Sidewalks/Streets/Subdivisions in Madison, AL are not safe for "really skinny" black/brown guys/gals

Madison Police Officer Eric Parker is back from leave and headed for active duty today after Madison's acting police chief decided he did not violate policy in the sidewalk stop and takedown of an Indian pedestrian that led to federal civil rights charges and international publicity.

Let's recap:

Madison, AL Police Officer Eric Parker avoided a conviction after two mistrials.  In the first mistrial the black jurors refused to acquit, and in the second trial, the white jurors refused to acquit. Two strikes and you're out said the Federal Judge.

The only person to be found guilty of a crime is former Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey.

So now we know if someone calls and reports a really skinny black guy is walking around in the neighborhood acting suspiciously in Madison, AL it's within MPD policy to body slam said skinny black guy to the ground and partially paralyze them.

Are we safe yet? 

This is why EYE am #SittingDownWithColinKaepernic7

Pleading to be treated like "We The People" in 2016

One by one, parents and other members of the of the African American community, took the stand in District Court and pleaded for a seat at the table in the Huntsville desegregation case. 

More than a half century since her grandfather sued to end dual schooling in Huntsville, Catherine Hereford took the witness stand in an attempt to fill his shoes.
"I want to continue the work my grandfather did and see it through to completion," Hereford told U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala on Monday in a crowded federal courtroom in downtown Huntsville
At stake is who gets a seat in the negotiations to end the city's long-running desegregation case.

Everybody has a seat at the table except those who are impacted the most   

"Since the filing of the Consent Decree in this case, the DOJ has failed to adequately represent the interests of African-American students in the Huntsville City Schools," reads the motion filed Friday.

Not surprisingly Huntsville City Schools and the DOJ want to keep it that way

"Please don't put us in a position that it's so unwieldy we cannot deal with," said J.R. Brooks, the school board attorney, in his closing appeal to the judge. He said that four new plaintiffs could open the door to even more new plaintiffs.

And the Judge thinks it's "growing pains"? 

The SPLC repeatedly commended the proposed consent order's objectives and efforts but argued it "does not comprehensively address many of the issues with HCS discipline procedures and practices, nor has the court been fully apprised of the issues during this litigation."
The Montgomery-based organization concluded in its 10-page letter that the plan risks being a "temporary fix" or "exacerbating" the situation unless it adds four revisions:
Meaningful judicial oversight;
Robust accountability measures;
Significant due process protections;
An expeditious time frame.
The SPLC criticized the proposed consent order as being written in "vague and overbroad terms that create uncertainty" and make it hard for the court to enforce.
It also seeks language that requires the school district to provide attorneys to students/families brought to disciplinary hearings in they can't afford one; obligations to report ongoing data; and a time frame for implementing reforms.

So here Black Parents and Community leaders go again.  Pleading to be heard.  Pleading for a seat at the table.  Pleading to be treated like human beings.  My question is why do we have to beg? 

I swear to the Lord, I still can't see, why Democracy means, everybody but me. Langston Hughes

Huntsville City Schools Black/Brown/Poor Children are still "Waiting For Superman" Redux

Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2016  (Huntsville Times file)

Hopefully Superman, in the form of  U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala, will put on her cape, leap tall buildings in a single bound, and allow new plaintiffs to join the long standing Huntsville City Schools desegregation case.

Black parents in north Huntsville are urging a federal judge to allow their four children to join the 53-year-old lawsuit to desegregate Huntsville City Schools.
The parents filed a motion in U.S. District Court late Friday that argues the U.S. Department of Justice does not represent the concerns of local families.
"The DOJ has failed to maintain regular communications with the African-American community in Huntsville," reads the motion. "It has not held a single meeting with the said community."
Birmingham attorney Mark Debro filed the motion, which also contends that the Justice Department has ignored complaints from those affected in Huntsville.
Debro seeks to have four children substituted for the original plaintiffs or otherwise added as intervenors alongside the Justice Department.

Why this action is even necessary.

So, the North Huntsville Collective says the plan is OK and they plan to monitor it persistently, after they said the plan failed north Huntsville Schools. Really? And how do they plan to monitor a plan that can't be monitored? And what makes them believe this administration and this school board are going to listen to them about anything? Heck, they won't even allow black elected officials and community leaders to hold a press conference on the steps of the Merts Center. They won't allow citizens to comment at public meetings without writing down their questions and having them read by a Mime. They no longer televise citizens comments because citizens might actually be informed instead of misinformed. They have teachers and parents afraid to speak out. So good luck with that persistent monitoring thingy.

Ironically the legendary Civil Rights Pioneer who iniated the desegregation law suit, Dr. Sonnie Wellington Hereford III was laid to rest last week. It's a shame he died with Huntsville City Schools looking the same way it did on March 11, 1963.  Hopefully, Judge Haikala will enable a new generation of plaintiffs to finally complete the work he started.

Edited~The Madison Police Officer who injured Mr. Patel is not convicted, but the Madison Police Chief is? #PatelAlabama

Grandfather visiting Alabama from India stopped by police while walking, left partially paralyzed

What is wrong with this picture?  EYE am not a lawyer or a judge, and EYE don't play one in the Blogosphere, but in the words of Keith Sweat, something just ain't right about this.

A federal judge today held Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey in contempt of court.

He has been placed on paid administrative leave by Madison Mayor Troy Trulock, according to a statement released by the mayor following the hearing.
Muncey was fined $2,500 and ordered to undergo special training. The maximum penalty Muncey could have faced was six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Muncey and his attorney, Jerry Barclay, declined to comment after the hearing.
Muncey is the only person to be convicted in the Indian grandfather case, which stemmed from a February 2015 incident when a native of India was slammed to the ground by Madison police officer Eric Parker, who was responding to a suspicious person call.

Let's recap:

Madison police last week roughed up a 57-year-old Indian citizen who was walking on the sidewalk outside his son's home, leaving the older man temporarily paralyzed and hospitalized with fused vertebrae.
"He was just walking on the sidewalk as he does all the time," said his son, Chirag Patel, this morning. "They put him to the ground."
No crime had been committed. Madison Police on Monday issued a statement saying the department had suspended the officer and were investigating the use of force in this case. The police statement wished the man a "speedy recovery."

Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala throws out excessive force case against a police officer because "All Lives Matter"

Per the Ruling: Two juries have communicated as much after lengthy deliberations that produced thoughtful questions and, ultimately, deadlock. The Court has no reason to expect a different result in a subsequent trial given the totality of the evidence that the parties have provided. The Government has had two full and fair chances to obtain a conviction; it will not have another.

So, it's two strikes and you're out for the federal government, but one strike and you're out for the Madison Police chief?

Parker has been tried twice in federal court for violating Sureshbhai Patel's civil rights but neither jury could reach a verdict. He was eventually acquitted of the civil rights charge by U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala, who then brought contempt charges against Muncey.
Muncey on Thursday announced he was taking a leave of absence. Now that Muncey has been placed on administrative leave, Major Jim Cooke has been named acting police chief by Trulock.

The contempt ruling from Haikala stems from Muncey's improper communication with witnesses -- all Madison police officers -- during the September 2015 civil rights trial of Officer Eric Parker.
The judge said Muncey was also wrong to assign Sgt. Lamar Anderson to observe courtroom proceedings once Muncey was no longer permitted to be in the courtroom. And Muncey was wrong in ordering officers who testified in the trial to submit reports to him on their testimony within 24 hours of the trial's conclusion, Haikala said.

Somebody help me understand what is happening here.  It seems like the wrong person is being punished.

The take down left Patel, who spoke no English, in need of spinal surgery and launched an international incident. Muncey recommended that Parker, who was charged locally with misdemeanor assault, be fired.

Haikala spoke from the bench for 30 minutes outlining Muncey's transgressions, repeatedly saying that the special prosecutor had proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge said that while she understood the difficult position Muncey found himself in in trying to protect the police department's liability in an unusual case, he violated a clear order from the judge.
Muncey "has to trust the process," Haikala said.

With all due respect, EYE am having difficulty trusting the process myself Your Honor, Mam.

Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala throws out excessive force case against a police officer because "All Lives Matter"

Per the Ruling:  Two juries have communicated as much after lengthy deliberations that produced thoughtful questions and, ultimately, deadlock. The Court has no reason to expect a different result in a subsequent trial given the totality of the evidence that the parties have provided. The Government has had two full and fair chances to obtain a conviction; it will not have another.

Let's recap:

Madison police last week roughed up a 57-year-old Indian citizen who was walking on the sidewalk outside his son's home, leaving the older man temporarily paralyzed and hospitalized with fused vertebrae.
"He was just walking on the sidewalk as he does all the time," said his son, Chirag Patel, this morning. "They put him to the ground."
No crime had been committed. Madison Police on Monday issued a statement saying the department had suspended the officer and were investigating the use of force in this case. The police statement wished the man a "speedy recovery."

It's the victims fault the police treated him like a skinny black guy in America.

Defense attorney Robert Tuten this time told the jury that the escalation of force was largely the fault of Patel.

"When you come to the U.S. we expect you to follow our laws and speak our language," said Tuten. "Mr. Patel bears as much responsibility for this as anyone."

The first trial deadlocked in a mistrial  10-2 in favor of acquittal along racial/gender lines.

The jury that couldn't reach a verdict in the criminal trial of police officer Eric Parker was split 10-2 along gender lines, according to one of the holdout jurors.
Ten men wanted to acquit the officer who slammed down a 57-year-old Indian citizen during a sidewalk stop, leaving the man partly paralyzed.
The two women on the jury thought Parker was guilty of the federal civil rights charge, deprivation of rights under the color of law. The charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
When contacted by al.com, one of those two women explained the two-day deliberation that ended in frustration for both sides. "I was the one saying he was guilty," said the juror, who asked to withhold her name.
The juror, who is retired from the U.S. Army, said from Thursday morning through late Friday no jurors changed their minds and extra time seemed unlikely to alter the deadlock. "It was 10 to 2. I wasn't changing my story."
The jury also appeared to split along racial lines. Both female jurors were black. None of the 10 male jurors were black.

The judge took steps to keep the media out of jury selection in the second trial

U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala today ordered that, unlike during the first trial, media will not be allowed to report or blog from the courtroom. Reporters will be allowed to take handwritten notes and report after they leave.

The second trial deadlocked in a mistrial.

The new jury was flipped, packed with nine women this time and just three men. The new jury had four black members, including the foreman. 

There will be no third trial because the judge was troubled by the federal focus on race.   

"I said to you at the first trial, and I don't think I said it explicitly at this one, but I did say that I did not want there to be racial issues in this trial," said Haikala.She said the discussion came up during jury selection, as the government used all its strikes to block white males from sitting on the jury.
She said the "all lives matter" comment and the talk of shooting an unarmed man from behind "is right on point with all of the racial discussion that is going on," said Haikala. "The court finds it troubling that the government is resorting to those sorts of tactics."

Blame it on the media 

But Judge Haikala mentioned a news story on al.com, a story she had brought up in transcripts before. The story contained interviews with jurors from the first trial. The first jury deadlocked along racial and gender lines, with 10 white men finding Parker innocent and two African American women voting guilty.
"The media coverage portrayed this as a racial issue and so I thought I was very clear about the fact that it be improper for race to be an issue at any level in this case," repeated Judge Haikala.
Later on Nov. 4, after the second jury announced they could not reach a consensus, the defense moved the judge for an acquittal.
"This is the second jury that's obviously had a hard time reaching a decision in this case," said Tuten. "I think that speaks to the proof and lack of proof that has been offered by the government and I think it illustrates that have not made a prima facie case."

So now we know.  If someone calls police to complain of a skinny black guy who is just kind of walking around close to the garage, the police have the right to reasonably assume that the individual was involved in a burglary.  But it's not racial.

Listen to the call to Madison Police about the Indian grandfather and tell me it's not racial.

Desegregation Judge drops the hammer on black/brown/poor students and taxpayers #HCSvDOJ #hcsboe #SeparateAndUnequal

Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2015  (Huntsville Times file)

EYE am still trying to figure out how Judge Madeline Haikala morphed from Huntsville City Schools can show no evidence they aren't operating a dual school system , to  it's OK for Huntsville City Schools to continue to operate a dual school system, but that's exactly what she did in a memorandum issued late last night.

Her memorandum opinion posted on the court's website called the proposed consent order "an excellent vehicle to help the district advance towards a 'nonracial system of public education' that will eliminate the effects of the former segregated system and allow the district to return to local control."
The proposed consent order was developed jointly by the school district and U.S. Justice Department after Haikala ordered both sides to enter mediation last summer to work out their differences. They presented their plan in unified manner to the judge during a two-day hearing in March.

About that "unified plan".  It's basically the same plan as the original plan. The only difference I can see is former Butler High and Terry Heights students won't be forced to attend the Mega Black school illegally renamed after two black astronauts, located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry. However, that will change when a majority of them are relocated to public housing across University Drive.

If Sage Hill comes to fruition, the developers have agreed to make all 62 units available to public housing families that live in Sparkman Homes on Holmes Avenue, said Lundy.
The housing authority wants to transform Eisenhower-era Sparkman Homes west of downtown into a new mixed-income development; relocating nearly 40 percent of current residents to Sage Hill would make that easier.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund asked the judge to reject the plan.

The SPLC criticized the proposed consent order as being written in "vague and overbroad terms that create uncertainty" and make it hard for the court to enforce.
It also seeks language that requires the school district to provide attorneys to students/families brought to disciplinary hearings in they can't afford one; obligations to report ongoing data; and a time frame for implementing reforms.
The NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., said while it is no longer counsel in the case, it weighed in on the desegregation plan because of its "institutional mission and previous involvement in the matter."
It concluded its six-page letter, saying Huntsville failed to present a plan "that promises realistically to work and promised realistically to work now." It also criticized the proposed consent order for being "dangerously vague," "at best, ambiguous" and "difficult to enforce."

Councilman Richard Showers called for a rejection of the plan also.

It seems the District was successful in pleading their case that it was in the best interest of the schools in North Huntsville to remain as they are and continue the same 'feeder' pattern," wrote Showers. "Failing schools feeding into failing schools."

Am EYE disappointed in the Judge's ruling?  You bet EYE am.  This was an opportunity for Huntsville City Schools to be a shining example for others to follow, a beacon of HOPE for the future of our Republic.  it was an opportunity for all children, regardless of race, gender, address, or circumstance to have equal access to a quality public education.  There is no right way to do the wrong thing.  Separate and unequal was wrong then, and it's wrong now.

EYE told y'all the desegregation hearing was much ado about nothing.

 After months of  secret mediation The United States Department of Justice basically approved Wardynski’s rezoning plan that he developed and implemented entirely without public input.
Huntsville City Schools will agree to anything as long as they can legally operate a dual school system.  In an effort to stop expelling black students the district agreed to rewrite the Student Code of Conduct, implement a Restorative Justice Strategies, develop a Positive School Climate Program, and appoint a Desegregation Advisory Committee.  All of this by a superintendent and school board who who view African American students as natural born gang members, and adopts polices that treat them that way.

 Even If We Win We Lose

So after months and possibly years of litigation over the rezoning plan, what have we won?
The district will still be under the control of the DoJ except now the plan that the DoJ believed would best bring us unification has been rejected.
The DoJ still controls our destiny. Does fighting their plan (even assuming we’ve seen their plan) bring us closer to unification?
Nope. It doesn’t.
The Wardynski Plan is a fool’s errand. We did not have to file it. And the public has had zero input into the plan.
So, after potentially years of litigation and expense, we will have accomplished absolutely nothing, even if we win.
Nothing except the following:

1. Wardynski has shored up support for himself in this town because he’s willing to fight the “evil” federal government.
2. Wardynski has improved his name recognition on a national level.
3. Wardynski has spent a ton of the district’s money that he should be spending on improving education at all of our schools. And of course,
4. We’re still a segregated system.

