Readers Write: (Nov. 11): Bin Laden killing, 'pointergate,' school suspensions

It would have been far better for James Robert O'Neill to have captured Osama bin Laden than to have assassinated him ("Bin Laden's killer leaves shadows," Nov. 7). Bin Laden could then have been brought to trial, and the U.S. system of justice would have been on display for the world to see. As it is, his assassination set the stage for President Obama to continue on authorizing these illegal and immoral assassinations all over the world.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges was recently photographed with a get-out-the-vote canvasser in a playful pose on a north Minneapolis street. The silly picture of them smiling and pointing at each other was tweeted out, and if we were living in a sane world, everyone would have smiled at the picture and moved on with their lives. We aren't, of course, so the picture prompted John Delmonico, president of the city's police union, to ask, "Is she going to support gangs in the city or cops?" and a former police officer to exclaim, "She is legitimizing gangs who are killing children in Minneapolis!"

It sounds like a lazy Onion article, but thanks to KSTP-TV's recent report and a ridiculous overreaction by a few people in blue, here we are ("KSTP points finger, critics gang up," Nov. 8).

Hodges promised on the campaign trail to bring some much-needed accountability to a Police Department that cost the city almost $9.5 million between 2009 and 2013 in settlements and judgments for officer-involved cases (figures taken from a 2013 Minnesota Public Radio report). The police union made it very clear that she did not have its endorsement during the campaign.

So, deep down, does Mr. Delmonico really think Mayor Hodges is cruising around town flashing her support for north Minneapolis gangs? Or is he just bitter that we elected a mayor who is tired of writing checks to cover for the behavior of a (very) small number of bad-apple police officers?

• • •

I was saddened, but not surprised, to read the Star Tribune's coverage of the controversy, which has become known by the Twitter hashtag "#pointergate." The allegation that Hodges endangered police by flashing gang signs is ludicrous, but also typical of a mentality that takes hold when police engage in so-called "gang enforcement."

Unfortunately, one common pitfall of gang-oriented policing is that law enforcement begins to participate in the myths gangs seek to perpetuate — that they are stable, highly organized criminal enterprises. Agencies that fall prey to gang myths see gangbangers in every shadow and gang influence at the highest levels. By trumpeting overblown threats, they promote the very gangs they seek to weaken.

If law enforcement personnel truly believe that their mayor is throwing gang signs, and that their duty is to broadcast that claim into the home of every alleged gang member, then it's time for a course correction before gang myths further derail law enforcement and degrade police-community relations.

The policy change that requires the approval of the superintendent's office before students of color in Minneapolis public schools can be sent home for behavioral reasons ("Schools need OK to suspend," Nov. 8) is about as racist a procedure as I have ever heard of.

Is it too politically incorrect to state the obvious — that maybe there are more behavior problems with families that do not have biological fathers present? The "elephant in the room" commentary by Mitch Pearlstein on the same day's Opinion Exchange page hit the nail on the head. Without fathers present, there will be problems.

If there are disruptive students in the class, they must be removed in order for the teacher to teach the students who are there to learn. Of course, more blacks will be disruptive if black families are less likely to have two biological parents present in the rearing of the children. Until this cultural problem is addressed, nothing can or will change.

• • •

Minneapolis schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson was quoted in the article as saying that she wants to disrupt the pattern of more-frequent suspension for children of color "in any way I can." She went on to say that "[t]he only way I can think of doing that is to take those suspensions back to the individuals and try and probe and ask questions."

Perhaps what is needed is a think tank here. From my experience in teaching in the Minneapolis public schools, I would direct the MPS research and evaluation department to investigate how frequently parents are involved in the suspension process beyond a single notifying phone call. My recollection was that students were routinely readmitted after suspensions without parental accompaniment. It was policy to require parents to return with their children after suspension, but it rarely happened, and their absence was rarely challenged.

Parental involvement is the key to effective suspension. Otherwise, it's just the inconvenience of having an unsupervised child at home, and that isn't enough of a disruption of family life to require any changes on the home front.

• • •

Voilà! Suspensions will go down for students of color, but with lowered teacher morale and student learning. Then that pesky achievement gap will only get worse for all students of color, because they are concentrated in the schools with the most suspensions. Short-term, incremental thinking at its finest.