Belittling A Brutal Act In a D.C. School

Washington Post ^ | 9/19/2009 | Colbert I. King

[Saije]

Imagine your 15-year-old daughter being approached in high school by a 50-year-old man who bears the official title of mentor. Imagine, too, that he asks her to "walk and have a talk," leads her down a stairwell to the basement of the school, and grabs her by the buttocks, pulls her toward him, causing their genital areas to touch, grabs her hand, places it in his groin, telling her "this is what you do to me."...

In your mind, imagine that the man:

-- Had made inappropriate remarks to your daughter days before the assault, saying, "I want more than a mentor relationship, I want a 'friends with benefits' relationship."

-- Told a 17-year-old female student that he had been locked up for 22 years for killing two people, that he likes to drink alcohol, smoke marijuana and have sex, and that he thought she has beautiful breasts...

These aren't schoolgirl nightmares. They occurred at Spingarn Senior High School in Northeast Washington this year...

On Sept. 4, a D.C. Superior Court jury found the man, Barry Harrison, guilty of five counts of sexually assaulting the Spingarn student.

More truth-telling: Harrison wasn't lying when he told the girls about his incarceration. He spent about 22 years in prison for beating and shooting to death two D.C. men in 1984...Last year, Harrison pleaded guilty to cocaine possession.

Which raises the question: What was he doing in a D.C. public school?

Harrison also spoke the truth when he told the girls that he was a mentor. He worked with Peaceoholics, a four-year-old group co-founded by ex-offender Ronald Moten. Peaceoholics hires some men with criminal records to work with D.C. teens in trouble. Since its founding, Peaceoholics has raked in $7.6 million in D.C. government contracts and grants.

[Saije]

Unbelievable, that he was allowed anywhere near a school. Sometimes I think truly insane people are running things in this country.

[iowamark]

Not at all surprising in America’s public schools today.

[babygene]

It’s the dad’s responsibility to kill this SOB, but he’s probably in jail...

[TheWriterTX]

May he ROT in jail this time!

[21twelve]

Isn’t this the inner-city school that the two Obama girls go to?

(I crack myself up sometimes!!)

Not sure why a guy that had killed two guys and convicted (so not self-defense) is allowed to be alive - much less out of prison. I know some groups put reformed inmates to good use in a counseling role. I know that the local mission has lots of folks on its staff that used to be homeless, drug addicts, etc. and they give a good witness to the homeless and addicts that they now serve. Although I’m not sure what type of screening they go through.

I know when I help out with any of the kids there always has to be two adults around. Both to protect the kids - and the adults from false accusations.

[Saije]

I’m just stunned I guess by the fact that this program is getting taxpayer money to put perverts and killer into public schools. It makes ACORN look pretty benign in comparison.

[SeaHawkFan]

Isn’t this the inner-city school that the two Obama girls go to?

They go to the very exclusive and expensive Sidwell Friends.

[GeronL]

truly insane people ARE running things in this country

[Tired of Taxes]

Terrible.

[volunbeer]

Which raises the question: What was he doing in a D.C. public school?

_________________________

Obama just appointed him as the “After School Activities Czar”?

[Clintonfatigued]

Government schools have gone downhill since I was in them. That’s quite an accomplishment, as they were plenty bad before.

[pandoraou812]

Makes me glad I home school.

[Tired of Taxes]

I see I’m not the only night owl. :-) I guess we’re all news junkies.

[Paleo Conservative]

Which raises the question: What was he doing in a D.C. public school?

Maybe the mayor was smoking crack?

[ambeeeant]

Actually, it looks as though the Peaceoholics started working in the schools in DC under Bush’s administration. I don’t mind bashing Obama but I think it should be a valid argument that bashes him.

[pandoraou812]

I can’t sleep & tv is boring lol.

[iowamark]

Obama appointed Arne Duncan, Chicago Superintendent of schools, as Education Secretary. The Chicago schools are worse hells than you could ever imagine. But there was no protest, no riot, nobody thought anything of it.

[Tired of Taxes]

I hear ya. We have 2,000 channels, and still there’s nothing to watch... lol.

[Leisler]

DC spends about 20K/year/student. Graduation rate is like 20 percent.

[GeronL]

Its a DC school. Those are some rough schools. Mad houses. You think politician kids go to them? NOPE.

There are some horror stories.

