Editorial: Running out the clock, security swarms, and 'democracy'
Even though the annual charter schools Love-In was derailed by reality during much of the October 24 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education, the general attack on democracy from 125 S. Clark St. continued unabated that day.
As usual, Chicago Board of Education President Rufus Williams started the pre-meeting late, then went into more than a half hour of business that could have waited until later before the first public participation officially began at around 11:15. Then there was the VIP section. Politicians and other selected VIPs are allowed to speak to the Board before anyone else. The VIPs include two politicians and the President of the Chicago Teachers Union. Another 15 minutes was blown, although observers had to admit that the CTU’s Marilyn Stewart looked a little miffed having to beg that her members be paid what was coming to them less than two months after she had railroaded them into the biggest sellout contract in the union’s history on orders from Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who is now calling the tune for all the unions.
So by 11:30, people who had lined up as early as 7:00 a.m. finally began to speak during the speakers’ time that was supposed to begin at 10:30. Even the testy Board President, Rufus Williams, realized that he had to relax his autocratic ways or there would be serious trouble. The Board had packed the Board chambers with charter school touts, leaving hundreds of parents and children stuffed into “overflow rooms” on the 19th floor.
So Williams tried to act like he was being a democrat and continued telling the secretary to call all of the names from the list of 88 people who had asked to speak. Of course, by the end, few people were left. At one point, three names were called for people who had something important to say, but had to leave. Democracy, Chicago style. Or should is be spelled Hypocrisy?
