First let me share, for those who don't know, that I am a Jew. It seems important in this conversation, but from what I have been reading it is. I am not a Lower Eastside Jew, wait I am. My paternal grandfather and his family first lived on Ave C and 9th St when they first came over in 1903. Eventually they moved to the Bronx and my grandfather was quite active in Tammany Hall. Oh, and during prohibition ran booze down from Canada and after that sold Slivovitz out of the trunk of his Buick that my great grandfather had produced using my 6 year old father and his 8 year old cousin to smash the plums in the bathtub in his apartment on Walton Ave in the Bronx.


I also have some tried and blue Communists in my family. A cousin, the actor Howard Da Silva (He played Louis B Mayer in "Mommie Dearest" and Ben Franklin in "1776") was a Communist and blacklisted by Joe McCarthy.

When my dad's uncle went off to Berkeley in the mid 1920's, it was Howard Da Silva who turned him onto Communism. My great uncle was soon ushered out of the State Department just before WW II, moved to China after the war, fell out of favor with Mao in 1949, and moved to Rome where he lived until his death in 1977.

My great-aunt (My grandfathers sister) said to me about 20 years ago (This coming from a 91 year old short Jewish woman) "I'll kill anyone in the family that doesn't vote for a Democrat."

Oh, before I forget, I lost family in the Holocaust. My maternal grandmother's uncle (As well as her brother in law. He married her sister!) died in the Lødz Ghetto in 1941 along with his wife and his children. His name, Maurcy Trébacz, one of the most famous Jewish-Polish artists of his time.

So, enough of the bromides, M'kay?

But I am not writing to share my life or make my life the center of this blog post, rather I wish to share why I am disappointed with MORE and fear for it's future.

First, there are some very good people with MORE. These people are able to see both sides of the issue and able to listen to others. These people want to see MORE (As do I) be able to overtake Unity and take control of the union. But the perspective is that MORE will much rather deal with this "Social Justice" mantra than deal with the fact that TEACHERS ACROSS THE CITY ARE HURTING AND IN PAIN AND HAVE NOWHERE TO TURN.

Francesco Portelos was arrested and spent 33 hours locked up (And let's not forget this). My story. Christine Rubino. Jeff Storobinsky. ATR's? And let's not forget the countless stories that come into my email and DTOE's each and every day from teachers being harassed, belittled and discontinued.

Where is MORE on this? Not to be seen of nor heard from. Nothing. Nada. Bupkus.

When it was suggested that MORE picket and/or have a presser in front of Sam Pirozzolo's optical store, it was met with an extremely tepid response.  

When I suggested to someone at MORE  that they should have had someone or people picket the 84th precinct when Portelos was arrested (It was known several days in advance of Portelos' pending arrest) the answer I received was. "It will look stupid."

But how did I get to have this audience with such a person? This MORE person called me up, on a SUNDAY, and without even saying, "Hey Pete, this is *******," went into such a tirade, that the senior citizens at the CVS I was at were not only able to hear this tirade and imagine the frothing at the mouth from this person, but were blushing.

Yet, teachers do not get support, yet Con Ed workers do from MORE? Why do ConEd workers on strike get attention and teachers don't? Oh yeah, "Well if we show them support, they will show is the same." A lot of people are still awaiting our blue helmeted brethren.

But MORE has no problem supporting the march of a race baiting, anti-Semite while not supporting the cops and the NYCPBA? Edited for the crazies (IN RED) who forgot what I had written  a week ago: Firstly, what happened in Staten Island was wrong. Do I think that people of color are treated differently by than others my some NYPD officers? Yes. Does this effect the way the community interacts with NYPD? Yes. Should the UFT have supported this march? No way.

The UFT showed it's hypocrisy in supporting the march for the act of one police officer. We as teachers are broad brushed day in and day out by the acts of a very few. We are railed against, beaten down and left on an island without any support. By making this march about the UFT's involvement we have put the 99% of officers of the NYPD who do the right thing in the shoes we don't like being forced to wear by outsiders. And.... The UFT could have showed it's support for the community in other ways than endorsing this march.

