Wednesday Midday Briefs

Dunning must now lie in the bed that he helped to make

As I have been a critic of Davis Enterprise Columnist Bob Dunning at times, I must acknowledge that we share the conviction that we not see a closure of the Valley Oak Elementary School. In fact, if Dunning were paying attention after my criticism of his column on Councilmember Heystek's alleged "privileged" life, he would have noticed a few columns asking that we keep the elementary school open.

So it is from a standpoint of agreement that I still must call Dunning to task for his column entitled, "Don't be shocked, it's not in their back yard." In it he writes:

YOUR SILENCE IS DEAFENING … as we approach the national celebration of the biggest name in the civil rights movement, it's distressing to see that civil rights organizations and civil rights activists in this town have largely stayed on the sidelines of the impending closure of Valley Oak Elementary … I guess if your kid goes somewhere else and your school isn't threatened with closing, you can look the other way and pretend it isn't happening …

These, of course, are the same folks who get worked into a frenzy about something as silly as the name of a street, then are missing in action as the most vulnerable neighborhood in the city is gutted of one great source of pride, its long-standing elementary school …

In a town that consistently finds a way to protect toads and owls and hawks, protecting a neighborhood and its cherished school should be elementary …

Dunning is inaccurate and misleading when he writes the above. Many individuals contacted the People's Vanguard of Davis to share their concerns which have been tagged on as comments to our articles. Many citizens have written letters to the editor which have been published in the Davis Enterprise criticizing the proposed closure. Many citizens have spoken out publicly at school board meetings in opposition to this proposal too. Even fellow Davis Enterprise columnists Jann Murray Garcia and Jonathan Landon have written in opposition to the closing of Valley Oak.

And yet if Bob Dunning would take a step back and see the bigger picture, he is one of the reasons why there is not an overwhelming response in opposition on this issue. In June 2006, it was Bob Dunning among many others who led the way towards the removal of Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and many others from the Human Relations Commission In fact, the City Council put the HRC on hiatus, removed all of its members, and then reconstituted the commission in September under much tighter rules. Bob Dunning APPLAUDED these moves and the purge every step of the way.

Dunning on June 29 wrote:

"the City Council had little choice but to give the Human Relations Commission and its insult-a-minute chairwoman a prolonged kindergarten-style "time-out"

Well Mr. Dunning what you reap, so shall you sow... And therein lies the rub, Bob Dunning was all too willing to throw Mrs. Escamilla Greenwald and the Human Relations Commission under the bus when they were rallying people to help those they deemed oppressed by the Davis police department. Now Dunning is wondering why no one is rallying to the defense of his children and their school that stands in the way of closing. Perhaps he would take some comfort in reading the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller who wrote about the inactivities of those in Nazi Germany. His closing line was, "When they came for me there was no one left to speak out."

Well Mr. Dunning, fortunately you have the People's Vanguard of Davis, but when the HRC was disbanded, leaving with it were the best means to mobilize those in the community and bring awareness to problems such as the one that you write about. Perhaps next time you decide to pillory members of this community who are standing up for those in need of assistance, you will remember that one day the children in need may be your own.

Speaking of children in need... what in the world is going on at Harper Junior High

Yesterday we reported on an incident last week that related to the issue of harassment of children due to perceived sexual orientation. Now this week in the Davis Enterprises "Briefly" we get yet another assault that required police intervention...

Teen arrested for assault on campus

Davis police arrested a 15-year-old Harper Junior High School student Monday after he allegedly assaulted another student on the East Davis school campus.

The boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, reportedly tripped and pushed the 14-year-old victim during a verbal argument, then kicked and punched him once he was on the ground, Lt. Colleen Turay said.

Police took the boy into custody and booked him at the Davis police station, then released him to a parent with a notice to appear in court, Turay said.

The Davis Joint Unified School District better figure out a way to handle these problems, but at some point people are going to get tired of seeing all of these lawsuits being filed against the district.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting