It was probably a safe move on the part of Tucson Unified School District board president Mark Stegeman to delay a vote on the resolution he brought before the governing board last night.
The terrible audio provided for those unable to get inside and the historic police presence are enough to question the legality of the meeting under the open-meeting law.
One part of the open meeting law states: “All meetings of any public body shall be public meetings and all persons so desiring shall be permitted to attend and listen to the deliberations and proceedings.” I’m not sure how that pertains to folks sitting on a sidewalk straining to listen, but no worries — after a future public forum, Stegeman will bring the resolution back to a board meeting for vote.
This was Stegeman’s second attempt to present his resolution, which makes changes to ethnic studies and the Mexican-American studies department, most specifically changing the status of Chicano history and government classes from core-credit classes that count toward history requirements to electives.
Stegeman’s resolution was first scheduled for discussion and vote last week, but was rescheduled after student-led UNIDOS coalition members took over the meeting in protest.
Last night, more than 500 people came to TUSD headquarters, with less than half able to go inside the boardroom at 1010 E. 10th St. A single-file line was formed from near the entrance of the building that went along the sidewalk to the west side of the building to the corner of the alley behind the headquarters. It was slow-going getting inside since each person had to be swept by a wand metal detector, and have their packs and purses searched.
At some point, when the boardroom was filled, those still in line were told to stay outside and hear the meeting projected from loud speakers sitting on the building above the entrance. I was stuck outside, where Tucson Police Department officers were out in full force, with more than 100 officers, more than 20 motorcycles, several paddy wagons, about 10 patrol cars and a trailer.
TPD officers began to put up barricades along areas near the entrance, and although the doors were locked, about five officers stood in front of the entrance through most of the meeting.
Most of the time, unless board members spoke directly and loudly into the microphone, no one could hear them outside.
Most of what board member Miguel Cuevas had to say during the entire meeting was inaudible. Several times, board member Judy Burns explained that she got word that people were having difficulty hearing outside and asked people to speak directly into the microphone. However, as the four-hour meeting progressed, it became difficult for almost everyone to remember Burns’ request.
As the board got closer to voting on Stegeman’s resolution, the audio speakers went out.
No one outside knew if the meeting was still going on or had been interrupted. No one knew if the people inside knew we couldn’t hear the meeting. People started yelling outside to try to get everyone to know there was no audio, and to make sure the meeting was paused, since we could not hear the proceedings. It wasn’t until a TPD officer yelled at everyone outside that people learned people inside were working on the issue.
“We told you we were working on it,” he yelled.
Well, no, you didn’t. No one said anything.
There was a recess until the audio was fixed. The meeting resumed, and Stegeman announced that the resolution would be tabled. A sense of relief swept through the audience and people outside. It was almost 10 p.m., and people started picking up trash and signs, and wondering what was going to happen next.
I walked to my car asking myself how Stegeman and Superintendent John Pedicone could let this entire conversation get this far. Any discussion that took place before and at the beginning of the meeting—that there needed to be a larger community forum-style conversation regarding the future of ethnic studies and Mexican American studies—seems meaningless now.
The community is ripped apart, and what will take place next will be interesting only in that it will have to start with Stegeman and Pedicone figuring out how to heal the damage they’ve caused.
That’s what leaders do.
More observations on the meeting after the jump.
The TUSD meeting last night started at 5:30 p.m. If you drove to TUSD headquarters the 10th Street block in front was blocked by TPD patrol cars. You either had to find the back entrance to the district parking lot in order to park, or park your car in the surrounding neighborhood.
At 4 p.m., people were already gathered in front, lining up at the entrance and gathering near a group of students with a megaphone, protesting on the sidewalk and road. The table set up by clergy led by Alison Harrington, pastor of the Southside Presbyterian Church, was moved from TUSD property to the sidewalk in front of the building.
Students from UNIDOS, who led the protest last week that forced the district to cancel its meeting, set up a table and chairs and declared they were going to conduct their own youth board meeting to continue discussing their demands, which includes that ethnic studies continue as is.
