Columbia University President Minouche Shafik is refusing to release security video that shows “peaceful protesters” engaging in the unlawful imprisonment of janitors inside Hamilton Hall.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/columbia-university-custodians-union-plans-132451358.html
Columbia University custodians’ union plans to sue school over anti-Israel protests, slams ‘bratty’ occupiers
By Greg Norman
May 9, 2024
A union representing custodians at Columbia University says it is gearing up to sue the Ivy League school for its response to the anti-Israel protests, in which its members allegedly were targeted by “spoiled” and “bratty” agitators who temporarily took over a campus building.
TWU International President John Samuelsen told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Thursday that his rank and file is “particularly incensed at Columbia for not protecting the workers and particularly pissed at those particular protesters that tried to hold our workers in the building” during the occupation of Hamilton Hall early last week.
“Everybody in the building, the entire TWU workforce in the building was fearful and rightfully so. They stormed in… but two of the custodians had to fight their way out. They were explicitly told ‘you’re staying here, you’re not going anywhere, this cause is bigger than you,” Samuelsen said. “Imagine that… kind of smarmy, sort of entitled, spoiled, bratty occupiers of the building come in and tell these blue-collar men and women ‘you’re not going anywhere, you’re staying here because this cause is bigger than you’ when they had to get home to their families. It’s outrageous, it’s an affront to workers everywhere.”
“Columbia should have never put the custodians or the security officer in that position and that is at the heart of the matter,” Samuelsen also said. “Columbia showed an epic disregard and epically failed to protect the workforce.
Hamilton Hall eventually was cleared out by the NYPD last Tuesday, but the TWU said this week that it is “exploring legal action against the university and the Hamilton Hall occupiers.”
In a letter Samuelsen addressed to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, the union is demanding the names of the protesters arrested inside Hamilton Hall, security footage of the hostile takeover and a meeting with Shafik “regarding mitigation steps necessary to avoid future placement of members in harm’s way if the protests resume, and recompense to the TWU members who were subjected to this despicable conduct.”
“The TWU Security Officer, an African-American woman, managed to leave the building before the barricades went up,” he continued. “But she remains shaken by her encounter with the occupying protesters (aka privileged kids) who verbally attacked her in a very aggressive and extremely offensive manner.
“President Shafik, imagine for a moment being in the boots of the blue-collar Custodians and Security Officer. They came to work to earn a day’s pay so they could take care of their families and ended up being held against their will while being subjected to physical and verbal abuse,” Samuelsen also wrote. “Imagine yourself coming to work and being the victim of a serious crime because Columbia University didn’t care enough about you to engage in common sense protective measures.”
Columbia University did not immediately respond Thursday morning when asked by Fox News Digital to comment on the matter.
I agree with Joe Scarborough about the college protests.
Starts at 0:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNU4QFLU9XE
Stanford Jewish students on taking photo of man with Hamas headband on campus: ‘We were just in shock’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/stanford-jewish-students-taking-photo-090057498.html
Stanford Jewish students on taking photo of man with Hamas headband on campus: ‘We were just in shock’
By Louis Casiano and Julia Bonavita
May 3, 2024
A viral image of a man on the Stanford University campus wearing a headband that looks similar to the one worn by Hamas terrorist fighters was taken by two Jewish students concerned the school has not cracked down enough on antisemitic behavior.
The two friends, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said they were walking near White Plaza, the center of the northern California campus where anti-Israel protesters have set up an encampment, on Friday when they spotted someone sitting down at a picnic table.
After moving closer to the unidentified person, they realized the headband he was wearing was the same type worn by members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
We were just in shock that somebody could be like that in the middle of our campus,” one of the students told Fox News Digital. “I only went up to take the photo because I was there with my friend.
“We thought about going up to him and saying something, but then we figured it wasn’t worth it and, if anything, it might just be dangerous.”
The image of the man sitting at the table wearing the green headband with Arabic writing and a face covering quickly made the rounds on social media, catching the attention of university administrators.
