By Antonio D. French
Filed Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 12:07 AM
PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE
The following video was shot and edited by St. Louis Public Schools students who are entering the fifth day of an ongoing sit-in protest at City Hall.
This video shows most of the students' Thursday morning meeting with Mayor Francis Slay. It also shows some of the confusion and confrontation that followed the meeting.
34 Comments:
This so sad what happened in Slay's office. The children were awuful.
3/18/2007 12:52 AM
I think Slay was "awuful". He acted like he's never talked to a teenager before. This city needs better leadership.
3/18/2007 1:07 AM
Both sides were disrespectful to each other in this video on different occasions. Ron Hill's tone and demeanor was unacceptable, and Alderman Troupe was within his rights to check him on the spot. Someone should make a formal complaint and submit this video as evidence, because imagine if this had been a catastrophic disaster situation at City Hall.
Somehow I don't think the Marshals would be prepared under Ron Hill's leadership!
3/18/2007 2:02 AM
The kids were terrible. They never let him finish a sentence or thought. I would hope that children would show more respect. There is a way to have a conversation than being confrontational. It makes the earlier statements by Lizz, Donna and others about the meeting very much a lie.
3/18/2007 7:27 AM
Slay's office has handled this situation beautifully by not over-responding. The real culprets are the SLPS boosters who are shamefully working the kids to get airtime for themselves. I can't help but think the students will gain a new respect for Slay when they get into a normal environment at their new college and realize how close they came to failure at the hands of SLPS administrators and teachers.
3/18/2007 7:33 AM
Unfortunately, the only realization most of these kids will get will be on their first day of college, when they look around, and realize they can't compete at the national level.
3/18/2007 8:05 AM
If my children spoke to the Mayor as rudely as these kids, they would be grounded for a long time. The Mayor was respectful, forthright, and patient. Much more than I would have been...
These kids were rude. However, it is not their fault--the adults that were in the room made them the way they are. The adults should be ashamed of themselves.
The best thing for the children of St. Louis would be to start over again and rebuild the school system.
The adults in the room seem most interested in keeping the status quo because they believe it has done a good job educating the children. Obviously, it hasn't.
Not one of these kids is ready for college. THAT's why the school system should lose accreditation.
So sad.
3/18/2007 9:33 AM
Do you expect high school kids, who are dealing with such a huge, passionate issue, to be polished speakers in a situation like this? Speaking to the Mayor, in front of the cameras, with possible nation-wide exposure?
(By the way, if these kids stick it out, nation-wide exposure will come)
The mayor was respectful enough but couldn't talk his way out of this one and got called on it.
Most adults would be intimidated and nervous, much less high school students. They have learned a lot about how to conduct themselves in the future. I certainly hope this is not the last time they are heard.
It seems apparent that most of the anonymous bloggers here do not deal with students very often. Are any of you educators? This goes back to actually being in the schools and understanding how to respect and deal with children and young adults. This is exactly how student discussions are often conducted!
The mayor was finally forced to "admit" that he would not try to stop the loss of accreditation, despite what it may do to the children's future. I suspect the kids knew he wouldn't. At least they forced him to come out and say it.
Good job and stay strong.
3/18/2007 10:26 AM
By the way, you are bashing what makes young people so beautiful...PASSION...too bad some of us have lost it (or never possessed it)!
3/18/2007 10:29 AM
Jim Heger, you sure like making apologies for these kids. They are rude, poorly-behaved, and don't seem to understand simple courtesy when dealing with others. That has less to do with passion than with not being raised right. The parents, and you, the teachers, are responsible for that. You can't expect these kids to go out into the real world and act like this and have any chance of success. You have failed them.
3/18/2007 10:56 AM
And the 1st amendment gives you the right to say that. Just as it gives these kids the right to say what they need to say. If I have failed them, I deserve to be fired.
3/18/2007 11:31 AM
We were not terrible. If you were in the meeting and saw the ehole thing then you could have input but you can't base that off of what you saw in the media. And he just completely ignorng our questions going on different subjects.SPEAK ON IT!devdamvp@yahoo.com
3/18/2007 11:50 AM
This protest had nothing to do with the students. It was poorly organized by folks who have politcal aspirations. They set the students up for failure when not identifiying the true target (DESE). If Slay had influence he would have had charter schools a long time ago and his candidates for the Board may have been still been influential. If we want to teach our children how to be politically active then we must train them right. Liz Brown tries to be so on top of things but she knows which side here bread is butter on. I think that the reason that did not approach DESE is the same reason why they dont want a state take over. SUBSTANDARD TEACHERS ARE AFRAID OF LOSING THEIR JOBS! They dont want to make DESE angry. By the way why not organize the students to advocate for better schools. LIZ youi and IRENE are horrible at gathering and energizing at the grassroot level. Creating Tension is not the only part of doing an action. You really should have trained the students better. You two made us look bad. If you are serious about change in this city GET SOMEONE IN YOUR CAMP THAT HAS THE SKILLS. Who paid for the T-Shirts?
