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Parents Worry, and Many Students Stay Away at Jefferson Only a half-day of classes is held at the South L.A. school one day after a third racially motivated brawl on campus.
By Wendy Thermos and Monte Morin
LA Times
May 28, 2005
Topics: Gang riots, race riots, school riots,
Illegal Immigrants, Education
One day after police were called to break up the third in a series of racially charged brawls at Jefferson High School, worried parents stood vigil outside the South Los Angeles campus Friday and demanded that administrators clamp down on the unrest.
As several dozen police officers and members of the Nation of Islam patrolled the streets surrounding the high school and Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa met with students and administrators to discuss the fracas, scores of parents descended on the campus and expressed fears that administrators were losing control of the situation.
"I'm afraid for my son's safety," Leticia Espinoza said. "He wants to come, but I don't want him to come."
More than a third of Jefferson's students failed to show up for class Friday after police in riot gear broke up a series of fistfights and shoving matches Thursday.
Black students in particular appeared to have stayed away. Parents and students said they were as worried about violence occurring on the way to school as they were that it would break out on campus. Senior Emmanuel Wilson, 18, said he saw only two fellow black students on campus.
Latinos constitute about 92% of Jefferson's 2,405 students, while blacks make up 7%.
School administrators insisted that students were safe, and that keeping them home from school was a mistake. Among other precautions, administrators had beefed up security patrols at the school.
"This is a very complex problem that is not fixed overnight," said Rowena Lagrosa, superintendent of the school sub-district that includes Jefferson. "But I do know that students who come here can feel safe."
Los Angeles school police arrested three students and cited 20 others in Thursday's incident; dozens of students and six police officers were treated for minor injuries. Twenty-two students — both Latino and African American — have been barred from campus as a result of Thursday's fight, which was the third such incident in six weeks. Larger, bloodier brawls occurred April 14 and 18.
Though Principal Norm Morrow and other administrators insisted that the fights were not motivated by race, Villaraigosa said that after talking with students, he believed race played a role.
"I've heard from the young people that, yes, there were racial implications to what happened yesterday," Villaraigosa said. The incident was fueled by a small group, some of whom were gang members, he said.
"We're working with the teachers currently to address the situation," Villaraigosa said. "We wanted to hear from the young people directly what's going on so that we didn't have a 'filter,' if you will."
The pattern of events Friday was similar to that of the previous two brawls. In each, school attendance plummeted the following day and parents appealed to administrators for action. Eventually, students returned.
On Friday, parents congregated in small groups outside the yellow, two-story school, talking worriedly among themselves and with any campus employee who happened by.
"It's dangerous," parent Angelica Romero said.
Veronica D. Walton said her son wasn't yet in high school, but she was worried that too little was being done on all campuses. She said her son was knocked unconscious March 16 at Bethune Middle School, also in South Los Angeles, in an incident she believes was racial.
"Violence is violence. If it happens at one school, it'll happen at the next," she said.
School officials declared a half-day of classes Friday — dismissing students before lunch, when violence was most likely to occur. Much of the time was devoted to a campuswide "Day of Dialogue," during which teachers and officials from county government and the U.S. Department of Justice discussed the fights.
Students leaving campus said the exercise failed to dispel their concerns.
"We just talked and laughed," said freshman Jeovanni Serrano. "The teacher said it's wrong to fight, and we shouldn't be doing this, and it makes our school look bad."
Posted: Sat May 28, 2005 2:08 pm Post subject: latino/black riots
If I were an Afro-American I would be afraid to send my kids to school too. Black families in our country were raised with traditional family values, unlike the unruly lawbreaking hispanic kids. This is a real timebomb. It's going to get worse!
And those corrupt elements in power and business contributing to these conditions are committing an outrageous betrayal against black, among other, American citizens.
Isn't it sickening that the ratio is 92% v 7%?? Sickening in that 75% of the 92% are illegals. Going to school at taxpayer expense..and beating up on citizens. What a mess! Thank your supreme court next time you get a chance.
RR _________________ The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed. " - Lloyd Jones
The same thing happened in Dallas and Ft. Worth last week on the last day of school. Somebody somewhere is going to get killed. The black kids here in Texas are not going to take it. PERIOD
I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.
Barry Goldwater _________________ FAR BEYOND DRIVEN
The black kids here in Texas are not going to take it. PERIOD
When they blacklash the media will probably downplay it or even take the illegals and jackpot baby side. And that's when the fecal matter will strike the fan, to paraphrase the popular proverb. There is a limit to how much the media and leaders can control the public with lies. And I have a feeling that limit will be reached in the black community first. Then the rest of Americans will have their final chance to show loyalty.
The black kids here in Texas are not going to take it. PERIOD
When they blacklash the media will probably downplay it or even take the illegals and jackpot baby side. And that's when the fecal matter will strike the fan, to paraphrase the popular proverb. There is a limit to how much the media and leaders can control the public with lies. And I have a feeling that limit will be reached in the black community first. Then the rest of Americans will have their final chance to show loyalty.
The media can blame who they want to. That won't matter. The battle would have been joined. All they will have time to do will be to report the growing body count. Californication people are all so laid back, "got they mind on they money and they money on they mind" Where are those "gangstas" that use that rap excrement? Where are the Crips and the Bloods? They fought each other for NOTHING!!! Now they have something to fight for, a real cause, that effects them more than anything else in recent memory.
TEXAS is THE DIRECT OPOSSITE!!! We don't do fondue and bree. We are the only state that once was a nation. We fought one war with Mexico and WON. Californication is a lost cause. I wish the Japanese would just come and tow it off. _________________ FAR BEYOND DRIVEN
Deaths have already happened...when those latinos ( three of them, of course) attacked and murdered that 15 year old football player two weeks ago. Stabbed him to death. Absolutely sickening. The kid was only 5'3"...
The media is already downplaying and ignoring these happenings in schools...illegals are running amok in school gangs...violence pretty much running the show...other kids are scared to death and with good reason. That really really really ticks me off...is that the gang bangers shouldn't even be here. Education at taxpayer expense is quite a priviledge...but all they want is to show their 'power'....
Our kids have a right to feel safe in our schools...they're there to study and enjoy being kids for the only time in their lives. They shouldn't be put thru this hell.
If my son were still going to school..I'd put him in private school if I had to sell the house. The heck with property taxes to just have a bunch of goons running around on the campus.
RR _________________ The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed. " - Lloyd Jones
Joined: May 03, 2005 Posts: 16130 Location: California or ground zero of the invasion
Posted: Sat May 28, 2005 5:10 pm Post subject:
The racial wars are starting to be the norm for the state of California. However, I disagree that the majority do not care. We did try to cut off the funding for the illegals with the passage of proposition 187 several years ago, but the courts said it was unconstitutional. We also threw out Governor Gray Davis in part for signing a bill giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses. There was also a successful petition drive to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the license bill, which forced the state government to do it themselves because they knew it was a losing issue with a national election on the horizon.
Also almost forgot about the LA, Mexico billboards that protesters successfully had taken down recently. We still have a fighting spirit in California even though the courts, news media, and the state government are mostly against us. But don't ask me how we are getting so many terrible elected officials, since it is making the fight against illegals more difficult, almost a futile effort. I think too many people fail to closely scrutinize what their elected officials are doing behind their backs. We need to start getting rid of the bad ones.
Checkout the following thread to see what happened around my own neighborhood the other day.
I'll admit I wondered about election fraud in your state when the 'new' mayor was elected so handily...since it's pretty obvious that Californians are really weary of this illegal stuff. So many have left the state...and wouldn't those illegals love to take over the wealth of beautiful California?? Maybe some of them should have stayed to fight the good fight....
RR _________________ The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed. " - Lloyd Jones
Public education in Texas now is a total writeoff. The reasons are many but I'll tell you one story. We live in a relatively upscale area of Texas and are friends with two families who considered litigation against the school district. They tell of an impersonal, politically connected system with virtually unlimited legal defense funds. A lawyer joined this conversation and described his experiences with our system. He confirmed the hopelessness of suing our school district and recommended against it because unless privacy is violated or someone is libeled in some way, these lawsuits have little basis. In his experience, clients expended mountains of cash with little resolution. In my friend's case, the most he could hope for was an immediate return of his kid to regular classes (from expulsion), but that action had already been ordered by the principal. Everyone agreed that no school official would ever provide any written documentation, particularly the type which would exonerate the kid. If you have a squabble, the only reasonable option is to just go away.
This guy has lived in the same home within this ISD for 25 years, always paid his taxes and always supported the public school system. He deserved better treatment. His kid had two acts of tardiness but no proof of what they expelled him for. In concert with administrators, they found the kid to be guilty only of sneaking out of their home in the middle of the night and associating with undesirables. He was accused of using drugs but the tests were negative. The boy was totally exonerated by a fairly extensive investigation but school administrators simply refused to say "oops" or "we made a mistake" or "we're sorry." Now his reputation is trashed and he's lost his right to participate in sports. My friend believes his family has been squashed by the heavy hand of an intransigent bureaucracy that cares only for its own survival. He's now very bitter because he was forced to walk away from an unfair decision that harmed his child beyond polite description.
So you see, there are many reasons other than riots, illegal aliens, muslims and poor quality to dismantle the public education system. We'd all be better served if the states would terminate school taxes and require all children of US citizens to be educated to some defined degree. It's time to let government govern and private educators educate. There will be differences in school quality, naturally but isn't that the case today. I see a system where a student can attend inexpensive general classes from one school in the morning and expensive chemistry classes in the afternoon from a different but specialized school. Of course, communities would continue to have competitive sports, cheerleading, drill teams and academic clubs. We already have a glut of those things outside the public education system now. Think of it. No bureaucracy. No riots. No rule-breaking. No government headaches. No tax administration. No one to blame but yourself.
Of course many of us now also are no fans of public education. At least with the voucher system, we won't be paying to educate illegal aliens. And if the muslims wanted a different curriculum or prayer time, they could attend a muslim school or one that accommodates them. The opportunities are unlimited for students and for private educators. _________________ '58 Airedale
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If I were an Afro-American I would be afraid to send my kids to school too. Black families in our country were raised with traditional family values, unlike the unruly lawbreaking hispanic kids. This is a real timebomb. It's going to get worse! 