“We have received many expressions of concern about a photo circulating on social media of an individual on White Plaza who appeared to be wearing a green headband similar to those worn by members of Hamas,” the school said in a statement Wednesday. ”
We find this deeply disturbing, as Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the United States government. We have not been able to identify the individual but have forwarded the photo to the FBI.”
I applaud and admire Al Sharpton for being willing to so harshly criticize his own side of the political spectrum. “How do the Democrats, how do all of us on that side say January 6 was wrong if you can have the same pictures going on on college campuses.”
Al Sharpton just said:
“How do the Democrats, how do all of us on that side say January 6 was wrong if you can have the same pictures going on on college campuses.”
I applaud and admire Al Sharpton for being willing to so harshly criticize his own side of the political spectrum.
The Great Replacement is not just a conspiracy theory. It’s really happening. They took down the U.S. flag and replaced it with a Palestinian flag.
GoFundMe raises $400,000+ for UNC students who protected American flag during protests
By Harrison Grubb and Ashley Anderson
May 1, 2024
A GoFundMe established in recognition of UNC students who protected the campus’ American flag during Tuesday’s protest raised close to $300,000 in the first 12 hours.
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, the total has climbed to more than $427,000.
“When we went in, we said, we will not let the headline of this day be ‘An American flag falls at UNC,’” said freshman Jason Calderon, who was one of several students who held up the flag Tuesday.
Ongoing protests against the war in Gaza intensified on campus Tuesday. At one point, pro-Palestinian protesters replaced the American flag at the center of the quad with a Palestinian one.
After university administrators brought a new flag, protesters tried bringing that one down as well.
“My friends and I looked at each other and then said, ‘we should go over there,’” Calderon explained.
Calderon and several of his fellow students worked to prevent the flag from touching the ground, all the while he says he and others were pelted with objects by protesters.
“So many Americans in history have fought for the ideals of justice and freedom that that flag represents, and who are we if we don’t take some water balloons and take some yelling and chaos to reap the benefits of what they’ve sown for American society,” he said.
The GoFundMe was established Wednesday, hoping to benefit fraternities whose members protected the flag. Around 9,000 people donated in the first 12 hours, raising well over a quarter of a million dollars.
“So many people are seeing that UNC is a beacon of light,” said Calderon.
As the American flag was once again raised on the flag pole, the fraternities chanted “USA, USA, USA!” and sang the Star Spangled Banner as protesters chanted “down with fascists” and other chants which included expletives directed at UNC’s interim chancellor, Lee Roberts.
On campus, work is being done to make sure it won’t happen again. While the flagpole was surrounded by two layers of fencing after the protests Tuesday, the university has now put in a higher and more fortified boundary around the flag.
“It was really just inspirational for us to see everybody coming together and the chancellor coming in and saying, ‘as long as I’m chancellor that flag will stay up,’” Calderon said.
CBS 17 reached out to the fraternities named in the fundraiser but has not received a response yet.
This is from 2011, but it’s relevant to the current situation on U.S. college campuses. Which one of these stages is Columbia University currently at?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2011/05/the_five_stages_of_islam.html
The Five Stages of Islam
By Richard Butrick
May 29, 2011
Stage 1. Establish a Beachhead
Population density à 2% (US, Australia, Canada).
Muslims are conciliatory, deferential but request harmless special treatment (foot bath facilities, removal/elimination of that which is offensive to delicate Muslim sensibilities – like walking dogs near Mosques).
Stage 2. Establish Outposts
Population density 2% – 5% (UK, Germany, Denmark).
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. A recent example is that of Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal who is back in Jamaica after being kicked out of the UK.
Stage 3. Establish Sectional Control of Major Cities.
Population density 5% – 10% (France, Sweden, Netherlands).
First comes the demand for halal food in supermarkets, and the blocking of streets for prayers; then comes the demand for self rule (within their ghettos) under Sharia. When Muslims approach 10% of the population the demands turn to lawlessness. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. Any criticism of Islam results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam. In France which may be over the 10% range, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrassas. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death.
Stage 4. Establish Regional Control.
Population density 20% – 50% (Europe 2020?).
After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues.