This is, in the Bard’s wise words, much ado about nothing.

BTW, if you want to see the real "winners" just read the comment section on Al.com.

Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu (sic) types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

Mission Accomplished  to the detriment of those who can't flee.

#HCSvsDOJ Desegregation Hearing: "Much Ado about Nothing" #hscboe

Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2015  (Huntsville Times file)

Let's recap:
Eight months ago Federal Judge Madeline Haikala dropped her hammer on the Huntsville City Schools rezoning plan.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.
Instead, she appointed Chief Magistrate Judge John Ott to oversee months of mediation between the two as they examine all aspects of racial disparities across Huntsville City Schools.
She also called for appointment of a Special Master to oversee the court's ongoing fact-finding in the case.

She also dropped her hammer on the Justice Department, but only to say they were being far too lax.

 "From the record, it appears that years of relative calm and inactivity have lulled the government into a habit of checking in only when the district proposes actions that require the government's review. The government should be more proactive. Based on the current record, the Court does not know when inequities in educational programs arose in the district; however, standardized test scores from 10 years ago demonstrate disparate results among racially identifiable schools. Had the government been keeping an eye on that sort of information, it could have brought it to the Court's attention more quickly and enabled the Court and the district to address the issue in a timely fashion. "

In short, Haikala held: "On the record before it, the Court cannot find conclusively that the Board does not operate a dual system."

Fast forward to March 11, 2015 exactly,  52 years to the day after black families first sued to end segregated schooling in Huntsville,  and a hearing about  granting Huntsville City Schools the rare opportunity to have court approved segregation disguised as a "pathway to unitary status", enabled by the Department of Justice.

City Councilman Richard Showers has written a federal judge to complain that the plan to improve racial equity in Huntsville does little to end the racially isolated classrooms on opposite ends of the city.
"It seems the District was successful in pleading their case that it was in the best interest of the schools in North Huntsville to remain as they are and continue the same 'feeder' pattern," wrote Showers. "Failing schools feeding into failing schools."

After months of  secret mediation The United States Department of Justice basically approved Wardynski’s rezoning plan that he developed and implemented entirely without public input.

Huntsville City Schools will agree to anything as long as they can legally operate a dual school system.  In an effort to stop expelling black students the district agreed to rewrite the Student Code of Conduct, implement a Restorative Justice Strategies, develop a Positive School Climate Program, and appoint a Desegregation Advisory Committee.  All of this by a superintendent and school board who who view African American students as natural born gang members, and adopts polices that treat them that way.

All of the above slogans, I mean programs, sound nice but here's the real deal.  African American students will be forced to attend failing schools, illegally renamed after two black astronauts located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.  Majority to Minority Transfers,  and access to Magnet Schools will be granted to the fortunate few.  The Alternative School is still privatized.

Even If We Win We Lose

So after months and possibly years of litigation over the rezoning plan, what have we won?
The district will still be under the control of the DoJ except now the plan that the DoJ believed would best bring us unification has been rejected.
The DoJ still controls our destiny. Does fighting their plan (even assuming we’ve seen their plan) bring us closer to unification?
Nope. It doesn’t.
The Wardynski Plan is a fool’s errand. We did not have to file it. And the public has had zero input into the plan.
So, after potentially years of litigation and expense, we will have accomplished absolutely nothing, even if we win.
Nothing except the following:

1. Wardynski has shored up support for himself in this town because he’s willing to fight the “evil” federal government.
2. Wardynski has improved his name recognition on a national level.
3. Wardynski has spent a ton of the district’s money that he should be spending on improving education at all of our schools. And of course,
4. We’re still a segregated system.

This is, in the Bard’s wise words, much ado about nothing.

In short, the proposed Consent Order equals Segregation then. Segregation now.  Segregation forever?

For 50 years the legacy of discrimination has been allowed to  exist under the watchful eyes of those who didn't want integration then, and who don't want integration now.  Let's face it, it's all about money, and whose children will have equal access to the public dollars that fund public education.  I challenge these people to start being part of the solution. Everything we do as is first and foremost for our children, not what is best for a political agenda.

Update~ Huntsville school board unanimously approves segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever

J.R. Brooks, attorney for Huntsville City Schools (file) The Gate Keeper

Huntsville City Schools superintendent, and his media enablers claim the historic moment brings city wide equity.  I guess it depends on what their definition of citywide equity IS.

With no discussion following four hours of questions to its counsel, the Huntsville Board of Education unanimously approved the proposed consent order that plans out citywide rezoning.

 Superintendent Casey Wardynski, aided by the school's legal counsel and the U.S. Justice Department. The adopted plan will be presented to U.S. District Court on March 11 for judge approval. If approved, the school district can move forward with plans, including construction of new schools.
"It's an historic moment," Wardynski said excitedly after the board voted.

From the files of they must think U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala   has amnesia.

Judge Haikala took particular exception to much of Wardynski's testimony, from finding his comments on federal grants untrue to finding insubstantial his objections to the federal rezoning proposals.

"The Court strongly suspects that the district has chosen not to share many of the reasons for the choices that it made as it shaped its student assignment plan. The Court got a glimpse into the superintendent's thinking when the United States's cross-examined him about his objections to the government's rezoning proposals. When asked whether Hereford (Elementary) students would not benefit from attending Huntsville High, the superintendent, in an unguarded moment, replied '[t]hey [would] be going into schools that are not accustomed to dealing with students who are below grade level.'

She also admonished the Justice Department, but only to say they were being far too lax.

"From the record, it appears that years of relative calm and inactivity have lulled the government into a habit of checking in only when the district proposes actions that require the government's review. The government should be more proactive. Based on the current record, the Court does not know when inequities in educational programs arose in the district; however, standardized test scores from 10 years ago demonstrate disparate results among racially identifiable schools. Had the government been keeping an eye on that sort of information, it could have brought it to the Court's attention more quickly and enabled the Court and the district to address the issue in a timely fashion. "

It's Deja Voodoo all over again

"If there is unfairness, it is because life itself is unfair. The unfairness is not manmade," said Hugh McInnish, at-large member of the county's Republican Executive Committee.

It's like putting Lipstick on a Pit Bull

It seems the District was successful in pleading their case that it was in the best interest of the schools in North Huntsville to remain as they are and continue the same 'feeder' pattern," wrote Showers. "Failing schools feeding into failing schools."

Garbage in garbage out.  

The history in today's quick and quiet vote may not be apparent for years to come.
It's now up to Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala to set Huntsville on this uncharted road to unitary status.

Time will tell the truth.

The actions they are taking are pure segregation. You are merging every minority failing school onto one piece of land with schools with all black names,"

As usual the #hsvboe does what it does best, Covers Their Asses ,  the taxpayers be damned.

Thanks, Board, for doing such an excellent job of listening to and representing the public. No wonder you need your own personal public relations firm working for you at our expense.
Judge Haikala should send the parties back to the drawing board on this one and tell them that the public needs to be represented at the table because clearly our Board of Education is more concerned with explaining why they can’t address public concerns than they are actually, you know, representing the public that elected them.
You cannot unify the community without involving them in the process. Attempting to do so is like destroying the village to save it. Only a Colonel would think it an “historic moment.”

Prehistoric moment is more like it.         

Huntsville City Schools refuses to fulfill their legal obligation to eliminate segregation "root and branch" Sigh

May the farce be with you...

Huntsville City Schools and the Department of Justice held their final hearing of the public on the proposed the proposed consent order aimed at ending Huntsville City Schools' longtime federal desegregation order in the auditorium of Huntsville High School.  The first two hearings at Lee and Colombia were sparsely attended, but this one was well attended after someone started the rumor if the consent order were to be approved by Judge Haikala it would require students in south Huntsville to be bussed to scary, crime infested, north Huntsville schools where students are required to wear uniforms so administrators can differentiate them from gang members.

Complete with an online petition, which I hope they don't ignore like they did the J.O.Johnson students petition to keep their name, and lots of supporters,  including the Garrison Commander of Redstone Arsenal, students and parents pleaded with the Justice Department to just leave them the heck alone. They heaped praise on school district officials.  Hall Bryant Jr, who has grandchildren enrolled in Huntsville City Schools said Superintendent Casey Wardynski was not hired to "win a popularity contest."  

You got that right.  Casey Wardynski is doing the job he was hired to do.

Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu (sic) types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

That was the tone and tenor of most of speakers, if they weren't whining about being zoned from one great school to another great school, they were bragging about their ability to purchase a home in a "good school district" thereby confirming a defacto separate and unequal school district.

But, but, "unfairness of life"...

To be fair, I  can't blame south Huntsville parents for their activism. It would not be fair if the government forced them to enroll their children to failing public schools, but that's exactly what north Huntsville parents are forced to do. They are at the mercy of Majority to Minority Transfers, Magnet Schools (all on the north side of town), and other gimmicks designed to enhance desegregation.

It is obvious this school district is determined to maintain a dual school system.

Although the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown was ultimately unanimous, it occurred only after a hard-fought, multi-year campaign to persuade all nine justices to overturn the “separate but equal” doctrine that their predecessors had endorsed in the Court’s infamous 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision. 

Time will tell the truth...

The consent order has not yet been approved by the school board. It also must be approved by the court before it can be implemented. 
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala has scheduled a March 11 hearing on the consent order at the federal courthouse in Huntsville.

Stay Tuned.

I guess it depends on what the defintion of a success "IS" #HSVBOE

University of Alabama students demonstrate in 1956 against the enrollment of a black student. (Associated Press)

After months of behind closed doors court ordered mediation, the Huntsville School Board and the Department of Justice emerged to claim success.

The Huntsville school board and the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday made public a proposed joint consent order that, if approved by the court, would bring to a close their dispute on the desegregation of the city's schools. 
In the order, they tell U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala that the mediation was a success. The two sides have been in court-ordered mediation since last summer to determine the best way to rezone school zone boundary lines.

Actually this paragraph should read The Huntsville school board made public a proposed joint consent order after a 4 hour Executive Session on Friday disguised as a special call meeting.  I guess it depends on what the definition of success IS because from what I've read, nothing has changed.

