The state NAACP is urging the Wake County school board to reject the new redistricting maps, claiming "racial purposes" were present in the drawing of the boundary lines.
In a press release today, the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, rails against how "the re-segregationists present you with a set of maps" which "obliviously are designed to tighten their grip on our children's learning environments."
In case people didn't get the hint about the tone of the press release, Barber notes that today is the 57th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Ed decision.
Barber contends the new lines drawn up by Kieran Shanahan go beyond the purpose of redrawing boundaries to correct population imbalances.
"It is obvious Shanahan had another purpose — trying to make it easier for the Tea Party extremists to pick up another seat," Barber writes. "Shanahan has exceeded the statutory grant of power to the School Board."
Barber says they weren't able to verify Shanahan's data or recreate his maps, which he contends raises the question of whether accurate census numbers were used.
Barber also complains the maps "were developed in the dark, far from the sunlight of the required open meetings." It's debatable whether Shanahan holding private meetings with school board members about the maps was illegal.
"We deplore this latest effort to consolidate re-segregation, and we respectfully ask the Superintendent to work with us and other organizations who want the best for our children—high quality, diverse, constitutional schools," Barber writes. "To reassure the public no racial animus infected the drawing of these maps, let us hold a public hearing where serious questions regarding the Shanahan data can be answered and the Board can correct the distortions that have resulted from the racial purposes apparently present in the drawing of these new lines."
Comments
What would not be racially motivated?
Wed, 05/18/2011 - 10:06 — Voice_of_Reason_NAACP Answer: Anything that Rev Barber does not like or like the outcome of.
Does Barbar have even a
Wed, 05/18/2011 - 07:25 — woodstockDoes Barbar have even a shred of evidence to back up anythng he says.... EVER?!
Some news reporting... it seems all we get is a bunch of rhetorical bullcr@p from the gluttonous race-baiter, but no one ever questions his positions or his motives.
Ever wonder what would happen if Barber were in Charge?
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 22:01 — Voice_of_Reason_Would the people he represents be better off?
How would he apportion the money?
What would be acceptable results to him?
What would be his excuse if he failed?
Truth be told, he is wrestling alligators, when the goal is draining the swamp.
If the NAACP is so
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 19:06 — luv2teachIf the NAACP is so enlightened and educated... they really need to learn that..you can only complain for so long before NOBODY will listen anymore or take you seriously!!! I think that time has come and gone. I laughed when I read this headline.
More shocking news from the
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 17:12 — woodstockMore shocking news from the N&O. Of course Barbar opposes the redistricting plan and of course he claims racial animus... this is news like "the sun rises in the east" is news.
Who actually takes him seriously?! It is all race all the time with this fat clown.
Cult
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 14:53 — SDR256Reminds me of some cult leaders who command followers based on what God speaks into their ears alone - and they must be taken at their word or you risk hellfire. Convenient powertool.... having an unchallengeable word on a topic.
(intended as a response to Jenman's post below, but its too hard to move it now.)
Dr. Rev. Liar Barber
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 14:38 — Bob_SconceNotice how Barber judiciously edited his cite to the statute to make it say something other than what the statute actually does say. Underlined parts are what he quoted:
The local board of education shall revise electoral district boundaries from time to time as provided by this subsection. If district boundaries are set by local act or court order and the act or order does not provide a method for revising them, the local board of education shall revise them only for the purpose of (i) accounting for territory annexed to or excluded from the school administrative unit, and (ii) correcting population imbalances among the districts shown by a new federal census or caused by exclusions or annexations. After the local board of education has revised district boundaries in conformity with this act, the local board of education shall not revise them again until a new federal census of population is taken or territory is annexed to or excluded from the school administrative unit [. . .]
He concatenated the underlined sections together (with ellipses) to make it sound like one sentence, which it isn't. In the process, he misses the entire conditional (that I italicized), which changed the meaning entirely -- since our current district boundaries were set by the school board in 2001, the "only for the purpose of" clause doesn't even apply.
That's hardly the sort of trickery I'd expect from a man of the cloth.
Surprise surprise
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 13:52 — FSandYOUThere is still time Barbar, get someone to haul your chair for you and get downtown to file the paperwork man. Time's a wastin'.
Seriously???..."obLiviously"
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 13:39 — DrActualFactualSeriously???..."obLiviously" designed to tighten the grip on the learning environments....(that was the prior board obliviously reassigning kids across the county)...we reject left-wing and right-wing social engineering. Welcome to equal opportunity rejection. As if Rev. Barber and GSIW weren't designing their maps around who "they" want to run in an effort to tip the scale their way....ahhhum (Mr. Martin can only run against Margiotta not McLaurin????--looks fishy to me).
Keung... Congrats! You
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 12:57 — shearertwKeung...
Congrats! You just won the "The Sky is Blue" headline of the year award.
Yes...
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 17:06 — Bob_SconceRumor has it that Keung has a special button on his computer that he pushes and it inserts 'NAACP opposes". It's right next to the buttons that insert "Diana Bader referred to her time on Chuck Dulaney's student assignment committee" and "Members of GSIW expressed shock and dismay".
(Note new "Logical Punctuation" that I'm trying out: http://www.slate.com/id/2293056/pagenum/all )
LOL My thought exactly.
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 16:23 — woodstockLOL My thought exactly.
......
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 12:53 — SideburnsWhat is his claim of racial animus based on this time?
I'm wondering this too.
Tue, 05/17/2011 - 13:51 — jenmanI'm wondering this too. geez, at least list the items that are supposedly racially motivated.
I agree with the Doc below--as if GSIW didn't draw their maps with their candidates in mind.