Sunday, March 31, 2013

Power and Privilege, Arizona Style

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Eoc (some news sources refer to it as "EOC") is a charter high school in Yuma, Arizona,  whose function appears to be helping students who have fallen behind in earning high school credits complete a vocational education.   On the morning of March 22 of this year, just a scant three months after the school massacre at Newton, MA, students and teachers were startled and shaken when an adult male pushed his way into a classroom against the will of a school administrator.  The man, visibly and vocally angry, frightened the teacher and students during an episode of ranting and finger-pointing.

The teacher, who stated that she feared for her own personal safety and the safety of her students, managed to record some of the explosive tirade with her cell phone, and she is pursing an assault charge against the individual.  She described the intruder as "confrontational and aggressive."

And the fellow who caused the disruption and brought the morning's school activities to a standstill?  Well, he walked away unfettered.

The man who bullied his way into the classroom and caused the commotion was Arizona State Senator Don Shooter, a Republican currently serving as chairman of the state senate's appropriations committee.  Shooter told a counselor at the school that "he was a very influential person in Yuma and the state of Arizona."

Senator Shooter has reported that he came to the school to complain about his grandson being bullied by a teacher.  He chose to address that situation by bullying himself into the classroom.

The senator claimed to have not been armed during the incident.   He can probably thank his lucky stars that the school teachers and administrators were not armed either.  Ironically, several Arizona legislators of Senator Shooter's own political party have been highly vocal in their support of arming teachers.

Power and privilege continue to walk arm-in-arm in America, with the "very influential" seldom bothered by rules and laws designed to keep the rest of us under control.

(Many thanks to my good friend MB for sharing this news item with me.)

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