BLACKS GET SACKED
Interesting article in Sunday's State Journal Register. The Mayor has removed from a committee charged with increasing the number of minorities in the police and fire departments two African American members...Lt. Rickey Davis and Ralph Harris. Why? Mayoral Spokesman Ernie Slotagg says it's because of statements made a year ago -- A YEAR AGO?? -- that were apparently during a "closed" meeting.
Slotagg says, according to the meeting minutes, Davis or Harris stated they were unwilling to help with recruitment efforts because "they felt their credibility would be hurt in the black community if they could not tell the black community that the city was going to hire a specific number of African-Americans."
Davis and Harris deny making those statements.
This whole thing concerns me. I have many, many questions.
1. If this was an issue, then why has it taken a year to remove these gentlemen from the committee?
2. Why was this a closed meeting? Are there not sunshine laws in this state? County? City?
3. If it is necessary for the meeting to be closed, then why isn't the audio recorded to ensure that there is NO room for error or interpretation in what is being said. I'm assuming a "closed" meeting is of the utmost importance. I would then also assume that accuracy is also of the utmost importance. Relying on written minutes leaves too much room for error.
4. Do the discrimination lawsuits have anything to do with this latest action by the Mayor's office?
My first inclination is to believe the Mayor's office at this point only because of an interview between my colleague Jim Leach and Ralph Harris, president of the Black Guardians here in Springfield. From that interview Harris revealed that he did NOT participate in meetings with the city about recruiting and other racial issues that seem to be plaguing the city.
I remember walking away from that interview thinking that the Black Guardians are all talk and no walk.
If these gentleman present the same attitude that I heard during that interview, then the Mayor has probably done the right thing in removing them from the committee. (please note, the replacements on the committee are two African Americans)
But I do go back to my original question -- at issue is a statement that was allegedly made A YEAR AGO?????
'Splain that one to me, Lucy.
Slotagg says, according to the meeting minutes, Davis or Harris stated they were unwilling to help with recruitment efforts because "they felt their credibility would be hurt in the black community if they could not tell the black community that the city was going to hire a specific number of African-Americans."
Davis and Harris deny making those statements.
This whole thing concerns me. I have many, many questions.
1. If this was an issue, then why has it taken a year to remove these gentlemen from the committee?
2. Why was this a closed meeting? Are there not sunshine laws in this state? County? City?
3. If it is necessary for the meeting to be closed, then why isn't the audio recorded to ensure that there is NO room for error or interpretation in what is being said. I'm assuming a "closed" meeting is of the utmost importance. I would then also assume that accuracy is also of the utmost importance. Relying on written minutes leaves too much room for error.
4. Do the discrimination lawsuits have anything to do with this latest action by the Mayor's office?
My first inclination is to believe the Mayor's office at this point only because of an interview between my colleague Jim Leach and Ralph Harris, president of the Black Guardians here in Springfield. From that interview Harris revealed that he did NOT participate in meetings with the city about recruiting and other racial issues that seem to be plaguing the city.
I remember walking away from that interview thinking that the Black Guardians are all talk and no walk.
If these gentleman present the same attitude that I heard during that interview, then the Mayor has probably done the right thing in removing them from the committee. (please note, the replacements on the committee are two African Americans)
But I do go back to my original question -- at issue is a statement that was allegedly made A YEAR AGO?????
'Splain that one to me, Lucy.
posted by Pamela Furr at
9:57 AM
2 Comments:
There is a huger power struggle that has been going on here for decades, not only between races, but also the Classes. For a taste of the kind of BS that goes on here in Springfield, Watch Tuesday Night on Cable Channel 4, at 9:00 PM. The program is called Common Sense, and is produced by Larry Daily, a listener of WMAY.
This is a fair and independent-minded analysis of this issue... I am glad that we have another principled conservative radio talk show host on WMAY in the morning.
This blog entry actually proceeded into a different line of thought than I was initially thinking it would espouse, based upon its opening. Thank you for sharing your views on this matter, online.
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