With the blessing of the state NAACP, around 20 people protested tonight at N.C. State University about what they called conservative businessman Art Pope's "privatization of public schools."
The protesters painted Pope as an enemy of public education. They bashed the Pope and his Pope Family Foundation as having put the new school board majority in power and for criticizing university programs such as multicultural studies.
"Pope, hands off our public education," chanted the protesters, consisting of N.C. State students, high school students and others who've joined the efforts to back Wake's diversity policy. "We don't want his resegregation."
Elena Everett, an N.C. state alum and the protest organizer, said she had gotten a call of encouragement this afternoon from the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP. Everett is community media director for the left-wing Southern Coalition for Social Justice, based in Durham.
The official impetus for tonight's event was a speech at N.C. State given by former Bush speechwriter David Frum, who was brought in by a Pope funded student group.
The protesters initially marched into the speech before being told to leave.
Outside, the protesters were talking to the media and giving this flier and a copy of this e-mail message that had been sent by Wake GOP official Marc Scruggs to school board chairman Ron Margiotta saying they had implemented Art Pope's plan.
That e-mail message was reported about in December. At the time, Pope said the message gave him too much credit for the school board election results.
Today, Pope said he would have normally liked to have been at Frum's speech so he could chat personally with the protesters. But he said he had a prior commitment in the form of an Eric Clapton concert.
Pope dismissed the idea that his financial support for various public university programs means he's trying to privatize education. He also took exception to the claim made in the press release for tonight's event that members of the board majority are his "misguided puppets."
"It's very insulting to any elected board member to say that, not to mention the majority of voters who supported them," Pope said of the puppets remark.
Comments
So Laugh if you want, and keep your head in the sand
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 08:20 — Voice_of_Reason_Southern Coalition for Social Justice is totally aligned with the goals of guess what?.... The Communist Party of the USA.
SO the chain continues NAACP - Universal Unitarians - Southern Coalition for Social Justice; who next?
We have upset the hornet nest. These are far left groups now. It's more than civil rights.
They wrap themselves in some good causes but you need to look in their total ideology, their final goals.
This is not about the children, it's about control of education.
If you think I'm crazy, I don't blame you. I would of thought the same a couple of years ago. But read about them and draw your own conclusions. Start with CPUSA.org.
20 People !!!
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 07:35 — AgentPierceSo now 20 PEOPLE earn themselves their very own "protesters gather" article ...... "20 people". More than that stop to stare at roadkill along the highway.
"Much ado about very little" articles like this one and the one on "School board has legal fees" are simply the N&O pouring gasoline on the school board controversy hoping to create as much public unrest as possible.
Give the N&O credit, that strategy seems to be working for them.
and...
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 10:07 — supportwcpsshow about the 12 people that showed up for a WSCA meeting in Cary.
Or the hundreds that showed up elsewhere
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 11:00 — Voice_of_Reason_What meeting are you talking about supportwcpss? It surely wasn't a first meeting.
Americans for Prosperity got
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 09:44 — KeungHui (author)Americans for Prosperity got press for having 10 people at their rally for the board in December. If you'll notice, the protest wasn't in the paper. Instead, it was covered in the blog. TV also covered the protest. But unlike them, we also spoke with Art Pope.
Mr. Hui is fair, he reports both sides
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 10:57 — Voice_of_Reason_On the blog he answers any intelligent fact based question asked no matter what your view. He works countless hours and he provides all of us with a good service. He has the most active blog in te N&O by far. I haven't seen him filter anything. What more do you want?
IMHO, change in this county would not have happened w/o him. This blog connected a lot of groups together.
The N&O's editorial staff is another issue and they are biased. Mr. Hui is fair.
That's coming from one of the most conservative people on this blog.
Thank You, Keung!
So basically he makes his
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 07:07 — danofncSo basically he makes his money from the people he is now trying to warehouse together.
Dan, That's pathetic
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 09:07 — Voice_of_Reason_It sounds more like he's trying to save them money so they can afford not to be "warehoused" to me. Like I asked user, would it be better to give all his stuff away or make it cheap and self-sustaining? Not to mention the jobs he provides to them.
"Like I asked user, would it
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 15:03 — danofnc"Like I asked user, would it be better to give all his stuff away or
make it cheap and self-sustaining? Not to mention the jobs he provides
to them."
I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. I'm not 100% sure it's English.
Do you think he has a policy at his stores that allows parents to go visit their kids' schools? Since he's a big supporter of "community schools" to enhance that involvement, shouldn't he reflect that in his business practices?
How are they going to "afford not to be warehoused"?? I seriously doubt that his target demographic saves enough in his stores to send their kids to private school.