Let's recap, U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala ruled the courts could find no evidence the school district was not operating a dual school system.  For those who don't know what a dual school system IS, it's a nice way of saying the school district is segregated.  For those who don't what segregated means, it means the the district is operating one system for black students, and one system for white students, separate and unequal.  Nothing, I repeat nothing, indicates the school district will cease to be segregated.

Judge Haikala slammed the Huntsville School board for their lack of transparency and community input. 

And she didn't accept the hurried "community conversations" as adequate community participation in the city's rezoning efforts. She wrote the meetings were held days before the plan was submitted and Wardynski himself acknowledged no changes were made as a result of meeting with the public.
"Thus, the Board provided little opportunity for meaningful community feedback after it announced its school assignment plan."

She accused the school board of trying to undermine the process  and dropped the hammer on HCS board member Laurie McCaulley's  little "community conversations" masquerading as "a citizens workshop on unitary status" .

Did this school board learn a lesson and change  the way they do business?  Heck no.  They continue to give the judge, and the public they are supposed to serve, the middle finger.

Parents will not have questions answered at three public meetings about Huntsville City Schools new plan to get out of the decades-old desegregation order.
The meetings are scheduled to start this Saturday.
These public meetings were originally called forums but they don't sound anything like a forum.
Parents can share their comments or concerns about the plan with an independent moderator at the meeting.
They can also do it online.
However, the only thing that moderator will do is record the message and give it to both the Justice Department and Huntsville City Schools legal teams.
Both sides will review the statements and decide whether the current agreement should be modified based on parent input.

Sound familiar? 

I must give credit where credit is due,  I was outfoxed (pun intended) by the Huntsville School Board of mis-education last Thursday.  Expecting a large crowd, I arrived at the meeting early in order to get a seat with the intention of signing up to speak.  I falsely assumed since the sign up sheet was not in its usual place it was not part of the required protocol.  Regular readers are familiar with the boards new policy requiring citizens comments be written on 3x5 index cards (which were available) and censored/read by the Director of Community Engagement.  Little did I know, there was a sign up sheet before there wasn't a sign up sheet, which I'm sure was just a coincidence. :)

For the record, nothing has changed, there is no community input, there was no community input, and there will never be any community input if this board can help it.   So here's the plan, if they can get their cronies to submit a bunch of statements saying that they like their plan it will look as though a majority of the citizens are in favor of the things that they want. Of course no one else will be able to check out what they submit to verify it's accurate and if is it above board.  Nod, nod, wink, wink.

Who says you can't do the same thing over and over and not expect a different result?  That's certainly the sentiment of this board, here we go again with a  proposed Desegregation Advisory Committee, a 12 member panel, chosen by the Superintendent, and a pair of students, chosen by the Superintendent, to advise the Superintendent and the court of progress.  Yeah right.   This sounds like the J.O.Johnson naming committee on steroids, and another Coup d'etat to me.  it's Deja Voodoo all over again.

Some of us tried to tell some of y'all mediation outside of the public eye was going to turn into a backroom deal that benefited the status quo.  Our only HOPE Huntsville City School Schools will cease operating a dual school system lies in the hands of Judge Haikala, where it should have been in the first place,  because this board ,  and this Superintendent ,are determined to ignore the United States Supreme Court. 

See picture above.

Update~Blind Ambition has Lead District 1 HCS Board Mis-Representative Laurie McCaully to a Deserted Island

Huntsville Superintendent Casey Wardynski, center, and school board president Laurie McCaulley, right, listen Monday afternoon as Huntsville resident Carlos Mathews talks about the choosing of possible names for a new northwest Huntsville high school to replace Johnson High. Behind Mathews are pictures of astronauts Ronald McNair and Mae Carol Jemison, whose names may grace the new high school and a new junior high to be built on the same campus. (Crystal Bonvillian/cbonvillian@al.com)

In order to justify giving her constituents the middle finger again, District 1 school board misrepresentative Laurie McCaulley claimed she received 3 emails against and 30 emails in favor of extending Warydnski's contract.  None of which she produced.  What she did produce was an email she claims she received from the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the Alabama New South Coalition the night before the vote, but AL.com reports the press release is dated the day of the vote. 

That support continued Thursday, when the Alabama New South Coalition issued a news release stating its case for Wardynski to remain at the head of Huntsville's school district. Wilbert Brownlow, president of the organization, cited improved test scores and attendance and graduation rates, the financial turnaround of the district, the massive ongoing capital plan, the Summer Feeding Program and efforts to achieve unitary status as accomplishments Wardynski has achieved since coming to Huntsville in 2011.
Click here to see the release from the Alabama New South Coalition. The coalition calls itself "Alabama's largest black political organization."

Note:  The link to the press release from the Alabama New South Coalitions works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't.....

Watch and listen as McCaulley addresses claims of threats against the Superintendent and the Board.  (beginning at the 56-minute mark)

Oh, and if the letter sounds familiar it's because it's a version of the Chamber of Commerce/PTSA letter to the Federal Judge in the desegregation case calling black elected officials and community leaders liars.

Perhaps the strongest portion of the Chamber letter is a bullet point list of recent school programs, including: breakfasts for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches; increase pre-kindergarten for low-income families; centralized teacher assignment to racially balance faculties; laptops for every student in third grade or higher; extended school year for Title I schools.
"Committed 47% of capital programs to minority schools," asserts the Chamber.
"These actions demonstrate a commitment to equity and ultimately equality of education outcomes," concludes the letter, asserting support for the school board and Superintendent Casey Wardynski.

