Illinois Rep. La Shawn Ford

I heard Rep. Ford on the Bruce and Dan Show, 89 WLS AM Thursday morning on December 13, 2012. He was promoting an emergency town hall meeting to protest the school closings proposed by the board of Chicago Public Schools. It was his argument that westside schools were disproportionately targeted.

It was arrogance on his part to believe he could agree to an interview on a conservative talk radio station and not be asked about his appearance in a federal court just two days prior. He pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of bank fraud. Ford has denied lying to the now failed Shorebank to obtain a line of credit. He seemed completely caught of guard when Dan Proft asked about the charges. He replied, “Are you guys serious about asking me that question?”. They were very kind to him considering the circumstances.

I was intrigued by this “wrongly” accused elected official and decided to attend his emergency town hall meeting that night. My motive was to see for myself if he was sincere or trying to improved his tarnished image.

For well over two hours attendees listened several speakers expressing their opinions about CPS closing under utilized schools. I saw only one wireless microphone resting on the stage representing one of the major news stations. If there was one designated theme it was their dislike for how CPS has treated schools in poor black and Hispanic neighborhoods. The blame list was long, Mayor Emanuel, his cronies that financially back charter schools, Bill Gates, Race to the Top, the Commission on School Utilization, no one was safe from criticism. Even the pastor that opened the meeting with a prayer was thrown under the bus. He was long gone by the time someone called him a trader for signing a petition to support the opening a charter school in the neighborhood.

When I saw the reporter remove the microphone it never occurred to me that the temperament would quickly go from refined community organizers to angry protestors demanding war and calling for sit-ins and shutting down schools. Suddenly from the rear of the room a woman had everyone’s attention, she was tired of meetings and called for action. Almost on cue it was the fault of the white man. Rich white folks don’t want poor people or blacks in the city. She stated that she had 3 degrees and was a teacher for 15 years. She shouted phrases like, ethnic cleansing, high powered white folks, killing our children. The room got very loud and less civil. She agreed to lead a follow up meeting, even though she started her rant by informing us she hated meetings, she wanted action. The meeting would be held at 11:00am the following Monday at Rep. Ford‘s Chicago office. It struck me as odd since she was a teacher and Monday was a school day. They closed the meeting in prayer that called for Ford to get God’s help through the trails he was experiencing.

On Monday I arrived at the next meeting on time. The receptionist told me that I was the first to arrive. I decided to patronize a local shop to pass some time. When I returned 15 minutes later there were 2 women waiting. I engaged them in conversation about the CPS and school closings. Eventually I could no longer hide my conservative views. At some point a young man from Thursday’s meeting arrived and joined in our discussion. They were all eager to give me a list of books I should read. We shared ideas respectfully without shouting. After remaining silent during the first meeting it felt great to come out of the closet as a conservative. The women were educators of many years and had a great deal to say about what was wrong with Chicago Public Schools but had little to offer when I asked why we keep electing the same type of leaders while expecting different results.

About 11:45am Rep. Ford walked in, he said since he didn’t call the meeting he didn‘t feel that he had to attend. I left around noon and never saw that woman who had called for action and scheduled the meeting. Four people including myself bothered to show up. I honestly feel the woman that was yelling for action was a plant. They needed to take the focus off Ford’s charges.

In conclusion there are too many organizations working on a problem that can be solved by getting parents involved with the PTA. I lost count of the organizations, committees, unions and coalitions represented at the “emergency” town hall meeting even organizers from Chicago Teachers Union were in attendance. They meet to schedule more meetings without results. I would love to know how those all those groups are funded.

I really wanted to be wrong about Rep. La Shawn Ford but it was obvious that the only emergency reviving his damaged image.