By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
Here’s a good litmus test for where Chicago’s two mayoral candidates stand on K-12 education: Do they support Chicago Public Schools featuring the “How Can We Win? video on its official webpage?
The video is one of the “Tools” on the Office of Equity page and it involves an impassioned tirade from activist Kimberly Jones – speaking a few days after George Floyd’s murder – about rising up and burning down communities.
It’s an outright, unapologetic defense of rioting and looting as an entitlement and a straight up endorsement of victimization. That blacks have no hope, that they “can’t win” and there is nothing left to do but burn and loot.
“How can you win? You can’t win, the game is fixed. So when they say ‘why do you burn down the community, why do you burn down your own neighborhood?’ It’s not ours. We don’t own anything. We don’t own anything there is.”
“There’s a social contract that we all have but if you steal or if I steal then the person who is the authority comes in and they fix the situation. But the person who fixes the situation is killing us so the social contract is broken. And If the social contract is broken why the f*ck do I give a sh*t about burning the f*cking Football Hall of Fame, and burning the f*cking Target…f*ck your Target, f*ck your Hall of Fame. As far as I’m concerned they can burn this b*tch to the ground. And it still wouldn’t be enough.”
Her emotion is raw and real, but the message is nihilistic. And worse, it’s an extremely dangerous message to anybody in a vulnerable state, especially Chicago’s struggling black students. Inner city life is tough enough, but the schools are leaving just 1 in 10 black students reading at grade level. Add Jones’ rhetoric to the mix and that leaves nothing but despair.
The problem with the video goes even deeper. Argue all you want over whether Critical Race Theory is specifically taught in classrooms or not, but what this video does is give teachers implicit permission to push the same destructive ideas in their classrooms.
You can agree with Jones’ message or not. That’s not the issue. The real issue is whether it’s appropriate for the video to be on CPS’ website. Posted by the Office of Equity. Positioned as an “equity tool.” For teachers to spread and for any student to see.
We strongly oppose it. Schools are meant to be a place of hope and inspiration. Where learning is a ticket to a better life.
This video and its message destroy that hope. Let’s see if the candidates agree.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Not a single student can do math at grade level in 53 Illinois schools. For reading, it’s 30 schools
- Chicagoans are shooting back – and it’s not going to stop until leaders lead
- Chicago’s pursuit of ‘criminal justice reform’ an utter failure: Windy City homicides top nation for 11th year in a row with crime still rising.
- Chicago, New Orleans were the nation’s murder capitals in 2022 – A Wirepoints survey of America’s 75 largest cities
- New CPS data: Mayor Lightfoot, Chicago Teachers Union continue to keep dozens of empty, failing schools open
In all fairness, she’s not totally wrong. What she doesn’t realize, apparently, is that the politicians that say they are on her side are actually the ones doing her dirty. She’s been fooled into thinking that some imaginary boogeyman is the one who created her problems, when in reality it’s the people she keeps voting for year after year.
Just read her lips in this tirade. “ you mfers best do as you toll or I’ll get madder!
You can take the Negro out of the jungle
but not the jungle out of the Negro!
Now THAT’S a Critical Race Theory for you! 😁
This is nothing more than right wing disinformation and propaganda. Wire Points is a known racist medium, not add that they are a mediocre one.
LOL
You gotta be a Jew!
Right!?
Dan, I am leaving your comment up as an illustration of what we despise here and who we ban. Now, get the fuck out of here and never come back.
Yeah, Mark!
There are paid political actors within the IL Democrat Party apparatus whose only job is to organize and play dirty tricks. They got Proft’s printing press shut down; they have PACs that flat out refuse to disclose their spending; they have organized disinformation campaigns. Even today, Rich Miller got a directive from someone telling him to portray in a negative light people who file witness slips as conspiracy theorists and nutjobs. Brandon Johnson’s CTU handlers were sending out press releases about Vallas trying to link WP with racists and such. Politics is a dirty contact sport, and in IL, the… Read more »
I never pay any attention to that shit. I believe what my eyes and ears tell me. It’s really very simple; whatever a Democrat says is a fuckin lie!
She said it and wire points posted it…who is the racist?
Education? There is no education in the CPS. There is nothing to talk about.
Instead of teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, Chicago teachers are teaching looting, burning, and how to be a drag queen. I should be allowed to keep my tax dollars so I can find a GOOD school and don’t have to support this garbage. Stop indoctrinating our children!!!
