• An Arkansas City High School junior who had just finished the first night of basketball practice Monday returned to his parked car to find religious slurs written on the windshield and side windows.
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You all probably noticed this on our site.
I was just curious as to how the public thinks we should cover this.
What do you think.
It is obviously a news item. But how big is it?
How big do you think we should make it?
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60 comments:
Don't know what "our site" is. Other than giving publicity to some dim bulb(s) in our community I can't see a real gain making this front page news. Of course I am curious as to the verbage and the implications as well as the reason why that person was chosen for this. Now that you have unleashed this tiger it can't stay hidden. Thanks for asking our opinion though. I'll be curious to read the next posts when I get home from work tomorrow.
Sorry JJ - I just discovered what "our site" is and had some of my curiosity satisfied. The first picture that comes to mind is of a 16 year old driving a Mercedes in a economically depressed time and town. Somewhat akin to driving thru Detroit with a Confederate flag on your roof. Funny that this didn't come up until two days after the fact. Why was it brought to the surface now?
Why does it matter what he was driving.
It's just more blame the victim mentality, akin to saying someone deserves to be raped because of the way they were dressed.
The paper does not need to make any more of it than they already have, but the school should take the issue pretty seriously.
Racial slurs of any type have no place in our community, especially our schools.
However, given the current climate, it somehow seems acceptable to hate people from the Middle East.
I think it is news. I believe that even though it is a bad joke it should be punished. This very well could be why there are so many tensions in the school and the community. What is a "joke" to one is NOT to another. What if someone else hears about it but doesn't know it was a "joke" things once again get out of hand due to "rumors"
What did the victim think? Did he find it to be more serious than a bad joke?
If the Traveler plans on following up on it....dig deep. Don't get USD 470's sugar coated version. Please really investigate.
By the way this is way more news than 19 yr olds getting caught drinking. The only reason that was breaking news was b/c the police chief's son was involved.
I think a lot of facts should be checked before making it a big deal. Does it hurt to post it as breaking news? Nah...I like to know whats going on around our little cozy town. I know alot of this has probably been done, but before a full blown article is wrote about it, I would find out how good of friends these two kids are and how the victim feels about it. Does the kid that wrote it as a joke trully understand the stir it would cause? Is the victim ok with it, once he found out it was a joke? How do the parents feel? If it was trully a joke gone bad, then leave it be.
a 16 year old driving a Mercedes in a economically depressed time and town. Somewhat akin to driving thru Detroit with a Confederate flag on your roof
Without a doubt, this has to be THE MOST RETARDED thing ever written on this blog....and seeing some of the stuff posted here that is saying a lot....!!!!
"Without a doubt, this has to be THE MOST RETARDED thing ever written on this blog."
Now you offended retarded people!
I amretedd and you r mean
JJ, frankly, I would rather see an in depth report on race relations in the town as there seem to be quite a few questionable events lately as opposed to a back and forth over individual events. Unfortunately, it just seem sometimes you flame the fires instead of looking at the large race issues in town.
And it didn't say what year the Mercedes Benz was for all you know it could be a 1985 klunker or the family car he just happened to be driving. And seriously, if the is the first thing that comes to mind when you read the article then heaven help Ark City because you weren't the first person blathering on about it.
JJ, frankly, I would rather .....
.....weren't the first person blathering on about it.
This is one of the more intelligent posts on here....
"This is one of the more intelligent posts on here...."
Okay I have had enough! now you have offended intelligent people!
this fits into the who cares category for me. real news doesn't exist.... at this paper
I think more than just a story about the racial slurs on the kid's car, the paper should be out there digging into why the high school administration seems to have lost all control.
I read on the Courier website that BOA member Reece has yanked his kids out of the high school because one of them got hit in the mouth yesterday after school.
What the hell is going on out there? I hate to jump to conclusions and maybe these are just random incidents but seems like ACHS is a powder keg getting ready to blow.
I think it's high time that the ACHS administration, along with law enforcement, gets all of the students together in the auditorium and discuss what is going on and how we are all going to get it fixed.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
If a member of our BOE is concerned then I really raise my eyebrows at this. I think it is high time that something be done. He is a fine member of our community and I trust his judgement that something is not right at the schools. Its not that often someone takes a child out of the public school that he helps overlook.
Just read on the Courier how a AC school board member pulled his kids from ACHS. Hum.........might be a problem. Hopefully its a wake up call.
Okay I have had enough! now you have offended intelligent people!
All 3 of them?
Ok!!!!!!! Now you're kinda funny!
All 3 of them?
No one of them is out of town.
That include you silly!?
just teasin!!
Void a few of these "administrator and teacher contracts" and assign a few additional responsibilities in the entire district. [Hell teachers can't even be assigned to the lunch hour, it's in their contract so we hire part-time people]. And don't tell me how bad the teachers have it all ready. If they want the job, accept what goes with it. If their afraid give them a baseball bat.
How in the world is the school supposed to control the children if the parents won't do it? There are no consequences for bad behavior. In the case of Mr. Reece, he was quoted in the newspaper as not even being able to send his kids to school - they refused! What possible difference can the school make if the parents take no control at home? Its time to start punishing the parents! If there is a problem at school the parents MUST come in. If children cause problems, the parents MUST be held responsible. How else are we going to make any kind of change?
Something I liek about the 3:51 post. Instead of reacting based on speculation, why not make the effort to go to the school building and discuss the concerns. People want to have the information but prefer it to be right here, on the internet where they can sit at home and postulate the relevance, accuracy and harm without human interaction. That was the breakdown with the ruckus last week.
Now, to be fair, administrators had no right to check out at quitting time and not let folks know they were available to address any concerns about student safety in their building. And, yes it is a burden to have to wait for parents to get home from work and then wander out to the HS at 6,or 7 or even 8 in the evening. But that is why they are paid some $20K to $30K more than the teachers. Extra effort and extra time is expected in exchange.
Pivotal to makingthe correct assessment and decision about your child's educational experience is direct dialog with the building admin and teachers.
As for the criminal act that was perpetrated. A bad joke does not include vandalism. This reverts back to my query of who makes the decision to determine a teen as a gang member or a behavior as gang related. Grafiti is an earmark of gangs and not pranksters. Unless of course, those making that determination choose to handle it otherwise.
One might even argue that had the ethnic student written some similar threatening message about WASP student, we would be considering it signs of terrorism. We only want to use those labels against certain populations and that is simply wrong.
I do not think we should trivialize someone who thinks such an action is a joke. What exactly should we consider inappropriate behavior. Should we wait until someone acts on such words then determine that maybe it was not a joke?
We cannot live by a double standard adn we shall have no order or security until we eliminate the double standards. The behavior at the least was hurtful. Most likely it was criminal. What it seems is being proposed here is for that studetn to return with an uncertainty as to whether someone truly wants to injure him.
Does anyone else see the confilct in reasoning from last week here?
To the poster that said parents need to be in control of their kids...is right. HOWEVER, I would also assume that you are not a parent. I was very, still am although my kids are now young adults, involved parent. I didnt miss activities, conferences, award ceremonies etc. We kept our kids involved in activities and they even had part time jobs. Now, when one of them screwed up was that necessarily a screw up on my part? NO...kids no matter how good of parent you are will screw up. Fortunately for me it was not anything huge. My child was punished at home and never again did we have that problem.
Today's kid face issues that we never would have thought would be possible when those of us in our 40's were kids.
I think instead of pointing fingers and blaming schools, parents or whatever, we need to find out what the deep root of the problem is and go from there.
Yes there must be problems within the school (and community) that many of us are not aware of it our own board member is removing his children from the public HS. But how many of you are willing to attend community meetings or volunteer in order to help these troubled youth? Probably not many, its too easy to sit at your computer and know all the answers.
I agree with Reese. The school board is apathetic. Having put 3 kids through this system, I have seen several instances where administration preferred to be absolutistic (rules are rules, SOP is SOP) and bury their heads, as opposed to addressing problems. They need to be swift (ie TODAY!!!) and severe in dealing with all of these problems. The high has become a microcosm of the city. An elitist group and grumbling "rabble." Well, the rabble are starting to make noise, and something needs to be done. Not a committee, not a pretty downtown, not throwing money at it. I do not pretend to have the answers, but I do know one thing...nothing positive will happen as long as Ballard is involved. I have no personal ties to the man, but I have seen him in action (read: inaction) and he will deny, take offense, quote policy, and "no comment" until the whole thing blows up. Hey Ballard-this time I don't think it is going away. ACT NOW before, God forbid, something really horrible happens. PLEASE!!!
charles i went to the school and was brushed off , they said its nothing its under control , i called several times thursday only to be told the principle was busy , she never returned my call ,i am very dissapointed in the way this is being handled , and am willing to tell my opinion to anyone who will listen ,i called james , not available, i left a message with david allen to have james call me , because he thinks we are overreacting , he says no one will go on record but , he is wrong ,
what i am saying is we are trying
i am not expecting them to come to me , i went to them , they just blew it off
this is not over
It's not just the ACHS that is out of control. This dribbles right down to the elementary schools as well. Sexual comments, cussing, hitting and on and on and on.
Makes one proud doesnt' it?
I now think my choice of private school was a good one. I'm just sorry Sacred Heart only goes to the 5th grade. Anyone have advice on where to go from there? Home school?
I am a baby boome and when I was young and pliable as a grade school student we lived in fear of the principals paddle and Teachers Rulers.
We learned discipline at a young age and I feel it served most of us weel through high school and college.
Some Psych. professor said we were destoying our kids with this and it was taken away from the schools. We see here what that has wrought.
You people are pathetic. The little cartoon in the paper is total BS. If your child had been threatened you might think it serious but instead you make your not cute at all jokes. Real nice. Way to support local youth.
i would suggest South Haven, they have no blacks or gangs, no racial problems, where ever you have blacks your going to have gangs its just part of the culture now days,,
I too am the parent of a teen in the high school. I have also called James and he does not return calls. I am also willing to go on record that false reports have been made. Now my teen is being harassed. I am ready to pull him out of the high school because they are not willing to do anything about the kids starting the trouble, but I cannot afford provate school. I guess that we may have to look into sending him to Winfield. At least they notify parents when a potential problem exists.
Simple logic
Parents are taxpayers who fund the local schools. If you are unhappy with what is going on in the school, the answer is not removing the students from the schools but removing the adminstration who is not effectively running the schools. Get to the School Board meeting and be heard-it's your right and more importantly YOUR childs right!
i left a message with david allen to have james call me ,
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You could call me direct.
Ive not gotten any messages from anyone.
Call me tomorrow.
Ill be there all day.
I have also called James and he does not return calls. I am also willing to go on record that false reports have been made.
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Call me tomorrow.
I return all calls. Might take me a day or two, but I call back the ones I get.
"i would suggest South Haven, they have no blacks or gangs, no racial problems, where ever you have blacks your going to have gangs its just part of the culture now days,,"
Not only is that comment racist, it is also stupid.
gangs its just part of the culture now days,,"
Not only is that comment racist, it is also stupid.
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Thats the kind of thing i used to hear in south carolina a lot.
Racisms isnt limited to the south, thats for sure.
There is more to the story on the young man that was attacked in the parking lot. It was not really an "attack." You should talk to the other kids involved. There is always more than one side to a story. Fights don't always just happen. Sometimes there are several actions that have happened earlier that cause a reaction. Parents always want to believe that their child is telling the whole truth, unfortunaltely as a parent, I know that is not always the case.
Where do you think that kids learn the behavior that they exhibit at school? They do not suddenly come to school and morph into unrulely creatures. If they are taught respect at home and required to use appropriate language at home then the school would have an easier time with discipline. Sure, I know that the school is not perfect and that there are some things that need to be changed. Change needs to start at home too! You can't blame the school for everything. The state laws prevent the school from taking actions that some parents may want taken immediately.
I know that some students do not feel safe because they are harrassed. If the harrassment takes place when a teacher is a witness, something can be done immediately. Most of the harrassmebnt occurs when teacehrs are not around. It is a big school, even with every teacher in the hall, there are places that they cannot see. Then you have a situation where it is one student's word against another. If no one can cooberate the story, then it is difficult to prove harrassment. Maybe some of the concerned parents should offer to volunteer at the high school. It sounds like volunteers to help watch the parking lots and cafeteria would be welcome. How about offering to volunteer one day a week as a hall monitor? It might be an eye opening esperience. You might see that your child is not the angel you think. It might also show the kids that parents expect them to behave even when mom and dad are not around.
Great post.
Im sure the schools would welcome some volunteers. Theres lots of things that could be done.
Another thing you could do is the big brothers- big sisters programs.
In this program you meet once a week or so and act as a mentor - big brother or big sister.
Parental involvement is really important. Of course there are going to be parents that dont care and wont, so it is important for the general public to be involved as well.
Traveler Editor said,
"Racisms isnt limited to the south, thats for sure."
As I said in an earlier post on another page, racism runs deep in AC. From the whispered comments I hear in church, to the comments posted on this board, from the racial ephitets written on a young students car, to a Mayor who puts on blackface and calls himself "Smelishis Poon."
It is an embeded part of our culture.
Heck, the mayor even won an award for his portrayal from a panel of local leaders.
,i called james , not available,
more than once James.
If you call late morning, i wont be available, that is true.
Call me before 10 a.m. or after 1 p.m.
Leave a voice message if im not here and ill get back to you within 24 hours.
So where do you go James? Just curious.
Late mornings im actually working, putting the paper together.
other times im at secret meetings with the ark city mafia
Anonymous said...
i would suggest South Haven, they have no blacks or gangs, no racial problems, where ever you have blacks your going to have gangs its just part of the culture now days,,
November 20, 2008 6:39 PM
My friend, if I may use that term, you are sincerely mistaken, and show your true bias.
There are many black people who should be offended by your statement. And in saying that, I assume you are white and ignorant.
I have never figured out why people think they can figure out who the 'gang' is.
If we continue to guess, we continue to add to the confusion.
You, sir or ma'amm' have got more problems than a gang would ever bring to the table. So for the sake of Ark City and the young people here, 'shut up about what you do not know about' and quit assuming that you know 'anything'!
Traveler Editor said...
Late mornings im actually working, putting the paper together.
other times im at secret meetings with the ark city mafia
November 21, 2008 9:39 AM
You are a joy james, that was a good one!
There are black students at South Haven.
Question?
Is the Old Wal Mart building going to be a new Orscheln?
Is it a done deal?
What do I think? This has nothing to do with your original topic, but I read Cindy Soule's letter to the Traveler regarding carriers having to buy rubber bands & rain sleeves. I THINK that it ridiculous. Carriers are not paid enough to buy supplies to deliver your papers. Carriers should not be held accountable for rain sleeves because they have no control over the weather. I THINK the Traveler must be really cheap when it can't provide its own supplies to deliver their own product and require their employees to pay for them. And we wonder why there's such a turnover in our carriers.
Sorry, that was PEGGY Soule's letter.
Is the Old Wal Mart building going to be a new Orscheln?
Is it a done deal?
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We keep hearing that, but the Orscheln folks keep denying it
Local orscheln people wont talk, corporate denies.
"Late mornings im actually working, putting the paper together.
other times im at secret meetings with the ark city mafia"
November 21, 2008 9:39 AM
LOL!!! :) Thanks!
Please excuse me, i did not know that the Bloods and crypts allowed whites to join,, for the sake of argument i ask a policeman what color these individuals were,, he did not want to admit that they were black,,,, you may call me friend as i have no hate in my heart for anyone.
But i do know that the guy who robed the Home national bank was Black, the guys who robber country mart are black, the thug who killed the guy on radio lane is black and his father is a minister, i know another black minister who.s son is a convicted crak dealer, what about telling the truth makes me a racisit, I did not say all black people are gang members, i simply said it is more prevelent in their culture than any other,, now tell me i am wrong and we can go to statistics which indicate otherwise
James,
You say that no one with concerns has been willing to talk to you on the record. I am willing, and in fact did talk to Foss Farrer "on the record" last Friday. I recounted several of my meetings with the administration, and their response,
(or lack of.) I took notes at several of the meetings, and provided a copy of some their quotes to Foss. I stand by everything I said about my personal experience with them. I will not print what some administrators said in this forum, because I believe it would be incendiary, but you can check with Foss for my notes. The only thing I regret from our meeting Friday, was reporting that some of the teachers had been hurt worse than they actually were. I was acting on information from someone I usually consider a reliable source.
I am going away for the weekend, but would like to talk to you.
I will call you on Monday.
but would like to talk to you.
I will call you on Monday.
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Great, give me a holler.
Also, ARTIE, call me dude.
we have had a misunderstanding both ways.
i simply said it is more prevelent in their culture than any other,, now tell me i am wrong and we can go to statistics which indicate otherwise
You can use all the stats you want. I ask you to look at the opposite end of the room. How many whites have committed horrible crimes lately. Murder, stalking, robbing, etc.... ?
The list could go on and on, but I choose to see things a little different than you.
Susan Smith... the white girl that claimed the black man carjacked her and killed her kids.... Just recently there was the McDonald's employee who faked the robbery. What about the whites sir... what about them.
They are just as likely to gang up on another group. Don't they like to fight. Aren't rednecks usually white people? What about groups such as the KKK, or the White Supremists?
We could go on and on and incite cruel remarks, but then what service does it render. The fact is that children from all races, from all walks of life often make mistakes. Don't lump it into 2 colors to make an issue.
Let's deal with the entire issue, and prepare to move to higher ground.
PLZ
Ahhh... sounds like the Traveler employees are chatting with each other.
Actually, one of the Country Mart robbers was white.
Also, I tried looking up statistics to prove the theory on blacks and hispanics. I hate to say it, but there has been studies which prove a higher number of hispanic students enrolled increases the chances of gangs in schools. Nothing was mentioned about the black students except that blacks and hispanics were more likely to joing a gang than a white person. Asians were least likely. There were many other determining factors, though. (i.e. income, size of schools, if they felt bullied or threatened at school)
USD 470 Board meeting on Monday the 24th. People should show up and ask questions about what is really going on and what steps the school intends to take to put an immediate stop to the issues facing the HS.
You don't count if you are anonymous.
Truly yours,
Anonymous
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