I just got off the phone with Rachel Noerdlinger for Rev. Al Sharpton/National Action Network. Rachel saw my GG blog ‘Chicago Under Siege’ and asked me what could Rev. Sharpton and The National Action Network do to help.
We arranged a meeting with Rev. and the parents last night.
Rev. Sharpton is in the Chi this morning and is joining the parents of Altgeld Gardens students in a boycott of Fenger High School.
The boycott steams from the on-going tensions at FENGER between students of Altgeld Gardens and the Roseland community since the death of Derrion Albert.
Cheryl Jackson, Noonie Ward, the Committee of Safe Passage, community activist, and most importantly the STUDENTS will be joined by Rev. Sharpton for press conference at 10:30central standard time.
Parents called for a boycott after meetings last week with CPS and City of Chicago officials; requesting that their kids be transferred from Fenger back into their neighborhood school, Carver, because of safety.
Things reached a boiling point on Thursday, when a fight broke out inside of Fenger’s lunchroom between the Altgeld Garden boys and ‘The Ville’ (Roseland). Parents say the Chicago Police Department locked-down the school, allowing no one to enter and no one to leave.
And one parent says her daughter was handcuffed in order to use the bathroom.
Now parents are taking matters in their own hands and keeping their kids out, until they can get them ‘A SAFE PASSAGE’ to go to school!
We’ll bring you up-to-date information as thing progress.
One thing is for sure, kids can’t learn in an environment of fear and intimidation!!! WAR ZONE!
The only immediate solution for THIS situation, is to put the teens from the Gardens back in their community. It’s just like in a domestic violence situation; somebody has to GO!!! One of the parties must LEAVE the home or someone will be killed!!!!
Derrion Albert was that someone!
Then we have to deal with the larger issue, because two Chicago Teens have been killed since Thursday; one of them just after his mother went to the school to get him transferred because he was being targeted by gangs. Little did she know he would die that afternoon.
Chicago is Under Siege Yall!
Tonja Styles
Political Swagger Chicago
