.
These are some strange comments.
There isn’t any question Mike Brown was gunned down in the street, unarmed, under circumstances in which he couldn’t possibly have posed a threat to his killer. Beyond that:
The graze wounds on his body could have come from behind or in front, but they weren’t from close range. Witnesses say he ran, was hit, turned and raised his hands, and then was hit repeatedly. The forearm wound is exactly positioned to support the hands up scenario. By a stretch, it could have been from the back if his arm was in a downward position, but held out like a wing. The head wound was from the top front, as he pitched forward. The Attorney General of the US was there today to get answers from law enforcement.
The police decision to hand out fliers in the street to float a false allegation of strong-arm robbery, completely unrelated to the shooting, was deliberate provocation. The video shows a customer who removes some cigars from a box, which isn’t a “robbery” because cigars are for sale individually. He pays for the cigars, has words and a brief scuffle with the clerk, and leaves. The store owner says there was no robbery at all. The distorted police narrative could be be an effort to fuel the online racial hatred machine, and to provide distracting nits to be picked by commentators like the ones we see here.
It is community’s determination to get answers, and the St Louis Police response to that, which has now gripped the worlds’ attention. We can’t “wait” for answers about who is controlling an aggressive, militarized occupation army which is assaulting the working class community of Ferguson daily before our eyes. There were 300,000 of us watching the livestreams from citizens and reporters, to guard our brothers and sisters on their own streets.
Where does the store owner say there was no robbery? There was a call for a strong-arm-robbery and a police report made. This call is prior to the shooting and corroborated by a witness.
Yes, witnesses do describe what you say, but other witnesses say something different. There was a struggle and he rushed towards the officer after turning around. I notice you failed to mention that. You also failed to mention the injuries to the officer.
The point I am trying to make is wait until all the evidence is out before cherry picking the ones you like.
I also disagree when you say he didn’t pose a threat to the officer. Nobody knows that unless you are cherry picking some of the evidence. If the OTHER allegations are true and he tried to grab the officers gun and caused him significant injuries to the face than having him come back at him is threatening and most officers would shoot him.
Some of the cigar links are in this recent column, if you haven’t been following. I have a feeling you know already, because you use the passive voice “a police report was made”.
http://sfbayview.com/2014/08/mike-brown-appears-to-have-paid-for-those-cigars/
If Ferguson had “waited” for the facts, all they would have gotten are this same distorted ramble of suppositions. My own supposition is that if there was any evidence exonerating the killer (such as a medical report of injuries), it would have been produced.
It is ONLY because of #Ferguson’s courage that the Chief of Police and the killer will now testify under oath.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-ferguson-holder-grand-jury-20140820-story.html#page=1
chmtchr,
“the St Louis Police response to that”
The St. Louis Police were/are not involved at all in this case. It is the Ferguson Police, later the St. Louis County Police and then the Highway Patrol.
perhaps the individuals who are proclaiming they will wait for “facts” have no knowledge of the sordid history of the country and it wasn’t just the south; ….
I hope I’m not violating anyone’s copyright by placing the lyrics here but too few people are aware of the protest in the song (Billie Holiday sang)
“Strange Fruit”
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulgin’ eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
And I suggest a book by Ralph Ginzburg that the staff might wish to add to the library…. I know in our public library we have books about Ellis Island and other significant historical comparisons…
lynchings documented in the book 100 Years of Lynchings, by Ralph Ginzburg.
Well said.
I was teaching 2nd grade in Greater Boston; perhaps young people don’t know about this history in the north, either.
The passions of Boston’s busing era, captured in a Pulitzer prize-winning photo, come alive again in a new work
The Soiling of Old Glory:
The Story of a Photograph
That Shocked America
By Louis P. Masur
Bloomsbury, 224 pp.,
Anthony Cody, Paul Horton are some I have gained respect for here reading at Diane’s blog… I was interested to read this quote yesterday when Anrig was cited at the blog Living in Dialogue…
“When Ronald Reagan kicked off his Presidential campaign in the town of Philadelphia, Mississippi, the site of the murder of three Civil Rights workers, sent a not so covert message to the Christian Coalition and the Southern Baptist Convention that any Republican support for school desegregation, equitable funding for schools, and exclusive support for public schools was over. Reagan hinted that Freedom Summer had led to lawlessness in the South, and that if religious southerners wanted public monies for private schools, schools did not teach secular humanism and evolution, he was their man. So, under Reagan, the Republican base, the former conservative Southern Democrats, were reassured that evolution, secular humanism, and school integration could be avoided with Federal support for private schools in the forms of vouchers. But when Reagan’s voucher proposals were rejected by Congress, money flowed into conservative think tanks to create rationales for school privatization based on Milton Friedman’s idea of vouchers, according to journalist Greg Anrig in a Washington Monthly article (“An Idea Whose Time Has Gone”).”
And, here we are, the war on teachers… the continued attack on public schools and the tea party who don’t like “gubmint schools”….. I see a very clear line through history but it took these individuals (Cody, Horton, Anrig) to point out what I lived through and experienced because it was not discussed among my colleagues in the educational profession at the time it was happening……
Perhaps we should privatize law enforcement – perhaps whenever a police officer shoots and kills someone he or she says, “Good enough for government work.” Yes, I know that statement was in very poor taste but I too liken this attack on law enforcement to the ongoing attack on public school teachers. Police departments did not cause crime any more than teachers created ignorance. I’ll put that blame, since we are playing the blame game, back on whatever it is about our society that fosters poverty. I grew up during difficult times and remember communism as being the biggest threat around, so big we sent our young off to be slaughtered in Vietnam.
Communism is looking real attractive about now. So is the zombie apocalypse.
another reference for our libraries….. the history of race relationships and schools in Boston/Charlestown…..
Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families is a nonfiction book by J. Anthony Lukas,
” through the prism of desegregation busing. It received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
The book traces the history of three families: the African-American Twymons, the Irish McGoffs and the Yankee Divers….[with] focus the racial tension of the 1960s and the 1970s.
Common Ground examines many of the issues including the protest movements, the disaffection between the “two-toilet” Irish middle-class and their working-class brethren, the impact of busing on national politics, and the evolution of the city’s news media.”