At the beginning of the meeting, those who sat inside were greeted by police in riot gear, who were spread out throughout the board room and inside the lobby. At the entrance, you could see through the windows of the locked front doors that about a dozen police were wearing riot helmets and had white plastic handcuffs hanging from their shirts.
The meeting opened with Stegeman talking about democracy and free speech.
“No one should condone that,” he said, about last week’s student protest.
Pedicone presented a report to the board on how federal desegregation funds are spent in all ethnic-studies departments and classes. The report was requested by Stegeman at a board meeting three weeks ago. The board discussed the data, and I wish I could tell you more, but I couldn’t hear all the questions and most of the discussion because of the audio.
Then came a call to the audience, and if there were interruptions, they were followed by Stegeman lecturing on democracy and listening, which ended up taking just as much time as the 30 minutes the board allocated for public discussion regarding ethnic studies and his resolution.
Only one person spoke critically of ethnic studies; the rest who were able to speak shared a lot of frustration over how they felt about being surrounded by police and herded into the boardroom.
Public-defense attorney Isabel Garcia told the governing-board members that they had to admit that the students’ action from last week forced them to “capitulate. … You have to admit it was the students’ courageous acts,” she said.
It was the arrival of Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith to the podium that drew the most cheers. The older veteran Chicana activist and teacher didn’t hold back.
“I think it’s important to know how long we’ve been here. … When this is over, you will be gone, and we will still be here,” Rubio-Goldsmith said.
She ended with a Spanish dicho, Nothing is more dangerous than people who have no knowledge and have initiative.
Miguel Ortega, a member of the Southern Arizona Unity Coalition, said, “Shame on you. … You do not understand our community. … You will be held accountable.”
Salomon Baldenegro Sr. told the board he’s been coming to school board meetings since 1969, but this is the first time he’s seen the Mexican-American “community treated this way. It’s shameful and disgraceful. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Rogers also spoke. Rogers did a great job representing the Baja Arizona crowd and sharing the sentiment that he didn’t understand why the board was capitulating to HB 2281 and state Superintendent John Huppenthal.
“Shame on you for putting us in this room. … There is a war going on on Southern Arizona, on Tucson … on our heritage and the way we live our life in this city,” Rogers said.
The call to the audience ended with Clarence Boykins, executive director of the Southern Arizona Black Chamber of Commerce.
“I enjoy the presence of the police,” Boykins joked. “You guys are really scary. I’m glad they are here for our protection.”
Boykins said the issue of ethnic studies is not a Latin issue, but something everyone should be concerned about.
“We will replace you,” he said.
UA professor Roberto Rodriguez stood up and asked Stegeman to extend the call to audience, saying that if the board wanted real dialogue, they needed to give people in the room more time to speak. Stegeman told him that wasn’t the way board meetings worked. When Guadalupe Castillo, another veteran Chicana activist and teacher went to the podium to speak, Stegeman reportedly pointed to her, and she was pushed and detained by police.
That was when the meeting almost fell apart. Many people in the room rushed to Castillo’s defense; the elder has to use canes in both hands to help her walk. KOLD cameraman and filmmaker Edgar Ybarra, who was following police and Castillo with his camera, was roughly pushed by the police and forced out of the building along with Baldenegro, Garcia, Rodriguez and several other activists. (It’s important to note that Ybarra tried to get the police to let him back in so he could continue to work, while his reporter co-worker waited for him in the lobby. They refused to let him back in, although they did let another cameraman in to continue working.)
Baldenegro, Garcia and a few others were told to stand at the side of the entrance, where they waited to find out what was going on with Castillo. There were more arrests inside as people began shouting and trying to speak, or refusing to remain quiet, and Pedicone said he had no choice but to remove them from the room.
Outside, protestors began going to the back of the building to see where people were being taken by police. Police on motorcycles blocked the alley way, and protestors made a chain going around the entire building. To get through, police started removing protestors to break the human chain. One person I know was hit by police, and more arrests were made to break up the protests outside on the sides of the building near the alley.
When people wouldn’t stop speaking during the meeting, Stegeman ordered police to clear the room, and there was a short recess.
