More Questions re East Ridge High School Black Panther Announcement

Updated 5/6/2013 12:31pm
A new development on the East Ridge High School/Black Panther controversy.  According to Robert L. Stephens' blog, his mother, Marquita Stephens, was allowed to go into ERHS on March 21, 2013 and conduct a "training" for the teachers on how they're "processing" the controversy.  According to this infamous OWS protester, the teachers involved in the training had no problem with the Black Panther announcement on February 14, 2013.  This information was confirmed by the FOIA'd emails - it was discovered that there were a series of emails between Ms. Stephens (her information was redacted, but the email's content includes discussion about a presentation) and Principal Harper that included some sort of book, a teacher survey and a 25 minute presentation by Ms. Stephens.  The information referenced in the emails was not included in the FOIA'd emails (the link to the Google doc no longer works), so the concerned parents are very curious as to what was presented on the same day that Ms. Stephens went to the South Washington County School Board meeting and presented Robert L. Stephens' letter to the editor of the Woodbury Bulletin.

At the first school board meeting the concerned parents attended and presented their concerns to the board, Steve Ellenwood also offered to go into the school and discuss the history of the Black Panthers and the concerns of the parents to the teachers.  His offer was brushed aside by the board.  Why, then, was Ms. Stephens allowed to do a presentation? What are her qualifications for this honor?  She is a social worker working (or has worked) with a non-profit adoption agency; what part of that qualifies her to "train" teachers? What about the report by Robert L. Stephens regarding how the teachers expressed no issues with the announcement? Is it that they are all indoctrinated to believe that as long as it was done in the context of Black History month that honoring socialist, militant groups over the school PA system, without including any classroom discussion time, is the right thing to do? Or is it because they were afraid of being labeled "racists" if they spoke out as those concerned parents have been by the supporters of the announcement?  Isn't this a form of bullying by the administration? Or possibly the teachers were concerned about speaking out due to the fact that the district is planning to cut 22 teaching positions to save $1.6 million in the next budget?

There have been researchers investigating the Stephens' backgrounds over the last few days.  Some of what has been discovered requires further investigation, however, one discovery may explain how and why Robert L. Stephens is completely radicalized in his beliefs about America.  There has been some evidence discovered that seems to show that the late Reverend Dr. Robert L. Stephens, Sr. was a proponent of Black Liberation Theology - the same theology preached by Obama's controversial Reverend Wright.  More research is being conducted to verify this possibility, but from what has been unearthed so far it seems likely that it could be true.

So, how does that possibility relate to the ERHS Black Panther issue?  It would seem to make sense that if the Rev. Dr. Stephens ascribed to Black Liberation Theology, that his wife, Marquita, is also a proponent of the same belief system as would be their children.  In that belief system, the Black Panthers would not be viewed as the violent criminals they were, but as liberators of oppressed people.  Is that what Ms. Stephens "trained" the ERHS teachers to believe as well?

How are Marquita Stephens, Principal Harper and Tishanna Brown connected?  From Robert Stephens' LTE, it is known that he graduated not from East Ridge High School, since it was not open in 2006, but Woodbury High School.  Did his younger brother attend ERHS?  Or are the three mentioned above acquainted in another way?  It seems that according to the emails (see below) between Principal Harper and Ms. Stephens that they were working together on the teacher training presentation that Ms. Stephens performed on March 21, 2013.  What exactly was taught during that "training"?  Why weren't the concerned parents notified by the district that the "training" occurred or was planned?  If Ms. Stephens truly wants a "dialogue" between the various groups in the community, why was this training kept secret?  Why wouldn't the concerned parents also be invited to the "training"?

Last week, one of the concerned parents was strongly advised by a school board member (with witnesses) that the parents should remove their children from East Ridge High School due to the concerned parents' persistence in requesting that the school board investigate the Black Panther announcement.  The school board member obviously feels concern for the children, why doesn't it seem to concern the rest of the board?  Why isn't the board seeing the need to stand up and speak out about the possibility of harassment (or worse) of concerned parents' children at ERHS?  Is the school board afraid of the announcement supporters? And if so, why?  Is it the fear of being labeled, like the concerned parents have been, as "racist"? Or is there a more nefarious element at work? Are the administration and school board members being pressured to continue to try to sweep this issue under the rug and allow the concerned parents to receive the brunt of the accusations that their concerns are racially motivated? If that is the case, why are they caving to the pressure? Of what or whom might they be so afraid?

FOIA'd Emails

OWS Protester Stands Strong with ERHS Black Panther Commemoration

Remember this dramatic video from the 2011 OWS protests?

