Accusation against SOMA School Board member
It's true people try to get out of tickets all the time, it's not a cardinal sin, but I think it's a big deal here because she's in a position of educational leadership and presumably she should be setting an example.
If her behavior is condoned or dismissed as not a big deal, then shouldn't students try to pull strings to weasel out of a failing grade or being disciplined? -- "Hey you can't flunk me, my neighbor is friends with the principal..."
Has anyone asked her why she would think Chief Kroll is a "skinhead"? I think we are owed an answer.
as a BOE member, responsible for the education of our children, she is and should be held to a higher standard.
Calling the police chief a skinhead is truly the worst of it. This sort of name calling is so beyond what is acceptable. Yes, this alone should have her resign from BOE, even with a personal apology. We may live in the age of Trump, but it’s terribly wrong.
it's a person who's upset and spouting off. It's clearly an empty threat. She doesn't ask for the officer's name or badge number. And then she didn't call the VP.
I'm not saying it was right. It was wrong. But I'm not outraged over it, and I don't think she should be forced to resign.
peteglider said:
as a BOE member, responsible for the education of our children, she is and should be held to a higher standard.
Calling the police chief a skinhead is truly the worst of it. This sort of name calling is so beyond what is acceptable. Yes, this alone should have her resign from BOE, even with a personal apology. We may live in the age of Trump, but it’s terribly wrong.
I don't believe that we should be more outraged than the chief himself, who has expressed a desire to move forward after the apology.
Robert_Casotto said:
Has anyone asked her why she would think Chief Kroll is a "skinhead"? I think we are owed an answer.
Does she think all bald dudes are "skinheads" or just this particular one, and if so, why.
ml1 said:
it's a person who's upset and spouting off. It's clearly an empty threat. She doesn't ask for the officer's name or badge number. And then she didn't call the VP.
I'm not saying it was right. It was wrong. But I'm not outraged over it, and I don't think she should be forced to resign.
Intimidation.
Its I personally know the head of the village. A person who may determine your future promotion. The also of I'm a person of importance, a member of the Bd of Ed (just to make sure you understand). The intimidation is who knows who I'll talk to or where you'll see me in the future.
You have the friendly interaction of a cop or retired cop getting stopped. The stopped copy identifies himself expecting professional courtesy. Usually granted.
We have intimidation. People of importance get stopped who then explain they are important while often dropping names. Unlike the little people they supposedly serve.
The guy clearly has a mohawk. Skinheads have cleanly shaved head.
For what its worth, not all skin heads are racists.
ml1 said:
as if cops don't hear this all day long -- the mayor is my friend, I know the chief of police, my brother is a cop, etc., etc.
I don't think it's that big of a deal.
She does not deserve to be vilified all over the nation or the world as you say. It appears that one person might be using this to further an agenda. I’m probably fine with her staying in the BOE. Having said that this was put in motion by her conduct. (The interaction w the officer). Reasonable adults know that cops have cameras.
There is no doubt that she was using her position to get out of the ticket. If she was SLM, computer engineer would she have started the interaction by announcing that? Do you give your name and position when pulled over prior to the officer speaking?
Of course not. Yes lots of people use all sorts of excuses to get out of tickets. I just think it’s ok articulately egregious when it’s done by ‘public servants’
It appears one can sign a petition to support her (and to investigate if any there are any ethical/legal breaches to releasing a video identifying a minor):
Or one can write more letters asking her (and possibly all of the BOE who knew about the incident) to resign:
And/or one can read a letter from a CHS graduate asking grownups to please act more grown-up:
https://villagegreennj.com/free/letter-public-officials-are-human-beings-lets-show-more-empathy/
Skinhead is too loaded a term, in this day and age, to use for a guy who is merely bald-ish or rocks an unusual haircut. It is a slur, and outside the bounds.
I'm perturbed that that is the term that came to mind when she was upset -- I tend to believe that the words that people use when they are really upset are words that they have ready for action in their minds, and usually manage to suppress, rather than new words that just popped up. Behavior when under extreme stress is a barometer of who a person is, in my book. I can empathize with the extreme stress she was feeling while still being upset by the words she chose to use.