Stage 5. Total Control, Brutal Suppression, and Dhimmitude.
Population density > 50%.
Unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and jizya, the tax placed on infidels. As Muslim population levels increase and all infidels cower in submission there will peace at last. Dar al-Islam is achieved and everyone lives under Sharia and the Koran is the only word.
Mary Osako, please explain why UCLA hasn’t fired the security guard who stood by, watched, and did nothing to intervene, as masked terrorists prevented a Jewish student named Eli Tsives from entering the university.
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
May 1, 2024
This video from UCLA shows a security guard standing by, watching, and doing nothing to intervene, as masked terrorists prevented a Jewish student named Eli Tsives from entering the university.
https://twitter.com/persianjewess/status/1785021873555902744
After the video went viral, Mary Osako, the school’s Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications, issued the following statement:
“Yesterday some physical altercations occurred among demonstrators in Royce Quad. In response, we have taken several actions to significantly increase our security presence, including adding greater numbers of campus law enforcement, safety personnel and student affairs monitors.”
“There was also a report of a student’s access to class being blocked by demonstrators yesterday. This kind of disruption to our teaching and learning mission is abhorrent, plain and simple. As such, we’ve taken several, immediate actions: Our student conduct process has been initiated, and could lead to severe disciplinary action including expulsion or suspension. The barriers that demonstrators used to block this student’s access to class have been removed and we have staff located around Royce Quad to help ensure that they will not go up again. We have also engaged law enforcement to investigate.”
“While the demonstration remains largely peaceful, our campus must remain a place where we treat one another with respect and recognize our shared humanity — not a place where we devolve into violence and bullying.”
So Osako said that the school will be “adding greater numbers of campus law enforcement, safety personnel and student affairs monitors.”
So the school plans to hire additional security guards, so they, too, can stand by, watch, and do nothing to intervene, when this kind of thing happens.
So here’s my question for Mary Osako:
Mary Osako, please explain why UCLA hasn’t fired the security guard who stood by, watched, and did nothing to intervene, as masked terrorists prevented a Jewish student named Eli Tsives from entering the university.
UCLA security guard does nothing as masked terrorists prevent a Jewish student named Eli Tsives from entering the university.
https://twitter.com/persianjewess/status/1785021873555902744
UCLA protesters block Jewish student from attending class: They want ‘mass genocide of Jews’
Eli Tsives joins ‘Fox & Friends’ after recording interaction with anti-Israel protesters
By Bailee Hill
April 30, 2024
A Jewish student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who was barred from attending class by anti-Israel protesters, spoke out after the incident as he and others fear for their safety on college campuses nationwide.
UCLA student Eli Tsives documented the interaction with the protesters and explained why he fears the pro-Palestinian sentiment will likely escalate further.
“I take the same path to class every single day, and when I got there, it was blocked off by the students, not a security guard, but by these students,” Tsives said on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday.
“I showed them my I.D., and I said, ‘This is the way I enter to class. Please let me in.’ When they refused, I quickly understood what was happening.”
“I had in my phone to my fellow Jewish friend and he started filming so we could document exactly what was happening,” he continued.
“You guys have closed the entrance. We are UCLA students. I have my I.D. right here. I’m being blocked off. Not by the security guard, but by you two, you three,” Tsives told the protesters during the video his friend recorded.
“This is what they do. Everybody look at this. Look at this. I’m a UCLA student. I deserve to go here,” he continued. “We pay tuition. This is our school, and they’re not letting me walk in.”
Tsives said he likely could have pushed his way through the anti-Israel protesters, but ultimately decided against doing so to shed light on the hateful sentiment on campus.
“We are for peace, and we will never barge through because we know that we’re better than them in that sense,” Tsives said. “Could I have? Absolutely, but I would rather have documented that, so we can show the world exactly what is going on in universities in the United States.”
FOX 11 Los Angeles reported fights broke out between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinain protesters over the weekend after a barrier was breached meant to separate the opposing groups.
“They constantly advocate for the destruction of our beautiful country,” Tsives said. “They burn the American flag. They are super anti-America. They are anti-our government. They’re anti-democracy, and shame on them… Shame on UCLA and shame on actually all college administrations for allowing them to continue what they’re doing.”