3/18/2007 12:27 PM
If this video was posted with the intention of giving credence to the students and their supporters, it failed miserably.
It's a shame that these adults are putting these children forward with such limited information and encouraging them to look so disrespectful. All this video does is reinforce negative stereotypes about African-American youths in our city.
I hope this video reaches a large audience, so they can see what a charade this whole "protest" is. Peter Downs, Lizz Brown, et. al give a bad name to the heroes like Martin Luther King who practiced civil disobedience with grace, power, knowledge, and above all, moral authority.
3/18/2007 2:55 PM
It is painfully obvious that these children are being lied to in an effort to use them. Kids, you are being used. People use you by telling you things that are not true in an effort to get you upset.They know you are going to be reactionary. Then they point you in a direction to vent on their behalf. Lizz Brown is a parasite in our community leeching off of anyone who can get her noticed. She has done this for years. That she has gone so low in her tactics by using children is a crying shame. She is an embarrasment to black women everywhere struggling to get their children a good education. We work and fight to make our childrens' lives better and she uses them. She has no children to sacrifice, so she has chosen to put ours on the alter of her own ego. She was in the backgrown the whole time instigating conflict.
The mayor should have said that he will meet with the students only with a video camera. No other adults allowed. Then, we could have seen what they really understood rather than what they were fed in the background by someone trying to steal the limelight. I hope he does that for the student forum. Only let the students speak.
Last thing, Antonio, can you please show us a letter from a college or university stating that someones scholarship or acceptance has been taken away because of the pending state takeover.
3/18/2007 6:16 PM
College recruiters and admissions officers will be less inclined to offer our students schlarships and/or admission if we are unaccredited.
It will be hard to measure because they will not put it in writing. But it will be in their minds when looking over transcripts of potential college applicants.
The effects will become a part of the continuing spiral of decline if allowed to take place. The old vicious circle strikes again.
SLPS parents...colleges will except fewer of your kids but they won't admit it or leave any evidence. They will protect their jobs and will not be motivated to take a risk on a student coming from an unaccredited district.
3/18/2007 9:37 PM
Antonio can't do that because such a letter does not exist.
I appreciate Antonio posting the video, it gives strength to the arguement that the schools, as a whole, are failig our children.
Surely no one believes that these children can exhibit this same behavior with a college professor or in a work environment and expect to stay there.
I heard someone say that Peter & Bill are giving Lizz $1500 per week to air the schools watch program on her show. No wonder she keeps instigating confusion.
3/18/2007 10:06 PM
It's an interesting matter of perspective whether one thinks these students were "awful" or "passionate". I am sure many responding here have never had any experience with our city children. As someone who has, (SLPS teacher) I felt the students were passionate. But then, I have seen what "awful" REALLY can be.
If Mayor Slay found it hard to teach these--some of the best students in the district--his perspective on a simple 10 item lesson plan (the demands), and gave up after only a half hour on number 3...perhaps everyone should rethink how "easy" it is to teach a group of 20-30 of these children all day every day. Bear in mind that what the video has shown you are the top 1% of the class.
Keep bashing the SLPS teachers by all means. Perhaps Mayor Slay will volunteer to take over our jobs once he runs us out of town.
3/18/2007 10:12 PM
Jim Heger - nothing but excuses and inuendo. The student lied becuase you adults have been lieing.
Now comes the "conspiracy" about colleges working together to deny students opportunities.
It's really the fault of those teacheres in the district who have been proved ineffective but remain because the Union says all they need is more training. For every year a poor performing teacher remains in the district at least 20 students fall a year behind the peer group in learning.
How many children do you want us to sacrifice George Bush . . I mean Jim Heger?????!!!!
3/18/2007 10:20 PM
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3/18/2007 11:06 PM
Political Eye
Pay my legal bills
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 7:14 PM CDT
According to a source critical of the “stop the takeover faction,” SLPS board member William Purdy has been asking district employees to contribute to the legal fund established to dismantle the state’s legal right to intervene in the administration of the school district. This is asking district employees to support something - the opposition to state intervention - that a board majority has voted down.
