Letter to Chairman George Miller

December 30, 2009

Dear Chairman George Miller,

The Hitting Stops Here! is starting to “get it.”  We are beginning to figure out why our Black American school boys and girls are the primary targets for “American school abuse” and why they are being denied their 14th amendment “equal protection” and “due process” rights.  We are figuring out why our Latinos and Latinas are being beaten for committing common school infractions of which children from Asia and fthe Middle East are left “un-assaulted.”  We are figuring out why our Native American girls are beaten at a disproportionately higher rate than their Middle and Upper-class White American counterparts.  (See ACLU report, A Violent Education:  http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/docs/ACLU_2009.pdf)

We are starting to understand how it could happen in America that  no justice was served in June 2008 after a brown  5’2,” 108 lb., 18-year-old Miss Jessica “Smith” was dragged into her San Antonio, Texas high school principal’s office by two male teachers twice her size, held down by them on either side while her principal beat her buttocks till it bled, beat her hips and thighs causing hematoma on all parts, broke her hand with one of the blows meant for her buttocks when Miss “Smith” successfully freed a hand trying to protect herself,--at which point the two male teachers lifted her buttocks higher for the principal’s aim, causing her feet to be lifted from the floor as he continued to beat this woman.  Miss Smith’s crime?  Late to class.  (See p. 3 of the UC Davis Law Review:  http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/docs/State%20Actors%20UC%20Dav.pdf.)   Appalling also is the fact that a 24-year-old woman attending a Mississippi GED alternative school was brought to tears by a “paddling” that she was forced to receive in front of her class in December 2009.

The story of the grade school Latino boy who was beaten by his American school teacher until he defecated on himself is beginning to make sense too.  We are piecing together why, when his low-income parents went to court for justice, they were fined $15,000 for “wasting the judges time.”  (http://nospank.net/texas.htm)

We understand the case of  Cedric Napoleon better now, a Black American school boy having special needs resulting from child abuse and food denial.  His murder by suffocation after being placed in a “basket hold” by his teacher during fall 2008 went without receiving justice as the teacher left the courthouse free from prosecution.  This “mentally unstable” teacher was recklessly permitted by our Judicial system to take on a teaching position in the state of Virginia.  Fortunately, in her condition, she did not repeat this same deadly act on one of her new special ed. students.  (See GAO report, pp 15-17:  http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/docs/GOA_2009.pdf)

It is clearer now why a Black American male teacher was arrested in December 2009 and is facing a prison sentence for using “excessive force” while spanking a white high school boy in a “non-paddling” district of a “paddling” state.  Though his case is, indeed, “excessive,” such excessive cases occur frequently to our minority and special education students but they hardly make the news and rarely is there an investigation or arrest involved.   I have personally held one-on-one interviews with American school children in several “paddling states.”  Our American school children in numerous cases, have faced worse acts of violence targeted at them by American school teachers and principals than that which is shown in the news media clip regarding the December case (see: “Mr. Obama, American School Children are Ready For a Change!:” http://www.youtube.com/user/paulaflowe).  It appears that given the right factors, the US Constitution conveniently shows up again, as it did in the case of this White American high school boy—good for him.

During my Washington DC campaigns this year, I communicated with several government officials who answered me adamantly with, “Certainly not.  Most certainly not!” when asked the question, “If the primary targets of school abuse were little white girls, particularly blonde , and the primary “beaters” were Black American men, would American school corporal punishment still exist?  I apologized for making their skin crawl.

California Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey calls these acts of violence targeted at our American school children, “…legalized child abuse” (May 2009).

As Dept. of Education and Labor Chairman, holding the top position of power in the Legislative branch regarding our American school children, how is it that you haven’t figured out in 26 years of service how to have “safe nurturing schools” for a huge number of Black, Latino, Native American and Disabled students.  Yet, if the primary targets were little white blonde girls it would suddenly become a “no-brainer.”

We have State Secretary of Education Mr. Arne Duncan who is the number one man in the Executive branch under our President regarding American schools and school policies, who told the press that he disagrees with American school corporal punishment (see attachment), yet literally the “beat goes on” under his ultra high position of power for bettering American schools.

Have our most prominent US school governing officials:  Chairman George Miller, Mr. Arne Duncan and Government Accountability Office Investigator Mr. Gregory Kutz mandated our state governors, state school boards, principals, teachers and the Dept. of Safe and Drug-free Schools to be informed of the current unsafe conditions of American schools by reading the three most sound, compelling and professional documents* of the new millennium?” Mr. Kutz described our school conditions as being a “…horror story,” and they were referred to as being a “nightmare” during Mr. Miller’s December 2009 Wash DC press conference.