“Because this is no longer about freedom of speech,” he continued. “This is now straight up about promoting aggression and hatred against Jewish people.”
“Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Tsives if he thought the protesters were fully educated on the causes they were advocating for.
“I think that a lot of them do understand, and they still choose to say what they say,” Tsives responded. “We go to the number one public school in the world. These people are smart. They are educated. They know what they’re saying. They know what an intifada is.”
“They want an intifada. They want to see the mass genocide of Jews,” he continued.
Tsives admitted his parents are worried about his safety, and he is even concerned something could happen to him, since he is getting more attention for standing on behalf of his fellow Jewish students.
“I just think that this is the start of something that’s going to escalate very, very quickly,” he said. “Because my face is really getting out there, and I would not be surprised if somebody tried something in the next couple days.”
Tsives said someone wrote “shame on you” on a whiteboard where he lives, but despite the intimidation, he intends to continue the fight against antisemitism.
“People are starting to recognize my face. They know who I am. I see people looking at me in dirty ways, but also Jewish students walk up to me, and they thank me for what I’m doing,” Tsives said.
“So as long as I am constantly advocating for the Jewish people, I feel like we are getting somewhere. We’re doing good in this world.”
Here are two quotes from the New York Times which prove that DEI = “Didn’t Earn It.”
https://twitter.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1772731581209190422
Here are two quotes from the New York Times which prove that DEI = “Didn’t Earn It.”
The New York Times wrote, “The Board of Regents on Monday eliminated a requirement that aspiring teachers in New York State pass a literacy test to become certified after the test proved controversial because black and Hispanic candidates passed it at significantly lower rates than white candidates.”
The New York Times wrote: “A 2009 Princeton study showed Asian-Americans had to score 140 points higher on their SATs than whites, 270 points higher than Hispanics and 450 points higher than blacks to have the same chance of admission to leading universities.”
Don Lemon: Five suggestions for black people. Skip to 1:54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z8EA_4YNvw
If a person can’t do third grade math, they shouldn’t be admitted to college. Or high school, for that matter.
https://twitter.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1767670415436939386
https://apnews.com/article/college-math-test-help-6cca6a5e873d5aeb5e75b4f94125d48c
August 31, 2023
“This is a huge issue,” said Maria Emelianenko, chair of George Mason’s math department. “We’re talking about college-level pre-calculus and calculus classes, and students cannot even add one-half and one-third.”
For Jessica Babcock, a Temple University math professor, the magnitude of the problem hit home last year as she graded quizzes in her intermediate algebra class, the lowest option for STEM majors. The quiz, a softball at the start of the fall semester, asked students to subtract eight from negative six.
“I graded a whole bunch of papers in a row. No two papers had the same answer, and none of them were correct,” she said. “It was a striking moment of, like, wow — this is significant and deep.”
It finally happened. For once, a school board allowed someone to read from one of these controversial books, and did not force them to stop reading. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Now the entire world can see what is being handed out to children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IknG5_fNOvg
https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/01/knox-zajac-maine-school-board-windham-middle-school/
11-Year-Old Condemns ‘Pornographic’ Book He Was Able To Check Out At School Library
By Gretchen Clayson Reporter
March 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/1776ProjectPac/status/1630675434009403395
An 11-year-old boy in Maine spoke out at his local school board meeting, condemning a “pornographic” book he was allegedly permitted to check out at his school library.
Knox Zajac, a sixth grade student at Windham Middle School, spoke at his local school board meeting as he read sexually explicit content from a book he found in his school library, The Maine Wire reported Feb. 23. The video was posted Feb. 17. The book in question, “Nick and Charlie,” details the exploits of two young teenage boys who steal wine from their parents before proceeding to sexually experiment on one another, the outlet stated.
Zajac stated that when he checked out the book, the librarian reportedly told him that if he liked it there were similar books she could direct him to, asking him if he wanted “a graphic novel version,” despite an age advisory of 14+.