3/18/2007 11:09 PM
Yes Peter and Purdy give Liz Brown money. They also give French money to not talk about them. Great journalist uh!!!!!!
Before you know it the law is going to start looking at where the money is coming from. I hear the pay Percy to create photos that show black people in a negative racial light. I hear some of these photos were turned over to the justice department.
3/18/2007 11:59 PM
Slay should have slapped that smart mouth rude talking girl sitting besides him. He should stop her trash pick up and we all know Slay likes doing things like this. She was rude and the rest were rude. A civic lesson alright.
Go to O'Brien's house for a civic lesson she do you just like she did Irons and his kids sick her dogs on you.
3/19/2007 12:04 AM
I don't want to spread inuendo and apologize if I am guilty of that. If you are referring to the college admissions thing all I meant was that I don't think colleges can look at our students the same if they come from an unaccredited district.
As far as excuses go, like I said, if I am not doing my job and failing my students then I SHOULD BE FIRED. The union and I don't agree on a lot of things.
Yes, the SLPS is failing in a lot of ways but I don't think we should bash the kids for it.
Also, I have posted previously that I don't blame any parent who pulls their kids out of the SLPS. It happens all the time and I have talked to numerous parents about it. I just worry about the kids who don't have those caring parents and are stuck.
To the brave anon. at 11:06 pm... don't forget that my daddy was a pimp and my mom is a whore.
Do you think removing the puffiness around my eyes will make me look less washed-out? Or should I just stop smoking crack?
3/19/2007 7:53 AM
Jim I apreciate your "apology" if no one else does.
I am happy to hear someone on "that side of the table" defend the rights of parents to do what is in the best interest of their children. It's unfortunate that alot of us "pro-choice" parents likeliving in the city, we just don't care for the schools. Ergo the need to expand the choices. If the district was doing more to expand the "magent" concept to all schools that would be a good start.
As far as the "college admissions thing", I know for a fact that to college entrance boards there is little differnce between unaccredited and provisionally accredited. If they are going to accepts a student it is based on their individual class load (AP classes and such) not based on who their teacher or principal was, nor the districts accreditation status when it is anything less than fully accredited!
As far as bashing the children, if they were rude, they were rude. Would you tolerate that in your classroom? Does your principal tolerate the in your schools staff meetings?
3/19/2007 1:16 PM
I assure you my apology is real (no need for quotation marks).
Yes, I tolerate a lot of rudeness in my classroom. All teachers do. I then point out how it was wrong, and we try again. That is how children learn.
We won't go into how my principal runs her staff meetings. That is her right as long as she is the boss.
3/19/2007 3:04 PM
Thank you for your sincere apology (quotations removed).
I wish you had given leadership to this protest. The video makes it seem tht Lizz is in TOTAL control. To me that means that those of you who are silent on the issue of her conduct condone it. If I were Slay, I wouldn't have even let her in the meeting knowing that she has nothing but disdain for him.
As a pro-choice parent I fully support the students in their efforts to be heard. Students and their parents should be free to decide what educational institution best fits their learning style and the state should support those choices. Not everyone can learn at a Beaumont or Soldan, and not everyone can get into Metro.
It would have been nice to see their parents rather than Ms. Brown, Mr.Troupe and Ms.Smith.
If your principal runs her meetings as rudely as these children behaved, it would be my hope that you (or someone on staff) would report it. She may be the titular head of the school, but the Superintendent and the tax payers are the real bosses.
3/19/2007 3:20 PM
Jim, I think that you should stop smoking crack. For many reasons. (I'm being a smart a**) Do you really think that, all things being equal- Child A from poor hardscrabble SLPS vs. Child B from
Posh Institute of Finishing- that the college recruiter would not choose the kid who obviously worked harder than the other? I think that they would. I could be wrong. I also think that this whole argument got misdirected towards kids who have acheived in this system and is ignoring the kids who have not acheived. Was that misdirection on purpose? We'll never know. While I agree, for the most part, with anony 3:20 the demonstration led by anyone other the students will come under the same fire as both of the previous ones. For just reasons.
3/19/2007 3:38 PM
As an admissions representative to an institution of higher learning, I don't believe the take over will make little difference in accepting students from SLPS. Unfortunately, they are already considered on a lower scale than other surrounding districts. An A from SLPS is often considered like a B or C + unless it is an AP class. Other districts have higher grading scales that give them special advantage. For instance A in SPLS begins at 90% whereas in other districts, an A begins at 95%.
