cawacko
Well-known member
Since this board is currently all racism all the time (of which I contribute to) I'll add to the fun.
The irony in this story is the call of racism is coming in Oakland - one of the most liberal cities in the country where there are no elected Republicans.
This story is written by a black columnist for the SF Chronicle.
Racism not the problem for Oakland City Council
It began as a special meeting of the Oakland City Council to discuss whether to censure Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks, who, according to two separate investigations, skirted the rules in the planning and renovation of a teen center in her district.
But when Councilman Larry Reid threw down the race card, saying the city's African American elected officials had been singled out for criticism, the meeting wasn't about censure anymore.
"I don't like to use racism, but I'm going to tell you, in this institution that I'm a part of, on this council that I'm a part of, racism is alive and well," Reid shouted.
In a city with one white mayor in the last 30 years, and that one being one of the most celebrated liberal Democrats in modern history, Reid's assertion is silly to the point of ridiculousness.
But in a council chambers packed with supporters, including more than 70 people lined up to canonize Brooks, it had traction. The mere mention of racial animus stirred the crowd, which scared the elected officials, and the proceedings were finished - except for the shouting.
The meeting was masterfully manipulated by Brooks, who requested and received a change in the order in which agenda items were addressed. She wanted a report issued by City Auditor Courtney Ruby moved ahead of the findings of Alameda County civil grand jury. Both Ruby and the grand jury investigated Brooks' actions in the building of the Rainbow Teen Center, and both concluded that the councilwoman broke the law set in the City Charter that bans council members from telling city staffers what to do.
The grand jury report called Brooks' project "a complete fiasco."
By the time Brooks and Reid were done excoriating Ruby's report and her character, schooling their colleagues and playing to the crowd, the city's official response to the grand jury findings was never discussed.
The crowd, which had gotten what it wanted, was ready to go. One councilman stood up and held his car keys in his hand. Every hint of body language suggested that no one wanted to talk about it anymore.
Now that may represent real political power, but it's also a prime example of the race-based politics that drives Oakland. In this case, the combination of liberal white guilt and the specter of racial division created a double standard of justice.
Brooks was called to stand before her colleagues because of her actions, not because of her race.
Reid's conclusion, that Oakland is a city driven by hidden racial animosities, is an indefensible claim.
Such a conspiracy would require the collusion of Ruby's office and the grand jury, which found Brooks' actions so reprehensible they titled their report, "The Misgoverning of Oakland." Finally, in order to pull off this grand scheme, you'd have to believe that the rest of the City Council conspired to support a false accusation with the sole intention of discrediting an African American colleague.
It hardly mattered. By the time the meeting was over, Brooks was running the show. She dictated word-for-word the alternative motion passed by the council, which censured all the council members minus the three elected last November.
In this specific case, the basic moral standards that tell us to play by the rules, own up to an honest mistake and judge people on their own merits were put to the test - and failed.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/...-problem-for-Oakland-City-Council-4694670.php
The irony in this story is the call of racism is coming in Oakland - one of the most liberal cities in the country where there are no elected Republicans.
This story is written by a black columnist for the SF Chronicle.
Racism not the problem for Oakland City Council
It began as a special meeting of the Oakland City Council to discuss whether to censure Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks, who, according to two separate investigations, skirted the rules in the planning and renovation of a teen center in her district.
But when Councilman Larry Reid threw down the race card, saying the city's African American elected officials had been singled out for criticism, the meeting wasn't about censure anymore.
"I don't like to use racism, but I'm going to tell you, in this institution that I'm a part of, on this council that I'm a part of, racism is alive and well," Reid shouted.
In a city with one white mayor in the last 30 years, and that one being one of the most celebrated liberal Democrats in modern history, Reid's assertion is silly to the point of ridiculousness.
But in a council chambers packed with supporters, including more than 70 people lined up to canonize Brooks, it had traction. The mere mention of racial animus stirred the crowd, which scared the elected officials, and the proceedings were finished - except for the shouting.
The meeting was masterfully manipulated by Brooks, who requested and received a change in the order in which agenda items were addressed. She wanted a report issued by City Auditor Courtney Ruby moved ahead of the findings of Alameda County civil grand jury. Both Ruby and the grand jury investigated Brooks' actions in the building of the Rainbow Teen Center, and both concluded that the councilwoman broke the law set in the City Charter that bans council members from telling city staffers what to do.
The grand jury report called Brooks' project "a complete fiasco."
By the time Brooks and Reid were done excoriating Ruby's report and her character, schooling their colleagues and playing to the crowd, the city's official response to the grand jury findings was never discussed.
The crowd, which had gotten what it wanted, was ready to go. One councilman stood up and held his car keys in his hand. Every hint of body language suggested that no one wanted to talk about it anymore.
Now that may represent real political power, but it's also a prime example of the race-based politics that drives Oakland. In this case, the combination of liberal white guilt and the specter of racial division created a double standard of justice.
Brooks was called to stand before her colleagues because of her actions, not because of her race.
Reid's conclusion, that Oakland is a city driven by hidden racial animosities, is an indefensible claim.
Such a conspiracy would require the collusion of Ruby's office and the grand jury, which found Brooks' actions so reprehensible they titled their report, "The Misgoverning of Oakland." Finally, in order to pull off this grand scheme, you'd have to believe that the rest of the City Council conspired to support a false accusation with the sole intention of discrediting an African American colleague.
It hardly mattered. By the time the meeting was over, Brooks was running the show. She dictated word-for-word the alternative motion passed by the council, which censured all the council members minus the three elected last November.
In this specific case, the basic moral standards that tell us to play by the rules, own up to an honest mistake and judge people on their own merits were put to the test - and failed.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/...-problem-for-Oakland-City-Council-4694670.php