We as teachers could have been asked or encouraged to go out into that Staten Island community and found common cause with the citizens. We as teachers have been subject to heavy handed tactics by Tweed and worse, SCI. We, both teachers and the Staten Island community have been affected by the last 20 years in this city of a top down, heavy handed, oligarchy, near police state by our elected officials and those at 1 Police Plaza. Oh yeah, the old, "What have cops done for teachers?" But then what have ConEd workers done for teachers?

When I bring this up on the MORE listserv what happens? I get a phone call, while I'm in Chicago going to a Cubs game, telling me to cool it. This smacks of if not censorship, but rather being told to toe the party line.

I want nothing more (Pardon the pun) to see MORE succeed. But it is trying to be too many things to too many constituencies. MORE must concentrate on the teachers, the schools, the students, and education and only then will the social justice aspect fall into place.

MORE needs to show the same fervor for teachers that are mistreated and shat upon that it shows for others. It needs to be GEOGRAPHICALLY more (Again, pardon the pun) inclusive.

MORE, has a perception issue. It is real and there are a lot of people that feel this way. And this are not pro-unity, pro status quo people. These are people that truly are searching for an alternative and feel that MORE can be that great alternative but these people just have far too many qualms and concerns about MORE.

It's too bad that they don't truly see that.

As many of you know, I have been reassigned due to my blogging and exposing the day in and day out hypocrisy of the NYCDOE. I believe that this has been part of a vast conspiracy with my principal, Dr Alison Coviello; PhD and Principal at the center of the conspiracy. I don;t have any concrete evidence, but I believe that God shine a path to the truth.

Since September 3, 2013, I have been jailed at 4360 Broadway, Children's First Network 403 as my jailers. Today was the darkest day yet.

For two months I have been "stored" in the cafeteria on the 5th floor of 4360 Broadway. Yes, a cafeteria. Here is proof (over there on the left). See, it says cafeteria, but for some reason local custom (I am still studying these people) it is called a "conference room." But it does not look like any conference room I have ever seen (up above). In fact, this cafeteria/conference room is so special it has a copying machine that runs full throttle throughout the day and I get to suck in the fumes.
 But all is not that bad. It could be worse. For instance, I have an activity to do in the cafeteria/conference room. Count the dead ants on the sticky paper and count the ants going into the ant trap.


 



 But the best part is I made two new friends today. They decided to pose for a photo (look to the left). The little fella who on his back with his legs sticking up I am going to name him George. I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him and pat him and pet him and rub him and caress him.


 I do not like it in the cafeteria/conference room. Aside from the filth, there is no real place to keep my device plugged in, people are coming and going. The HUGE conference room down the hall which hosts PD brings hordes of people into the cafeteria/conference room at lunch time. I have zero privacy and in the words of George Carlin, no place for my stuff. In fact, a book I was reading, Lincoln's Men was swiped from the cafeteria/conference room yesterday. Worse, is that I had about 30 pages to go.

So I really don't like it up there. I prefer the break room, (which I was told it is not even though that is where the vending machines are) on the 4th floor by the security desk and elevator. I have a bit more privacy and it is more comfortable. Their reasoning, "we have been told we must 'supervise' you." This directive coming from Tweed. Though others RR's on 4th floor allowed free reign. Supervise? What am I 12 years old? I am not supervised! No one EVER comes to see how I am doing or if I am breathing. If they cared so much about their supervisory duties then why am I allowed to be subject to copier fumes and ant and roach doody?

But they say that the cafeteria/conference room is the best they can do since they have no room for me and "nothing for you to do."

But people whine and complain. Boo-hoo. So word gets back to my jailers which brings me to today.

I thought today was going to be the end. I had no access to the outside world. My phone was on the fritz and when I asked one of my captors for permission to use the CFN 403 phone, I was told emphatically, "NO!"

 I am not even allowed to use computers. I've been told that the times I have that when someone's else has gone on the computers are slow ROAD APPLES I say! IE is slow and people too stupid to realize it and use Chrome or Firefox.Me signing on to a computer in no way slows down a computer.

I've been harangued for walking into what I had thought a closet, which turned out to be another photocopier room looking for an outlet for my phone.

I have been told in no uncertain terms that I am not allowed to leave the cafeteria/conference room. I can't even eat lunch in the 4th floor break room (even though they say no one ever eats there I do see ¡mucho arroz con frijoles!).

I must ask permission to goo pee pee or doody. I must ask permission to use a vending machine.

This is being done to break me and not to infect others. Such as the way Portelos is isolated and Christine Rubino is isolated. We, and all the others, are political prisoners.

During the first inning of my son's baseball game tonight I get a tweet from embattled Brooklyn teacher Christine Rubino. Curious, I read it an notice a link. The link directs me to New York State Courts page and what is there you ask? Christine Rubino kicked the DOE's ass! The Appellate Division found that she was unjustly terminated.

My favorite quote of the decision goes a little something like this;

Supreme Court properly found the penalty of termination to be shocking to one's sense of fairness

 Way to go Christine! Keep up the good fight!!!


Michael A. Cardozo, Corporation Counsel, New York (Deborah A. Brenner of counsel), for appellants.
Glass Krakower LLP, New York (Bryan D. Glass of counsel),
for respondent.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Barbara Jaffe, J.), entered February 2, 2012, which granted the petition to set aside respondents' determination to terminate petitioner's employment
with respondent Department of Education upon findings of misconduct to the extent of remanding the matter for the imposition of a lesser penalty, and denied respondents' cross motion to dismiss the petition, unanimously affirmed, without costs. 

The record shows that petitioner teacher posted comments on a social media website alluding to a tragedy involving an unknown student at a different school. Although the comments were clearly inappropriate, it is apparent that petitioner's purpose was to vent her frustration only to her online friends after a difficult day with her own students. None of her students or their parents were part of her network of friends and, thus, the comments were not published to them, nor to the public at large, and petitioner deleted the comments three days later. Despite petitioner's initial denials when confronted about the incident several months later, she admitted to making the comments at the disciplinary hearing, acknowledged that they were inappropriate and offensive, and repeatedly expressed remorse. Although the Hearing Officer found that petitioner engaged in a plan with her friend to mislead investigators right after the allegations surfaced, the court reasonably concluded that petitioner's actions were taken out of fear of losing her livelihood, rather than as part of a premeditated plan. 

Under the circumstances, which includes the lack of a prior disciplinary history during petitioner's 15-year career, and her expression that she would never do something like this again, Supreme Court properly found the penalty of termination to be shocking to one's sense of fairness (see e.g. Stoyer-Rivera v New York City Bd./Dept of Educ., 101 AD3d 584 [1st Dept [*2]2012]; Matter of Riley v City of New York, 84 AD3d 442 [1st Dept 2011]; City School Dist. of the City of N.Y. v McGraham, 75 AD3d 445 [1st Dept 2010], affd 17 NY3d 917 [2011]). 

THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER
OF THE SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT.
ENTERED: MAY 7, 2013
CLERK

Geez, sorry for not blogging for a week. I was a single father last week and priorities took precedence.

I wanted to blog this past Friday about a seeming hypocrisy coming from not only Uncle Mike, but from the New York media, especially the Daily News.

On Thursday, the News reported that 17 police officers were disciplined for leaving disparaging comments on Facebook last year in regards to those that make up the crowd at your typical West Indian Day Parade.

Comments ran the gamut. From calling the revelers, "savages" and "animals," to the more crude, “Kill them all,” and our favorite here at SBSB;

"I say have the parade one more year and when they all gather drop a bomb and wipe them all out.”

We'll come back to that last comment in a moment, but first a few thoughts. Funny how the Daily News failed to mention the names or out any of the officers names that left such asinine remarks.

But, the Daily News had no problems in wishing and hoping that Christine Rubino will be fired and left holding the bag. In fact, let's take some of the Daily News' own words about Chrstine and change them around to reflect the outrage and horror that should be written about these cops.

You would think a cop who openly expresses loathing for the citizens they are supposed to protect and serve even to the point of wishing them dead is unfit for the NYPD.

 Not in New York, where rules, regulations, arbitrations and court decisions bar the NYPD  from bouncing virtually anyone short of an ax murderer nabbed with a bloody weapon.