“That’s my son, 11 years old and went to his library and found it by the entry door of our library. This is the smut that he is finding, alright? I don’t care whether it’s gay, straight, bisexual, or whatever the terms are for all of this stuff – it doesn’t need to be at our school. It doesn’t need to be at my 11-year-old’s library,” Adam Zajac told the school board, following his son’s speech, according to Fox News.
Though Maine law prohibits the distribution of obscene material to children, there is an exception if the material is distributed to the children at a school.
“A lot of parents just don’t know what’s going on in the school. What I don’t understand is how we have books in the middle school library that adults would be fired for having at work, or potentially prosecuted for sharing with children given their pornographic content. It’s smut, really,” Zajac’s father told the outlet.
A decade ago, the San Francisco public schools stopped teaching algebra to 8th grade students
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfusd-algebra-middle-school-18645514.php
Algebra would return to middle schools under plan before SFUSD board
By Jill Tucker
February 2, 2024
San Francisco middle schools would once again offer Algebra 1 to eighth-grade students starting in the fall under a proposal heading to the school board for a vote later this month.
The battle over whether to return the course offering to middle school students has lasted years, with parent protests, a lawsuit and an upcoming ballot measure in March. The measure urges the district to give students the opportunity to speed up the math sequence, allowing them to take calculus as high school seniors without having to take summer school or double up on math courses.
“SFUSD’s vision for math is to prepare all middle school students for Algebra 1 in eighth grade and increase the number of underrepresented students in higher level math,” said Superintendent Matt Wayne in a statement.
District officials pulled the course out of middle school 10 years ago, saying they wanted to delay tracking students into separate math sequences until high school, an effort they hoped would push more disadvantaged students into higher math courses.
The results were disappointing, district officials said. Parents argued the move only held back high-achieving students.
The plan, however, would take some time to phase in. About a third of the district’s 13 middle schools and six K-8 schools would offer the course during the school day in the upcoming school year through a pilot program. The rest would add it to math class offerings over the following two years.
In the meantime, those enrolled in sites not selected for a pilot program would be able to take Algebra 1 through a staff-supported online program or summer school.
“Change is long overdue,” said school board President Lainie Motamedi. “The Board of Education is committed to seeing this through. Our deliberate approach to implementing Algebra I to all eighth-grade students underscores our dedication to ensuring every student has access to the opportunities that higher-level math and educational excellence brings.”
The pilot programs would test out three versions of school-day Algebra 1 if the proposal is passed, including enrolling all eighth graders in Algebra 1, enrolling students based on interest or readiness and giving students the opportunity to have both eighth-grade math and Algebra I on their schedule.
“We will evaluate these approaches while remaining focused on our goal of increasing students’ math achievement, particularly our students who SFUSD has historically underserved,” Wayne said. “Ultimately, SFUSD is working towards offering Algebra 1 in eighth grade during the school day at all middle and K-8 schools by the 2026-27 school year.”
Wayne’s final proposal posted on the agenda late Friday varies slightly from a previous plan vetted at a town hall in January that included before- or after-school Algebra 1 courses. That option is no longer in the plan heading to the school board.
Eight “gifted and talented” students from the New York City public school system have just been arrested after this viral video showed them brutally beating and assaulting a student on a bus
Eight “gifted and talented” students from the New York City public school system have just been arrested after this viral video showed them brutally beating and assaulting a student on a bus.
Here’s the video:
https://twitter.com/NYCSchoolSafety/status/1752397170857144769
Here are links to two news article about this incident:
https://nypost.com/2024/02/03/metro/nyc-school-kids-arrested-over-caught-on-video-bus-beatdown/
If a person can’t pay back a $12,000 loan in 10 years, they’re not responsible enough to be borrowing money in the first place
https://www.yahoo.com/news/type-student-loan-forgiveness-coming-095401294.html
A new type of student-loan forgiveness is coming this month
By Ayelet Sheffey
February 2, 2024
Student-debt relief through a reform to the SAVE plan is coming in February.
Those who originally borrowed $12,000 or less and made at least 10 years of payments could see relief.
