Thoughts on Three Subjects
Euclid, Education and Michael Vick

Federal Judge Kathleen O’Malley’s recent ruling in a federal Voting Rights Act lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice, ordering the City of Euclid to cease using a voting scheme that disenfranchised Black residents at the ballot box in City Council races, offers that city its best opportunity yet to finally come into the 21st century in terms of race relations. However, well-meaning, fair-minded and justice loving Euclid residents (of all races) now have to make it happen. The Judge’s ruling opened the door for fair voting outcomes, but residents have to step through it by registering and voting in large numbers.

Euclid, with 30 percent Black residents and a currently all-White City Council, epitomizes the racially divided past most Americans are attempting to shake off, outgrow and move away from. Cultural conflict predicated on race has been more pronounced in this inner-ring suburb than in any other municipality in Cuyahoga County — and perhaps the entire state. The stories of racial clashing occurring in the city over the last three decades are legendary — and often exceptionally ugly. But that can all change now that the residents — finally — have their fate in their own hands.

Current Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik, who is up for reelection in November, has taken a lot of heat over the years from reactionary White residents for standing up against racism. When he stood up for a Black church that wanted to build a sanctuary and homes for elderly members of its congregation in the city a recall effort was mounted against him. Now the same forces, aligned behind City Council President Ed Gudenas (more on him in future columns), are again trying to turn back the clock at the ballot box. The residents of Euclid simply cannot afford to allow that to happen. Defending against the federal lawsuit cost the city over $600,000; tax dollars needlessly ill-spent. If Gudenas wins the City of Euclid could stand to lose even more.

Just as importantly, the upcoming City Council races (which were put off until March so that a new voting system can be put in place), which for the first time will allow Black candidates a fair shot at winning seats, can’t be taken lightly. One of the arguments put forth by Euclid’s attorney was that minority candidates haven’t won in the past simply because Blacks don’t get out and vote. That argument was proven false by Justice Department lawyers during the trail; the system itself was fatally flawed.

Nonetheless, all too often, when Blacks move to the suburbs and are confronted with systemic racism they simply quit trying to engage in the political process. But with this recent ruling the way is clear to reverse the failings of the past. Over the years Bill Cervenik has been — almost single-handedly — fighting the good fight for all Euclid residents regardless of color; now it’s time for Euclid residents to fight for Bill Cervenik ... and themselves. Everyone who is eligible has to get out to register and then turn out to vote — the country, and indeed the world, will be watching.

Educational philosophies

As some of you may recall, I’ve been lobbying for the Cleveland Municipal School District to follow the lead of a successful New York City schools’ program and pay students for good grades. Under a new program put forth by Gov. Strickland each underperforming district in the State of Ohio will receive roughly $2000 per year for each 9th grader. I say make the money available to the students themselves, part they would receive and part to be held in escrow to pay for post-high school education.

When I put forth that suggestion a few weeks ago I got feedback from a number of people whose opinions I highly respect saying they felt this was a bad idea. Additionally, over the weekend I happened to run into schools chief Eugene Sanders and had the opportunity to ask him how he felt about the idea. His response was that he “struggles with that concept philosophically.” Which means the idea is dead as a doornail — at least for the time being.

Indeed, I too struggled with the idea since I would love for all students to value education for its own sake, not because of a bribe. But reality is quite a bit different than a philosophical debate. How do we get children from dysfunctional backgrounds, and are on the verge of dropping out of school, to love education? The only sensible answer is to pay them for good grades.

The one thing all of the people who don’t agree with this strategy have in common is ... none of them are parents. I would love to make Sanders a deal: Try the payment system with a control group and see what the outcome is. The question would then become, should we not use a program that works simply because the superintendent finds it philosophically troubling? I think that in the long run we’ll have to use some form of payments here for one simple reason: We’re going to run out of other ideas.

Doggone that Michael Vick

The milepost markers for some men’s lives are what cars they owned in which decade. My life measure, my memory yardstick is which dog I had the privilege of caring for at a particular juncture in my life — you don’t really “own” dogs, dogs own you. You undoubtedly can guess where this is going.

When my Rottie Maxx (he insisted that his name be spelled with two Xs) who was getting on in years, lost the use of both hind legs the same weekend (a weekend when my vet was out of town) and was in great pain my dog loving friends scurried about until they found someone who had a quantity of Oxycotin pills left over from a recently deceased cancer patient. One was even trying to figure out which part of town to go into to find someone selling heroin on a street corner — such is the devotion of dog lovers. So the outrage over Michael Vick is completely understandable — I’d personally like to beat him about the body with a two-by-four — one with a rusty nail in it.

So it’s little wonder that some of those same friends are equally outraged over the perceived playing of the race card by the head of Atlanta NAACP chapter. While I do agree that some NAACP chapters seem to have lost their way in terms of leadership (they’ve become almost exclusively reactive, not proactive), and are not very good at explaining their motives, I can also understand their position in the Vick matter.

What comes off as a defense of Vick’s abominable behavior actually is a questing of the fairness of the American legal system. I think they were giving voice to the fear that Vick would be treated worse than a White player in a similar circumstance. Unfortunately, based on how Blacks have been treated by the American legal system in the past, their concerns are valid.

That’s one of the most damnable and insidious things about racism; Blacks always, and I do mean always, have to question the treatment we receive at the hands of authorities. To not do so is foolhardy, but sometimes to do so makes us look foolish. I certainly think that Vick should pay a severe price for engaging in reprehensible behavior, but it should be the exact same price a White would pay, and we’ll just never know if that would be the case, now will we?

From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com
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