It was reported that Castillo was issued a ticket by police and will have to go before a judge. She was asked to leave the building and was helped by friends who stood on either side of the activist to help her walk out.
Once the meeting started again, Burns said she had about 25 questions for Stegeman, specifically about where he got the facts to back his resolution on how many students actually benefited from the classes and took the classes.
“What data did you use to determine that the classes are not adequate?” Burns said.
Burns also asked about an AP European history class offered by TUSD, which gives students a history credit and college credit. Why wasn’t Stegeman questioning this class?
Understanding the discussion that took place between Burns, Stegeman, Hicks, Grijalva and Cuevas was frustrating to those outside, who often strained to listen and didn’t know who was speaking. Most often we couldn’t hear because of the quality of the audio.
However, at the end of the discussion, Stegeman defended his resolution — that it was written with a desire to secure the district’s right for local control.
“If we wait until the state acts, then we won’t be in local control,” he said.
Stegeman said he feels changing some of the classes to electives will make the program stronger, and getting traditional classes to include more Mexican-American and other ethnic minority histories in the curriculum will also help. Stegeman said he understood that MAS supporters would rather wait for Huppenthal’s audit and reaction.
“Be careful what you wish for,” he warned.
There was a brief recess when the audio outside completely went out, and someone had to go in and fix the microphones. However, once fixed, Stegeman announced he recommend the board hold off voting on the resolution until the district organized a public forum for more discussion and then bring the resolution back to the board for vote.
This article appears in May 5-11, 2011.
What a pathetic demonstration. A very clear demonstration that the sovereignty of America and the American way are in trouble. Yes, I am a white person who is discussded with all this mexican crap.
This ethnic study program is a means to bring unrest in the hispanic community wiith an attempt to brain wash young minds that their ancestors got screwd and that the U.S.owes them.
Grow up. If your old home land and history is so great, why hasn’t Mexico progressed? Instead it still remains a third world, corrupt country where its people live in poverty to a great degree and now cartels run the nation.
Not for my America. The motives behind this three ring education process smell of unrest and motives that I find offensive.
What a ploy using students to speak to the issue. Oh how it plays to the emotions of a narrow minded audience.
Those of you who think the protests were unfounded…
Were you there to voice your opinions clearly?
I don’t think ranting as an anonymous blogger will carry as much weight as caring enough to show up.
I believe they disruptive actions of the people especially the students of the ethnic studies classes prove how devisive they are. For this reason alone they should be discontinued.
I think people who have the courage to speak out against what they feel is wrong are to be respected. You want disruptive rcarole120, how about the tea-baggers in Douglas and Saguaro High School to Ms. Giffords? Using your logic, can we discontinue the tea-baggers?
We are supposed to be Americans. If so, then American history and government is what needs to be taught and everything else needs to be electives. If not then make it fair. Where are the Jewish studies? the Muslim? the India or Asian? and so on.. I want Irish and Scottish since I am Celtic.. I don’t see it.. what I do see is a minority of the population being put before the majority.. a select few getting privilege over the rest. That fair? If you can’t off it all for everyone regardless of race, culture or religion, then don’t offer it or it has to be an elective. I’m getting tired of all this too.. either you are an American or you are not. Drop the ‘hispanic’, ‘african’, ‘mexican’ and so on and just be an American and learn American history and studies..which include all other people like the minorities. This kind of stuff just teaches people to have or make a divide between everyone based on race.
This city was founded in 1775, before the declaration of Independence was signed, and was certainly not a part of those 13 colonies. This city and region have a history that goes back much farther than the New Mexico territory or the Gadston Purchase, and that history is not even touched upon the in the conventional US History textbooks that our students are forced to read and reread grades K – 12. These classes should not only be given Social Studies credits, but some of the curriculum should be incorporated into all of the Social Studies classes taught in TUSD. Tucson and Southern Arizona have a far larger culture than the narrow minded rednecks who have moved here for the weather only after the advent of Air Conditioning.