Borrowers not enrolled in the SAVE plan will need to do so to make use of the benefit.
More student-loan borrowers can expect debt relief starting this month through a new repayment reform.
In early January, the Education Department announced that borrowers enrolled in the SAVE income-driven repayment plan who originally borrowed $12,000 or less would begin to see their loans forgiven in February if they made at least 10 years of qualifying payments.
The department is rolling out this relief early — when SAVE was announced over the summer, that provision of the plan wasn’t set to be implemented until summer 2024.
“Giving borrowers with smaller loans a faster path to being debt-free will help many borrowers avoid financial distress and have peace of mind,” James Kvaal, the undersecretary of education, said at the time.
It’s unclear how many borrowers will immediately qualify for relief or when those notices will start being sent out this month. Additionally, borrowers who are not enrolled in the SAVE plan will need to enroll at studentaid.gov to qualify for this benefit.
While any borrower can apply for SAVE, the monthly estimated payments will differ — a single borrower making under $32,800 or a family of four making under $67,500 would receive $0 payments under the plan. For other borrowers, SAVE will calculate the most affordable payment based on income.
The Education Department said that borrowers who originally borrowed over $12,000 could still see quicker relief — for every $1,000 above the $12,000 threshold, the borrower is set to get relief after an additional year of payments.
The department said it would continue evaluating borrowers’ accounts on “a regular basis” to identify those who qualify for relief through this SAVE provision.
Other forms of ongoing relief
The new SAVE provision is just one of the Education Department’s relief efforts for targeted groups of borrowers. Over the past year, the department has been implementing account adjustments for borrowers on income-driven repayment plans and in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program who have made their qualifying payments but have yet to see relief.
Most recently, in January, the department announced 74,000 additional borrowers were getting $5 billion in debt relief — of which 44,000 were public servants, and 30,000 of them were in repayment for at least 20 years but still waiting for loan forgiveness.
Biden touted the account adjustments during a campaign speech in South Carolina last month, saying: “I found another way to help more than 3.7 million people — teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters — with $130 billion in relief and causing the economy to grow faster as a consequence of that.”
Along with the adjustments, the department is working through a new process to get broader relief to borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s first attempt. Using the Higher Education Act of 1965, the department has held three negotiation sessions with stakeholders to help craft this second attempt at relief.
On Thursday, it announced it would be holding a fourth session — following pressure from some advocates, Democratic lawmakers, and even some of the negotiators themselves — to discuss relief for borrowers experiencing hardship. At the end of the third session, the department proposed five categories of borrowers to be included in the relief, but a hardship category was left out.
“We look forward to discussing another avenue for borrower relief related to hardship at our next negotiation session,” Kvaal said.
It’s unclear when exactly borrowers can expect this broader form of relief. Following the fourth negotiation session on February 22 and 23, the department plans to publish the proposed text of the rule to the Public Register to allow an opportunity for public comment. According to the Higher Education Act guidelines, the rule would not go into effect until 2025 unless the education secretary opted for early implementation.
The American Museum of Natural History has just canceled its Native American exhibits
https://www.amnh.org/about/statement-new-nagpra-regulations
Beginning this Saturday, we will be closing two halls dedicated to Indigenous cultures of North America, the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains Halls, to visitors and staff. Both Halls display artifacts that, under the new NAGPRA regulations, could require consent to exhibit. The number of cultural objects on display in these Halls is significant, and because these exhibits are also severely outdated, we have decided that rather than just covering or removing specific items, we will close the Halls. In addition to closing these two Halls, we will be covering three cases just outside of the Hall of Eastern Woodlands and two cases in the Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples, which display Native Hawaiian items. In addition, two cases in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall also will be covered.
One immediate effect of these closures will be the suspension of school field trips to Eastern Woodlands, which for years has hosted local students as part of their social studies curriculum.
In my opinion, this is a bad idea. However, at the same time, I respect the wishes of the voters of New York City to adopt this policy. I hope they are happy with this.
NYC decision to move migrants from tent shelter to a school amid storm draws fire
Nearly 2,000 asylum-seekers were bused to a Brooklyn high school to ride out the storm, drawing complaints from some parents, politicians and immigration advocates.