The SAT and ACT scores as well as the entrance essays are ways that the SLPS students can gain favor in spite of SLPS standing.
3/19/2007 5:46 PM
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3/19/2007 8:14 PM
So, anony at 3/19/2007 5:46 PM You are saying that "all things being equal" you would accept Child B? I don't know what cosmetology school that you work for but I do not believe for one minute that it a school of "higher learning." How many good hard working kids have you passed over? With that view, I can only guess that number to be, all of them.
Unless your double negative is a typo==I don't believe the take over will make little difference in accepting students from SLPS.==
3/19/2007 11:06 PM
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3/20/2007 12:34 AM
Anon 12:34 a.m.
Still blogging anonymous slander in the wee hours of the night? How pitiful. How sad. Perhaps you should consider therapy.
3/20/2007 9:25 AM
I am a 15 year old girl in the Parkway district. My name is Patricia. I'm part of a group called Model UN, where we talk about issues of political concern, whether it be locally, nationally, or internationally. I was reading the newsletter, and it had a link to this site. I came here, because I was hoping to learn more about the issue. However, all I have learned is that this issue is just as clouded by opinion as the issue of Stem Cell Research was.
I'd like to say that this whole comment wall has made me incredibly sad. Jim, I know what it's like to be hated for no reason other than your opinon, and I'm sorry that senseless hatred like that still exists and is enforced by the parents and adults I had always hoped would help my make my future a better one. To all of you who I am talking about: Please, why can't we all focus on the issue? If one wants to send Jim a private message or meet somewhere over a cup of coffee than please do that, but of all things, please do not lessen the importance of this issue with your own negative judgements. However, if you feel that this blog is the only way to express yourself, then by all means, go for it.
Now then, the kids. There are SEVERAL African-American kids at my school, many of them take the hour long bus ride from the city so they can receive a better education, and I have to say the "loud-mouthed girl who needed to be slapped" was EXTREMELY respectful, especially considering how frustrated she was. I'm just a skinny, Polish- Puerto Rican girl, and if I was that frustrated with my principal, and especially if he was interrupting me with answers that barely had anything to do with the question, to be frank, I would have gone off on him a WHOLE lot worse than ANY of those kids did. The fact is, they're not "awful kids" simply because they didn't show Mayor Slay the proper respect. They seem like awful kids because of it, but the boy saying "real talk" in the background, the girl saying "I know, this is bull" or something close to that, just shows how personally they take this change. One thing we all have to keep in mind is that these kids will not respect you unless you show them full respect first. These are all proud kids who have obvously tried to work hard to truly believe that the system is not out to get them, that the cops won't shoot them, and that the white man isn't going to suppress them, but help them get to where they want to be.
Now on to Mayor Slay. I feel for him, I truly do. Unless one has dealt with these proud teens (and I say that with pride, I love any teen who refuses to be put down), one has NO IDEA how to handle a classroom, or a conference room, full of them. Considering the situation, he did a LOT better than I thought he would. But that's still not very well. Take another look at that video. Whenever the "loud-mouthed girl" (who was obviously the leader of the teens) tried to talk, and he had a thought, he would try and cut her off as best as possible. The longest he EVER let her talk (in the video that is) was when she was nearly crying with hurt, frustration, and just over all a lack of hope. Is that the only way to get the Mayor, our representative, our leader, to listen to us? To cry? Is that the only way to make his heart feel anything? If so, I'll cry more than he'll ever know. Now take a third look at that video: the only adult he let speak at all was the woman who you say is getting paid to publicize this. And it's not because she's an adult either. When a man at Mayor Slay's end of the room tried to get his fair share of the conversation, I couldn't even hear him over Mayor Slay's frustration that the kids weren't following the demands chronologically. Is someone's opinion less important than the Mayor's need to do things in order? But, getting back to that woman, it saddens me to see the Mayor barely give anyone else his full attention. She's getting paid big bucks for this, and while I wish I could think differently, I can't help but think that the mayor listened to her soley for that reason.
As far as that lady goes, it is terribly frightening to imagine that she is only willing to represent the furture of downtown St.Louis, the South Side, Dutchtown South, Grand, Broadway, EVERYONE FROM ST.LOUIS' FUTURE only if she gets paid. She acts as if she has pride in her community, but I guess we'll never know unless we pay her to tell us. I have no respect for her until she does what she's doing now for free.
Think what you will of me, but, please. THINK OF THE ISSUE AT HAND FIRST. I am not important when compared to these kids' futures.
3/22/2007 7:46 PM
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