I always wondered why AFP,
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 08:01 — user12345I always wondered why AFP, John Locke and Civtas have the same press release and fight the same foes .... looks like Art not only pulls the BOE strings but also a lot of other organizations.
=========================
Art Pope is the president and vice-chairman of the board of directors for Variety Wholesalers Inc., and a director of the right-wing group Americans for Prosperity, which organized the Tax Day Tea Parties across the country, and which organized "town hall" opposition to health care reform in 2009. He is a founder and member of the board of directors of the John Locke Foundation. The John William Pope Foundation began in 1986, when it was incorporated with an initial Board of Directors consisting of the family of John William Pope (his wife, Joyce W. Pope and his three children, John W. Pope, Jr., Amanda Joyce Pope, and James Arthur "Art" Pope). It was initially funded by the family business, Variety Wholesalers, Inc., and by direct contributions from members of the Pope family. Its activities are directed by Art Pope, who is also an officer of Variety Wholesalers, Inc. The Pope Foundation has contributed over $28.6 million in the last three years alone on numerous conservative leaning public policy groups and community related causes ranging from education and environmental conservation to animal welfare. Often portrayed as anti-public education because of its school choice philosophy, the Foundation has assisted the Communities in Schools project and also gave money to the public library in Henderson, home of the Pope affiliated retailer Rose's Stores. Sampling of Grant Activity Reporting $170,000 Americans for Prosperity $75,000 Cato Institute $5,000 Communities in Schools $2,599,508 John Locke Foundation $1,620,000 John William Pope Civitas Institute AFP advocates pro-tobacco industry positions on issues like cigarette taxes and clean indoor air laws. The name "Americans for Prosperity" will sound familiar to tobacco prevention policy advocates, as Americans for Prosperity worked around the U.S. in recent years to defeat both smokefree workplace laws and cigarette excise tax increases. Americans for Prosperity opposed a proposed Texas smoking ban in 2005. <I am guessing since he sells mostly to low income customers, supporting smoking through AFP is just a business decision>
Variety Wholesalers, Inc. is a privately held corporation founded in 1930 by the Pope family. It is now one of the largest privately owned retail companies in the U.S. operating its stores under the trade names of Roses, Maxway, Super 10, Bargain Town, Bills, and Super Dollar stores.
Site Criteria
We look primarily for locations in second and third generation shopping centers. In addition, we will consider free-standing sites, and store front locations in large urban cities. Site criteria include:Grocery anchored shopping center preferred.
•Minimum population of 2,500 within 1 mile of the site.
•Minimum 25% African-American population within 5 miles.
•Median household income of $40,000 or less.
<Interesting that his company targets low income Blacks as customer >
User I don't know Mr. Pope BUT
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 09:08 — Voice_of_Reason_Your attempt at exposing him as some sort of poor hater is funny considering the stores you mention provides merchandise at an affordable price to them. IMHO, he is doing a service. What exactly do you want him to do? provide free goods. Well that wouldn't last long before he was broke, and then what? Wouldn't the poor then have to go to more expensive shops to get their goods? If anything he provides the poor with more available cash, and helps them out of poverty.
Too many people try to paint Conservatives as evil, I think it totally undeserved.
Not sure what you are
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 11:11 — user12345Not sure what you are talking about? Have you had your Rush fix?
I was just trying to expose him as having many subsidiaries such that when Mr. Hui posts JL, AFP, Civitas, etc. press releases we know they are all from the same source just different parts of his business.
I think his placement of stores in low income areas is good business not compassion since these areas are typically underserviced … I do think using the APF to fight for the tobacco industry which probably is one of his most profitable product shows his priorities.
So user
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 13:10 — Voice_of_Reason_Are you saying any of those groups have done anything to deny civil rights to anyone. Maybe he thinks, like I do, that these groups are needed to counter the likes of the NAACP and other liberal groups. For I and many think this groups are responsible for the lack of progress we have had in race relations and have contributed to the poverty gap. Not to mention that are a threat to the liberty of every American.
As far a tobacco, I wish it would be outlawed, but it alas is legal. I wonder how much taxes are made from those poor people who buy them. I think you will find the government more profit from their sale. It always amazed me how there always seems to be enough money for those poor people to buy them. I guess Mr. Pope forced them at gunpoint to buy them. I bet all those tobacco farmers that have been growing it in this state for over 200 years were all behind him.
And making a small profit on selling stuff and providing a service in an under-served area; how cruel and inhuman can you get. He really should give it all to the government so they could distribute it around as a penalty for his bad behaviour.