By Daniella Silva, Andy Weir, and Antonia Hylton
January 10, 2024
New York City’s decision to move nearly 2,000 migrants overnight from a tent shelter to a high school due to fears of an impending storm drew backlash Wednesday from parents of students at the school and others as the city struggles to house thousands of migrants seeking refuge.
The criticism included the city’s continued use of the tent shelter on a remote, abandoned airfield in an area of Brooklyn that is at risk of coastal flooding from storms.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday afternoon that with winds up to 70 mph expected, the city was proactively relocating the migrant families from the tent shelter at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn “out of an abundance of caution to ensure the well-being of those entrusted to our care.”
“While families are already in the process of temporarily being relocated, the city will ensure that essential services and the highest level of support are provided to all impacted by this decision,” Adams, a Democrat, said in a statement.
The shelter at Floyd Bennett Field is one of more than 200 sites New York City has established to house the surge of migrants arriving in the city since 2022 — largely as part of a busing campaign by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, who is seeking stricter security at the southern border. New York, which has a legal obligation to provide emergency housing to anyone who asks for it, has struggled to respond to the thousands of people arriving in the city.
Floyd Bennett Field has been widely regarded as a poor location for a shelter because it is far away from schools, transportation and other services and is vulnerable to the elements.
Images captured Tuesday night showed yellow school buses dropping off migrants holding young children and carrying bags with their belongings in the rain.
Students at James Madison High School in Brooklyn were informed Tuesday that classes would be conducted virtually on Wednesday because of the school’s use as a “temporary overnight respite center.”
“To ensure a smooth transition for families temporarily sheltering overnight in the building, our school building will be closed on Wednesday, January 10 and school will be in session remotely for all students,” Principal Jodie Cohen said in a statement to families.
The decision was decried by some parents who held a rally at the school Wednesday morning. One woman who said she is the mother of two students at the school called the situation “unacceptable.”
Alina, who did not share her last name, said she was “very angry” that the city “put our children last” and were instead “prioritizing the migrants.”
State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, who represents the area and organized the rally, said the decision to relocate the migrants was “just really wrong. The school is not a right place for migrants, for anyone except the kids.”
He added that Floyd Bennett Field was “not a good place for temporary sheltering.”
“We have thousands of square feet of abandoned commercial property that we can use,” he said.
Zach Iscol, the commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, said at a briefing Wednesday that the school received hate calls and a bomb threat Wednesday morning. The bomb threat was cleared by police.
“These actions are not only deplorable, they’re also criminal offenses,” he said.
Floyd Bennett Field, along the shore of Jamaica Bay, was used for emergency relief during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, including housing 2,000 troops, according to the National Park Service.
Novakhov and others said the need to evacuate people demonstrated why the airfield should not be used as a shelter.
The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless said Tuesday that the “last-minute evacuation further proves that Floyd Bennett Field — a facility mired in a flood zone, miles from schools and other services — has never and will never serve as an appropriate and safe place to shelter families with children.”
The advocacy groups questioned whether the move would be “traumatic” and “disruptive” for the migrant families.
“We fear, especially with more inclement weather expected this winter, that this is only a foreshadow of more problems to come, and we again urge the City to cease placing families with children at this facility,” the groups said.
New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov said the city’s decision was “both unacceptable and was entirely foreseeable,” because of the airfield’s vulnerabilities to weather.
Vernikov called on the city to stop using public schools as shelters and said parents of the about 4,000 students at James Madison were “rightfully concerned.”
“This will agitate local residents, disrupt the entire school environment, and place a tremendous burden on our families, students, school administrators and staff,” she said.
Desiree Joy Frias, an organizer with South Bronx Mutual Aid, said outside the school that the city should focus on “moving people into permanent shelters so they can start getting jobs.”
“That is not the way we treat people. They’re not cattle. They’re not livestock. They are human beings with lives, with children, with human rights that are fundamental to them,” she said.