If the current team members of the US Dept. of Safe and Drug-free schools are unfamiliar with these three documents, what a huge breakdown in communication exists within the structure of our school governing officials; it would be no wonder why our American schools are “Unsafe” having our school children need “Free-drugs” just to survive them. 

If they are familiar with these reports then why are any American school children, let alone primarily Black, Latino, Native American and Disabled students, being confronted with paddles, bungee cords, duct tape, handcuffs, taser guns and other weapons of  “mass destruction” on a daily basis?

In what way is the Children’s Defense Fund “defending” our children and how can we help?
What successes have the media-termed “strange-bedfellows,” Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich had on their campaign for “improving American schools” which started back in September 2009?

What about Dr. Bill Cosby, the notorious children-lover, comedian and highly respected “personality” by all ethnicities.  Surely he has plenty to bring to the table that could lead American school children from their horrific plight.
Where is National Leader Julian Bond of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People?  He can help “advance” colored people simply by educating parents on their children’s 14th amendment “equal protection” right by using the media. 

Mr. Bond can teach these uninformed parents about the Supremacy clause: article 6, paragraph 2 which says “state and local” laws that conflict with our US Constitution must be abolished.   School “code of conduct” policies are “state and local” laws.  School policies that sanction “school beatings” conflict with the 14th amendment “equal protection” clause and therefore must be abolished.  Contrary to what “bullying” school officials in paddling districts tell parents, causing them to fear losing their children or going to jail, US citizens do not have to enter one square inch of this great country where the US Constitution disappears.

 [Scenario: If Jane attends a “paddling” school in Texas and pulls out her cell phone at the wrong time, Mr. Jones can say, “Bend over; take five ‘pops.’”  If Jane lives in Oregon and pulls out her cell phone at the wrong time, Mr. James will go to prison for saying and doing the same.  The 14th amendment “equal protection” law is missing for Jane in “paddling” states—that is not “equal protection.”] 

The fact that teachers can go to jail in one state for using the same method of “discipline” that a teacher is sanctioned to use in another state should sound off “bells and whistles” to any responsible caring adult, let alone our leaders.

Approximately 2000 reports of school abuse are submitted daily. We can send man beyond the moon.  We can successfully transplant a heart. We have cell phones that become entertainment centers.   With this much human intelligence available this far into the new millennium, extending an “already existing” law to our disadvantaged American school children seems a rather simple matter compared to the above.  Extending this law becomes difficult only as we approach the bottom of the “American caste system,” it appears.

Mr. Miller, we are re-strategizing our efforts for having our American school children protected.  We are not going away.  We stand by our beautiful American children, and they are beautiful, contrary to the multiple ways in which the media makes them out to be or contributes to their becoming “immoral” and therefore seemingly unworthy of love, respect and even “protection” (American school children are the new “negroes” in media.)

Our US government’s failure to protect our American school children from sanctioned and lawless abuse “leaves our children behind,” and “leaves America behind too in EVERY way—proven by science.

We know “what time it is” in America, Mr. Miller.  We are here to protect our American school children, nevertheless.  May God bless each of them with protection and our governing officials with brave, integrity-filled fleshy hearts.

Sincerely,
Paula Flowe, Exec. Director
Tony Brian, Asst. Exec. Director
The Hitting Stops Here!
A campaign for teaching kindness and respect in schools everywhere.
www.TheHittingStopsHere.com
Board members of Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education
Advisor/Supporter of American SAFEPASS (Student Alliance For Education in Peaceful American SchoolS)
info@thehittingstopshere.com
408.223.7797


*Government Accountability Office (GAO) report:  Seclusions and Restraints:  Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers, May 19, 2009:  http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/docs/GOA_2009.pdf  

*ACLU report, A Violent Education, August 20, 2008: http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/docs/ACLU_2009.pdf

*UC Davis Law Review:  STATE ACTORS BEATING CHILDREN: A CALL FOR JUDICIAL RELIEF, April 2009:  http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/docs/State%20Actors%20UC%20Dav.pdf

 “America Speaks” blog talk radio.  Show hostess, Paula Flowe with guest, Greg Larson:  How to Prevent an American School Teacher or Principal from Assaulting You:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paula-flowe

Positive Discipline: http://www.youtube.com/user/paulaflowe

Modern-day “Dunce cap” used on minorities in Texas: http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/newsroom/2009/a10_01.php

Message to our American school children: http://www.thehittingstopshere.com/docs/Message_to_Children.pdf