What About Independent Investigations
For The Rampant Abuse of Power & Corruption Cover-ups
That Continue to Plague Our Children’s New York City Public Schools?
By Luis Angel Perez, Science & Mathematics Educator & Advocate
Thursday, June 30, 2016
What are some common denominators between the recent reports of corruption
and abuse of power within the New York State Government, the New York City Department
of Police, the New York City Correction Department, and the Department of
Education?
(A) Alleged Abuse of Power by Top Officials in Albany;
The Capital of New York
The Public has learned of some of the
corruption scandals happening in the New York State Government, some of which has resulted
in this year’s (2016) conviction of Sheldon Silver, who The New York Times
described as “… one of the state’s most
powerful and feared politician as speaker of the New York Assembly, …” .
Common Denominator to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
“… most powerful and feared …”
Link to Article:
The Public has also learned about this
year’s (2016) convictions of Dean G. Skelos, State Senate Majority Leader and
his 33 year old son, Adam Skelos, which according to The New York Times, “Before sentencing the Skeloses, Judge Wood
scolded the former senator for violating his unique position of power and
trust.” Also according to The New York Times, the judge, “…
seemed appalled by wiretapped conversations that she said exposed his
‘bullying,’ ‘cynicism’ and ‘extreme’ physical threats – tactics, she said,
‘more usually associated with professional criminals.’ ”
Common Denominators to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
“… violating …
unique position of power and trust.”
“… ‘bullying’, ‘cynicism’, and ‘extreme’ physical
threats – tactics, … ‘more usually associated with professional criminals.’ ”
Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver and Former State Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos are widely
recognized as Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s “right
hand men”. They are known to be the three top State Government Officials
ultimately responsible for allocating Tax Payer-Generated Government Funds to
State and Local Government Agencies, (Such as the Department of Education, the
Department of Police, the Department of Correction, the Fire Department, the Department
of Health, the Department of Social Services, and the like).
May 12, 2016, The New York Times reported that Governor Andrew
M. Cuomo in 2014 made a decision to, “disband
an anticorruption panel, the Moreland Commission, less than a year after he
impaneled it.” Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administrations
are allegedly also currently under federal investigation.
(B) Alleged Abuse
of Power by Top Officials & Subordinate Officials in the New York Police
Department:
Recent allegations of corruption,
discrimination, harassment, and abuse of power perpetrated by high ranking NYPD
Officers and subordinate Officers have been released to the public by the media.
March 01, 2016, NBC New York News Reporter
Sarah Wallace interviewed some of the bravest NYPD Officers, (referred to as “The NYPD 12”), whom have courageously
blown the whistle against allege abuse of power and injustices within the NYPD
which contribute to a hostile work environment and which are designed to specifically
target poor communities of color. Other active Police Officers, as well
as retired Police Officers, are stepping forward in support of these allegations.
Below are only some of the allegations
made by 10 of the “NYPD 12”. For more
information, to see the entire video coverage, and or to read a rough
transcript of the coverage, click on the respective links below.
Partial
Rough Transcript of I-Team Exclusive Channel 4 News - Interview with 10 of “The NYPD 12”
Group:
Sarah Wallace,
Reporter (Interview Mode): The Department says there are no
quotas.
Julio Diaz, NYPD
Officer & NY Chapter President of The Latino Officers Association: Well, I can tell you, I’m a Police
Officer, there are quotas in the NYPD.
Sarah Wallace,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Are they lying?
Adhyl Polanco,
NYPD Officer: Absolutely. It’s
illegal for them to admit it.
Pedro Serrano,
NYPD Officer: They tell you this to your face; Black and Hispanics
between 14 to 21 they must get stopped.
Derick Waller,
NYPD Officer: At the end of the month, these officers who ever don’t
have that arrest or those few summonses, they’re pressured to find something.
You might not see nothing. You supposed to be visible. You might not see
anything but you go hunting, like bounty hunting, for an arrest. Locking up
some, some old guy, some homeless guy, finding somebody who riding a bicycle in
the side walk, who’s spitting, and you bring them in.