The awesome thing about these protests vs the fours is that these fourm trolls who post racist rants on here would never show up to the protest therefore they are really just blowing hot air everywhere. I love how everything can be compared to Obama or the left constantly on these forums but would never dare come up in the protest where it all matters; the fools would be laughed out of the meeting by all sides! Go ahead; I DARE you to go to the protest and present your lame political case, I double dare you, but you cowards never would. That goes to Vanman and Kv and people of the sort, please come out from behind your lit screens where you state your foolhardy opinions and come try to make your point where it matters, we would all do better from the humor.
I don’t know what books you have read but all mine had a lot of info on what you claim isn’t in there..and even then, if there is a problem, then address getting better and more informed books to the kids that try to help make or keep such racist and one sided studies alive. It’s better to provide better teaching and more fleshed out and more informative books and teaching guides than to put a few before all. This is what leads to more division and racial problems than to fix them. It’s really a no brainer but the ones who are opposed to making it better and keeping things like this that divide are just into it because they like to fight and think they are better than others and should be more privileged. they also aren’t’ interested in making this country as it should be,, one nation united.
My husband and I are at the beginning of the fabulous baby boomer generation. All of our lives, we have had an impact on society. Now we are retiring from our jobs and looking for a place to live with our hard-earned savings, our health plans and pensions, and desire to live the good life, preferably in a warm climate. We have many options, not just the states in the Sun Belt but countries overseas too. The news about TUSD again is just another nail in the coffin that has been accumulating over the last year for reasons why baby boomers should avoid Pima County, and TUSD in particular. Too many social, financial, and political problems. We want to retire and relax, not be infuriated every morning when reading the AZ Daily Star, or every Thursday when reading the Tucson Weekly. Our retired DC government friends don’t even come out to AZ to visit, much less consider retiring here. They’re competing for homes in South Carolina and Florida. Also, AZ taxes out of state pensions. If retirees with good pensions are savy, they’ll become snowbirds during the winter, like we plan to do from now on, and establish a residence in a tax-friendly blue state.
Sharon, you and your ilk clogging up our county are part of the reason that the communities that have been here long before your parasitic “Baby boomer” generation ever came along are fighting to survive. Leave. Please leave. Go to your friends in Florida and North Carolina and never dirty our sidewalks with your Scooterchairs again. No great loss there.
And before you break your arm patting your generation the back, let’s also remember that for everything you’ve “given” America, you’re still the generation that polarized the political system with simplistic red/ blue left/ right nonsense, and the one that built the life-sucking corporate system that is buying American life quality for the sake of corporate profits.
Yes, please leave. The only thing you actually contribute to this city is taxes, and quite frankly money isn’t what makes a city thrive. It’s the people who love it. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
I am responding to the first comment as a white person with a different perspective. When did diversity become un-American? That is what makes America so great. The people who spoke out were American citizens expressing free speech. They are parents and educators fighting for their children’s voices to be heard. This was peaceful demonstration. It was badly handled by the school board. The presence of 100 armed police in riot gear was insulting, disrespectful, hurtful, and just plain dangerous. It is just so sad that the school board is afraid of the students and parents they claim to represent. This shows very bad judgement on their part. The people were there to protest, yes, a show of civil disobedience in the spirit of Martin Luther King. After being ignored by the board, they felt they had no other choice.
“Burns also asked about an AP European history class offered by TUSD, which gives students a history credit and college credit. Why wasn’t Stegeman questioning this class?”
Easy answer. AP European History is an elective. Is Burns really that dense?
Mindie your entire post confused me. If it is US history technically that wouldn’t begin until after it became the US. Also the linking of rednecks and air-conditioning makes me wonder if you even know what the term redneck means? It means white laborer or farmer in its basic essence – why they have the red necks.
All these comparisons are silly.
Just teach Latin American history for crissakes and that would include island nations such as haiti etc. Think about it critical thinkers, how many countries with distinct languages, cultures political pasts are lumped in under european history? As if those collective histories gets a good telling under as one class either.
Sharon Lin wherever you move I hope they don’t have internet access.