Having said that, I'm not asking for her to resign (but wonder if she should make this her last term). I think that the attack on her (and on Baker) has significant political motivations, and is extremely divisive.
I think Lawson-Muhammad has been a reasonably good BOE member. More importantly, I think that the BOE has huge work to do this year (facilities plan, redistricting, hiring superintendent, guidance and special education leadership, etc.), and would like to see them get on with it, with members well versed in the issues, rather than spend a lot of time debating who should resign, and who should replace them.
Pragmatically, we just don't have the time for this drama, this year, so I'm willing to accept apologies and move on, but will not forget the words that cannot be unsaid.
This gets more Tom Wolfe-esque (God rest his soul) by the day.
"We wish to vehemently condemn the attack and salacious media circus that has erupted in the last 24 hours following the release of dashboard camera footage of Board of Education member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad. The attacks on Ms. Lawson-Muhammad appear to be led by those who have disagreed with Ms.Lawson-Muhammad’s community activism as well as the positions she has taken as a BOE member during her last two terms. We fear that attacking Ms. Lawson-Muhammad is a blatant ploy to sow dissent and encourage discord among the BOE, just as it embarks on its plan to desegregate our school district.
Whether or not one agrees with Ms. Lawson-Muhammad, or indeed the BOE’s position on issues affecting our district, we contend that these attempts to publicly humiliate, and nationally malign Ms.Lawson-Muhammad go too far. StephanieLawson-Muhammad is an unpaid community volunteer, shouldering scores of hours of BOE obligations each month. She is an African American mother of three children who works full time and chooses to serve."
susan1014 said:
I think that the attack on her (and on Baker) has significant political motivations, and is extremely divisive.
Whatever else may have happened, this is absolutely true.
Let's call out the hypocrisy of Mr. Fields and the Black Parents Workshop.
When the principal of Marshall was accused of insensitive remarks in a text, the Black Parents Workshop said she deserved "due process."
When SLM was shown on tape saying insensitive things to a police officer and using her position to avoid a ticket, the Black Parents Workshop asked for not only her resignation but the resignation of Liz Baker.
Red_Barchetta said:
There is no doubt that she was using her position to get out of the ticket. If she was SLM, computer engineer would she have started the interaction by announcing that? Do you give your name and position when pulled over prior to the officer speaking?
There are African-American people posting on Facebook who say this is what many people of color feel the need to do in an encounter with police. I have no reason to doubt them. If you listen to what Ms. Lawson Muhammad said -- she identified herself by name, as a member of the BOE, and to me most telling, as a member of the community.
Does the Chief really have a mohawk? If so that is awesome.
yahooyahoo said:
Let's call out the hypocrisy of Mr. Fields and the Black Parents Workshop.
When the principal of Marshall was accused of insensitive remarks in a text, the Black Parents Workshop said she deserved "due process."
When I mentioned this earlier, I alluded to some differences. The issue of due process doesn’t really apply to this case; while releasing a traffic stop video is not regular practice, it’s a public record. (The Workshop didn’t come to the defense of the CHS baseball coaches when they faced double jeopardy, but that’s another matter.) Also, the principal was not the public figure that Lawson-Muhammad is, and, if I recall correctly, there was a more immediate public apology.
That said, the Workshop’s concerns about ulterior motives, righteous indignation and the weight of an isolated incident in the Marshall dispute do seem to apply here.
joan_crystal said:
"I just want to inform you that our cameras and microphones are up & running to help us make this as friendly a traffic stop as possible."
I think this would be a great way to make this a much more stressful situation.
I agree with Joan. Years ago I had a caller who started out as upset and it went downhill from there when I explained I couldn't send out a police officer to investigate the dog poop on her lawn. I knew she was just blowing off steam out of frustration, so in an attempt to calm her down I reminded her that she was on a taped line and should be careful with what she was implying might happen. Let's just say that it didn't calm her down in the least, she only got more hysterical.
peteglider said:
as a BOE member, responsible for the education of our children, she is and should be held to a higher standard.
Calling the police chief a skinhead is truly the worst of it. This sort of name calling is so beyond what is acceptable. Yes, this alone should have her resign from BOE, even with a personal apology. We may live in the age of Trump, but it’s terribly wrong.
Why isn't a sincere apology and better behavior going forward sufficient? My impression of the video was that she was having a bad day to begin with and then she quickly proceeded to make it a day she won't soon forget.
Still, I think it would set a good example to have more adults sincerely apologize to all impacted and then demonstrate their sincerity by doing better. I think we could do with more examples of people learning from their mistakes..
tjohn said:
peteglider said:Why isn't a sincere apology and better behavior going forward sufficient? My impression of the video was that she was having a bad day to begin with and then she quickly proceeded to make it a day she won't soon forget.
as a BOE member, responsible for the education of our children, she is and should be held to a higher standard.
Calling the police chief a skinhead is truly the worst of it. This sort of name calling is so beyond what is acceptable. Yes, this alone should have her resign from BOE, even with a personal apology. We may live in the age of Trump, but it’s terribly wrong.
Still, I think it would set a good example to have more adults sincerely apologize to all impacted and then demonstrate their sincerity by doing better. I think we could do with more examples of people learning from their mistakes..
I believe that a sincere apology given and graciously accepted are two of the most generous things people can do for each other. We live in a culture in which real apologies are very rare. And a culture in which forgiveness and mercy don't seem to be valued much either. It's a good lesson for all of us that an apology is not a sign of weakness.
ml1 said:
it's a person who's upset and spouting off. It's clearly an empty threat. She doesn't ask for the officer's name or badge number. And then she didn't call the VP.
I'm not saying it was right. It was wrong. But I'm not outraged over it, and I don't think she should be forced to resign.
FWIW his name and badge number was inevitably prominent, and he would have had no idea that she wouldn’t call either his boss or Sheena, thus the irrelevance of her failure to do so well after the fact.
ml1 said:
Red_Barchetta said:There are African-American people posting on Facebook who say this is what many people of color feel the need to do in an encounter with police. I have no reason to doubt them. If you listen to what Ms. Lawson Muhammad said -- she identified herself by name, as a member of the BOE, and to me most telling, as a member of the community.
There is no doubt that she was using her position to get out of the ticket. If she was SLM, computer engineer would she have started the interaction by announcing that? Do you give your name and position when pulled over prior to the officer speaking?
Her drivers license covered two out of the three. The relevance of the third is what is at issue.
Sheena's latest statement has made the timeline very clear. All key players knew about the incident well in advance of the story going public. They were all prepared to keep it quiet.
CCR Statement:
The Community Coalition on Race strives to bridge racial barriers and to bring people together in candid dialog in order to develop constructive solutions to community conflicts. Our work has become increasingly critical as we face frequent tragic events across the nation that involve people of color and the police. Our towns are not immune from the problems that have led to mistrust of the police in the community of color and the Coalition has had cause to challenge inappropriate incidents of policing adversely impacting persons of color. We are saddened by this recent event as we have developed good relationships with both of the main parties involved in our work to improve the quality of life for all residents in our two towns.
The Coalition has a good working relationship with South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll. He has kept his door open to us when we have had concerns about profiling or bias in policing. He is proactive on these issues and works to change policies and practices when bias is an issue. We appreciate his efforts here and we believe he deserves the community’s respect.
BOE member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad is the assigned liaison from the BOE to our Board of Trustees. Liaisons function in an ex officio role to keep our board informed of actions that are connected to our mission of equity and racial integration in the schools and towns. In her role as a Board of Education member and as our liaison, she is a volunteer who gives her time and talent to the community and she has a record of working for racial equity in the schools.
In reviewing the video we must acknowledge that name-calling is wrong. In this circumstance, the language is particularly problematic given that, unlike many of the criticisms leveled against police for acts of violence and insensitivity toward persons of color, Chief Kroll has acknowledged that problems exist in interactions between the police and persons of color in the community and works toward creating change through policies, hiring practices and outreach to the community.