I wonder if the same person wrote Mayor Tommy Battle's letter to Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala?

Battle touts the hiring of Superintendent Casey Wardynski, new academic and testing initiatives, expanded after school programs, student meal programs and the building of new campuses.
"The turnaround I witnessed from four years ago is dramatic," he wrote. "Across the board, in every school for every child, Huntsville is offering a sound education."
Battle notes that the one-to-one computer initiative introduced new technology to families who had been without. He asserts that as a result of the digital initiative test scores are up, discipline problems are down and attendance is up.
"We believe our local School Board and Superintendent has the knowledge and expertise to know what is right for our community and what is best for our children," writes Battle.

Oh, and we can't leave out the motion filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund  (not to be confused with the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the NAACP).

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund -- a plaintiff in the long-running suit -- split with the Justice Department on this issue and does not oppose Huntsville's plan.

"Especially in light of the growth of the City of Huntsville and its population, the mobility of its citizens and the enlargement of its territory, as well as the passage of more than four decades since effective system-wide desegregation was required by this Court and implemented, there is nothing about the Student Assignment Plan that could remotely be characterized as taking even the tiniest step toward effecting "the recurrence of the dual school structure," reads the March 10 motion from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

 Oh, what a tangled web we weave....

 What's happening outside of court? This dispute has tapped into all sorts of local hostilities. Madison County Commissioner Bob Harrison has blasted Superintendent Casey Wardynski for not meeting with black officials. Wardysnki ordered an audit of Harrisons' non-profit. Mayor Tommy Battle and the Chamber of Commerce and the PTA have written letters on behalf of the school board. Black ministers and all the elected black officials, save school board member Laurie McCaulley, have written in support of the Justice Department.

It is not wise to sell your constituents down the river.....

#hsvboe Standing in the front door by going around to the back door.

Former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace standing in the front door of the University of Alabama June 11, 1963

There is an old saying  "If you can't get in through the front door then go around to the back door", which is exactly what Huntsville City Schools is doing, under the capable control and command of retired Colonel, turned superintendent,    Dr. Casey WARdynski in his continued quest to stand in the front door of the Huntsville City Schools.

After his presentation, the Board of Education authorized Wardynski to file the Motion for Approval of his plan. The City of Huntsville is therefore fighting the Department of Justice in court over which plan should be adopted. This motion will be decided by the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Northeastern Division. You may download the motion here.
There was no discussion of how much this litigation might cost during the board meeting. And they answered no questions from the members of the public attending Thursday’s meeting.  Our litigation happy superintendent and board are taking us into more legal action.

Remember back in June when  U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala dropped the hammer on Huntsville City Schools, saying she could find no evidence they weren't operating a dual school system?

The judge ruled late today in Huntsville's months-long desegregation dispute, clearing the way for federal attorneys to roll up their sleeves, dig deeper and and stay longer.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.
Instead, she appointed Chief Magistrate Judge John Ott to oversee months of mediation between the two as they examine all aspects of racial disparities across Huntsville City Schools.
She also called for appointment of a Special Master to oversee the court's ongoing fact-finding in the case.

Key words:
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.

So how does HCS go around to the back door?  They rename existing schools after schools that haven't been built yet, and Viola!  Back door open.

The go-to phrases at Ronald E. McNair Junior High's first open house Thursday night was "Team McNair" and "Go Wildcats."

More than 200 parents, students, faculty and staff attended the event for the newly formed school, which combines students from Davis Hills and Ed White middle schools. The school will be located on the Davis Hills campus until the new facility on Pulaski Pike opens in 2016.

All vestiges of Davis Hills are gone, from its name to its color scheme to its mascot. In its place is the McNair Wildcat, prominently displayed throughout the school, and the new school colors of royal blue, black and white.

My sources tell me the facility on Pulaski Pike, you know, the site located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry,  has some ahem issues and it's become the Jemison/McNair Mud project.

THE LAND on Pulaski is>> A MARSH LAND DEVELOPMENT. The dirt is in piles as a future barrier, but the graded soil will not dry! It's going to cost an additional $4 Million Dollars to correct the foundational process of that development. It would have been better to buy a few homes near JOJ and expand the property requirement (acreage wise) and build a whole new school on the existing property then to spend undue dollars on the base of this project.

In the meantime the media keeps praising failure and calling it a success.

As they have repeatedly demonstrated, the Editorial Board of The Huntsville Times knows who they need to suck up to in this town, truth be damned.
On Thursday, September 11, 2014, the editorial board published an opinion entitled, “Transition from Textbooks to Digital Tools, as Led by Huntsville Schools, is Proper Path,” which joined in the chorus started by Dr. Wardynski, supported by Education Secretary Arne Duncan (in town on Tuesday on the public dime for meetings that excluded the public), that the only way forward in education is to continue down the failed pathway of the district’s 1:1 Digital Initiative.

 Some of us tried to tell some of y'all this superintendent would turn this process into a fraud and a farce.

In light of the blatant disregard Dr. Wardynski has for parents, students and citizens concerning transparency as evident in the comments made by Federal Judge Haikala: "The Court strongly suspects that the district has chosen not to share many of the reasons for the choices that it made as it shaped its student assignment plan."
In light of the hostile working environment that Dr. Wardynski has created which has resulted in at least 735 people choosing to leave employment with the district since August 2011;
In light of the declining standards of education that we are seeing in our finest schools as the district transitions to teaching nearly exclusively mathematics and English Language Arts;
We the undersigned respectfully request that the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education request the resignation of Dr. Casey Wardynski as superintendent effective immediately.

Can you hear us now?

#hsvboe

Update 2: How dare Bob Harrison and Richard Showers try and represent the wishes of their constituents !

Madison County District 6 Commissioner Bob Harrison said he wants the commission to make the Huntsville school board and superintendent answerable for their arrogant behavior in the rezoning debate. (Paul Huggins/phuggins@al.com)

Update:  The spin is in.  The 2006 letter released by HCS BOE President David Blair was taken out of context. Surprise!  Surprise!

Harrison said the Blair's accusations take the 2006 dialogue with Moore out of context. The discussion with the former superintendent was about bringing an International Baccalaureate school to North Huntsville and combining two high schools, he said, not closing Johnson.
The issue now is about unitary status and getting away from racially segregated schools, which is totally separate from the discussion about helping North Huntsville eight years ago, he said.
The statements by Blair, Harrison added, are coming from a political candidate seeking attention.
"He's trying to get all the attention he can get at this time. So he's engaging in the process of prevarication," he said.

In 2006 Commissioner Harrison was trying to bring an International  Baccalaureate School to north Huntsville.  Guess who got the International Bacculareate School? Hint, it's wasn't north Huntsville.

  "Commissioner Bob Harrison, District 6, said he would entertain the idea of a sales tax but he would have to see how it would benefit the people of his district. “The caveat that my district has given to me is that there should be a no vote unless there is something in it for them”.http://www.flashpointblog.com/?m=200806

Who do Harrison and Showers they think they are....elected officials or something?  How dare Commissioner Harrison email a letter to  U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala, who is handling Huntsville's long-standing desegregation case. 

 "This letter is being submitted because those who I represent and I have not been offered an opportunity to meaningfully participate in the process of drafting the School Construction and Student Assignment Plan and in seeking Unitary Status by the Board of Education, issues pending before you," wrote Harrison.

And how does the Huntsville City School Board, enabled by some in the media, respond?  By attacking Commissioner Harrison of course.

"Let me be very clear, this school board and superintendent are focused on doing what is best for our students and our community," wrote Blair in response to Harrison earlier this month. "I remind Mr. Harrison that he supported the previous administration who allowed our school system to go $20 million in debt and put us on the brink of a state takeover."

About that Mr. Harrison supported the previous administration who allowed our school system to go $20 million in debt and put us on the brink of a state takeover thingy  Mr. Blair.... Dr. Ann Roy Moore was not the only one to blame for the school systems problems.  You see the superintendent recommends and the Board of Education adopts.  In other words the superintendent can't do anything without the BOE's approval.

The reason we are in dire straits right now is because the board abdicated their responsibility in supervising the superintendent. Relinquishing their ability to question the directors of divisions in the central office will allow the future superintendent to continue to shelter her or his employees as Dr. Moore has done so for Mrs. Sledge.
This is not acceptable.
To accomplish their job to educate our students, the board and the central office must involve the community not an outsider who has no stake in the outcome of his recommendations. They should especially involve the parents of the students they are attempting to educate. What they absolutely must not do is exclude the people who pay their salaries from discussions of plans about how to best education our children.
Frankly, if the board wanted to have a secret meeting with someone yesterday, it should have been with the parents of the students they’re responsible for to discussion the segregation plans that are currently being implemented in our city.
An appointed official who, even after being fired, still has the ability to abuse our school system, our teachers, and our students, does not need any more power or influence. We elected the board to represent us. They cannot do that by remaining silent and refusing to question questionable activities and decisions made by the central office.

This is nothing more than the BOE attacking the messenger because they can't attack the message.

1.  The BOE violated their own policy and renamed J.O.Johnson against the protest of the J.O.Johnson Alumni Association.

2.  The BOE has repeatedly violated the open meetings act.

3. The location of the new J.O.Johnson is located half a mile from an active rock quarry.

The School Board continues to deal in darkness.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. City city school board members Topper Birney, Jennie Robinson and David Blair need a lecture on the state's open meetings law. Honesty and public trust should be part of that lesson.
Only a week or so after the municipal elections, the three huddled privately at a local restaurant to discuss board business, including the search for a superintendent and who might be the next school board chairman. Times special projects editor Challen Stephens reported on the restaurant rendezvous on Thursday.
As it turns out, Birney was elected board chairman and he immediately placed Blair and Robinson in charge of the superintendent search.
If that was coincidence, it sure seems fishy. Even if the leadership selections weren't influenced by that meal time pow wow, what were they thinking?

 They were thinking they could get away with it.  And they did.

Again:

It's not about Harrison and Showers, it's about the taxpayers.  This little war could have been avoided if Casey WARdynski hadn't been hell bent on wiping out the legacy of J.O.Johnson student's and alumni.  Every school in this city was allowed to keep it's name after moving into a new building except J.O.Johnson High School.  

Why?