Adhyl Polanco,
NYPD Office : The problem is, when you go hunting, when you put any
type of numbers on a police officer to perform, we are gonna to go to the most
vulnerable.
Sarah Wallace,
Reporter (Interview Mode): The most vulnerable?
Adhyl Polanco,
NYPD Officer: Of course, we gonna to go to LGBT community, we gonna go
to the black community, we gonna go to those people that have no vote, that
have no power. If we start doing what we doing in midtown Manhattan, a phone call to the Mayor’s office
is going to be made. That’s going to be the end of it.
Pedro Serrano,
NYPD Officer: We are the predators they are the prey. The worst thing
you can have is a police officer that needs an arrest for the month.
Sarah Wallace,
Reporter (Interview Mode): So you’re all minorities, how does that
make you feel?
Adhyl Polanco,
NYPD Officer: It’s, it’s
horrible.
Edwin Raymond,
NYPD Officer: This is something coming from the top that trickles its
way down and this is why we are all here today.
…
Kareem Abdullah,
NYPD Officer: All they want us
to do is go out there and lock them up. They told us its, its, its easy to get
numbers out here because you, you work in this type of community.
Sarah Wallace,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Are you arresting for stuff you shouldn’t
be arresting for?
Pedro Serrano,
NYPD Officer: Well that’s why we’re here. We don’t do it. We refuse
and because of that we are retaliated against.
Felicia Whitely,
NYPD Officer: Because you are not harassing people you are being
punished, you know, and it, it doesn’t make for a great work environment,
because they want you to harass people.
Side Note: Sarah
Wallace, Reporter (Narrating Mode): The lawsuit claims minority
officers are punished more severely than white cops for failing to meet quotas.
The city denies it.
...
Ritchie Baez,
NYPD Officer: And the community
are suffering the most.
Sarah Wallace,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Because?
Ritchie Baez,
NYPD Officer: Because the pressure, because the quota. Because the
police department is like a whore pretending to be a lady. That’s what they
are.
Sarah Wallace,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Are you worried? You know this is a big
step to come forward like this.
Adhyl Polanco,
NYPD Officer : It’s not easy. It’s not easy. We are the enemy. We are
the people that nobody talk to. The culture of the department, we are the rats.
That’s how they call it. We are the rats that speak out. It takes a lot of guts
from a rat to stand where we stand knowing that our career are basically over
the second we speak against such a
mafia. Because the police department is a mafia. It’s a big organized mafia.
…
Common Denominators to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
“… It’s illegal for them
to admit it.”
“… Black and Hispanics … they must get stopped.”
“… you go
hunting, like bounty hunting, for an arrest.”
“… we are gonna go
to the most vulnerable.”
“… go to LGBT
community, we gonna go to the black community, we gonna
go to those people that have no vote, that have no power. If
we start doing what we doing in midtown Manhattan, a
phone call to the Mayor’s office is going to be made. That’s going
to be the end of it.”
“We are the
predators they are the prey.”
“This is
something coming from the top that trickles its way down …”
“All they want
us to do is go out there and lock them up. They
told us its, its, its easy to get numbers out here because you, you work in this
type of community.”
“We refuse and
because of that we are retaliated against.”
“Because you are not harassing people you are being
punished, you
know, and it, it doesn’t make for a great work environment, because
they want you to harass people.”
“The lawsuit
claims minority officers are
punished more severely than white cops ...”
“And the
community are suffering the most.”
“It’s not easy.
It’s not easy. We are the enemy. We
are the people that nobody talk to. The culture of the department, we
are the rats. That’s how they call it. We are the rats that speak out. It
takes a lot of guts from a rat to stand where we stand knowing that our
career are basically over the second we
speak against such a mafia, because
the … department is a mafia. It’s a big organized mafia.”
Link to Video
Coverage:
Link to Rough
Transcript of Coverage:
(C) Alleged Abuse of Power by Top
Officials & Union Officials in the New York City Police Department:
Federal
Corruption Investigations were also recently revealed against Higher Ranking
Police Officers including some Officials of the Union
that represents High Ranking Officers, (The Captains Endowment Association,
NYPDCEA).
