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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (277186)	2/28/2006 8:13:35 AM
From: Elroy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1577887

Yeah, I think most of the people who supported the forced removal of Saddam (like myself) have stated that they don't want the coalition to police Iraq, and troop withdrawal plan should begin (or have begun) sooner rather than later. What is it that you want to discuss? I still think the removal of Saddam's regime was handled pretty well, and the problem was the implementation of and poor planning of the "nation building" part of the process. I think that is a consensus view.

To: Road Walker who wrote (277186)	3/1/2006 5:58:48 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577887

I got what's below in an email. If only ten percent of the stuff below is true, then the NYC schools must be a minor version of hell. Well, it is definitely on. I am going to need everyone's support. Below is a Press Release about my situation at PS 18 in Manhattan and below the press release is a personal letter I wrote to tell my story. I'm sending all of this to the press and I want to pass a copy to Tavis Smiley and Cornell West Tomorrow. PLEASE talk about it to anyone and everyone. Pass this e-mail along or print it out and send it to any connects you might have that might beinterested in the cause: all Black organizations, Latino Organization, Education organizaions, orgs that protect Special Needs children, Women's Organizations - Whomever! Just PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read this and pass it on! We need some momentum around this and other education issues that are occuring in the Sankofa Community because our children are being tortured. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Aja Kweliona Sanjo's Home, Inc. Sankofa Community Empowerment, Inc. MOBILE: (917) 684-5405 Ajajohari1@aol.com Public School 18 4124 9th Avenue (220th St) New York, NY 10034 PHONE: (212) 567-4353 FAX: (212) 567-1423 Principal: Aurea Porrata-Doria ------------------- TEACHER SUSPENDED FOR PROTECTING STUDENT LOCKED IN CAGE Corporal Punishment, Sexual Harassment, and Other Illegal Activities Run Rampant in Public School (New York City, February 27, 2006)- Although New York City Public School strikes are over, Aja Kweliona, a 6th grade teacher in Manhattan, was suspended from her classroom after wearing a shirt protesting physical punishment and sexual harassment at her school. The shirt, which stated "Stop the Unfair Treatment of Staff and Children @ PS 18!" blasted the silent administration in an effort to get them to acknowledge the illegal activities. "I'm just completely fed up with the treatment of the children here." said Kweliona. "When I saw Chris locked in the equipment cage during Gym, I was astounded. To add insult to injury, the Gym teacher, Ms. Puglisi says, 'Is it feeding time at the zoo? The wild animal needed to be tamed.'" Kweliona, member of Sankofa Community Empowerment, Inc., Teach for America, and founder of Sanjo's Home, Inc. says that she has attempted to meet with administration to discuss the crises in her school, but her efforts have fallen on deaf ears. "In my two years here I've seen students being sexually assaulted and physically assaulted, and teachers who are forced to teach in languages they cannot speak, and no one is doing anything to put an end to it, much less listen to someone who is willing to speak openly about it." said Kweliona, "Its as if the administration doesn't really care about the welfare of our kids or educators." Sexual harassment of the teachers by the male staff is also a major concern at Public School 18. According to Kweliona, teachers have openly admitted to being victims of sexual innuendos. "One teacher said that Mr. Felix, the Parent Coordinator found her alone in her room and told her that he dreamed about her being on all fours and wondered what that would be like." said Kweliona. "Another teacher said that she was cautioned by Mr. Felix to be careful in her daily activities because if anything happened to her he would be the one to give her mouth-to-mouth. It's so obvious that my students have even repeated sexual comments that he has made about me and have noticed the way that he looks at my body." But Kweliona believes that the issues at her school are not isolated and are indicative of more wide-scale problems within the New York City Public School System as a whole. "In just the conversations I have had with some of my colleagues, I know that my school is not the worst - especially when it comes to Black and Latino communities. There is a great discern and disdain for children of color and it is manifested in the way that the children are treated. The majority of these incidents go unreported mainly because many educators and administrators feel that our children are deserving of this type of treatment." said Kweliona. "The educational system works for those who it was designed to work for. Our children are being disempowered in the public school system and all those who participate in that need to be held accountable. Our children need to be in schools like Bushwick Community High School and Sankofa Academy where they are respected, valued, and educated." For additional information, Contact: Aja Kweliona Sanjo's Home, Inc. Sankofa Community Empowerment, Inc. MOBILE: (917) 684-5405 Ajajohari1@aol.com Public School 18 4124 9th Avenue (220th St) New York, NY 10034 PHONE: (212) 567-4353 FAX: (212) 567-1423 Principal: Aurea Porrata-Doria