The case of the Columbus high school violence cover-up continues to horrify, although it's not getting nearly enough national attention.
Michelle Malkin has new information about how everyone except the principal is getting away with a slap on the wrist:
The principal is scheduled to be fired, but the assistant vice principals who allegedly participated in the cover-up are getting away with a slap on the wrist: 10-day suspensions and "sensitivity training" courses. Meanwhile, it looks like education dimwits in the area are going to exploit the crime to drum up diversity dollars under the guise of convening a "violence summit."
Meanwhile, it turns out that these despicable "educators" who advised the girl's father not to call the police, lest the news media get hold of this, also failed to summon a nurse to give the girl any sort of first aid. I suppose that, too, would have caused too much additional embarassment for the girl? The administrators of Mifflin High School also apparently didn't even stick around for the cops to arrive.
The school district apparently thinks a training video and extra security is the answer to this problem. I'd suggest the changes start with not hiring corrupt administrators who see a bleeding and dazed victim as a problem to cover up, rather than a student who desperately needs help. There's enough wrong with soon-to-be-ex principal Regina Crenshaw and her underlings that a Blockbusters' full of videos couldn't fix them.
Local talk show host Glenn Beck has been covering the story, and scored a brutal interview with Columbus mayor Michael Coleman. A Clear Voice has the summary, and Mike at Ohio for Blackwell has the audio tape.
One particular lowlight of the interview:
Glenn Beck was finally able to get Michael B. Coleman, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio on the phone today. (After he tried to back out of his promise to call in two days ago.) The conversation was quite interesting and perhaps indicative of why Columbus has such a problem with their school system.Glenn attempted to talk to Coleman about the school board’s decision to keep the assistant principals on, and Coleman talked about the criminal side of the investigation and said that he was not allowed to reveal anything about it while it was open, but he was sure everything would be taken care of. Glenn kept trying to steer him back to the subject of the school board and their actions towards the assistant principals and Coleman kept insisting that he couldn’t talk about an open police investigation. About the only thing he said about the schools was that they had paid policemen there and that he, the mayor, had no control or influence over what the school board did.
The best part of the interview was when Glenn attempted to ask him a question, “Doesn’t it offend you as a man….” He didn’t get a chance to finish, but I’m assuming the end of that question was something like, “that the schools would allow something like this to happen to a girl and then do nothing to the people who allowed it to go on.” However, he didn’t get a chance because Coleman interrupted him with “Are you attacking my manhood?”
Yeah, Mayor Coleman, this is all about you. The rape victim in your city's schools is just, you know, a tangential part of the case. We should be paying much more attention to your manhood (and how you supposedly send all your kids to private schools). How such an asshat got elected, I'll never know, but let's hope Ohio voters give him the boot as soon as possible.
I still have optimism, but perhaps Maxed Out Mama's thoughts are more accurate:
I'll give you my guess. This boys will not be convicted of any criminal charges. There will not be enough evidence; the testimony (said quietly behind closed doors) will be that the word was that this girl was known for giving blowjobs to boys. Those involved will say they thought she was consenting. Those witnessing it will agree. Not one of all the boys involved said anything to school authorities. Not one. They don't know the difference between right and wrong, consenting and enforced acts. If they haven't participated themselves they have all heard about such acts before.Nor will there be much support in the community for prosecuting them. I am the child of a public school teacher, and I have heard it all before.
If kids don't learn that sexual activity in certain contexts is flat wrong because it is dangerous, they don't know by instinct.
And they certainly don't learn it when the clueless adminstrators who are supposed to be taking care of their students think of nothing but making themselves look good, or when egotistical mayors can't put themselves and their insecurities aside for two minutes to try and help someone who was wronged.
Posted by kswygert at April 20, 2005 07:29 PM