At the same time, we are painfully aware that even routine stops by police of persons of color are filled with tension and fear and that is apparent in Ms. Lawson-Muhammad’s response. As the community grapples with the issues, we ask that we engage in constructive dialog that works toward solutions of improving the interactions of persons of colors with the police. The ongoing power dynamics in the US between whites and blacks must be candidly addressed in order to address the current unacceptable state of affairs in all aspects of social interaction.
When there are controversies like these, the Coalition advises in-person communication and conversation. We are always willing to be at the table or to recommend external, professional mediation services. In this case, we were pleased to be of help in facilitating conversations and communications between the people involved along with support and input Rev. Terry Richardson. We are aware that the parties involved are working toward reconciliation. Given their willingness to work together, we appeal to the public that comments on this incident show a concern for the safe and equitable treatment of people of color, doing what is best for all our children, and come from a communal interest in empathy.
The Executive Committee of the Community Coalition on Race
cramer said:
CCR Statement:
The Community Coalition on Race strives to bridge racial barriers and to bring people together in candid dialog in order to develop constructive solutions to community conflicts. Our work has become increasingly critical as we face frequent tragic events across the nation that involve people of color and the police. Our towns are not immune from the problems that have led to mistrust of the police in the community of color and the Coalition has had cause to challenge inappropriate incidents of policing adversely impacting persons of color. We are saddened by this recent event as we have developed good relationships with both of the main parties involved in our work to improve the quality of life for all residents in our two towns.
The Coalition has a good working relationship with South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll. He has kept his door open to us when we have had concerns about profiling or bias in policing. He is proactive on these issues and works to change policies and practices when bias is an issue. We appreciate his efforts here and we believe he deserves the community’s respect.
BOE member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad is the assigned liaison from the BOE to our Board of Trustees. Liaisons function in an ex officio role to keep our board informed of actions that are connected to our mission of equity and racial integration in the schools and towns. In her role as a Board of Education member and as our liaison, she is a volunteer who gives her time and talent to the community and she has a record of working for racial equity in the schools.
In reviewing the video we must acknowledge that name-calling is wrong. In this circumstance, the language is particularly problematic given that, unlike many of the criticisms leveled against police for acts of violence and insensitivity toward persons of color, Chief Kroll has acknowledged that problems exist in interactions between the police and persons of color in the community and works toward creating change through policies, hiring practices and outreach to the community.
At the same time, we are painfully aware that even routine stops by police of persons of color are filled with tension and fear and that is apparent in Ms. Lawson-Muhammad’s response. As the community grapples with the issues, we ask that we engage in constructive dialog that works toward solutions of improving the interactions of persons of colors with the police. The ongoing power dynamics in the US between whites and blacks must be candidly addressed in order to address the current unacceptable state of affairs in all aspects of social interaction.
When there are controversies like these, the Coalition advises in-person communication and conversation. We are always willing to be at the table or to recommend external, professional mediation services. In this case, we were pleased to be of help in facilitating conversations and communications between the people involved along with support and input Rev. Terry Richardson. We are aware that the parties involved are working toward reconciliation. Given their willingness to work together, we appeal to the public that comments on this incident show a concern for the safe and equitable treatment of people of color, doing what is best for all our children, and come from a communal interest in empathy.
The Executive Committee of the Community Coalition on Race
https://villagegreennj.com/salon/coalition-on-race-concerning-the-traffic-stop-video-in-south-orange/
Compare that to the CCR statement during the Rosner-Jennings fiasco when they had no problem immediately throwing Rosner under the bus rather than talking about "reconciliation".
Why are we waiting for her to resign? She should be removed by the Board.
Amstel said:
Why are we waiting for her to resign? She should be removed by the Board.
Is that even possible under the law?
The suggestion that you are going to call some higher official is an implied threat. The message is that the officer might end up in some sort of trouble if they do their job and issue the ticket.
This behavior would be unacceptable if the individual was a private citizen. Coming from an elected official it is outrageous. She needs to resign.