(Racial) Tension boils to surface following fight at Ithaca High

Ithaca Journal ^ | Saturday, March 27, 2004 | By ANNE JU

[Behind Liberal Lines]

ITHACA -- Apprehension that racial tensions exist between some students at Ithaca High School was made clear this week by parents pulling their kids out of school, and students saying they're eager for conversation on the subject.

The most recent trigger for public outcry on the matter was a fight that occurred between white and African-American students Tuesday at the high school.

Several male students --five charged as adults, and two being processed through family court as juveniles --were taken into custody Tuesday by Ithaca Police for fighting on school grounds.

Four of the students were white, while three, including the two juveniles, were black. While at first, Superintendent Pastel said she didn't think the fight was caused by racial tension, by week's end she said both race relations and general misbehavior of students was a problem that the school must address.

Rashid-Ali Howard, 16, one of the black students charged with disorderly conduct, said the fight Tuesday started because one of the white students had expressed a desire to fight a member of Howard's family.

On Thursday, a white student was also sent home from school for donning a hood and a shirt that touted white supremacy, according to Pastel.

None of the white students involved in the incident could be reached for comment.

But putting aside whoever started Tuesday's fight, some parents stress that racial tension is a two-way street between blacks and whites.

"My son was threatened," said John Williams, father of Cory Williams. Williams said his son is friends with some of the white students involved in the fight.

Marlon Byrd, an investigator with the Ithaca Police Department who interviewed some of the students involved in the fight, said he's perceived a growing problem with racial tension at the school for at least the past two months, and said that it is from several directions.

From what he's seen, white students feel that black students get preferential treatment from staff, he said. But black students feel the same way about white students, he said.

Changing the culture of a school, according to some teachers and parents gathered Friday at the school, has to start with changing what some parents believe are offensive behaviors toward certain races.

A frequent example brought up by some parents Thursday and Friday was the wearing of camouflage clothing, which they say symbolizes violence.

"Camouflage clothing has a threatening connotation," said Olivia Armstrong, who attended Friday's trip to the school.

Millie Clark-Maynard, a teacher at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School, said Thursday that camouflage should be banned from school. She reasoned that the nature of clothing distracts from the school's overall mission, which is education.

"The issue of students in certain dress is not so easy," Pastel said. "What's offensive to one person might not be offensive to another."

Williams, who is a hunting safety instructor, also took issue with the idea that camouflage clothing be banned, and with the idea that wearing it would be racially inflammatory.

"Kids involved in hunting and fishing wear camouflage," Williams said. "I see kids downtown that like to wear baggy pants, and bandanas, and wear their hats sideways," he said. "That's their right. That's their privilege and I don't have a problem with it. Just because they dress like that, I don't consider them racist."

Hunting camouflage isn't thought to be an army-related symbol, Jordan said. "I wear camouflage every day to school," he said.

Students' legal right to wear that and other things, said Pastel, would make a blanket ban difficult.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

More on this story here.

And as it develops it looks more and more like typical liberal/Ithaca think at work.

First, as noted in the previous article, the cure was going to be more government funding. Now, the censorship begins.

"Camouflage clothing has a threatening connotation," said Olivia Armstrong, who attended Friday's trip to the school....a teacher at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School, said Thursday that camouflage should be banned from school. She reasoned that the nature of clothing distracts from the school's overall mission, which is education.

OOOOh....kay...now camouflage is racist....got it...riiiight...

Marlon Byrd, an investigator with the Ithaca Police Department who interviewed some of the students involved in the fight, said...white students feel that black students get preferential treatment from staff

In other words, racial preferences and political correctness don't end racism, but exacerbate it. Wow...who WOULD have thunk it?

Well, no one in Ithaca, anyway...

Ithaca is the City of Evil.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

City of Evil bump

[jocon307]

Ithaca, evil....and confused!

[OpusatFR]

"...one of the white students had expressed a desire to fight a member of Howard's family."

Who the heck writes this dreck? The society columnist?

There's so much missing from this piece of drivel and added to it, like the camo clothing, that it's hard to understand what started it, what happened, and how much is being covered up by this supposedly ~enlightened~ burg.

[U S Army EOD]

Where in South Georgia is Ithaca at? I can't find it on the map. Perhaps it is Alabama or Mississippi somewhere?

[Brian Mosely]

Racial tension? In Ithaca? The most tolerant, diverse community ever known to exist? How can this be?

[Tijeras_Slim]

Reality always lurks below the surface of liberal ideology. La-la land can only be maintained by common denial or absoute force.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Hyphenated Americans.

[jocon307]

"Who the heck writes this dreck? The society columnist?"

ROFLMAO, oh that's good! Sirrah, I would like to joust with one of your kinsmen! What say you, oh cammo-clad one?

VERY good!

[oyez]

"Camouflage clothing has a threatening connotation,"

Is that why people are uncomfortable around me? BWHAHAHA! Please.

[blanknoone]

Its the camo's fault!

[ChibisHologram]

I'm sure all students involved have exemplary academic records.

[mikegi]

Ithaca ISD has proposed the following school uniform to stop those racist white kids from wearing camo:

[csvset]

"...one of the white students had expressed a desire to fight a member of Howard's family."

I would like to joust with one of your kinsmen!

Bring back dueling!

[yankeedame]

But putting aside whoever started Tuesday's fight...

These dismissive words tell me right here that it was the black "kids" who started the fight.

[randog]

Racial tension? In Ithaca? The most tolerant, diverse community ever known to exist? How can this be?

You reap what you sow.

[yankeedame]

I'm sure all students involved have exemplary academic records.

LOL! Oh, that goes without saying!

[csvset]

Something along these lines would work just fine. No "spray & pray" shooting tactics here.

[jocon307]

Very nice, bring those along to the Antiques Roadshow!

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Something along these lines would work just fine.

Or, better yet, they could go with potato guns at twenty paces.

Hmmm...you don't suppose that kid was building his potato gun to commit a "hate crime," do you? ;-)