April 8, 2016, the New York Daily News reports, “… - Deputy Chief Michael Harrington,
commanding officer of Manhattan North, and Deputy Inspector James Grant, head
of the Upper East Side’s 19th Precinct – were transferred and
stripped of their guns and badges.” “… -
“Deputy Chief Eric Rodriguez, second in command of Patrol Borough Brooklyn
South, and Deputy Chief David Colon, executive officer of the Housing Bureau –
were transferred to desk duty.”
According to the New York Daily News, “Two of the disciplined officers serve on
the board of the Captains Endowment Association.”
Common Denominator to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
“Two of the disciplined officers serve on
the board of the Captains Endowment Association.”
(The Captains Endowment Association Union,
CEA)
Below are only some of the allegations
reported by the New York Daily News. To view the entire article, click on the link below.
Common Denominators to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
Wealthy people, “… doling out gifts to high ranking
officers
in
exchange for favors such as police protection, ...”
“In exchange, cops would close streets for parties and
… funerals and weddings, and
provide added police protection, ...”
Link to Article:
April 7, 2016,
The New York Times reported that, Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, “… fended off questions about why he had
acted now, after the inquiry had been going on for more than two years.”
According to The New York Times, “… potential
violations confronting the four disciplined leaders – and others who might come
under scrutiny – include violations of federal criminal law, the city’s
conflict-of-interest rules and Police Department’s own administrative codes.”
According to The New York Times, “Both men…”, Deputy Chief Michael Harrington
and Deputy Inspector James Grant, “… are officials in the union that represents
police chiefs, inspectors and captains.” (The Captains Endowment
Association Union, CEA).
Common Denominators to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
“… fended off questions about why he had acted now,
after the inquiry had been going on for more than two
years.”
“… violations of federal criminal law, the city’s
conflict-of-interest rules and
… Department’s own administrative codes.”
“Both men…”, Deputy
Chief & Deputy Inspector,
“… are officials in the union that represents
police chiefs, inspectors and captains.”
(The Captains Endowment Association Union,
CEA)
Link to Article:
(D) Alleged Abuse
of Power by Top Officials, Subordinate Officers, & Union Officers
in the New York City Department of Correction, (NYCDC):
April 17, 2016, in a Special Report by
CBS, 60 Minutes Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports on abuse of power and
neglect by New York Correction Officers, Correction Supervisors, and Clinical
Health Workers, (“Bill Whitaker Reports on a
Disturbing Pattern of Neglect and Excessive Force at Rikers Island”).
Below are only some of the things that
were asserted in this Special Report by 60 Minutes. For more information, to
see the entire video coverage, and or to read a rough transcript of the
coverage, click on the respective links below.
Partial Rough
Transcript of Special Report by 60 Minutes – Department of Corrections Rikers
Island:
Preet Bharara,
U.S. Attorney: I mean what you really have, we found, was a culture of
violence on top of a code of silence and that is a deadly combination and I
mean that literally as we found in a number of cases that we have brought in
connection to Rikers Island.
…
Preet Bharara, U.S.
Attorney: We found, in an alarming number of cases, there was no
discipline with respect to Officers at all. The Unit Officer had dozens of
complaints against him and was never disciplined once or maybe just one time,
and that is something that has to change. People have to understand that there
are consequences for their actions. Not just the inmates but the officers as
well.
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Interview Mode): How long has this been going on?
Preet Bharara, U.S.
Attorney: Years and years. Too long.
…
Jonathan Abady,
Private Attorney: He was placed in the functional equivalent of
solitary confinement. They put him in a cell, they locked the cell, and they
basically threw away the key.
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Narrating Mode): Abady represents Ballard’s family in a
pending wrongful death suit against the city. The commission’s report found
that Ballard was locked in his cell for 6 days prior to his death and was
denied access to his life supporting prescription medications and that day
after day Officers, Supervisors, and Clinicians walked by, observed his
deteriorating state but failed to help him.
…
Jonathan Abady,
Private Attorney: They watched him languish for 7 days as he died and
they did nothing. It was the functional equivalent of torture. They killed him.