Robert L. Stephens at OWS in DC in 2011

Heart-wrenching, isn't it? So, so sad, even though when one digs into Robert L. Stephens' story a little more deeply as The Blaze did, one would discover that Robert Stephens graduated from Carleton College (average cost: $42,942/year) in 2010 and now studies law at The George Washington University Law School (average cost: $70,449/year). 

And who could forget Glenn Beck's follow-up on this man's "story"? 

Glenn Beck outs Robert L. Stephens' lies

The Blaze was the first major news organization to dig into Robert L Stephen's dramatic fabrications:

There’s just one problem: Robert Stephens’ story is (surprise!) completely bogus. His father has a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees; his mother also has a master’s degree.

Phone inquiries into the county property records & taxpayer services office reveal that the Stephens family home is not and never has been in foreclosure, that property taxes had been paid in full this year and the remaining balance on their mortgage for the half-million dollar home is less than one year’s worth of tuition+fees at their son’s law school.

The nail in this empty protest’s coffin is a delightful phone conversation I just had with Robert’s mother, Marquita, where she admitted Chase Bank indeed was not “taking” their home from them. Instead, due to a recent “reduction in income,” they’ve decided to hold a “short sale.”    ~ Meredith Jessup

After that story broke and Robert L. Stephens was exposed for the big-time street actor that he is, one would think that he would go back to George Washington University and finish his education.  But, that apparently wasn't his plan.  A few weeks ago Robert L. Stephens decided to delve into the issues happening back in his hometown: good ol' Woodbury, Minnesota, where Robert had graduated from Woodbury High School back in 2006.  The Black Panther Announcement at East Ridge High School in Woodbury proved to big for Robert to not comment on: in a letter to the Woodbury Bulletin: I appreciate the students and teacher that decided to share the poem and explain the Panthers’ complex historical significance over East Ridge’s intercom. 

Later that week, Roberts' mother, Marquita also joined in her support of the Black Panther announcement at the March 21, 2013 school board meeting, where she read Robert's letter to the editor and then discussed how she supports the ERHS administration encouraging the reading, but also how the school district could do better with integrating all Americans' history into the curriculum (a point on which we may agree):

It strikes me as somewhat ironic that Robert L. Stephens denigrates Woodbury High School with a few of his remarks in his letter to the editor, for example: In a high school climate where I experienced racial antagonism from both students and teachers... This rings hollow when one considers that the high school where he seems to have experienced terrible hardships is the same high school that prepared him well enough scholastically to be accepted into Carleton College - not exactly the easiest school in Minnesota to get into.  Robert also mentions being one of the few Black males in Woodbury High School’s class of 2006; as reported by The Minnesota Department of Education, in 2006, 20% of WHS's student population were minority students, and this year that number has increased to 25% (with WHS also ranking 16th in U.S. News & World Reports Top High Schools in Minnesota list, well ahead of the 36th ranked East Ridge High School).

At the last school board meeting on April 25, 2013, five community members stood up and spoke to the board about the Black Panther Announcement at East Ridge High School.  Three people were, once again, asking the board to investigate the matter, while two people, who happened to show up late and just "decide" to speak - with nothing prepared, (hmmmm Barb Brown, did you maybe make a couple of phone calls when you saw the topic on which Linda Stanton, Gary and Susan Richardson were addressing the school board that evening?) but who just wanted to show their support for the district's handling of the matter. One of the two supporters was again Marquita Stephens, who again voiced her support of the school district's handling of the East Ridge High School issue.  

As Meredith Jessup said so eloquently,   Only in America could a kid have been blessed with so much… and only in America could he still claim to be a victim. America’s capitalist society has apparently leveled a grave injustice against his family and Robert will not stand for it...  

Apparently, instead of moving away from the too conservative Woodbury, Ms. Stephens has set about opposing all those crazy conservatives instead.  (Watch for a future blog post on how, if she and others critical of the concerned parents would actually LISTEN to those parents, she and the others would actually find that they agree on more within this issue than they disagree...)

UPDATE: This story has been picked up by Meredith Jessup and The Blaze! 
Check out: INFAMOUS OWS ACTIVIST TAKES HIS PROTEST HOME


More information on this issue:

VIDEO: BECK RESPONDS TO LIBERAL PROTESTER’S FICTITIOUS SOB STORY

LYING LIBERAL PROTESTER RESPONDS TO BLAZE’S ‘RIGHT-WING ATTACK’

UPDATE ON BLACK PANTHER ANNOUNCEMENT

Superintendent Claims Black Panther Case Closed, Calls Blog "Threatening"

What If?
The Black Panthers were Unabashedly Marxist

Updated May 2, 2013 1:39pm


UPDATED 4:35pm, 4/30/2013 

Stinky Hippie at My Door

A note to the stinky hippie wanna-be who showed up at my door last night around 6:30pm:

Dear Sir,

First of all, if you are going to be walking around my suburb in 90+ degree heat, I suggest you forgo the use of your "crystal deodorant" and use some Right Guard or Speed Stick or at the very least, spray yourself down with some Axe.  I was standing in my doorway, three feet away from you and could smell your stench quite vividly.  Gross.

