Shame SHAME on Ackerman!

[BobGS]

Seems that Superintendent Arlene Ackerman lays blame for the [racial hate crime] attacks of asian students at South Philly High School on the asian students:
"primarily by groups of African American students, but also by students of other races - were retaliation for an "unwarranted off-campus attack" of a disabled African American student."
That smacks of Blame-Shifting back onto the victim! Oh My God shes gone too far!!!
Phila district to hire investigator to probe violence | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/09/2009

[Geno]

I read the article and although Dr Ackerman mentions an unwarranted attack, I don't see where she justifies the attacks at the high school anywhere.

[BobGS]

in reading her comments there was a strongly implied correlation between the two events: asians attacking a "disabled African American student" just prior to the rampage and attacks against asian students by "primarially" African American students.

[phillycat]

I think that was just implied by the crap writing from the Inqy.

[Frankoid]

This whole incident will be spun so that the Asains will have to apologize....

[Frankoid]

Asians, that is...pardon my mis-spelling...I didnt graduate from South Philadelphia High....

[drewrob23]

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 adult staff at the school.

[sometimesilie]

Arlene "Silk tha Shocker" Ackerman. Address the issue at hand, Silk, which is the coordinated gang attacks, based on ethnicity, of the Chinese students at South Philly High. You're the g*ddammed Superintendent of schools, not some 11th grade partisan at SP High. Nothing excuses what is going on. Nothing explains it away.

[Sylvester]

This is the kind of fictitious folly that a racist white superintendent would have claimed if an attack....no, a raid, of this nature occurred on black students during the pre-Civil Rights era. It was lazy and reprehensible then, and the same rings true in 2010, no matter the race of the perpetrators/victims.

[Eames]

I also read Ackerman's comments about some outside incident involving Asians and a disabled Black kid. My read is that she was trying to bait and switch from senseless RACE-BASED attack to RETRIBUTION. The latter carries a slight bit of justification that the former totally lacks.

What seems the most disgraceful about the whole thing is that I've heard nothing about disciplining the students who attacked the Asian kids. And most sickening of all responses is "let's get some diversity training". BS

I have to say that I admire those Asian students a great deal for standing up for their right to learn in a safe environment. I wish there was a way that the general public could support them in their cause. Any suggestions?

[uly55es1]

These articles are very good reads and will give background to what is happening at South Philly High. It boiles down to a failure of the "Grown-ups" to run the school.

Special Report: Violence at South Philly High - Metropolis

Special Report, Part II: Violence at South Philly High - Metropolis

I hope this is not swept under the rug and I hope the Asian students, their families and communities keep the pressure up.

[BeardScraper]

these attacks on the asian students were happening wayyy before the disabled black student was beaten. the black students will continue to travel in packs and attack the asians kids while they are alone or in smaller groups....because they are nothing more than cowards with no morals. and poor upbringings. what do you expect from them?

[sometimesilie]

I also read Ackerman's comments about some outside incident involving Asians and a disabled Black kid. My read is that she was trying to bait and switch from senseless RACE-BASED attack to RETRIBUTION. The latter carries a slight bit of justification that the former totally lacks.

What seems the most disgraceful about the whole thing is that I've heard nothing about disciplining the students who attacked the Asian kids. And most sickening of all responses is "let's get some diversity training". BS

I have to say that I admire those Asian students a great deal for standing up for their right to learn in a safe environment. I wish there was a way that the general public could support them in their cause. Any suggestions?

Eloquently put, Eames. That is an incisive reading of how Ackerman is representing the situation.

Call me cynical, but I find it hard to believe that the type of miscreants who think it's OK to band together in packs in order to target individuals based on any outwardly defining characteristic- race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation- have an agenda of 'avenging the disabled' even remotely on their radar. IMO, they're more likely to view someone in a wheelchair as weak, and an opportunity to be exploited.

Aside from the questionable veracity of the 'defenders of the disabled' angle- considering it's absolutely true- that means, what, 27, 28+ Asian students beat up one disable kid over a period of months? Because from where I stand, that is the only scenario that could justify Ackerman's inclusion of it in her statement on the mob-beatings at SP High.

[City Man]

Maybe somebody should have checked on whether or not Ackerman is herself a racist before offering her the job.

[Cya]

have an agenda of 'avenging the disabled' even remotely on their radar. IMO, they're more likely to view someone in a wheelchair as weak, and an opportunity to be exploited.

.

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

[sometimesilie]

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

Whatever. Poor word choice on my part. I didn't see that either, but the sentiment is the same if it was a metal walker or even someone able to walk with limited mobility.

[Cya]

No, I'm seriously asking... do we know the specific disability of the kid?

I tend not to believe most of what I read in the Philly papers. Lots of info is left out, some is embellished, etc.

For all we know, this disabled kid could have a mild learning disability like thousands of other kids in school, and the press would have us thinking he's in a wheelchair or walks with crutches on oxygen.

Of course, before anyone spanks me, it doesn't really matter, I guess. I'm just curious.

[Eames]

Maybe somebody should have checked on whether or not Ackerman is herself a racist before offering her the job.

LOL. You've got to be kidding right???

I wonder how she would have reacted if gangs of Asian kids were beating up individual Black kids IN SCHOOL because a Black kid beat up an Asian kid somewhere in South Philly? aside-rhetorical question-

The point everyone in the School District administration is missing here, is that there should be ZERO TOLERANCE for any type of behavior like this ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. ZERO. No one is addressing the difference between what happens in the school vs. out on the streets. Ackerman should have expressed her support for speedy punishment and future zero tolerance. Her response (and those of all the Administrative hacks under her) that the school needs a good dose of Federal Diversity Training is total BS.

[Username1613]

Is Ackerman black? I don't know anything about her.
I find that Asians are often perceived by blacks as being a "type of white person", so maybe that explains the racism on the part of the black students. That, and the fact that Asians are often far more successful in academics and business.

[sometimesilie]

CYA- sorry; I realized that after I hit post, so I went back and edited it.

That is a very good point given the latitude with which the tag disability is sometimes (mis)appropriated or simply applied outside of our own experience. I guess I have a wide experience with physically "disabled" people and some of those who have the most limited mobility also lead the most active lives- not from the relative standpoint of a disabled person, but from the standpoint of anyone, able bodied or not. There are others much less severely limited who are very interested in sharing with the world how miserable they are.

When I saw "disabled" I immediately leapt to the conclusion that it was a physical, not mental disability. Call it in abject lesson in reading more carefully .

Regardless, I still think it's a red herring.