 These were not jokes or momentary outbursts of exasperation after a tough day at the parade. These were expressions of a sneering attitude that is anathema to a healthy, productive police officer-citizen relationship. Would the cop we refuse to name go the extra mile to help a citizen of color in trouble? 

Yep, cops good, teachers bad. 

We here at SBSB call for the Daily News to name these police officers, none of which has been fired, but have been reprimanded with penalties; "Six cops were slapped with command disciplines and seven officers received lower levels of punishment, which included 'letters of instruction,'” Oh yeah, and 4 are facing departmental trials of misconduct. Hey, wait, is anyone blaming the PBA for this right of due process?

More appalling is why we do not know the name of the cop, his command, his entire personal history, that uttered these words on Facebook;

"I say have the parade one more year and when they all gather drop a bomb and wipe them all out.”

This will be the first of hopefully many documents from the files of the Christine Rubino case.

Tonight's inanity is how mediator Randi Lowitt and DOE "attorney" Jeffrey Gamils team up on Christine for not having an attorney at the opening of her hearing.

Long story short, Christine changed attorneys, as is her right, at the last minute. The arbitrator had no problem having a hearing without an attorney representing Christine, and the DOE "attorney" seemed to have no problem. Suffice it to say, why do felons have more rights than teachers? Why would a felon get a continuance if he or she changed attorneys, but not a teacher like Christine?

Read on;

Ms._Rubino-1

I feel sorry for Christine Rubino. Not only has she been suspended without pay for two years, financially hanging on by the thinnest of threads, but worse, if she had only been an administrator her mistake of posting a message out of frustration on Facebook concerning her students would have been at best ignored, at worst, a slap on the wrist.

If Christine was a hot shot former superintendent of Washington DC schools like Michelle Rhee, she would be able to get away with duct taping the mouths of 1st grade students then laughing about it years later. Sadly, Christine is just a darn damn fine teacher that truly made a mistake and feel remorse.

Perhaps if Christine was a former principal from Wichita KS, hmm, like Dr Mychael Willon and was caught in some lewd and lascivious act alone in a Wichita KS adult bookstore then went on to get a mail order PhD and eventually get hired by the DOE as a network leader and then promoted to a job within Tweed, Christine would not have to be selling her house to pay for the legal bills and to put food on the table for her children.

How about if Christine was an assistant principal at my school, PS 154 and Christine dragged students down the hall, dragged a student from the yard to inside the school, and dragged and bruised a 9 year old girl like Derrick Townsend did Christine would have no worries now. Like Derrick Townsend, Christine's only penalty would be a desk job in Committee for Special Education 2 in The Bronx. But, right now Christine needs to look to her parents, who are in their golden years, for support.

Maybe if Christine were the principal at Bronxdale High School and she could have bragged, like principal John Chase Jr had, her deviant sexual fantasies with inanimate objects. Of course Christine has no reason to do that, nor would she ever share such  things as the perverted principal had, but Christine would have gotten a slap on the wrist like John Chase Jr did. But sadly, Christine is looking at an uncertain future.

But most disturbing, most curious, is that the person who set this off, Principal Jose Maldanado-Rivera of the Columbia Secondary School, who through his negligence, through his in competence, through sheer stupidity, allowed Nicole Suriel age 12 to die. To die a horrible death, a preventable death, a hollow death. All because this man, Maldanado-Rivera just was too lazy and too stupid to make sure there were permission slips for the students and that all students were capable swimmers.

Christine Rubino never would have done something like putting a child in danger. Christine Rubino is not only too smart, but too caring, too loving, and too much of a human being to ever not be vigilant when it comes to a student's safety.

But, for one mistake, a mistake that Christine has shown true remorse, she not only was fired originally, but upon further review, suspended without pay for two years, but has lost or about to lose everything. This is not only unfair, but an indictment on how screwed up, how pathological the NYC DOE has become.Don't think any of these administrators have shown remorse. Only when caught have they.

It is time to hold the looking glass over administrators everywhere and finally put the onus on them for how dysfunctional education is now in NYC. It is time for administrators to stop being held to such a low standard and start being held accountable. This pogrom on teachers must end now.