Shame SHAME on Ackerman!

[jedi mind fart]

My Mandarin is sketchy but fook yu aso.

[Cya]

I don't see why NTA's and other adults at the school would need to be afraid of children.

I think calling these roving gangs of thugs "children" is a stretch.

Given the history of violence on teachers/staff by some of these "children".. I think the possibility that they fear for themselves is very real.

[PhilPa]

It's strategic. If they blamed the kids, the district would probably force them to identify the kids which they may or may not be able to do. Then, when the kids are identified and expelled, the first thing the thugs would likely do is retaliate. The district, meanwhile, will have washed their hands of the whole thing and say "Well, we expelled the kids so we did what *we* had to do."

By blaming the adults, this gives more weight to the fact that this problem is much more systemic and that the district can not simply weasel their way out. Further, the media is less likely to pay attention to a fight between two groups of kids, racial or not. It becomes front page news when attention is given to the fact that district employees themselves are involved in the racism. This makes it so that the district has to owe up to this issue instead of simply saying "it's just some rogue kids, we've expelled them so the problem is solved."

I find it interesting that the Asian students are not blaming the kids who attacked them, but rather the school staff.

Yes, the staff should have been doing more to stop the violence and maintain order in the school, but I'm guessing lots of these staff members are also afraid of the roaming gangs of youth.

Ultimately, it's the kids who are to blame, I think.

I see Phila Police officers at Lincoln and Frankford schools. Doesn't South Philly High have real cops?

[kotter]

I think that Ackerman's comment just illustrates that officials in the school district don't know or control everything. Maybe the incident she mentioned did start the tension between the two groups. Even though more than likely there has been tension for some time and maybe the incident mentioned was the tipping point.

I wonder if they'll find out more info about the alleged comments of the staff at the school.

That incident did not start the tension because this has been going on for years. Last year the Asian students made the same complaints and the school did nothing.

[kotter]

Was the disabled black kid in a wheelchair? I didn't read anywhere about his specific "disability".

Does anyone even have a link to story about the disabled kid being attacked?

[kotter]

Let's be honest. This is just another example of the blacks destroying the city. The whites work hard, send their kids to school, and take care of their homes. As soon as the blacks move into a neighborhood crime, garbage and graffiti all increase. The whites then move to avoid the crime garbage, graffiti, and problems in the schools. The neighborhoods then turn into ghettos.

[seand]

Lets be honest. Some people love racist generalizations no matter how unhelpful they are. Next up, do Asian men have small penises? And do white people have no sense of rhythm?

[BluegrassCat]

Does anyone even have a link to story about the disabled kid being attacked?

I haven't seen anything. This past summer when a white woman asked "where did all of the blacks kids come from" at the huntington valley swim club the ensuing story about the camp being asked not to come back made national news for weeks. But now Asian kids supposedly target a black disabled child and beat him up but yet there isn't any mention of it in the local papers!?!?!?! If this happened you'd think it would have made the front and rear cover of the daily news with the obligatory picture of the disabled boy with the community activists with sad and angry faces.

[sometimesilie]

Lets be honest. Some people love racist generalizations no matter how unhelpful they are. Next up, do Asian men have small penises? And do white people have no sense of rhythm?

Maybe the black students were jealous at the Asians for their math proficiency?

kotter, I think they are paging you over at the Philadelphia Freedom Forum, under the thread "Segregation Now, Segregation FOREVER." Somebody is arguing in favor of interracial marriages.

[drewrob23]

I think calling these roving gangs of thugs "children" is a stretch.

Given the history of violence on teachers/staff by some of these "children".. I think the possibility that they fear for themselves is very real.

Then I'll say teens then. I don't feel the need to refer to them as thugs and animals.

[drewrob23]

The Chinese !?

Hispanics.

[drewrob23]

Lets be honest. Some people love racist generalizations no matter how unhelpful they are. Next up, do Asian men have small penises? And do white people have no sense of rhythm?

I know the last line isn't true because the dude from Step Up has moves!lol

[sometimesilie]

Then I'll say teens then. I don't feel the need to refer to them as thugs and animals.

Sorry Charlie, Organized Gang Attacks on individual(s) based on an outwardly defining characteristic (or, well, really pretty much anything) characterizes you as a Thug or an Animal in my book. A simple reformation of certain excreble practices- nobody has called them irredeemable- would be enough to remove the tag, but as things stand, I think some of the characterizing names being thrown around here are not off base.

[sometimesilie]

Seriously though, if this raises your hackles, you should peruse some of the crime reports carried by British Papers. They- the Writers- call people names I didn't even know existed!* I've been too timid to go down through the comments as of yet...

*outside of Victorian street gang graffiti

[Glenn Quagmire]

Federal complaint to be filed over S. Phila. High violence | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/11/2009

Another issue altogether, no one has ever discussed during this whole thing is that some of these Chinese students do not even speak English. What are they being taught in this school, are they just learning English, or are they also learning other subjects

[Bainbridgegirl]

Federal complaint to be filed over S. Phila. High violence | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/11/2009

Another issue altogether, no one has ever discussed during this whole thing is that some of these Chinese students do not even speak English. What are they being taught in this school, are they just learning English, or are they also learning other subjects

Many of the students are part of the ESOL program. This means they take subject area classes (math, science, social studies, etc.) but they are also working to learn and become proficient at English. ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. ESL stands for English as a Second Language.

The ESOL programs at schools in Philadelphia serve students of many races. There are also lots of non-Asian students enrolled in these programs including Haitian, African, Puerto Rican and Mexican students.

Also, not all of the Asian students are Chinese.

[PhilPa]

This is from an article on CBS3.com supposedly quoting Ackerman.

"I want them to see that their safe. I want them to see that there are students of all races here," Dr. Ackerman said.

Philadelphia School District Asks Boycotting Asian Students To Return To Class - cbs3.com

Hopefully the person typing the article just transcribed it wrong. Either way, however, it just goes to show the state of education in Philadelphia.

[Mr Morley]

It's a transcription error; you can't misuse "their" for "they're" when you're speaking.

[phillycat]

It's a transcription error; you can't misuse "their" for "they're" when you're speaking.

I'm not sure why, but that just totally cracked me up.

[BobGS]

Federal complaint to be filed over S. Phila. High violence | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/11/2009

I am very very happy that the issue is being brought to Federal Court.
Yes, basic rights have been blaitantly denied these students and they deserve restitution and equal protection under the law.
I am equally happy that Ackerman and Brown and the whole cadre of black self-righteous "leaders in the community" will be getting called-out, finally. Its pay-back time, only in a legal, civil manner.