Omaha, Nebraska To Bring Back Segregated Schools

[sinewave]

That settles, I live in one of the most racist cities in America! Check out this article.

Omaha school district to split along racial lines

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- In a move decried by some as state-sponsored segregation, the Legislature voted Thursday to divide the Omaha school system into three districts -- one mostly black, one predominantly white and one largely Hispanic.

Supporters said the plan would give minorities control over their own school board and ensure that their children are not shortchanged in favor of white youngsters.

Republican Gov. Dave Heineman signed the measure into law.

Omaha Sen. Pat Bourne decried the bill, saying, "We will go down in history as one of the first states in 20 years to set race relations back."

"History will not, and should not, judge us kindly," said Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha.

Attorney General Jon Bruning sent a letter to one of the measure's opponents saying that the bill could be in violation of the Constitution's equal-protection clause and that lawsuits almost certainly will be filed.

But its backers said that at the very least, its passage will force policymakers to negotiate seriously about the future of schools in the Omaha area.

The breakup would not occur until July 2008, leaving time for lawmakers to come up with another idea.

"There is no intent to create segregation," said Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, the Legislature's only black senator and a longtime critic of the school system.

He argued that the district is already segregated, because it no longer buses students for integration and instead requires them to attend their neighborhood school.

Chambers said the schools attended largely by minorities lack the resources and quality teachers provided others in the district. He said the black students he represents in north Omaha would receive a better education if they had more control over their district.

Coming from Chambers, the argument was especially persuasive to the rest of the Legislature, which voted three times this week in favor of the bill before it won final passage on the last day of the session.

Omaha Public Schools Superintendent John Mackiel said the law is unconstitutional and will not stand.

"There simply has never been an anti-city school victory anywhere in this nation," Mackiel said. "This law will be no exception."

The 45,000-student Omaha school system is 46 percent white, 31 percent black, 20 percent Hispanic, and 3 percent Asian or American Indian.

Boundaries for the newly created districts would be drawn using current high school attendance areas. That would result in four possible scenarios; in every scenario, two districts would end up with a majority of students who are racial minorities.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/04/14/omaha.schools.ap/index.html

 

[Neptune]

Yep you live in one of the most racist cities in America. This is really stupid.

 

[jaguarr]

Wow.

jag

 

[Maxwell Smart]

Anyone with half a brain in their head knows that the media doesn't accurately portray real racial attitudes in this country. The truth is we haven't made near the progress a lot of people like to tell themselves. A lot of people here down South unfortunately may SAY "African-American" or "black" but inside their head they still think "******".

 

[The Squirrel]

Stupid

 

[Steve_Rogers]

That's just dumb.....and sen. Howard is right, I'll decide not to judge kindly.

 

[Abaddon]

Wow,one step forward,three steps back.

 

[Darthphere]

This is stupid and dumb. Did I say stupid?

 

[sinewave]

This is stupid and dumb. Did I say stupid?

it's also ******ed.

 

[Addendum]

If Senator Ernie Chambers supports this bill, I don't see a problem.

Omaha school division bill passes

 

[Darthphere]

I find it funny that they think its a logical step. "This way us white folks wont take advantage of blacs and hispanics, if they are on the other side of town."

 

[Addendum]

From the article I gave the link to...

"Additionally, Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who shepherded the OPS breakup, argued the district has failed minority and poor children and it’s time for the schools they attend to be administered by those most familiar with their needs."

Chambers is the dude in the purple shirt in the picture

 

[Darthphere]

From the article I gave the link to...

"Additionally, Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who shepherded the OPS breakup, argued the district has failed minority and poor children and it’s time for the schools they attend to be administered by those most familiar with their needs."

Chambers is the dude in the purple shirt in the picture

So because hes black its ok?

 

[Addendum]

I'll take his word for it. Especially when I saw him on MSNBC last night presenting his views clearly.

Transcript from The Situation w/ Tucker Carlson

ANDERSON: Welcome back. Omaha, Nebraska. Schools may be on the verge of a new era of segregation. Some 50 years after the Supreme Court‘s landmark ruling that separate but equal is unconstitutional.

Nebraska‘s governor signed a law last week that calls for splitting the Omaha public schools into three race-based districts: one black, one white, one Hispanic. So why is a man who has been called the angriest black man in Nebraska in favor of this new law?

Joining me now, the driving force behind the measure, State Senator Ernie Chambers. He joins us tonight from Omaha. Mr. Chambers, thanks for coming on.

ERNIE CHAMBERS, FORMER STATE SENATOR, NEBRASKA: My pleasure.

CARLSON: This sounds like re-segregation. Is it?