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Narrating Mode): The city’s medical examiner declared
Ballard’s death a homicide, according to the commission report. It called
Ballard’s medical and custodial treatment from the time he entered Rikers, “… so incompetent and inadequate as to shock
the conscience …”
…
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Who’s responsible?
Norman Seabrook,
Correction Officer Union President: The Supervisor.
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Interview Mode): What about your Officers?
Norman Seabrook,
Corrections Union President: The Officers followed the instructions
of the Supervisor.
…
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Can you tell me about the case of
Bradley Ballard. What does that say about how things work on Rikers.
Dr. Daniel
Selling, Former Executive Director of Mental Health at Rikers: Probably
the worst case, uhm, that I’ve experienced, been a part of. That was, ahh, a
case in which all systems failed.
Bill Whitaker, Reporter (Narrating Mode): Selling said the staff of the
Private Medical Contractor failed to do the required daily rounds and never
informed him about Ballard’s deteriorating condition. The city’s contract with
the Private Medical Firm was not renewed.
Bradley
Ballard is not the only mentally ill inmate to have died in custody in recent
years. In 2014, US Attorney Preet Bharara filed the first criminal civil rights
case in a decade against a Rikers Officer or a Supervisor, in connection with
the poisoning of mentally ill inmate Jason Echevarria, who died after ingesting
toxic soap while in solitary confinement.
…
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Narrating Mode): A few hours later, according to court
documents, Correction Officer Raymond Castro alerted Unit Supervisor Captain
Terence Pendergrass that Echevarria needed medical attention. According to
Castro’s testimony, Captain Pendergrass said don’t call me if you have live
breathing bodies. Only call me if you need a cell extraction or if you have a
dead body.
Another
Correction Officer, Angel Lazarte, testified as to what happened next. A
pharmacy technician on her rounds said, Echevarria could die. He then
approached Pendergrass and Pendergrass told him to write an injury report.
You can see on
the tape, Pendergrass then went to look into Echevarrias’ cell himself. He
returned and interrupted the writing of the report. Pendergrass led Lazarte
away from the desk. After they talked, Lazarte pocketed the report. According
to court records, the report was never filed.
Echevarria was
discovered dead the next morning. The medical examiner ruled his death a
homicide due to neglect and denial of medical care.
…
Ramon (Jason Echevarria’s Father): He saw him, he was, he was in
pain and everything. Why couldn’t you just call an ambulance for him? Okay,
he’s a prisoner, he’s an inmate, he is a human being. He’s a human being.
Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney: It both breaks your heart
and it makes your blood boil. Because you’re thinking to yourself, here’s
somebody who had responsibility for making sure that peace was enforced but
also responsible for the safety and protection of those under his charge.
…
Preet Bharara, U.S.
Attorney: One of the conclusions that we found in our investigation
was that in case after case after case sometimes you will have individuals who
would witness things and they will get together and they would coach each other
into what their response should be, which makes it very difficult to hold
anyone accountable.
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Interview Mode): That culture you’re describing seems so
entrenched that the Officers felt almost comfortable behaving like that even
with the cameras running. What does that say to you about that culture?
Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney: It says that the culture
is broken. It says that the institution is broken.
…
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Your men are not trained?
Norman Seabrook,
Correction Officer Union President: And women, no they’re not trained
Bill Whitaker,
Reporter (Interview Mode): Your men and women are not trained to
deal with mental illness?
Norman Seabrook, Correction Officer Union President: Not at all.
…
Bill Whitaker, Reporter (Narrating Mode): … We wanted to talk to the
commissioner of the Correction Department about the problems at Rikers but our
3 scheduled interviews all were postponed. …
…
Common Denominators to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
“I mean what you
really have, we found, was a culture of violence on top of a code of silence …”
“We found, in an
alarming number of cases, there was no discipline with respect to Officers at
all. The Unit Officer had dozens of complaints against him and was never
disciplined once or maybe just one time, …”
“He was placed
in the functional equivalent of solitary confinement.”
“… denied access
to his life supporting prescription medications and that day after day
Officers, Supervisors, and Clinicians walked by, observed his deteriorating
state but failed to help him.”
“… medical and
custodial treatment from the time he entered Rikers,” was, ‘…
so incompetent and inadequate as to shock the conscience …’ ”
Q: "Who’s
responsible?" A: "The Supervisor." Q: "What about your Officers?" A: "The Officers followed the
instructions of the Supervisor."
(The Blame Game)
“… a case in
which all systems failed.”
They, “… never
informed him about Ballard’s deteriorating condition.”
(The “I was never told” Game)
“In 2014, US Attorney Preet
Bharara filed the first
criminal civil rights case in a decade against a Rikers Officer or a
Supervisor, …"
“… Correction
Officer … alerted Unit Supervisor Captain … that Echevarria needed medical
attention. According to …”
(Correction Officer), “… Captain … said
don’t call me if you have live breathing bodies. Only
call me if you need a cell extraction or if you have a dead body.”
Captain, … “interrupted
the writing of the report.” “According to court records, the report was never
filed.”
“… he is a human
being. He’s a human being.”
“… in case after
case after case sometimes you will have individuals who would witness things
and they
will get together and they would coach each other into what their response
should be, …”
“That culture
you’re describing seems so entrenched that the
Officers felt almost comfortable behaving like that even with the cameras
running.
Q: "What does that
say to you about that culture?" A: "It says that the culture
is broken. It says that the institution is broken."
A: Your men and
women are not trained to deal with mental illness? B: Not at all.
“We wanted to talk to the commissioner of the Correction
Department about the problems at Rikers but
our 3 scheduled interviews all were postponed.”
Link
to Video Coverage:
60 Minutes: Not Paid - Rikers Island
- Hacking Your Phone
APRIL
17, 2016, 7:00 PM|Lesley Stahl investigates the life insurance industry; then,
Bill Whitaker reports on a disturbing pattern of neglect and excessive force at
Rikers Island; and, everything is hackable -- including your phone.
Link to Rough Transcript of Coverage:
(E) Alleged Abuse
of Power by Top Union Official in the New York City Department of Correction, (NYCDC):
June 8, 2016, The New York Times reported
that, “The powerful leader of the union
that represents New York City Correction Officers, whose alliances with Mayors
and Governors have afforded him broad influence, was arrested on federal fraud charges…”,
referring to Norman Seabrook, President, for more than 20 years, of the
Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, COBA Union.
Murray Huberfeld, “the founder of
Centurion Credit Management, which was later subsumed by the top-performing
fund Platinum Partners, was taken into custody at his home about the same
time”.
“The
charges …, involve Mr. Seabrook’s investment of $20 million from his union and
its annuity fund in Platinum Partners through Mr. Huberfeld, and Mr. Huberfeld’s
payment of a kickback to the union leader,…”.
“Mr.
Seabrook and Mr. Huberfeld were both charged with one count of honest services
fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.”
Common Denominators to Alleged Abuse of
Power & Corruption by Leadership in Our Children’s Schools
“… federal fraud charges…”
“… payment of a kickback …”
“… honest services fraud and
… conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.”
Link to Article:
What About The Department of Education?
(F) Alleged Abuse of Power by Top Officials, Subordinate Officials,
& Union Officials
in the New York City
Department of Education
When are we going to stop tip-toeing
around the corruption, abuse of power, unethical, and immoral conduct
perpetrated by Leaders/Officers of our New York City & New York State Education
Departments and their supporting Unions? When are we going to rigorously
address the injustices and dangers specifically imposed upon constitutionally
protected groups of children, families, and educators in our schools?
According to the charges
against Governor Cuomo’s two right-hand men, (mentioned above), Abuse of Public
Office Power extends to the highest reaches of State Government, especially
when there is opposition toward transparency, accountability, meaningful
training, and unbiased oversight, (as mentioned above, The New York Times reported that Governor Cuomo allegedly disbanded an
anti-corruption panel less than one year after he impaneled it, May 12, 2016).
According to the allegations made by the “NYPD 12”, (mentioned above), the injustices which they are pressured
to commit on a daily basis are specifically targeted toward poor communities of
color. According to these conscientious Police Officers, this is allegedly the
toxic work environment set-up for our NYPD Officers of color. This is how our
current leadership in the NYPD allegedly views and treats people of color and of
social economic challenges.