Always the victim
You want equity? How about CPS teaching kids how to read and write, rather than planning their two month summer vacation.
https://time.com/6205084/phonics-science-of-reading-teachers/ This article describes the work of the Oakland CA NAACP in petitioning the school system to teach reading through phonics. Note that Kareem Weaver of the group pointed to 7 years of progress with phonics, a course of study abandoned because it was too “colonizing”. To his credit, he has reversed course because he correctly realizes there is no hope for justice without literacy. This example highlights the danger of prioritizing politics over educational principles that work. I don’t see how the angry rant from the young woman improves education. Especially in a place where improvement is sorely needed.… Read more »
Everybody wants t be justblikecLoti. Get that invective loaded index finger going. Must be a feminine trait particular to Them.
May as well keep it up. This is the only job skill taught in the CPS.
No one can read, write, or do math at anywhere close to grade level, that is ZERO.
Pay teachers high money for the worst results. So they may as well be criminals, they will fit right in with the neighborhood.
I though incitement was a crime
Wouldn’t count on any major mayoral changes. The new mayor won’t be much different than the old mayor. Governor Pritzker has a very liberal Blue state agenda and the new mayor will bend over and do what he wants or state funding for the city will be cut. Unfortunately, in Chicago political history always repeats itself.
Do you really think that a mayoral candidate that is receiving massive money from CTU is going to bite the hand that feeds him?
I understand some of our best Wirepoint writers, speakers (Matt Rosenberg, John Kass) are now expats looking and writing about extremely Chicago city crime, education and violent crime, terrorism, looting events from safe places (Indiana, the Mountain West). I’m still gutting it out left behind in an integrated University Community on Chicago’s South Side. I’m looking to recruit, organize Independent Chicago volunteers to work and I do mean WORK our ass**s off these next 6 weeks to prevent this worst ever BLM, Antifa, CTU Chicago Teachers Union hack, educrat monopolists from being elected Chicago mayor. We’ll be going back to… Read more »
All i can do is offer occasional opinions. Full time job and need to provide for my family. Can’t be an activist or professional protester. Glad you have the time and financial wherewithal to go out and do this full time. Good luck trying to convince communists to change their stripes. When you have had enough you will inevitably move as well because you will have to. Unfortunate but these seeds were sown a long time ago. Good luck to you and be careful. Chicago has turned into a dangerous place.
Chicago can officially be pronounced dead if Brandon, the CTU sock puppet, is elected. The CTU will then control the rest of the non educational aspects of the city.
Johnson would have this video clip up for an Academy Award if he could.
Chicago? Pffft! Leave, before it’s to late!
Wow, the attached video here is both fascinating and disturbing. That it’s apparently still being posted on the CPS website and that the speaker proudly attributes her opinions here to her time as a young Operation PUSH student gives me pause. Is it any wonder why young POC are so conflicted about their place in society?
I had always thought that offering preschool education to those whose parent(s) couldn’t afford was a good thing. However, this young lady brings light that this has been a vehicle to indoctrinate preschoolers in racial divisiveness under the guise of offering pre-k educational basics.
I think we know the answer to this one. This video is endorsed by Brandon for Mayor.
What are you referring? Shouldn’t say that without a source cited.
Brandon has expressed support for the looting since businesses have insurance. See https://twitter.com/CPD1617Scanner/status/1630872095176392704
or google brandon Johnson WGN Looting is OK since Businesses have insurance
Brandon, who knows nothing about business, would be shocked to find out how many small businesses don’t have insurance
Wow this guy!
The new mayor, whoever he is, will find himself in an unwinnable situation. Maybe if the city wasn’t already carrying such massive debt, he would have some room to maneuver, but now his hands are tied. Lower taxes and there is a budget shortfall (for years) until the policy change attracts new residents. Raise taxes and more people leave. Try and run the city more efficiently and the public unions stand in your way.
Chicagoan’s (and Illinois residents) need to stop looking for a hero politician to save them. They need to save themselves and the only way to do that is to leave before too many of their neighbors also make the same decision.
Chicago voters have one last chance to prove themselves. If Vallas wins, the majority will have demonstrated some level of cognitive thinking, and maybe we can forgive their last mayoral choice. If Johnson wins, it is the final proof that Chicago is simply too stupid to exist, and maybe even Wirepoints will finally agree.