CHAMBERS: No. What the national media are getting is a partial story. My proposal is a small component of a comprehensive restructuring or reorganization of public education in a two-county area. It creates a system of interrelated districts.

And there is a requirement in this plan that all districts comply with an integration and diversity plan. Any district which does not is dissolved.

CHAMBERS: OK.

ANDERSON: My particular component is the one that caught the public‘s attention. But it has not been properly characterized.

CARLSON: OK. But as I understand it the three districts in question would be overwhelmingly, in one case white, in another black, in a third Hispanic. Is that correct?

CHANGER: Yes. Omaha is segregated along those lines right now.

Yes.

CARLSON: The purpose of this is to give black people, Latinos, and poor whites what middle class and upper class white people have always had control of their schools.

CARLSON: Well, I‘m for that that. I‘m for that strongly. So are you getting rid of the teachers unions?

CHAMBERS: That‘s what this is all about. Well, that isn‘t even a part of my proposal.

CARLSON: OK.

CHAMBERS: See, those other agendas are not what I‘m interested in. I‘m not interested in segregation or integration, but quality education, which our children have been cheated out of.

CARLSON: Well, good for you. I mean, I agree with everything you‘ve said so far. You may have other agendas I‘m not aware of. But strictly speaking, I think you‘re right.

What about the idea, though, that‘s been universally held for the last 30 years, which is it‘s good for children to go to school; it‘s imperative for children to go to school with people of another race. It‘s imperative for black kids to not go to all black schools. Do you buy that?

CHAMBERS: Children learn on the basis of the quality of the teacher

and the instruction and not who they‘re sitting next to or any of those

things. Those are side issues that have hidden the fact that our children

and when I say our, I mean black children, other nonwhite children, and poor white children, some of whom I have in my district. They are not achieving at grade level.

And with all the talk of integration, diversity, and other things, those—diversity and other things, those are fine. I would like to see those goals achieved. But they‘re means to an end. The purpose of the schools is to educate.

CARLSON: Well, I agree with that. But we‘ve spent—but we‘ve spent, again, decades, and I‘m sure you‘ve been in Omaha for about all your life...

CHAMBERS: Well, I‘m not bad (ph). We spent decades and billions and billions of dollars busing kids from one district to another and constructing these incredibly complex systems for integrating schools and you‘re saying it‘s not worth it anymore.

They are remedies recommended and adopted by white people. The input that black people have wanted to make all along has been ignored. I have taken my position in the legislature as a man who knows what is best for our children and that‘s what I‘m seeking.

I don‘t care how much integration there has been talked about. It has not occurred anywhere in this country. I venture to say that in the studio where you‘re sitting right now, there‘s not integration. There‘s not diversity. So I accept...

CARLSON: You would be wrong on that count. But my studio aside, I think you‘re right about schools. Yes, you are.

CHAMBERS: You‘re there and I‘m not, so I‘ll accept what you‘re saying. But I know that there are identifiable racial schools, right now in Omaha. The black ones are called academies. They have labeled them already.

The redistricting that I‘m talking about is for the purpose of administration and governance, not attendance. These districts will not only serve only the students who live there.

CARLSON: Right.

CHAMBERS: And the students can transfer to any district they want to.

CARLSON: Well, look, it sounds like...

CHAMBERS: And transportation provided.

CARLSON: I‘m not here to attack you. It sounds like we should keep an open mind about this. And if it helps the kids learn more, get higher test scores, get into college, get excited about education, I‘m for it.

Ernie Chambers, thanks for coming on.

CHAMBERS: You, too. OK.

CARLSON: I appreciate it.

CHAMBERS: OK.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12370994/

 

[sinewave]

If Senator Ernie Chambers supports this bill, I don't see a problem.

Omaha school division bill passes

trust me, that guy's well known around here for his racist views against white people.

 

[Addendum]

I like how he's a senator and wears a T-shirt.

 

[jaguarr]

trust me, that guy's well known around here for his racist views against white people.

Even I've heard of the guy. He definitely does not like "Whitey".

jag

 

[sinewave]

Even I've heard of the guy. He definitely does not like "Whitey".

jag

yup.

 

[Erzengel]

Does Nebraska serve any function? Or is it like Montana?

 

[KingOfDreams]

not cool

 

[sinewave]

Does Nebraska serve any function? Or is it like Montana?

Not really. I mean, we've got great beef and host the College World Series, but that's about it. Oh yeah, and the Huskers Football team seems to be pretty popular.

 

[War Lord]

That settles, I live in one of the most racist cities in America! Check out this article.



http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/04/14/omaha.schools.ap/index.html

It's unfortunate, but this is a result of the race hustlers convincing everybody that separation of races is best.

