The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly…this week in Rhode Island (1/24/2020)

THE GOOD

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

More employers are offering their employees the day off than in previous years. More events seem to be available to attend, as well – from the annual Providence breakfast to concerts and events that will continue well into the month of February.

THE BAD

ACLU

While agreeing that the case of a middle school girl being handcuffed and arrested in front of her mother for an altercation she had with another girl might have warranted some action by the SRO (School Resource Officer), we question that handcuffing was the only course of action, although the tape of the incident has not been seen. But we do think that the ACLU holding the case to come before the public on Martin Luther King Day with a charge of racism was designed to gain the media attention that it did. The issue of discipline in high schools remains one of concern to all teachers, parents, and administrators, regardless of the race of the students involved.

Peanuts, Popcorn and Cracker Jacks?

RI Senator Jack Reed hawking free tickets to the impeachment hearings was a surprise from this senator with a better sense of how things play in the press than this.  As we understand it, only three tickets each day are available. Regardless of what “side” you are on, this is a stunningly sad time to watch the country go through.

Next Pandemic?

The Coronavirus is spreading and growing. While panic has not yet set in, and screening procedures are underway, this week saw the first case in the US in Washington state and screenings happening at LAX. A pandemic is not just a case of ‘if’ anymore – regardless of this “mystery virus” or the next – but it is a case of “when”.

THE UGLY

Words Matter

“I come from a place where black and Latino people are one. That’s not the case here. That has to end here and now. No more, no more, no more.”  These words were spoken by new Education Commissioner of Rhode Island Schools, Angelica Infante-Green, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. annual breakfast. The words stirred the pot. Claiming racism doesn’t exist in New York (where Infante-Green came from) but does here in Rhode Island were unnecessarily insulting, charged, and questionable. We suspect they inspired no one towards change, but further made people feel badly about themselves, their neighbor – and hope for the future.