Chancellors email on Marion Barry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

I think the crux of the matter is that MB was a complex and important figure. Racial politicking and divisiveness are part of that complexity. For the Chancellor to send a message in which she praises Barry for helping "all children" and then including photos of only African American students is insensitive. A tribute that is instantly controversial isn't much of a tribute.

[Anonymous]

To me the problem was that the administration was corrupt and so many suffered under his leadership: SPED students, all students, kids in foster care...

I know he created summer jobs and all but to me he was white a mixed bag apart from the cocaine thing. I don't think this celebration should have been done at taxpayer expense. If private parties want to celebrate him great.

[Anonymous]

White should have been "real". Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me the problem was that the administration was corrupt and so many suffered under his leadership: SPED students, all students, kids in foster care...

I know he created summer jobs and all but to me he was white a mixed bag apart from the cocaine thing. I don't think this celebration should have been done at taxpayer expense. If private parties want to celebrate him great.

Oh please. Get real. Any time a prominent mayor, gov or any political figure dies, it will be paid for by tax payers. You a a real piece of work. Undercover racist that probably wouldn't have any issue with George Bush being honored right?

[Anonymous]

DCPS is 70% black, unless the picture had more than 7-8 kids than I dont think there is any room to complain. Ward 8 is 100% black. You people really will complain about everything. You're really mad that there aren't any white or Asian kids in an email picture? Asian population is less than 1%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

If you admired him so much, you should be expected to know that his name is spelled "Barry." Of course, if you went to DCPS during his mayor reign, a lack of spelling skills would be understandable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

If you admired him so much, you should be expected to know that his name is spelled "Barry." Of course, if you went to DCPS during his mayor reign, a lack of spelling skills would be understandable.

And that would be mayoral reign, PP. DCPS as well?

[Anonymous]

I just got the email. Are you kidding me that you're upset there aren't any white kids in pics?!! They are all ward 8 schools that held small celebrations to honor tgeir councilman's death. I don't know of any white kids at Ballou or Stanton. Although the last pic does look to feature a Hispanic boy (can't say for sure). Did Janney have a celebration for him and DCPS missed it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

If you admired him so much, you should be expected to know that his name is spelled "Barry." Of course, if you went to DCPS during his mayor reign, a lack of spelling skills would be understandable.

And that would be mayoral reign, PP. DCPS as well?

Oh please it's called spellcheck. Don't worry I will make sure my tattoo artist doesn't use spell check when I get Barry tattooed on my heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

I think the crux of the matter is that MB was a complex and important figure. Racial politicking and divisiveness are part of that complexity. For the Chancellor to send a message in which she praises Barry for helping "all children" and then including photos of only African American students is insensitive. A tribute that is instantly controversial isn't much of a tribute.

I do have a problem with DCPS celebrating someone whose many public failures can only euphemistically be described as "complex." I wonder if how many teachers who are encouraged to speak about Marion Barry to their classes are encouraged as well to note his cocaine and crack usage as DC's chief elected official (at a time when many, including children, were dying directly or indirectly through violence during DC's crack epidemic. How many hear about how he misused his security detail to pick up women off the street or mis-managed the city, such that it couldn't even plow the streets or pick up garbage? How many hear about how dysfunctional DC agencies, especially those that served the poor and vulnerable directly, were taken away from Barry's stewardship by a series of judges and how the federal control board was finally put in to usurp Barry's remaining authority and save DC from financial and operational implosion? How many are told about his repeated tax evasion? Or his racist rants against Asians, whites and others? It's especially ironic that Henderson celebrates him when the indifference of Barry and his political cronies led to DCPS reaching its nadir, really an absolute crisis stage, during his mayoral years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

I think the crux of the matter is that MB was a complex and important figure. Racial politicking and divisiveness are part of that complexity. For the Chancellor to send a message in which she praises Barry for helping "all children" and then including photos of only African American students is insensitive. A tribute that is instantly controversial isn't much of a tribute.

I do have a problem with DCPS celebrating someone whose many public failures can only euphemistically be described as "complex." I wonder if how many teachers who are encouraged to speak about Marion Barry to their classes are encouraged as well to note his cocaine and crack usage as DC's chief elected official (at a time when many, including children, were dying directly or indirectly through violence during DC's crack epidemic. How many hear about how he misused his security detail to pick up women off the street or mis-managed the city, such that it couldn't even plow the streets or pick up garbage? How many hear about how dysfunctional DC agencies, especially those that served the poor and vulnerable directly, were taken away from Barry's stewardship by a series of judges and how the federal control board was finally put in to usurp Barry's remaining authority and save DC from financial and operational implosion? How many are told about his repeated tax evasion? Or his racist rants against Asians, whites and others? It's especially ironic that Henderson celebrates him when the indifference of Barry and his political cronies led to DCPS reaching its nadir, really an absolute crisis stage, during his mayoral years.

+1000 OP here - this is why i posted to begin with ... just does not seem appropriate or necessary for DCPS to make a statement about him. but if they are going to do so I believe it should be balanced and provide context about the good and bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

If you admired him so much, you should be expected to know that his name is spelled "Barry." Of course, if you went to DCPS during his mayor reign, a lack of spelling skills would be understandable.

And that would be mayoral reign, PP. DCPS as well?

Oh please it's called spellcheck. Don't worry I will make sure my tattoo artist doesn't use spell check when I get Barry tattooed on my heart.

NP, I don't believe you. Spellcheck knows how to spell "mayoral". Haha. Funny when people try and check others and fuck up themselves. No need to get a tattoo, but if you do make sure you too get the correct spelling and meaning.

[Anonymous]

13:56, you are the one calling names, not me, so please look yourself in the eye and see who has the bad behavior.

I said Barry was a mixed bag; how is that not reality? How is it racist?

I honestly had not given any thought to the issue of state sponsored funeral for politicians actually. I would be happy if we do no spend any Goverment money on a Bush funeral. Or a Clinton one. I can see now that I was naive in thinking the DC government shouldn't spend money on a funeral. But that does not make me racist! I also thought that it was bizarre that federal workers got a day off for Reagan's death. But I was unaware of funeral stuff as I did not live here at the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just got the email. Are you kidding me that you're upset there aren't any white kids in pics?!! They are all ward 8 schools that held small celebrations to honor tgeir councilman's death. I don't know of any white kids at Ballou or Stanton. Although the last pic does look to feature a Hispanic boy (can't say for sure). Did Janney have a celebration for him and DCPS missed it?

Why the over reaction over a few pictures of only some of the schools in his Ward? It's not like they closed all the schools across the city.

Henderson wrote a few personal sentences in the message itself, which is the monthly newsletter. Seemed appropriate given the timing of his death.

Come to think of it, given that he was mayor a lot longer than councilman, it looks like DCPS was being prudent in showing only ward 8 in the summary newsletter. There's a lot more if people want to click on the links.

I didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appalled that you are so disrespectful and judgemental.

+1. Mr. Berry was someone that I deeply admired. His actions that night will never take away what he has done for this city just like Bill Clinton's legacy was not tarnished in my eyes. Crazy we can have presidents and politicians do cocaine, drink and drive, kill, solicit indiscriminate sex in aiport bathrooms, cheat, solicit prostitutes, have slave concubines etc but a mayor tries crack and he's shamed for life. If he did coke like Bush would that have been better for you?

+ 10000000