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

 

[jaguarr]

You forgot the motto they put on their flag that says "Kill Whitey".

jag

 

[sinewave]

I'll take his word for it. Especially when I saw him on MSNBC last night presenting his views clearly.

Transcript from The Situation w/ Tucker Carlson

ANDERSON: Welcome back. Omaha, Nebraska. Schools may be on the verge of a new era of segregation. Some 50 years after the Supreme Court‘s landmark ruling that separate but equal is unconstitutional.

Nebraska‘s governor signed a law last week that calls for splitting the Omaha public schools into three race-based districts: one black, one white, one Hispanic. So why is a man who has been called the angriest black man in Nebraska in favor of this new law?

Joining me now, the driving force behind the measure, State Senator Ernie Chambers. He joins us tonight from Omaha. Mr. Chambers, thanks for coming on.

ERNIE CHAMBERS, FORMER STATE SENATOR, NEBRASKA: My pleasure.

CARLSON: This sounds like re-segregation. Is it?

CHAMBERS: No. What the national media are getting is a partial story. My proposal is a small component of a comprehensive restructuring or reorganization of public education in a two-county area. It creates a system of interrelated districts.

And there is a requirement in this plan that all districts comply with an integration and diversity plan. Any district which does not is dissolved.

CHAMBERS: OK.

ANDERSON: My particular component is the one that caught the public‘s attention. But it has not been properly characterized.

CARLSON: OK. But as I understand it the three districts in question would be overwhelmingly, in one case white, in another black, in a third Hispanic. Is that correct?

CHANGER: Yes. Omaha is segregated along those lines right now.

Yes.

CARLSON: The purpose of this is to give black people, Latinos, and poor whites what middle class and upper class white people have always had control of their schools.

CARLSON: Well, I‘m for that that. I‘m for that strongly. So are you getting rid of the teachers unions?

CHAMBERS: That‘s what this is all about. Well, that isn‘t even a part of my proposal.

CARLSON: OK.

CHAMBERS: See, those other agendas are not what I‘m interested in. I‘m not interested in segregation or integration, but quality education, which our children have been cheated out of.

CARLSON: Well, good for you. I mean, I agree with everything you‘ve said so far. You may have other agendas I‘m not aware of. But strictly speaking, I think you‘re right.

What about the idea, though, that‘s been universally held for the last 30 years, which is it‘s good for children to go to school; it‘s imperative for children to go to school with people of another race. It‘s imperative for black kids to not go to all black schools. Do you buy that?

CHAMBERS: Children learn on the basis of the quality of the teacher

and the instruction and not who they‘re sitting next to or any of those

things. Those are side issues that have hidden the fact that our children

and when I say our, I mean black children, other nonwhite children, and poor white children, some of whom I have in my district. They are not achieving at grade level.

And with all the talk of integration, diversity, and other things, those—diversity and other things, those are fine. I would like to see those goals achieved. But they‘re means to an end. The purpose of the schools is to educate.

CARLSON: Well, I agree with that. But we‘ve spent—but we‘ve spent, again, decades, and I‘m sure you‘ve been in Omaha for about all your life...

CHAMBERS: Well, I‘m not bad (ph). We spent decades and billions and billions of dollars busing kids from one district to another and constructing these incredibly complex systems for integrating schools and you‘re saying it‘s not worth it anymore.

They are remedies recommended and adopted by white people. The input that black people have wanted to make all along has been ignored. I have taken my position in the legislature as a man who knows what is best for our children and that‘s what I‘m seeking.

I don‘t care how much integration there has been talked about. It has not occurred anywhere in this country. I venture to say that in the studio where you‘re sitting right now, there‘s not integration. There‘s not diversity. So I accept...

CARLSON: You would be wrong on that count. But my studio aside, I think you‘re right about schools. Yes, you are.

CHAMBERS: You‘re there and I‘m not, so I‘ll accept what you‘re saying. But I know that there are identifiable racial schools, right now in Omaha. The black ones are called academies. They have labeled them already.

The redistricting that I‘m talking about is for the purpose of administration and governance, not attendance. These districts will not only serve only the students who live there.

CARLSON: Right.

CHAMBERS: And the students can transfer to any district they want to.

CARLSON: Well, look, it sounds like...

CHAMBERS: And transportation provided.

CARLSON: I‘m not here to attack you. It sounds like we should keep an open mind about this. And if it helps the kids learn more, get higher test scores, get into college, get excited about education, I‘m for it.

Ernie Chambers, thanks for coming on.

CHAMBERS: You, too. OK.

CARLSON: I appreciate it.

CHAMBERS: OK.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12370994/

i'm all for getting better education for lower income kids, but there's gotta be a better way than taking a step backwards in civil rights and social evolution.