GREATER RISK TO THE PUBLIC.
HERE'S JOHN KELLER.
.
GOOD MORNING.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
IT'S COMING UP ON A YEAR SINCE
TURNING TO NISHA SULLIVAN.
WE HAD AROUND RIGHT AFTER SHE
TOOK THAT JOB AND WE'RE
DELIGHTING TO HAVE HER BACK IN
THE STUDIO WITH US THIS MORNING
FOR AN UPDATE.
THANK YOU.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
SO IT'S BEEN 8 DAYS NOW SINCE
THAT VERY BUSY DAY ON BOSTON
COMMON WITH THE RALLY OR
WHATEVER IT WAS AND THE MASSIVE
COUNTER PROTESTS.
WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE WAY THAT
WENT.
NOT JUST PHYSICALLY THE WAY THE
DAY UNFOLDED BUT SORT OF WHAT
THE TAKE AWAY IS FROM IT FOR
DWROUR ORGANIZATION IN THE
GENERAL PUBLIC?
RIGHT.
I DEFINITELY BELIEVE THAT WHAT
WE SAW ON SATURDAY WAS HOPEFULLY
A CATALYST FOR WHAT IS TO COME
NOT ONLY IN THE CITY OF BOSTON
BUT ACROSS THE COMMON WEALTH.
I WAS CERTAINLY ENCOURAGED BY
THE FACT THAT THE COUNTER
PROTESTS THAT WE SAW WERE REALLY
LED BY ORDINARY ZITS.
WHAT WE SAW PARTICULARLY WITH
THE MARCH THAT STARTED IN
ROXBURY AND LED TO THE COMMON.
THAT WAS LED BY A WOMAN FROM
ROXBURY MONICA CAMMEN AND WHAT
WE SAW WAS SHE WAS CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT WE SAW OUT OF
CHARLOTTESVILLE AND WOULD HOPE
TO LEAD NEARLY 40,000 IN THE
PROTEST.
I WATCHED THE DAY BEFORE THE
MARCH AND ALL OF THAT WHAT
HAPPENED IN CHARLOTTESVILLE.
SHE WAS ALSO STRESSING HER
INTEREST IN TALKING ABOUT
INCOMMON QUALITY.
AND I'M NOT HEARING A WHOLE LOT
OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
AM I JUST MISSING IT OR IS IT
JUST NOT HAPPENING.
IT'S NOT THAT YOU'RE MISSING
IT, JOHN.
I DO THINK FOR MONICA AND FOR
MANY OF US WHO PARTICIPATED IN
THE MARCH ON SATURDAY, IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT CERTAINLY
THIS IS AUGUST 19TH TO THE DAY
THAT WE ARE TAKING A STAND AS A
CITY TO ADDRESS WHAT WAS
EXPECTED TO BE A WHITE
SUPREMECIST RALLY.
BUT IF YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT
RACISM IN OUR CITY, THEN WE ALSO
NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF THE
SYSTEMS AND SOME OF THE ISSUES
THAT EXIST HERE IN THE CITY THAT
ARE PERSONIFYING RACISM IN OUR
DAY-TO-DAY.
SO WHETHER IT'S INCOME AND
EQUALITY PARTICULARLY IN THE
ROXBURY AREA.
WHAT WE SEE IS VAST INCOME AND
EQUALITY BETWEEN WHITE FAMILIES
AND BLACK FAMILIES AND LATINO
FAMILIES OR IT'S WITHIN OUR
EDUCATION SYSTEM WHERE WE SEE
PERSISTENT RACIAL ACHIEVEMENT
AND OPPORTUNITY GAPS OR EVEN IN
OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM,
YES, EVEN HERE IN THE CITY OF
BOSTON.
THERE -- WE HAVE TO TAKE A
BREAK IN A MOMENT.
BUT THERE WERE SOME COMPLAINTS
VOICED AFTER THE RALLY ABOUT THE
WAY THE POLICE HANDLED IT
ADMITTEDLY DIFFICULT INTENSE
SITUATION.
COMPLAINTS FREE SPEECH
COMPLAINTS THAT IN THE END
ACCESS WAS SO SEVERELY LIMITED
TO THE RALLY, THAT ALMOST NO ONE
WOULD HEAR WHAT IT WAS THEY HAD
TO SAY AND THE POLICE
COMMISSIONER SAID THAT'S A GOOD
THING.
AND ALSO SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE
WAY POLICE INTERACTED WITH THE
COUNTER PROTESTERS.
DO YOU SHARE THOSE CONCERNS?
SO I DO BELIEVE THAT THE CITY
AND THE POLICE COMMISSIONER AND
CHIEF GROSS REALLY MADE AN
EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT LEADING
UP TO SATURDAY AND THROUGH
SATURDAY THAT PUBLIC SAFETY WAS
A PRIORITY.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THE WORK
THAT WAS DONE ON THE FRONT END
TO HELP ENSURE THAT BOSTON WAS
NOT A REPEAT OF CHARLOTTESVILLE
TO THE DEGREE THAT WE ALL SAW
AND MANY OF US WERE HORRIFIED
BY.
THAT BEING SAID AS PART OF
PREPARATIONS THERE WERE SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS PUT INTO PLACE IN
ANTICIPATION OF THIS SO-CALLED
FREE SPEECH RALLY ACTUALLY
DRAWING A LOT OF PEOPLE.
AND IT DIDN'T.
AND SO WHAT WE SAW WITH A LOT OF
OPEN SPACE THAT WENT UNUSED
FORTUNATELY.
AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE THAT
SENT A VERY GOOD MESSAGE.
A GOOD MESSAGE THAT PEOPLE HAD
THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASPOES
WHATEVER BELIEF.
