The Cost Of Taking Our Eyes Off Of The Prize Within Our Community

Westlake High School is not an "inner city" school.
The majority of its students come from the solid middle class/ upper middle class of Cascade Heights that immediately surrounds the school.

Unfortunately - there have been two separate fights in which a student's jaw was broken in each case.
Unfortunately again - the physical results of the fight has triggered the involvement of the criminal justice authorities.  The first fight has lead to assault charges upon at least one of the students engaged in the fight.

The normal claims of impoverished living can't apply to this school

Though both Douglass High and Westlake are a mere 10 miles away from each other - the truth is that 60 years ago Blacks could not live in EITHER of these communities.

If there was one type of "racial cajoling" that I would support today it would be the type that is cast NOT upon an "ideological enemy" in an attempt to whip him back into the flock but to these young people who can't get beyond the "threat" from the Black student that is in front of them for them to see - NOT THE PAST which they were not allowed to attend these schools (had they been built at the time) but instead what they see as their role for the future in moving the ball forward.

In truth the 47% free lunch rate versus the 74% rate at Douglass is irrelevant.  To make this case also makes the case that poor student should not be expected to have "finishing" - what we call "home training".

Sadly with so much of the "Black Community Development Consciousness" focused on national politics - we are losing the game at the local level - where it counts the most.