Even though the condition of the Oakland Unified School District is so bad that the state of California had to take it over, don’t expect the Oakland Education Association to be bothered with such trivialities.
So what if thousands of school children are trapped in lousy schools and will have few opportunities for success after they graduate? That’s not really what the Oakland teachers union is about, man. Providing students with a quality education isn’t really their bag.
You might say that the OEA has “progressed” beyond such things. These days the union is dedicating its time and energy to protesting. . .banks?
It’s sad but true.
Jack Gerson is one of the OEA’s most prominent leaders and a well-known radical agitator. Recently Gerson explained that the union is partnering with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) to protest banks over foreclosures and the bailout money, at a time when public school employees are being asked to make cuts. (Why does Gerson matter? You’ll have to wait ‘til the end!)
Before going any further, it is important to note that ACCE is simply the newest incarnation of the old war horse ACORN. The same corrupt officials who oversaw ACORN are still in charge. The head of ACCE is Amy Schur, and according to the American Spectator, she’s been in ACORN’s inner circle. In fact, she was so high up in ACORN’s leadership that she was reportedly one of the few who knew about Dale Rathke’s $1 million embezzlement cover-up.
Back to Gerson and ACCE. A few weeks ago, I revealed that a coalition of radicals is planning massive “militant” demonstrations against government spending cuts during the month of March. In a recent conference call, Gerson explained how his union, an affiliate of the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association, is partnering with ACCE to fight the banks, and that some of their “actions” will coincide with the March activities.
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Like I said earlier, the union will not be protesting over the abysmal state of Oakland’s public schools. The OEA is only concerned with one thing, and that’s the amount of money being pumped into union-controlled schools. And don’t question what taxpayers are getting in return for all their “investment” unless you’re prepared to be denounced as a hater.
It will be very interesting to see if Gov. Jerry Brown (who exonerated ACORN from any wrongdoing when the O’Keefe tapes came out) will capitulate to the radicals or if he’s serious about fixing his state’s spending problems, which will necessitate that he rein in the unions.
The teachers unions, ACCE/ACORN and the radicals will refuse to go down without a fight. Just ask Gerson. After all, he was a “student leader” of Students for a Democratic Society, according to SocialistWorker.org.
Even though the Left’s washing machine is working overtime, some stains can never be removed.
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