Dear Arch City Chronicle,

I wholeheartedly agree with you and I am striving to improve the quality of life for black men and anyone else that is disenfranchised through our governmental structure. I have been trying to help in this effort for quite some time.

I remember when a strong group of African-American youth were members of the Majic 108 peer panel, and we did a clean-up of Dr. Martin Luther King in honor of him. In fact, as I have mentioned before to the Arch City Chronicle, I think we should have a clean-up of Dr. Martin Luther King every year on his birthday. I would be willing to do it, and anyone else that would be willing to join me in this effort can E-mail me at josephpalm@sbcglobal.net.

I have worked at People's Health Centers for approximately 5 years, and I made a conscious decision to earn my Master's Degree from Saint Louis University in Public Health. I knew that black men had to live longer first and foremost, and knew that People's Health Center's was committed to preventing illness in the Saint Louis communities.

I have been blessed to educate hundreds of black men through health fairs, symposiums, forums, treatment and recovery programs, churches, schools, colleges, and you name it!

I challenge the Arch City Chronicle to host a forum immediately concerning this matter. In addition, I applaud you for bringing attention to this matter to your diverse readership.

This article link you reference to is true to life and I hope everyone reads it! Need further information concerning the plight of black men, E-MAIL ME.

Peace & Love,

Joseph Palm

This is a great post. This is truely happening here in St. Louis. Our Public Schools system in the City has been failing all the children who have gone through it for years. Now is the time to enact reforms to at least be able to offer quality education as another way.

Dr. Creg Williams is reforming this district right now, our problems are similar if not identical to all Urban School Districts across the nation. I do not think people in St. Louis realize the magnitude of this undertaking. St. Louis is one of a few cities that is enacting reforms that have worked in other areas.

The reform efforts going on in the schools today is on the cutting edge of dealing with these problems.

I am not naive, I am not going to sit here and say that fixing these schools will fix the future of black men. There will always be factors beyond control, poverty, drugs, gangs, family issues...but there has to be an alternative available to young people. If they cannot see a path away from crime and the streetlife, they'll never take it.

Education is a core issue in this particular problem, but where has the community as a whole been? Where have the churches been on this issue? Where has the mayor and previous mayors been on addressing this issue. This is not about passing the buck onto the St. Louis Public Schools completely, although there are issues that need to be addressed there. America as a whole has failed to meet the needs of the least among us.

The Southsider must be living on the south side of small town Podunk, Missouri.

There is more violence in the St. Louis Public Schools now than ever before. Dr. Creg Williams forbids teachers from calling the police when they have been assaulted and hurt.

And he's some kind of a role model. Employees report he took his jacket off, used profane language, and went after a union representative outside the central office with his fists. So much for a role model! Just what young black men and boys need -- profanity and violent reactions. And he wasn't even provoked.

Last week one teacher at Gateway High School went out to persuade students to stop protesting and return to class, and the superintendent accused the teacher of provoking the protest instead of thanking him for his act of courage. He's another fire, aim, ready guy like Vince Schoemehl. And didn't ole Vince go after some black woman with a hatchet when he was mayor?

Joseph Palm, perhaps you can help some of the SLPS administrators who resort to verbal profanity modify their behavior as role models for our black students. Read on.

On Thursday morning, March 16, approximately 50 Gateway High School students walked out of school to protest on a nearby main street against rumored
changes to their school. The students, who were holding signs and waving at cars on Kingshighway,opposed proposals to lengthen their school day and make them wear uniforms.

Clive Coleman, assistant superintendent for high schools, pulled up and,according to witnesses, began cussing the students and at a security guard standing nearby. A teacher, Byron Clemens, came out and helped convince the students to go back to school, but 16 of the protesters went down to the office of the superintendent of the school district to complain about the assistant superintendent's unprofessional behavior.

Superintendent Williams, however, lashed out at Clemens in the press. He told the Post-Dispatch that if he found out the Clemens had anything to do with the walkout, he would fire him. Clemens is a vice president in the teachers' union.

Williams attack on Clemens was the second time in two weeks that Williams aired normally private personnel matters in the press. Both cases involved union officials, who both say that Williams went to the press before informing them of any investigation. Clemens denied that he had anything to do with the walkout, and student leaders agreed.

Previously, Williams had threatened to fire the union president, Mary Armstrong, for acting "unprofessionally" when she told a district executive that the school district had to teachers to attend an after-school seminar if the district required them to be there. Teachers who were at the meeting where Armstrong brought up the pay issue said that she was always courteous.