[zeaal]

I got it—if you want to make money (lots of it) you simply start a non-profit org and apply for gov’t money! What was I thinking when I was developing a career?

[chris37]

The answer to the question what was he doing in a D.C. public school is simple. Predators can always be found near their prey. Why he was allowed to be there by others is because our society has become insane, and he was in the capitol of that insanity.

[alexander_busek]

On the other hand, I applaud those programs in which reformed ex-cons and/or cons serving lengthy sentences but who have "seen the light" confront "troubled" students and exhort them to "straighten up" or end up in jail. However, these confrontations are carefully supervised, and the criminals aren't referred to as "mentors."

Regards,

[montag813]

Not surprising given that Ron Karenga was jailed for beating and torturing two women back in the 1970s, and yet the “holiday” he invented, “Kwanzaa” is foisted upon confused black children in public schools across the land.

[waiyu]

and yet the “holiday” he invented, “Kwanzaa” is foisted upon confused black children in public schools across the land.

There, I fixed it.

[libs_kma]

"Which raises the question: What was he doing in a D.C. public school?"

What was Marion Barry doing in a D.C. Mayors office? Voted in by scum exactly like him...thats what.

Nothing like this that happens in rat infested schools and cities surprises me. This is how vermin vote, act and live.

Why it surprises anyone is the real story here.

[jwparkerjr]

Like so much of what the Left does they've made it much more troublesome for the law-abiding citizen to work in the school system while, at the same time, doing very little to attack the real problem. This is just another example of the Left’ penchant for doing things that feel good regardless of their efficacy.

[mo]

just as violent in its own way, is the Democrats decision to end school vouchers for DC residents....which could provide a mechanism for students to leave the cess-filled DC Public “skools”...

[Right Wing Assault]

Is he an ACORN?

[wastoute]

This is why it ain't about Rats vs Pubbies or cons. vs. libtard. We The People haven't been paying close enough attention to what our gummint has been up to. This has to change.

Μολὼν λάβε

[livius]

Peaceoholics. The name alone should have been a sign that there was something wrong.

I read the article, and it said that the founder, Moten, was defending the creep and said everybody was just picking on him because he had a record. Reminds me of the Black Panthers in Oakland, years ago, when for some reason, despite their violent history, the state of California decided that they were really a social service agency.

[Bluebird Singing]

ACORN mentatlity, not not an offshoot of it.

Looky here!

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Odd-deal-sends-DC-firetruck-ambulance-to-Dominican-town_03_27-41950872.html

Isn’t it great how they help themselves to taxpayers money and spread it around?

Last years “Atonement Month” schedule from Peaceaholics website:http://www.peaceoholics.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=54

[Bluebird Singing]

meant to type: ACORN mentality, if not an offshoot of it.

[Popman]

The columnist who wrote this article is a black American. I wonder if a white columnist could have written this without being called a racist by the race hustlers ?

[Moonman62]

What I can’t believe is that the Washington Post is doing the story, rather than sweeping it under the rug.

[sphinx]

Using ex-cons and recovering addicts/alcoholics to counsel at-risk kids isn't a bad idea. But the devil is in the details. Clearly the screening and supervision broke down in this case. I can't imagine putting this guy in a school if he had a cocaine bust a year ago.

Programs like this should be looking for people with long-term sobriety and successful reintegration into society. They shouldn't be used as halfway-houses and transitional jobs for recently released felons and people new to recovery.

[JimRed]

No photo of the individual, and since the word “white” is not in the article...

(cue the little kid shouting “that’s racist!)

[SaraJohnson]

Connect the Leftist dots of corruption...SEIU, ACORN child sex smuggling, teacher unions, Gay educators and comprehensive sex education, increase in teachers caught molesting Pulic schools kids...

[metmom]

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[Palladin]

Peaceaholics—a subsidiary of ACORN?

This group needs to be investigated.

Glenn Beck, are you listening?

[netmilsmom]

>>(I crack myself up sometimes!!)<<

LOL! You cracked me up too!

[ronnyquest]

"It’s the dad’s responsibility to kill this SOB, but he’s probably in jail..."

Yes, but the dad would go to prison, because apparently only bikers, cowboys, and the military understand honor anymore and we're not allowed to fix problems like this ourselves.

With regards to insane people running things: yes, we elected them. Now, let's un-elect them right smartly and take back the asylum.

Μολὼν λάβε

[babygene]

"Μολὼν λάβε" What the hell is that?