According to the allegations reported by the New York Daily News & The New
York Times, (mentioned above), High Ranking Officers, (Deputies), in the NYPD
and High Ranking Officers in the Captains Union, (The Captains Endowment
Association, CEA), were illegally selling City Public Services and providing
special treatment to wealthy “Orthodox” communities in Borough Park Brooklyn.
This is allegedly happening while poor communities of color are treated
disparately by the NYPD and denied the services they pay taxes to receive.
Such disparate allocation of public services by Pubic Officials speaks
volumes about our leadership’s priority in governing and the priorities of Public
& Union Officials that have, for so long, supported such conduct by
neglecting to enforce transparency, accountability, meaningful training, and
unbiased oversight.
According to the report by 60 Minutes regarding conditions in our New
York City Department of Correction (Rikers Island), after investigating the department and reviewing much video footage of Correction Officers and
Supervisors working, and after he was asked, “What does that say to you about that culture?”, U.S. Attorney Preet
Bharara responded, “It says that the
culture is broken. It says that the institution is broken.”
What About the Department of Education, DOE, (also known as Board of Education, BOE)?
Who and how many of our Government,
School, and Union Officials have taken kick-backs to turn their cheek on
corruption and abuse of power in our children’s schools?
Who and how many of our Government,
School, and Union Officials have received extra bonuses for assisting in
cover-ups, intimidation, and harassment campaigns and campaigns to redirecting media
and public scrutiny?
Who and how many of our Government,
School, and Union Officials have hired family members to positions where they
prove to be above the law and immune against accountability for their immoral
and unethical actions?
Who and how many of our Government,
School, and Union Officials have received funds from private companies to
remain passive about Public School injustices long enough for conditions to
become so deplorable that government would have no choice but to hand control
over to the private sector; money thirsty corporations?
Who and how many of our Government,
School, and Union Officials have illegally sold their Public Authority and
Public Service to a selected wealthy few and used it to oppress
constitutionally protected groups?
Hindering Growth for The Human Condition
Cover-up-until The Media Steps-in To Question
Public Officials belittle the severity
of these reports by insisting that they are mere isolated incidents; “just a
few bad apples”, they say. But the
reality is that this is far from the truth.
These are systemic problems that only
gain little traction toward amelioration after the media exposes the stories
for public scrutiny. When the media fails to step-in, the problems are
vigorously and successfully internally covered-up, conscientious professionals
are severely persecuted and defamed, and dangerous problems continue to plague
our children’s schools.
Even if the media exposes some of these
injustices, authorities tend to drag investigations to benefit from not having
to publicly comment on the matter of “an
ongoing investigation”. They drag investigations long enough to deplete the
complainant’s assets. They drag investigations long enough to the point where
the public forgets or becomes distracted by the next wave of “Breaking News”. A
politician once said, “Politics is the
art of postponing a decision until it is no longer relevant.”
August 28, 2015, The Chief, a Civil
Service Employees’ Weekly Newspaper (Vol. CXIX. No.25), reported that a
Department of Education Internal Investigator, (assigned to DOE’s Office of
Special Investigations), Mr. Wei Liu, “made
false statements, generated inaccurate conclusions and showed bias against …” a “dedicated school worker” who committed
herself to education for almost ten years. The investigator was described as “unprofessional ... unhelpful, cruel, and
abrasive”.
Highly paid public servant Department
of Education Chancellor Carmen Farina - [who according to the New York Daily News, “…received $208,506 in pension payments in
2015…” for prior work in the DOE, “…plus
her annual salary of $227,737”, as Chancellor of the DOE, February 19, 2016] – signed-off on
this dedicated school worker’s suspension and Mr. Liu’s investigation was
improperly supervised by the DOE’s investigations oversight departments, [the
Special Commission of Investigations (SCI) & the Department of Investigation (DOI)], according to the Chief. Supervisors allegedly only review the investigation reports for spelling
errors and not for the merits of the allegations made and findings.
Also, according to The Chief, “After news accounts questioned the charges
… the SCI, which operates under DOI examined the case.” Again, if the media did not get involved
and exposed these injustices for public scrutiny, this would be yet another
human injustice that would fall through the many huge cracks within the DOE.
The article in the Chief refers to Mr. Wei Liu as, “The Runaway Investigator”, because
since the time he got caught he allegedly,
“… moved to Ohio.”
The implication here is that he can no longer be accessed for further
questioning and accountability. Such condition proves convenient for Officials
of the Department since further questioning and accountability may actually
reveal that Mr. Wei Liu was only following orders and that handling
investigations in this fashion, within the Department of Education, is actually
common practice and encouraged by Officials.
To add insult to injury, this article references
that the DOE once hired, as Lead Investigator for the Department of Education,
former NYPD Detective Louis Scarcella, who allegedly had a history of botching
cases in the NYPD, coercing confessions, and sending innocent people to prison
for many years. Scarcella allegedly left the DOE after he, “… was found to have conducted an improper and biased investigation”,
concerning regents exam grade fixing at the Cobble Hill School of American
Studies. Again, the conclusion of this investigation
was overruled by the DOE only after the media began asking questions.
This is not just about botched internal
investigations; this is about a culture where Public and Union Officers &
Lawyers in the Department of Education are openly comfortable to abuse their
power and infringe upon the rights of conscientious & experienced workers. This
is about a culture of Public Officials convinced that they are above the law
because, for so long, they have evaded transparency, accountability, meaningful
training, and unbiased oversight.
More Than Just Numbers Behind a Big Wall
Consider the incidents that occur behind the closed doors of the
Department of Education, where we drop-off our children, every weekday, (and
some weekends), with the hope that they receive a fair and sound education, in
a safe and nurturing environment.
Consider that behind the big wall of the Department of Education, Officials
ignore many important incidents and allegations of abuse and only conduct
investigations when the media begins to ask questions.
Consider that behind the big wall of The Department of Education,
important incidents that scar our children and families for a lifetime are actually derailed
and covered-up by Officials and unfortunately children are far too embarrassed and scared to have
to recall such incidents, let alone discuss them with family members. The New York Times reported that there
has been an identified, “patterns of
discrediting and punishing victims of sexual assault,” (The New York Times, June 7, 2016), in our
schools, especially affecting poor families of color.
Consider that behind the big wall of the Department of Education, there
are many abuses of power, injustices, and cover-ups that plague especially
constitutionally protected families of citizenship challenges, language
barriers, low income, color, LGBT, …
Consider that behind the big wall of
the Department of Education, "Girls of color face much harsher school discipline than their white peers...", according to a report by Columbia Law School’s
Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies, (Girls of Color Face Disproportionately Harsh Discipline at School, Columbia Law School Professor Kimberle Crenshaw, February 4, 2015).
Consider that behind the big wall of the Department of Education, formally
known as the Board of Education, lies an undeniable history of racial discrimination,
segregation, and oppression, (Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954).
Consider that behind the big wall of
the Department of Education, conditions are more and more resembling the
Department of Correction, (Officials address and refer to children using
prison/criminal justice terms and practices and thus condition them to
assimilate into prison culture). Children report feeling anxious and afraid, testifying
that they dread having to get to school hours early, not for class, but to
adhere to security searches and go through metal detectors, as if they were
entering a prison instead of a school, (facilitating the “School to Prison
Pipeline").
Consider that behind the big wall of
the Department of Education, Special Education students, for years, have been
secretively deprived from federally mandated services and an excessive amount
of federal funds. DOE Officials blame faulty computer software but Educators
have been complaining to Officials about this software for many years, (The
Chief, Vol. CXIX, No. 49, February 12, 2016; Public Advocate Letitia James Special-Education Suit Against DOE).
Consider that behind the big wall of
the Department of Education, Officials nurture a culture where conscientious
professionals are heavily and openly persecuted for advocating in favor of
positive changes, justice, and against abuse of power, immoral, and unethical
conduct.