Secondly, when you come to my door touting the fact that you are part of some sort of "Student Organization" against Voter ID and the Marriage Amendments that are on this Fall's ballot, and I stop you mid-spiel to tell you that I'm very much in support of Voter ID, smiling, thanking me for my time and walking away would have been a much better reaction than attempting to "sway me" to your way of thinking.  Do you not understand that when a person tells you FLAT OUT that they are in support of the Amendment that you and your "student organization" are fighting against (which, btw, made no sense whatsoever - calling Voter ID a "Poll Tax" was one of the dumbest arguments I've ever heard and demonstrated your absolute lack of understanding of what a "Poll Tax" really is), that is the time for you to WALK AWAY.  Especially when the person telling you their opinion is ME and it's 90+ degrees causing me to be quite crabby and I have't had a fun debate on Twitter or Facebook lately and your stench is causing me further irritation, not to mention your condescending and pompous attitude as you attempted to tell me what I, as a Conservative, should believe about the Voter ID amendment.

Thirdly, demonstrating your lack of understanding regarding the Wisconsin Recall by spouting off how "the Koch Bros bought that election" while not knowing how much money the unions poured into Wisconsin, nor being able to acknowledge the absolute stupidity of your statement when the stats of that election are recited to you (i.e. Walker winning by 10pts more than he did in 2010 and that 40% of union members voted for him) showed that you obviously were only parroting the talking points your comrades gave you prior to your walkabout my neighborhood.  You'd be a lot more credible if you used your own brain instead of being yet another useless idiot for the progressive cause.

Finally, after heatedly arguing with me about my views, DO NOT stand on my porch and insult me by saying "I always thought people on the other side were crazy, and now you've proven it" and expect to get anything back but "Hey honey, the feeling is mutual.  Get the hell off my porch."

Sincerely,
The "Crazy" Conservative Lady

P.S. Btw: I don't believe you had a permit to be going door-to-door in my city.  I'm very sad that I didn't have time to report you to the police.

P.P.S.  I talked to my neighbors who also smelled, I mean, had you come to their doors and was informed about your rudeness to them as well.  One question I have for you:  Is it LEGAL to require a contribution to your cause before you "let" someone sign your petition (after having rudely interrupted their evening with your combative and stinky self)?  My neighbor thought it awful ballsy of you to want her name, address, phone number, email address and then a check with all her account information on it before she could sign the petition you were pushing - which she was only going to do to get your stinky butt off her front step (she told you she doesn't pay attention to politics in the least and only votes because her husband takes her to the polls and tells for whom to vote and still you persisted in harassing her).  How do we know that you were actually doing what you claimed to be and not just mining our neighborhood for personal information?

OccupyMN Movement is Spreading

According to this morning's Pioneer Press, OccupyMN is spreading to several other cities around the state including Rochester, Duluth, Alexandria, Bemidji and is coming soon to St. Paul.

The St. Paul occupiers are still working on the plans which may not include actually "occupying" the state Capital:

"There are those who want to camp out all winter," Jewett said. But he said, "Occupy is a consciousness. It's a new awakening. It's not all about a physical location."

Huh. Let me get this straight: According to all the other "Occupy" movements in the country, the point is to OCCUPY an area, preferably near a bank, and annoy the bankers so much that they'll finally agree to shut their doors, right?  So, if the Occupy St. Paul movement doesn't do this, if their idea is that "Occupy" is a "consciousness", shouldn't it be called "Consciousness" instead of "Occupy"?  Or are they hoping to occupy the consciousness of the public and the bankers? Or avoid having to share their food with the homeless people who flock to all the other Occupy locations? (Which, really, people? Isn't your movement about wealth redistribution and helping the poor? Why are you selfishly refusing to share your food with the poorest of the poor? Or is just that it is easier to yell about the top 1% and covet that money than to do what is right and share with the poor out of their own pockets.  Most of that money was either panhandled or "donated" anyway - not earned at all by the protesters.)

The Minnesota Occupy movement is concerned about the coming cold (Global Warming, where are you when the Kool Aid drinkers need you?), but have been distributing information with their plans for dealing with the cold, which includes occupying empty foreclosed-upon homes.  Yeah, that'll work. I'm sure the suburban cops (that is, if the Occupiers venture out of the sanctuary of RT Rybak's world) would LOVE to have a crack at evicting squatters from homes:  it would break up the monotony of their days usually spent stopping speeding moms as they fly between appointments, schools and hockey rinks.