New York City has taken in approximately 170,000 asylum-seekers since April 2022 and currently has about 70,000 in its care, in addition to the homeless population, Iscol said at a briefing on Wednesday.
The city said that it projects to spend $4.7 billion to provide shelter, food and services to asylum-seekers in fiscal year 2024.
Iscol said at the briefing that “all of us understand in the city that Floyd Bennett Field is not an ideal place to be housing families with children.”
“The city has done a remarkable job making that place work,” he said.
Iscol said all of the migrant families were returned to the tent shelter overnight, beginning at around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday after getting the all-clear from the National Weather Service. Most people were transported out by bus from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m, he said.
He said that the city is making alternative plans should the tent shelter need to be evacuated again and does not foresee using James Madison High School again.
“No one wants to disrupt the lives of asylum-seekers nor those of our students, parents, teachers and principals,” he said.
Ibram X. Kendi is a racist, not an anti-racist, because he thinks black plagiarists should not be held to the same standard of accountability as white ones. This is called the “soft bigotry of low expectations.”
https://twitter.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1742719459087765528
Harvard should fire black progressive Claudine Gay, and replace her with black conservative Carol Swain, the person whom Gay has plagiarized.
https://twitter.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1740050182463717412
America’s top universities should abandon their long misadventure into politics, retrain their gaze on their core strengths and rebuild their reputations as centers of research and learning.
https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria/status/1733927077085143263
https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria/status/1733927077085143263
My question for Claudine Gay, Liz Magill, and Sally Kornbluth: Under what “context” would it be OK for someone to call for the genocide of my Jewish relatives, friends, and neighbors?
https://twitter.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1733680074224746942
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, who has been vocal in the past about her opposition to private schools, enrolled her teenager at a Catholic school, NBC Chicago confirmed.
Chicago Teachers Union president enrolled child in private school, sources confirm
Other Chicago political leaders have chosen to send their children to private schools in the past.
By Mary Ann Ahern
September 7, 2023
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, who has been vocal in the past about her opposition to private schools, enrolled her teenager at a Catholic school, NBC Chicago confirmed.
After days of questions directly to Davis Gates and the CTU that were left unanswered, NBC Chicago confirmed via Davis Gates’ own social media posts and multiple sources that her child was enrolled this year at a Chicago Catholic high school.
NBC Chicago is not naming the school nor the name of Gates’ child. Gates has not responded to our requests for comment on the topic, but she has discussed her position on private schools in the past.
“I’m also a mother,” Davis Gates said on March 6, 2022. “My children go to Chicago Public Schools. These are the things that legitimize my space within the coalition.”
Last year in a Chicago Magazine article, Davis Gates said, “I can’t advocate on behalf of public education without it taking root in my own household.”
Davis Gates has publicly voiced strong opposition to School Choice and the Illinois Invest in Kids program that allows for tax credits that benefit private schools.
On social media, Davis Gates has said, “school choice was actually the choice of racists. It was created to avoid integrating schools with Black children.”
She also posted a link to an article titled “The Racist Origins of Private School Vouchers.”
Davis Gates’ family’s neighborhood high school is Harlan Community Academy. It ranks 437 out of 664 Illinois high schools.
Other political leaders have chosen to send their children to private schools, including former mayors Rahm Emanuel, Lori Lightfoot and Richard Daley as well as Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s teenager does not attend the family’s West Side neighborhood school, but rather a magnet school across town.
While Davis Gates is paying more than $16,000 tuition for her child to attend a Catholic high school, the Invest in Kids program that helps others who cannot afford that amount is on life support as the general assembly did not decide yet whether to extend funding for the program. The Chicago Teachers Union and other teachers unions have lobbied vigorously to oppose it.
The Invest in Kids program, which promotes school choice, is expected to come up when lawmakers return to Springfield for the fall veto session. It’s not clear if the CTU will continue to voice opposition now that their president has taken that route for her child.
The context should not matter. Calling for genocide of anyone is always wrong.
Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican: “Dr. Gay, at Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment, yes or no?”
Harvard University President Claudine Gay: “It can be, depending on the context.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwu3rBAWvOQ
Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog 