Once again Amherst proves how out of touch from the mainstream we are, voting over 4-1 in favor of what's her name while the rest of the state went with the white guy. Or the losing anti-casino vote (Question 3) finding favor in Amherst by almost 2-1
You have to wonder if the local CPA tax increase question (Question 5) had been decided by a statewide vote would the rest of the state have saved us from ourselves? Of course you also have to wonder what impact the student vote had on that question passing (3624-3154).
You know, the folks who will not buy property here and deal with its burden.
At 80%, Cambridge delivers @marthacoakley's largest margin over @CharlieForGov in Mass., followed closely by Amherst at 78% #magov #mapoli
— Jason Graziadei (@JasonGraziadei) November 5, 2014
Two words define this town
ReplyDelete~perfectly~.
Mental
illness.
-Squeaky Squeaks
p.s. Drip drip droooooollll...
speaking of the "white guy" and politicians, here's something amherst sc member amilcar shabazz wrote on facebook in february. i guess carolyn gardner isn't the only one who feels victimized:
ReplyDelete"I have faced white supremacy from day one on the school committee from the words and deeds of some of my fellow school committee members. Such behavior is unacceptable to me and I have had to fight to not be dismissed, disenfranchised, and just plain, ol’ dissed. Some of my white colleagues on the town and regional school committees like to talk about modeling civil discourse but some of them have not “walked the talk” by me. I do not serve on the regional school committee to serve any of my fellow committee members or the superintendent. I am there to work collegially to figure out how to maintain and to improve the work of our schools. I refuse to spend my precious time telling someone how to treat me with the same respect they give to the white men or white women on the school committee. If they have not educated themselves enough to function in a diverse setting like our school committee, then they should resign and let others do so who can."
I am going to ask my neighbors that voted for the CPA to pay my portion for me. They claim to be altruists so I think I stand a good chance of success.
ReplyDeleteDr. Squeaky: do you think the super's firing of Gardner and/or her attack on Shabazz were racially motivated, or is it just a garden variety Amherst mental illness issue? Do you know of any effective cure of either?
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering whether Mr. Shabazz noticed that there was disrespect within the school committee prior to his arrival. He is identifying a genuine problem, but it's not limited to race.
ReplyDeleteThere is a dominant perspective that leads to the schools getting a blank check year after year, reflected in these off-the-charts administrator salaries. Historically, other perspectives that might question the educational status quo in town and the region, including the perspectives provided by people of color, make in-roads but get beaten back. The long-term effect is a lack of accountability.
This is not a new problem.
Respect is overrated. Are we really expected (and by whom) to respect everybody?
DeleteThere are plenty of people I don't repect. I guess that goes long with the "everbody's equal" nonsense you hear in the schools.
omg, they're looking to squeaky for advice now.
ReplyDeleteAwwwwww, is the poor little politician getting "attacked" now?
ReplyDeleteWhat I have noticed is that when a man on the School Board is speaking, Shabazz looks them in the eye and gives them his undivided attention, but when a woman speaks he looks at papers or the floor and makes believe the female speaker isn't even there.
ReplyDelete"You can't run a business by committee." The school system could learn alot by following that simple rule.
ReplyDeleteI think Shabazz ought to take a long look in the mirror. Racism works both ways. To call what he is feeling "white supremacy" shows just how off to one side of the scale he is.
ReplyDeleteIf Shabazz thinks that a community like Amherst is fostering an environment that is "white supremest" in nature means that nothing short of putting whites in chains for centuries will make him feel justice has been done.
Sad mindset to live a lifetime in.
shabazz wanted to be a politician but now that he is one he wants us to believe he's not part of the "system" that somehow he's outside and above it. and he wants us to believe that his lack of work for two and a half years now is because nobody is letting him do anything, he's dissed and disenfranchised. maybe get on a committee so everyone else doesn't have to do all the work? you're a politician buddy so you should expect public scrutiny, and no it's not because you're black, everyone on that board has gotten scrutinized and criticized and attacked for years, it's because you don't do anything and point the finger. just like at umass you spend your days skipping work and going to conferences and everyone knows it.
ReplyDeleteAutomatic gas tax increases? Why yes, please.
ReplyDeletePay more for bottle deposits when everyone on earth already pays curbside pickup? Yes, please, may I have another?
Casinos; I could take 'em or leave 'em. But God forbid, we wouldn't want Mass citizens spending their money in state now would we?
Paid sick time; why not? Does anyone's job really make them come to work when they're sick? They don't want you there. More entitled workers please. If I don't work, I still deserve to be paid...the hell you do; especially those of you who voted yes on this.
Wow. Shabazz gets online and calls his fellow school committee members white supremacists but then when the big bad elected official gets some push back his rescuers claim HE's being attacked. Just WOW.
ReplyDeleteHow not become a politician: don't run for office.
Oh poor baby Shabazz. So disrespected.
ReplyDeleteNOT!
How about the total disrespect he shows to women on the committee as noted above. And how about the disrespect he shows to the entire committee by doing nothing. Serving on NO sub committees except his pet SETF. And even on that committee he is doing little to no work. When you are elected to the SC you have a job to do beyond showing up late at meetings and grandstanding. Shabazz has exhibited the ultimate disrespect by getting elected and then not doing the job. If he runs again voters beware.
... the super's firing of Gardner...
ReplyDeleteUm, I believe her lawyers contacted the super to tell her that she would not be returning to work after months of paid leave......
Thanks for the heads-up on Shabazz's demeanor with women.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep an eye out for that.
I'm wondering whether Mr. Shabazz has thought at all about how other members of the SC or the community feel about how he responds to them.
So, you all believe supt. Maria G is the true victim of Amherst discrimination by the teacher and school committee member of color... WTF? There must be some way out of here, said the joker to the superintendent-in-thief!
ReplyDeletePlease tell me that that Shabazz quote from Facebook is somebody's idea of a joke.
ReplyDelete3:58, you are not listening, because you don't want to. nobody especially the sup herself called her a victim. there's not always a victim and an oppressor in every situation, that's why your view is warped.
ReplyDelete4:16 PM, check out some of the other stuff on his page, unfortunately not a joke.
https://www.facebook.com/ElectShabazz?ref=br_tf
Read the whole letter here:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/notes/arps-sc-member-amilcar-shabazz/letter-asking-amherst-voters-to-elect-vira-douangmany-to-our-school-committee/627024994034905
Shabazz: "I ran and you elected me to a seat on the school committee. Why? What was that all about? What am I able to accomplish for you? I ask myself these questions everyday since April 3rd, 2012."
ReplyDeleteOK, so....... Any answers? What have you accomplished for us?
No one said Maria Geryk is the victim of discrimination. Where did that comment come from?
ReplyDeleteShabazz' letter is nothing short of slander. "I have faced white supremacy from day one on the school committee from the words and deeds of some of my fellow school committee members." I'd like to know which sc members specifically he is calling white supremacists, and what words and deeds lead him to "know" it since "day one" on the sc.
ReplyDeleteWHITE SUPREMACY: the belief that white people are superior to those of all other races, especially the black race, and should therefore dominate society.
Wow, really? Shabazz figured out by some sc members words and deeds on his first day on the committee that they believe white people should dominate society, and that they are superior to all other races?
how do we know that everything written on that Elect Shabazz facebook page was written by him or has his approval? I would expect some other people (such as those who had been involved with his 2012 School Committee campaign) would have access to edit the site.
ReplyDeleteNo, we don't lnow whether he wrote it. But we do know he's resposible for it.
DeleteHow did a post about the election generate so many comments about one school committee member? relevance?
ReplyDeleteI am not happy about the CPA vote. My taxes are plenty high enough.
How did a post about the election generate so many comments about one school committee member? relevance?
ReplyDeleteFirst time on the blog? It's all politics. The post is about politicians and how we vote in Amherst.
"Dr. Squeaky: do you think the super's firing of Gardner and/or her attack on Shabazz were racially motivated, or is it just a garden variety Amherst mental illness issue? Do you know of any effective cure of either?"
ReplyDeleteExcellent questions.
During my tenure with the district, I maintained an ~excellent~ relationship with ~all~ my black and brown bothers and sisters. I am 1000% confident not a ~single one~ of them would disagree.
(as I've said, I'm snow white)
I enjoyed a good relationship with Barry Brooks. He seemed pretty normal. A little on the dry side (and "inside") but ok. I always popped in and made a point of hearing what the high school janitors had to say (and hang out with them). I think Ben was the head janitor at the time and Don his assistant. Believe it or not, one of the last things I did (literally) before they got rid of me was offer Mark Prince very sincere support and encouragement. As a matter of fact, my final conversation with him was about race and racism in the Amherst school system.
I told him I felt his "difficulties" were likely caused, in part, by racism. Amazingly, I was also very much inside (but not a part of) the side which "fatally" damaged him (though he didn't know this). Sadly, that last time I spoke with him, I knew he was finished. BTW it made some (at Wildwood) very happy, doing what they did. Me, I felt pretty bad about it.
Whatever.
The bottom line: I don't know if Maria Geryk et alia are racists or not.
If I were a betting person I
would say
not particularly.
Their thing is greed
and a lust for power.
Racism?
You've got
BIGGER problems right now.
Believe me.
-Squeaky Squeaks
p.s. And if it had ever been straight up racism back in the day, I'd've had your back, for what little it was worth...
Cashing in on the guilt money, eh Shabazz?
ReplyDeleteCan't say I'm surprised
If you are a permanent resident of Amherst, why not increase the CPA tax? The majority of housing in Amherst is rental units, most of which are occupied by Umass students. Landlords pass on the cost to them and voila, we have fat CPA accounts.
ReplyDeleteNo, we don't lnow whether he wrote it.
ReplyDeleteExcept that his name is signed to it, and the whole letter is about his personal experiences. (He finally gets around to Vira and how she will support his agenda if elected to the SC.)
Squeaky why did you get fired by Hochman?
ReplyDeletei can't imagine shabazz would have any reason to keep secret his knowledge of which sc members he knows to be white supremacists: why doesn't someone just ask him publicly? Is that something the sc can put on a meeting agenda some night? if there are white supremacists on the sc and shabazz knows who they are, that seems too important to just ignore.
ReplyDeleteLarry, the CPA passed because the students DON'T vote.
ReplyDeleteThey just get to pay for all this stuff...
No Ed, the CPA got passed because this town is full of wingnuts, who like to spend everybody elses money for there idea of utopia.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe some of you can so nonchalantly discuss the CPA tax when there are white supremacists occupying our school board as I type.
ReplyDeleteHowever I also wonder whether the "words and deeds" that Shabazz felt "dissed" by weren't motivated by the color of his skin, or by a belief that white people are superior to and should dominate black people, but rather by his often rude and unprofessional and dismissive demeanor (such as his childish tantrum after losing a bid for SC chair by democratic process.) I wonder whether Shabazz is the one who has "not educated himself to work with a diverse group of people". That's the way it seems when you watch him in action at the school board meetings, anyway.
Regardless, he needs to tell us who, in his opinion, the white supremacists on the school board are.
Yes! Name names!
Delete"No Ed, the CPA got passed because this town is full of wingnuts, who like to spend everybody elses money for there idea of utopia."
ReplyDeleteA significant number of whom live either in publicly supported housing (not just Ann Whalen) or have a Section 8 Voucher so that they only pay 30% of their reported income for rent (we pay the rest). What they pay for rent will not increase, everyone else will pay their share.
There was a time when you actually had to own a certain minimum amount of real estate in town in order to vote -- the rationale is that only those who actually PAID taxes had the right to increase them -- that those not paying taxes in the first place ought not be spending other people's money...
Now we have folks voting themselves things out of the public treasury...
"Squeaky why did you get fired by Hochman?"
ReplyDeleteJere didn't fire me.
His misanthropic Director of
Human Resources
"fired" me.
Had I reached out to him,
or better yet used the union's
lawyers to fight back, I would've
"won"(according to THEM, not me).
And guess who would've
paid for it (allllll of it)?
Yeah you betcha,
you!
(you're friggan welcome.)
-Squeaky Squeaks
p.s. Yeah.
It's actually quite simple: Are they White? Then they are White Supremacists -- either consciously or subconsciously.
ReplyDeleteBut Shabazz wrote that only some not all of the white members of the sc are white supremacists, and he knows it not because they are light-skinned but because of their "words and deeds"..........
Are there any Black Supremacists on said board? If so, then things are pretty well balanced.
Delete
ReplyDeleteor better yet used the union's
lawyers to fight back, I would've
"won"
well if a lawyer said it then it's true.
Amherst voters deserve to know what Shabazz knows, in case the white supremacist school board members decide to run again.
ReplyDeleteKathleen Anderson knows who they are, too, and that's why at SC meetings she interrupts SC members who are speaking with shouts of "White Supremacist!"
There are white supremacists holding office in our town, and I have had enough of Shabazz' and Anderson's anemic response to this problem: do something about it! Tell us who they are so we can get rid of them!
The answer of course is that there ARE no white supremacists on the board. But there may well be ill feelings. Especially now.
ReplyDeleteGod, do NOT drag Mark Prince out as an alleged example of some sort of racism.
ReplyDeleteHe was a disaster as a principal and having the fortitude to get rid of him was one of the things I most admire our school district for.
Do not even TRY to rewrite history that way.
Jere didn't fire me.
ReplyDeleteHis misanthropic Director of
Human Resources
"fired" me.
Why did the Director of Human Resources, then, fire you, Squeaky? What was the reason for dismissal? Why did put quotation marks around "fired"? (The Director of Human Resources can terminate an employee without the sup's consent?)
Squeaks, when the Prince debacle occurred Larry had less than a quarter of the number of readers he does now, if you're going to bring him up you should include some context for newer readers.
ReplyDelete"In September, Prince resigned as principal of an Albany, N.Y., school to take the job in Taunton. Albany had just hired him that summer. Prince had previously worked as a principal in Amherst, where a local newspaper reported that a union survey showed an overwhelming majority of faculty and staff at his school were not satisfied with his performance."
http://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20081023/News/310238728
Mark Prince tends last less than one year per job. Looks like he is now gone from Framingham:
ReplyDeletehttp://patch.com/massachusetts/framingham/framingham-public-schools-without-assistant-superintendent
Don't forget the massive outcry again him by p parents as well...including a letter to the gazette signed by many many parents demanding his dismissal.
ReplyDelete