Williams later agreed to pay teachers for required after-school meetings,leaving him in the apparent position of saying that Armstrong was right, and
he wanted to discipline her for it.

Perhaps people could read the attached story, it has nothing to do with whether or not teachers are being abused nor does it have anything to do with Creg Williams interaction with union officials. It deals with the utter failure of our culture to deal with a certain group of people - namely African American boys (and they are boys – no derogatory intended).

I applaud the ACC for posting this story - I would have hoped that this blog would have generated some of the gut-level distress about the situation, as opposed to political posturing by school board partisans.

Certainly, many of the symptoms of the problems in the subject demographic are manifest in (and perhaps encouraged by) our failing urban school districts, but more substantial is the cultural failings. Hopefully this discussion could more beneficially center on how both the majority and African-American societies are failing to address this problem. Additionally, a frank discussion on this problem might begin to bear some good ideas and lead potential solutions.

Kevin, your problems with the personal spats between district employees has nothing to do with this. I don't care if it is Peter Downs and Santa Claus as superintendant, if they were advocating for Urban Schools reform. But they aren't.

The issue is that Urban School districts (which are populated predominately by black students) across the country have all been doing poorly. There is an attempt to fix these problems here by the current board majority. The issue of Black men's plight in this country is tied completely to a lack of education. This is why reform is necessary.

Who cares about Byron Clemons? I sure as hell don't. If he's the hero here he should keep his job, if organized studnets to stay OUT of school his head should roll. It's just that simple.

Hey Kevin, I see what you mean about The Southsider. He can't tolerate the facts so he goes on the attack like the Southside Rapist, striking out at innocent victims. Reform ushers in improvement. Improvement hasn't so far been escorted into the city school district.

Opportunistic men who twist the facts for their own benefit aren't role models for black men nor for the black community. Actually, it's the homes of these men that will make the difference in their lives more than the schools.

Talk about being annoyed by the rhetoric, that's what The Southsider has been feeding this blog all along. The only way to get around the rhetoric is to spend a week or two in one school at a time to see how handicapped they are in doing the job right.

You can't have a decent discussion in the absence of facts. For the most part, the reform this board has brought is making some rich off the taxpayer's dime.

By the way, the superintendent said a teacher was teaching how to get food stamps at a school. The teacher was't teaching that, a student was reporting on government agencies at the place in the curriculum the class had come to. The superintendent sometimes lashes out without asking proper questions like, "Why was this student making such a report?" The teacher could have told him where they were in the curriculum. This is the only class where some decent life skills are taught to kids coming from broken and poverty-stricken homes.

Oh my god, the wisdom your words has finally gotten to me Dylan, I've had an epiphany! If Creg Williams didn't overreact about a teacher, using foods stamps to teach in an economics class, All the Black Men of America would suddenly gain equality and never have to deal with racial issues again, that's it, YOU SOLVED IT! Somebody call the Nobel Prize Committee.

Those poor employees and ex-employees(I'm guessing you're the latter, otherwise you should be teaching children right now) of the district, I bet if the district just cow-towed to your demands, kids would start learning? I doubt it. It didn't work before, and it won't work again.

Your narrow attitudes on this issue is exactly why this city, and cities across the country need educational reform. I am not going to say it is a silver bullet to fix the issue we are discussing brought up in the article in the NY Times (which you and Kevin still have yet to comment on), but its a start.

I'm curious about capitalization in this thread.

Why are these phrases capitalized as proper nouns?

Black Men of America
Urban Schools

Are these organizations?

Dylan, looks like you riled up the ole boy! Southsider, it wasn't an economics class. It was a Family Consumer Science class, and the teacher wasn't teaching. Don't you read? The student was making reports on "various government" agencies, which is why the report on food stamps was being presented.

The superintendent doesn't allow teaching staff to depart from the curriculum, but he didn't ask to see where the class was in the curriculum. That was his gaff, not the teacher's.

And Southsider, stop bringing religion into these blogs, e.g. "I don't give a hell," and "Oh my god." This is about education and young black men's futures, not about some place in the afterlife or some divinity that doesn't merit capitalization!

Wow, we went from the plight of black men to attacking black men. We have totally gotten off track. I think we should applaud Dr. Williams and Joseph Palm for getting educations and trying to be role models for other black men in the world. They are showing that you can make something of yourself as a black man.