I’m 36 year old hispanic male about to have my first child with my gringa wife (who probably speaks better spanish than half of the protestors). There is absolutely no chance I will put my child in TUSD schools let alone racial studies courses. I grew up in a trailer in Arivaca with my parents and sibling. I would like to think of myself as successful, we earn approximately 100k per year and I don’t see where telling my child that he has a chip on his shoulder gives him any sort of competitive advantage in this world. This is the best country in the world and we need to take more time to make our children successful not give them excuses for failure.
The board is voting on making “ethnic studies” an elective, if I’m not mistaken. A vote to let students choose is what this is. So why is it that so many people are protesting and chaining themselves to chairs in an effort to take students’ choice away? I don’t get it. If these people were truly proud of the “ethnic studies” program, students would be choosing to enroll in the class.
Students are not required to take ethnic studies classes (Mexican American studies, Asian-Pacific American studies, African American studies, Native American studies), they have the option to choose those classes instead of a mainstream US history class and still get credit that goes towards their graduation. Mexican American, Native American, African American, Asian-Pacific American history is US history. But who writes the “general” history? Unfortunately due to structural and historical racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc. certain aspects of history are left out in mainstream history by those in power who write it, which glorifies those who have forcefully taken control of the land and does not do justice to the marginalized groups that have been colonized and/or instrumental in the creation of the nation-state.
Prohibiting communities from learning their local history and culture and the contribution they have had in local, regional, and global history in their own schools, is enforcing an outsider perspective as the “correct” norm. When people say Mexican American studies is non-American, that it’s non-American to take a critical look at our country’s power structure, our government, and the oppressive aspects of our history…..what is the definition they are using for “American”?? How different is this struggle from when slaves were prohibited in practicing their own religion, language, and culture and forced to adapt the slave owners’ Western European culture, names, and language? Or from when Native American youth were forced into boarding schools, to cut their hair, to speak only English, and wear Western European-style clothes?
So what is this definition of “American” that we are imposing on our children here in the borderlands where there has been a much longer history of Mayo Yoeme, Tohono O’odham, Apache, other Native groups, and mestizo groups? Mexican-Americans along with other ethnicities have been a crucial part of US, especially Southwestern history; why are there so many people in the general public who do not recognize this or think it’s “American”? Well perhaps, like me, the Mexican-American story was not given full attention in their history and literature classes. Ethnic and gender studies promote recognition and appreciation of our nation’s diversity.
So remember ethnic studies is not teaching Mexican history, but Mexican-American history. Not to say that our educational system shouldn’t also have a more global view, but thats another discussion.
Finally, this debate has brought many to misrepresent solidarity (defined as: unity that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards) as something dangerous and anti-american. Well solidarity is necessary for a democracy to work. Democracy calls for equality and end to marginalization. Do not tell me that being politically active and community organizing is not democratic, how is a truly representational democracy supposed to work without a means for a community to strongly express its voice.
Why is solidarity important? Well maybe you’ll like this innovation to a quote that is said many times but in its original manner does not recognize historical and current realities:
“If you give me a fish you have fed me for a day. If you teach me to fish you have fed me until the river is contaminated or the shoreline seized for development. But if you teach me how to organize, then whatever the challenge I can join together with my peers and we will fashion our own solution.”
Is what I’ve written anti-American, “revolutionary”? Yes it does criticize our current power political and social structure. But is that un-American? And if so, why?
If Asian Pacific studies encompasses more than one country why can’t Mexican American studies be Latin American studies? A lot more than just Mexico is entwined with US history. Guatemala/Maya has influenced world history through significant scientific contributions, as has Panama and the canal (that is a side note in most basic US texts) which made global circumnavigation far less hazardous and hugely affected us/global trade. US has had major connections to El Salvador, Cuba, etc. Besides to really understand Mexican-American history you need to understand Spanish/Indian History and Spain colonized all the way down through Chile. Its fascinating really but taken in small pieces the telling of that story isn’t done justice either.
you’re right we should expand ethnic and gender studies, and also start incorporating it into the mainstream curriculum
Vanman, that would be “disgusted,” and after that who cares about your narrow-minded ranting?
Unless you’re a Native American, you’re as great an interloper as you feel the Hispanic students are.
You’re not a patriot, you’re a nativist, and if you read any history every, you’d see that you’re on the wrong side of the issue. When people wrap themselves in the flag and start shouting, it’s an instant indicator of how scared a little sheep you are.
Somewhere behind all of this is the fact that Tom Horne and the State of Arizona passed a law which will keep TUSD from getting something like 15 million by running ethnic studies classes.
Shouldn’t the protests have started when the law was passed ?
Shouldn’t the law have been challenged in the courts when the law was passed ?
All the emotionality being displayed in the TUSD meetings seems to ignore the primary problem.
It’s seems clear that the ethnic studies people originally snubbed Tom Horn when not presenting materials, as requested. It also seems as if Tom Horne is following the Jan Brewer pathway to winning elections by playing the conservative, anti-immigrant (or anti-illegal immigrant as some might say) game in good old AZ.
The terminology in the Tom Horn legislation seems quite vague and open to interpretion.
Oh yeah, that’s how we create laws in AZ.
Apparently, the current superintendent of schools gets to decide whether the law has been broken or not ?????
I suppose in Arizona, the people in the state legislature can do whatever they please.
The TUSD school board’s only choice will be to challenge Uncle Tom’s law. I just hope they don’t lose.
Who am I and how did I get here ??????
Sanity now !!!!
I am white and I grew up in South Phoenix and on East McClintock. Needless to say, those were economically poor areas. Most of my friends were hispanic and I never recall any of them calling themselves Mexican – or at least very often (my very first girlfriend in third grade was hispanic-name was Evette). They always called themselves American as I also did since I am a first generation American. Some of my friends went into the military and some to college and some did neither. What I remember most fondly is all of us believing in the promise of America – liberty, equality, self government, and the chance to do something to change our lives and be something more than our parents generation. I taught at a high school in Arizona for a year before I went to graduate school (first in my family to do so) and I remember most of the football coaching staff (I was a coach) being hispanic. I remember one coach who was born in a railroad car by migrant parents who came to America for work and a better life for their children. He played football as an undergrad and went to graduate school and his sister also. He and countless others love America – sure, it isn’t perfect, but it is pretty good and I and them certainly do not want it to become Aztlan or Mexico or anything else.
Something else. . . . My parents tried hard to speak only English. They wanted to prepare me for my future in a nation and world in which English is the language of international business and politics. They also knew that America would provide opportunities and a foundation for a strong future. Being from eastern Europe, they experienced communism and post-communist racial struggles. They thought America would be different – not perfect, but better. Now, It is extremely disheartening to see racism from all sides. When I was a kid in grade school, I was a minority in a mostly hispanic school, but color was far from our minds – that is, until adults made sure we knew who was different by the time we were 12. Kids are great like that… pure until adults change them.
Also… the full indigenous people of the southwest fought over two centuries of terrible genocidal warfare with the Spanish and Mexican military forces. Today, the Apache, Papago, Yaqi, Navajo, Zuni, Pima, Pueblo, and Yuma tribes still harbor ill will, some even hatred for the Mexican people. Also, the citizens of Tubac petitioned the US government in the late 1840s to send troops for defense against Apache raids and even went so far as to declare loyalty to the US.
Juan4Change. . . . . Your comment was excellent
To all of the internet tough guys who have voice their opposition to the action of the students and UNIDOS, my question for you is why weren’t you there at this meeting voicing your opinions on the matter. I’m sure you know the old saying ‘actions speak louder then words.’ The same rule applies here: actually showing up and giving an honest response during a call for public inquiry goes much further then posting an anonymous rant on the internet.
Comments that paint with an overly broad brush–i.e. comments that say “all (insert name of ethnic group here) are (insert bad word here)”–are racist and/or bigoted and are not welcome here. Thanks!
I am thrilled the students of UNIDOS and their supporters are demanding their rights to education be heard. We all know the education system needs some serious life support.
Not only are these students potentially creating improved, up to date, and accurate education but they are empowering themselves to stand up and be heard and demand change. This isn’t something that happens every day. Too bad TUSD doesn’t give credit for this advanced public policy action they are putting into practice. If more people were like these students there would be “more walking and less talking” in this comments section.