When I was a substitute teacher in Oakland, one of the roughest jr. highs I subbed at was right across the street from the projects that Felix Mitchell, a pioneer in introducing modern corporate mngmnt. principles to crack cocaine distribution, dominated. His funeral (killed in prison) was attended by thousands, as he had provided lots of jobs and financial support back to the community.
A girl in the 8th grade class, in a school, where almost all the kids got free or reduced price lunches (thanks to the embarrassment caused the USG after the Black Panthers free lunch programs [which according to Hugh Pearson in his book on Huey Newton and the BPP, included amphetimines], took umbridge at my rant about class and racial inequality. "But, we are all rich." Having $100 tennis shoes qualifies one as rich?
Another boy, in a 7th grade class, at the same schoolsite, for the, "developmentally disabled, " w/o any prompting from me, said, "All political power grows out the barrel of a gun, " from Mao. "Wow, " I said, "where did you first hear that?" My parents werew Panthers in the 60's. Think the kid was put in that class for being too smart and defiant, not for, "retardation."
Felix Mitchell, btw, at his trial said that he couldn't undrstand why he was being prosecuted since he was just following the Amerikkkan Dream.
-- Michael Pugliese