Worried Citizen seems to have a reading comprehension problem too. I don't read any attack on black men in the above posts, just disappointment in behavior resorting in loud profanity and twisting of facts so the truth is hidden.

Young black boys and men don't need to hear any more profanity from school leadership. Leave that to the rappers. And since when does education take precedence over character as it releates to honesty and truthfulness?

Cleveland Hammonds Jr., an educated black man, didn't resort to public profanity nor disrespected his employees publicly. He didn't attack teachers publicly without warrant or accuse them of something they weren't doing. Now there's a role model for you. And how about the president of AmerenUE, a black man who carries himself with distinction and respect?

No skin color was attacked above. Worried Citizen often resorts to straw men cliches and distractions from the focus.

We are confident Joseph Palm will find the right men to be role models for young black men. Hopefully, they will be black men with impeccable records for honesty and plain, unlaced, English. How about the Reverend Jones of Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church? He'd be an excellent role model.

Still waiting for a comment on the article, or problems in urban schools and their effect on black males, or something that myself and others have actually been talking about....

Or do you guys want to air your employment greivances some more????

Southsider (followed by others) is to be commended for twisting what could have been a productive thread into a partisan shout-fest. Great work ignoring Joe Palm's words. Yawn. If you want hope for black men, hope that not many of us read through this silly discussion.

Or do you need more space to divide the community?????!

The facts. The facts? Joe started this discussion with an earnest appeal to each and every Saint Louisan about the plight of the black male. Southsider opened up the discussion further by implying that the educational system was not the only impediment to the overall good health of the black male. While his assessment of Dr. Williams is opinion, his optimism for a reformed public school system is felt and acknowledged. Unfortunately, Kevin and Dylan take great pleasure in distorting the real essence of this blog. If you have a comment on the article, please speak up. If you want to cry about an already acknowledged broken public school system, scorned teachers and union reps, please do it on www.Igotfired.com Nobody cares. If you or the people you refer to were competent, they would be teaching in another district already. Everyone needs good teachers. By the way, after reading your comments- a couple of thoughts:
1. No mention of the children who are the victims of this unfortunate legacy of malaise and generational miseducation.
2. No mention of a solution for SLPS.

All you two do is take parts of sentences out of context. Your battlers. Try not to talk while warriors are building.....

By the way, do you have a comment on the article yet.....

I'm "annoyed by the rhetoric" too! :)
And like a "worried citizen" this conversation did get off track.

The irony! This conversation is a microcosm of the problem nationally. Verbal masturbation.....

Oh, and Kevin, I have no clue what you were trying to say about religion, but I laughed anyway..... merit capitalization? :) WTF?

I sure hope you don't teach the youth PLAYER....

Hey, Dylan, do you work for the school district? I don't know why a county parent of children in magnet schools should go to www.igotfired.com, do you?

Let's face it, this blog is supposed to promote the mayor's agenda, and they don't like it when someone comes in with contrary facts.

The discussion is about needs of black boys and young men. What they don't need are school leaders who lack self-control and exhibit behaviors that put them on the same level as rappers and gangbangers.

There are plenty of respectable black men who have succeeded without resorting to profanity and who treated their employees with respect and dignity. Regardless of race, to be treated with respect, one has to treat others with respect.

The superintendent and assistant superintendent are public servants and are subject to public scrutiny. It's up to them to earn respect and trust. Publically denouncing employees who are doing their job and going above and beyond the call of duty makes them poor recipients. The assistant superintendent cursed students and a security guard. He came from New Orleans, one of the worst school districts in the country, or don't you read national newspapers?

Thanks, STL State O' Mind, I was trying to talk about urban education reform here in STL and other places as a factor in helping solve this problem when Kevin and Dylan decided to poison the whole discussion. Hey Guys, we are still waiting for your comments on the article....

One of the reforms that seems to address part of the problem is a program being implemented in 4 SLPS schools (Beaumont, Roosevelt, Sumner and Vashon) and that program is called College Summit. By coaching students along during their senior year, students who wouldn't normally go to a college, are more likely to go as a result of the program (and their grades seem to improve as well). In the Februrary section of Mayor Slay's blog, he even notes that there are huge gains, especially at Sumner (a pilot school according to his website). I certainly see this as progress.

Another thought. For me as a citizen, seeing the trend of the rising rate of convictions for non-violent offenses and then not being able to get a job thereafter is quite troubling. How do we reach those that are trying to clean up their lives, but face a roadblock at every turn? Some would say instead of prison, offer job training and placement instead of a cell. Others say three strikes and you're out. We need more proactive solutions such as a College Summit in our schools, in our churches, in our communities. Every little bit makes a difference. More important is the fact that all the name calling, polticizing, and geographical pride in St. Louis needs to stop.

Exposure is everything. How can anyone comment unless they work with those who are in need? How can you criticize unless you've walked a mile in their shoes? My hat is off to you Mr. Palm, as I can see your character is represented in a dream come true for those who have yet to encounter your work.

Well, according to Joseph T. Jones, director of the fatherhood and work skills center here (New York), he puts the breakdown of families at the core.
"Many of these men grew up fatherless, and they never had good role models," said Mr. Jones, who overcame addiction and prison time. "No one around them knows how to navigate the mainstream society."

Society and political leadership (especially in the black community itself) need to encourage a return to a two-parent family with strong fathers for these boys to respect and emulate.

"Dropout rates for Hispanic youths are as bad or worse but are not associated with nearly as much unemployment or crime, the data show. The second special factor is related to an otherwise uccessful policy: the stricter enforcement of child support. Improved collection of money from absent fathers has been a pillar of welfare overhaul. But the system can leave young men feeling overwhelmed with debt and deter them from seeking legal work, since a large share of any earnings could be seized."

Teachers acknowledge they can't help such students in large, overcrowded classrooms with no assistance. The schools are understaffed, while the leadership is burgeoning and paid extravagant salaries. Available funding needs to be redirected to the schools so they can be adequately staffed, which they presently are not.

By the way, county school districts experience some of the same problems with students from very dysfunctional homes, where they aren't fed or nurtured well, don't get the sleep they need in order to learn, and don't have parents who show any genuine concern.

Look, on the real I care about the state of the poor and uneducated in America. I understand that the superintendent is not exactly the gold standard for education, but let's talk about the issues in the Saint Louis community that result with these "interesting" appointments. I haven't seen black or white address the urgent need for foundational education. I have not seen anyone create a serious continuing education platform. If Williams is the only problem in your eyes, well I can except that, but these issues have been here way before he got here. I just think it is ironic that Saint Louis always caters to people outside of the community for all sorts of jobs, pay them insane amounts of money and they leave after padding their bank accounts and talk negatively about St. Louis or not at all....
By the way Kevin, you may be right about Williams, but let's try to talk about the underlying issues that put these people in power. I don't purport to know anything. I started reading this blog for knowledge. I was just frustrated that the discussion was confined to one person....
I agree Anonymous the non-violent offenses are decimating the youth.
I also think bad credit does just as much damage...
I wish some of our tax dollars went to financial independence classes that actually worked....
So of these drug dealers would have owned a Pizza Hut or Blockbuster...

Those are very good points Kevin. Sounds like we have a lot more to worry about than Creg Williams...

To realize how bad it can get in the schools, someone sent this (a communication to Creg Williams and board members) to me last night regarding Stevens Middle School:

YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN YOUR SCHOOLS!

There have been over 8 fights this past week (the principal will probably report only 3 fights for the month). Thursday the seventh grade exploded with three fights back to back. The eighth graders had food fight in cafeteria.

A teacher had a verbal confrontation with a disrespectful, disobeidiant student that almost became physical (neither the student nor the teacher was assaulted) The teacher was put on Leave with pay. The principal said she represents downtown and has the authority to place a teacher on leave if she so pleases (the second time she has done this). This is surely a misuse of power and another case of how she does not support her teachers and cares even less about the children (the certified teacher will be replaced by a substitute teacher, depriving students of a qualified teacher. This has been the principal's pattern of all year)

A parent observed all this chaos. The parent witnessed a teacher telling a student not to go in his room and the student disrespected the teacher verbally and physically pushed the teacher aside and went in the room. She also watched in amazement how the students were just walking the halls unsupervised noisy and loud for about 15 minutes (passing time is 2 minutes on the school schedule). The parent remarked "This doesn't make any sense" and vowed to remove her child from this school district ASAP.

One student brought baby powder to school and sprinkled it all over the first floor, throwing it on students and the curriculum coach.

Three students have been threatened at gun point. We don't feel safe!

Students are bringing cell phones and walkie talkies into the school daily. So bringing a gun in is just as easy. One student got in a fight in an unsupervised restroom and called her mother from her cell phone (which she was not suppose to have in the building). The parent is irate because her child was assaulted in an unsupervised restroom. She feels the school is not doing enough to protect her child.

A student went in boy's restroom and stopped up the toilet. Then smeared human feces all over the walls, doors and floor.

The students are running the building (they are out of control) and the principal knows it. They do what they want, when they want with little consequence. They know they can lie on a teacher and the principal will believe them.

Now you know! What are YOU going to do about it?

Will you send more of your people out to talk to us knowing teachers are afraid of retaliation, or will you take a close look at your principal's management style, the countless lies, cover-ups, the alienation of teachers and parents, and the disruption of the children's education?

I hope that some of the axes get ground into plowshares. What platform do Mssrs. Downs and Clark and Mrs. Jones stand on? How do they plan on righting this ship?

IMHO- the parents are getting let off of the hook. NOTHING will change until someone rents a set and holds the parents accountable for actions, discipline, homework, grades...

Now, back to the original posting, cleaning up Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd on his Birthday/Holiday sounds like a great idea. Count me in, I will be in touch.

Downs and Jones Platform:

* Return tax dollars to the classroom for academic success
* Rehire needed classroom personnel
* Decrease class sizes to reduce disruption and boost achievement
* Get back accreditation points lost by incumbents and gain full accreditation with the State
* Reopen alternative schools for unruly, violent, and disruptive students (they were closed by the incumbents)
* Open the budget to public scrutiny, as do other districts
* Obey the Missouri Sunshine Laws
* Create more neighborhood schools
* End outsourcing in order to lower costs, keep tax dollars in St. Louis instead of France, and improve building maintenance

A slick brochure sent out by the mayor's office credits Jim Buford along with Darnetta Clinkscale with raising teachers salaries for parity with county districts. Jim Buford was not on the board at the time and had absolutely nothing to do with the contract between the board and the union.

Half truths and lies are being used to take false credit.

Just one question for the sake of arguing- If you took every penny that is being spent on administration, every last cent, would that be enough money to enact your platform initiatives?

And yes, I know that overpaid executives are on the payroll.

TimR, in case you didn't read thoroughly, that's not Dylan's platform. It's Downs' and Jones' platform. You asked what their platform was in your previous post, and your request was answered. You can contact them personally to get your last questions answered.

You know as well as the rest of us do that only those privy to the total budget can determine where to pull monies. What you didn't acknowledge is the millions spent on high-priced consultants who aren't really needed.

By the way, the budget used to see the light of day before this board under Vince Schoemehl bolted the shutters shut so hardly any sunshine or public knowledge reaches the budget and other important business that used to be open and transparent.

In this regard, you'll have to ask Clinkscale and Buford if and when they play to let the sunshine back in.

Correction to last sentence: In this regard, you'll have to ask Clinkscale and Buford if and when they plan to let the sunshine back in.

Sorry, you perceived a slight when none was intended. It just seems that the platform tries to answer all of the questions and yet answers none of them. If the parents of the students are not held accountable, you could have a 1 to 5 ratio and still have failure. I am not in favor of having the teachers parent the students.

In the early 80's, I had the great fortune of being around and a part of a large group of highly motivated young black men. What motivated them? I think that it was the desire to win and be winners. For the most part, we knew that our chances of playing in the NFL were slight at best. So the fame and fortune were not really it. Ol' Coach Wheeler make certain that the only colors that we saw were black and gold. I do not pretend to know what it is like or how hard it is to be a black man. But, what it takes to motivate someone? The answers are out there and they will be different for each individual. Someone just has to take the time to find as many of them as they can. And if it means leaving their own agenda aside, then so be it.

Until then...
(how was that Slancis? Brought it around full circle.)

Creg Williams walked into, acquired, inherited the St. Louis Public School histories. Whether he wanted it or not, its his JOB and its a tough one with minimal encouragement. To me, that qualifies why anyone would need a hefty paycheck (like he's getting). St. Louisians need to stop taking our frustrations out on someone who is 'trying' to help. Creg Williams is not the enemy. If anything, we (I) need to be focused on the solution and each one of us need to help recruit qualified teachers (I know we have a lot out in the 'other' school districts, some are even our relatives) back into the SLPS. Creg Williams needs our HELP.