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                   Intercity Sports Review
                          presents


                  "KEYBOARD, MOUSE & MODEM"


             an electronic informational service
                           of the
                Interclub Coaches Association
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While Night Sticks Pounded Heads . . .
WHERE WERE THE PARENTS ?







Copyright, (c) 1967, 1997 by Stan Daniels




Editorial Note:

        On Friday afternoon, November 17, 1967,
violence erupted at a demonstration by students
outside of the Philadelphia Board of Education
building while representatives of the students were
inside conferring with the Superintendent of
Schools, Dr Mark Shedd, on desired improvements in
the school curriculum.
        There were 22 injuries and 57 arrests in
the severe police - student confrontation.
Accusations were hurled from both sides as to who
started the bloody mess. About the only thing
agreed on was that a sudden rain and hail storm did
as much as anything else to bring a halt to the
melee.
        The following article was written in
commentary on that event. It is reprinted courtesy
of the ICA Eight Cities Network.






        Do certain police officials believe that
brutality is the ONLY way to enforce the law? Did
the police handle BLACK school children in a
DIFFERENT way than they did the WHITES of
Kensington (who were OPPOSING the State and City
Fair Housing Laws)? Was last week's incident a case
of "different strokes for different folks"?
        A "yes" answer to any one of those
questions means that a certain person who just
can't seem to handle Negro demonstrations without
bloodshed should either quit his job (or be removed
from it) in the interest of peace and public
safety. Now let's get down to the "nitty-gritty"!
        Where were the parents? That's right. WHERE
WERE THE PARENTS when police night sticks were
pounding the heads of their children? What were
they doing on that bloody Friday? What were they
doing during all the years of neglect while the
school system of Philadelphia collapsed into
institutions of mass ignorance? What were they
doing while their kids were growing up, going to
school and learning nothing about themselves, (and
next to nothing about anything else)?
        What was going on when kids by the
thousands "left their books in school" - that is if
they had any books at all !?! (If YOU  are one of
the FEW parents who took an ACTIVE interest in the
education of your child,and regularly made sure
that your kid was getting the best schooling
possible, read on. But, please pass this article on
to a friend when you finish reading it.) When 5,000
students picketed the Board of Education, why
weren't at least 2,500 parents there with them? (If
they were there, do you honestly believe that the
same thing would have happened?) Would kids "get
out of hand" with that many parents there? Would
the Police "get out of hand" with that many VOTERS
there? (Remember Negroes are largely responsible
for the re-election of the Mayor who hired - and
has the power to fire - the Police Commissioner.)
        The time is long overdue when first things
should be put first! The present CONFUSION is only
the RESULT of years of doing nothing, while buying
what we want and begging for the things that we
need. What is more important, Christmas shopping or
your kid's education? What counts the most, a party
or a parent - teachers meeting? What does the most
good, new and needed school books or new football
uniforms?
        There is no "easy way" out of the present
mess. The name calling will not solve the problems
(although it may create a few more). There are no
magic words or slogans that will solve the massive
problems facing us today. We must decide whether we
are going to find the CAUSES of the problems and
deal with them, or merely "treat" the EFFECTS with
a "quick remedy" only to have the same problems
break out again. Do you take an aspirin for Cancer,
or do you remove the Cancer?
        What are YOU going to do?
                                                 

                                        -30-



Originally published, November 18, 1967. Reprinted
from "Human Rights & Human Wrongs" as part of the
"Century 21 Countdown" series by INTERCITY SPORTS
REVIEW of the ICA Eight Cities Network. 


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