Consider that behind the big wall of
the Department of Education, exists a culture where Department of Education
Officials are comfortable, and even take much pride, in utilizing such
persecutions as lessons to inflict terror onto other Educators who may consider
stepping forward to advocate against injustices observed. Such comfortable
disposition to openly abuse one’s power in public office is similar to what CBS,
60 Minutes Correspondent, Bill Whitaker observed and commented on when talking
to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara about the culture of the Officers in the New York
City Department of Correction at Rikers Island -
“That culture you’re describing seems so
entrenched that
the Officers felt almost comfortable behaving like that even with the cameras
running.”
The Urgency For Breaking Down The Big Wall
Children are learning that abuse of power and corruption
is the path to become a “successful” & “respected” leader.
We are losing our Children to
suicides, homicides, & incarcerations because of bullying, sexual, physical, verbal,
emotional, psychological abuse that are repeatedly ignored, derailed, and
covered-up in our schools. Children are at risk and attain serious injuries on school grounds
because of a disproportionate student to adult ratio that no one dares
to speak about. School officials maliciously place Children in harms way to
deliberately hurt Educators. Children are exposed to dangerously hostile
learning environments. Children are surrounded by Educators that are forced into
toxic conformity and thus become accomplices to social crimes committed. Children
suffer the brunt of always having new inexperience Educators & are deprived from
learning from experienced tenure Educators that are often flushed out of the system because they are more difficult to intimidate and cost the schools too much money. Children suffer from
teacher-high-turnover-rates. Children are exposed to educational neglect.
Children are deprived from basic school supplies. Children are anxious and
afraid and view schools as prisons. Children are threatened with police and
arrests if they do not behave in school. Children are addressed and referred to with the
use of lingo and practices common to correctional facilities. Children are
handcuffed and arrested by police in front of their peers and teachers for
minor offenses. Children are saying they hate school. Children are dropping out
of school at alarming rates. Children are surrounded by educated adults paralyzed
and muzzled with fear from advocating against immoral and unethical business
practices which places them at risk. Children are learning that this is how we
are supposed to treat others. Children are learning that abuse of power and
corruption is the path to become a “successful” & “respected” leader.
“Politics is the art of postponing a decision until it is no longer
relevant.”
Stop Public Officials
from Politicking These Problems Away
Keep These Grave
Concerns Relevant & Worthy of Immediate Amelioration
STAND-UP,
SPEAK-UP, WRITE-UP your experiences and tirelessly continue sending them out everywhere
in order to create the perfect storm that will –
Help to push back such injustices away from our most vulnerable humans,
Help push out of public office Public Officials that take our taxes but,
for so long, have condoned and ignored such complaints from the public and only
pretend to address issues when the media begins to ask questions,
Help remove from public office those who once took a Solemn Oath for
Public Office, “… to support the
constitution of the United States,
and the State of New York,
and that…”, they would do so, “
faithfully …”, but instead actually deliver the complete opposite.
Help end abuse of power in our Public Schools by demanding the
enforcement of transparency, accountability, meaningful training, and unbiased
oversight - without having to surrender control of our Public Schools over to
money thirsty private corporations.
STAND-UP,
SKEAK-UP, WRITE-UP your experiences and tirelessly continue sending them out everywhere
in order to create the perfect storm that will only recede when the clouds finally
withdraw, yielding to the power of a clear sky, where the Sun is permitted to shine
a whole lot brighter upon All Children – The Future.
Thank you for reading and all that you do to help make this world a
better place for all. To ALL my learners and colleagues, I wish you ALL a great
summer break. Much love, light, peace, and healing.
“These cases show – and history teaches – that the
most effective corruption investigations are those that are truly
independent and not in danger of either interference or premature shutdown.”
- U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara,
Thursday, May 12, 2016 -
Dear U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara,
My family, friends, colleagues, students and their families and I all immensely
thank you, the career investigators and prosecutors in your office, as well as
FBI Assistant Director Diego Rodriguez and his entire team for helping to clean-up
government corruption and abuse of power.
We sincerely pray and look forward to having some of that love spread into
our direction in order to disinfect rampant corruption and abuse of power within
the New York State & New York City Department of Education & their supporting
Union allies. All Children in New York deserve better! All Children around the world deserve better! Thank you.
Sincerely,
Luis Angel Perez,
Science & Mathematics Educator
& Advocate