LET'S TAKE OUR BREAK AND
WE'LL CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION
IN A MOMENT WITH THE PRESIDENT
WELCOME BACK.
WE'RE TALKING WITH TINISHA
SULLIVAN AND MOMENTS AGO WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT ISSUES OF
IMPORTANCE IN COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR HERE.
PARTICULARLY LOWER INCOME
COMMUNITIES AND EDUCATIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT OR THE LACK OF IT IS
CERTAINLY RIGHT AT THE TOP OF
THE LIST.
JUST THE OTHER DAY THE BOSTON
TEACHER'S UNION IN THE CITY CUT
ANOTHER TWO YEAR CONTRACT.
AND AHEAD OF THE BOSTON
MUNICIPAL RESEARCH BUREAU KIND
OF A WATCH DOG AGENCY IT DOESN'T
ADDRESS MEANINGFUL EDUCATION
REFORM THAT'S NECESSARY TO
IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT END
QUOTE AND WENT ON TO CITE AND
ABILITY TO FIRE UNDERPERFORMING
TEACHERS AND I ADDED ON LENGTHEN
CLASS DAY DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT
CRITIQUE?
I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES
THAT THE DISTRICT, THAT THE
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS
HAD NOT JUST THIS YEAR, NOT JUST
IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS BUT
REALLY FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS AT
LEAST IS ITS ABILITY TO REALLY
ADDRESS RACIAL ACHIEVEMENT AND
OPPORTUNITY GAPS.
THIS IS NOT A QUESTION OF
WHETHER OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE
CAPABLE.
THIS IS REALLY AN ISSUE ABOUT
OUR, THE WAY IN WHICH OUR
DISTRICT IS EDUCATING OUR YOUNG
PEOPLE OR ATTEMPTING TO EDUCATE
OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IT'S SIMPLY NOT
WORKING AND WE NEED TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
AND SO WHETHER I AM CONCERNED
THAT THE CONTRACT IS AN INTERUM
ONE IF YOU WILL.
AS YOU KNOW IT'S ALREADY AT ITS
MIDPOINT BEFORE IT STARTS.
BUT WHAT I'M EVEN MORE CONCERNED
ABOUT IS WHETHER THE DISTRICT
HAS THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT
IN PLACE THE POLICY CHANGES AND
THE CURRICULUM CHANGES THAT ARE
NECESSARY FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE
TO ACCESS THE QUALITY EDUCATION
THEY NEED IN ORDER TO FOR THEM
TO PREPARE FOR SUCCESS BEYOND
HIGH SCHOOL.
I THINK THAT THE DISTRICT HAS
MADE SOME ATTEMPTS WITH ITS
ACHIEVEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY GAP
WORK.
IT'S TIME FOR US TO SEE SOME
MEANINGFUL PROGRESS THE OTHER
PIECE I WANT TO SAY AND I HAVE
TO BE FAIR THIS ALSO EXTENDS TO
OTHER SCHOOLS WITHIN THE CITY OF
BOSTON.
EVEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHARTER
SCHOOLS.
I THINK CHARTER SCHOOLS HAVE
DONE A GOOD JOB GENERALLY
SPEAKING WITH THE EDUCATION OF
OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HOWEVER, THERE
ARE CONCERNS WHEN IT COMES TO
PERVASIVE OPPORTUNITY GAPS AND
WE TALK ABOUT DISCIPLINARY
PRACTICES FOR EXAMPLE.
SO NET NET, YES, I DO THINK THAT
IT'S GOOD.
BUT I ALSO THINK WE HAVE A LONG
WAY TO GO WHEN IT COMES TO
PROVIDING YOUNG PEOPLE WITH THE
TYPE OF EDUCATION THEY DESERVE.
WE DO HAVE A MAYORAL ELECTION
THIS FALL.
IT'S COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER.
IT'S LIKELY ALL DO RESPECT TO --
THERE WERE FOUR CANDIDATES BUT
IT'S LIKELY THAT A PERSON OF
COLOR TITO JACKSON WILL MAKE THE
RUN OFF AGAINST MARTY WALSH.
IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME IN
SOME YEARS WE'VE HAD A PERSON OF
COLOR IN THE FINAL.
DOES THE -- DOES YOUR BRANCH OF
THE N AACP EXPECT TO ENDORSE?
SO THE NAACP BOSTON BRANCH
DOES NOT ENDORSE SPECIFIC
CANDIDATES FOR ANY OF OUR
ELECTED POSITIONS HOWEVER, WE
CERTAINLY ARE PAYING CLOSE
ATTENTION TO NOT ONLY WHAT IS
BEING SAID DURING THIS CAMPAIGN
SEASON BUT ALSO WHAT EACH OF THE
CANDIDATES HAS DONE RELATIVE TO
ISSUES OF RACE HERE IN THE CITY
OF BOSTON.
AGAIN, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT INCOME AND EQUALITY,
EDUCATION, OR POLICING IN
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM.
WE ARE PAYING VERY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO WHAT HAS BEEN DONE
BY EACH OF THE CANDIDATES IN THE
PAST TO HELP US IN FORMULATING
KIND OF WHERE WE BLEE THE CITY
SHOULD GO GOING FORWARD.
ANY QUICK OBSERVATIONS BASED
ON WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SEEING?
I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK
TO DO ACROSS THE BOARD.
I THINK ALL OF THE -- BOTH THE
LEADING CANDIDATES HAVE DONE
SOME GOOD WORK EACH OF THEM IN
THIS SPACE BUT THERE'S A LOT
MORE WORK TO BE DONE.
WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING
YOU BACK AGAIN SOON.
WE'VE GOT A LOT MORE TO TALK
ABOUT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOSTON
