Monday, June 30, 2014

ASU Professor Ore in CNN Interview

In Her Own Words

In the fallout of media coverage regarding Dr. Ore's treatment by ASU Police Officer Stewart Ferrin, many have argued that the video on its own demonstrates that Dr. Ore is at fault for not showing ID. The fallacy of this flawed logic often has to do with the speaker of privilege never finding themselves in the context where they will be the audience for this kind of abuse of power and antagonism. To further avoid speaking behalf of the police video that has been taken out of context, I am posting a video below of Dr. Ore speaking for herself about the incident as opposed to engaging in polemic discussions with audiences whose ideological biases do not allow them to empathize with the inhumane treatment of others.



In addition to signing the MoveOn.org petition for Dr. Ersula Ore, please also consider sending direct email to the leadership of ASU: President Michael Crow (michael.crow@asu.edu) and Provost Robert Page (robert.page@asu.edu).

Or
Stand with Dr. Ore by contributing to her defense: http://erslegaldefense.com/

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Video Shows Excessive Force Used Against ASU Professor

Even with Video Proof, Arizona State University Shirks Responsibility to Faculty

The excessive force used against Dr. Ore detailed in the Statement regarding this incident is enough to validate any stereotypes about Arizona polices inhumane treatment of people of color, demonstrated by Sheriff Arpaio's human rights violations. However, the culpability falls on the shoulders of the good people who stand by and allow for these injustices to be perpetrated. Maybe because "corporations aren't people," the administration at the Arizona State University can hide behind the veil of the institution and claim ignorance to the civil rights violations carried out by Officer Stewart Ferrin.

By ignoring the racial-profiling and excessive force of Officer Ferrin, ASU condones this kind of treatment as status quo for the culture of inequality on campus and in surrounding Maricopa County.

                       

“ASU authorities have reviewed the circumstances surrounding the arrest and have found no evidence of inappropriate actions by the ASUPD officers involved. Should such evidence be discovered, an additional, thorough inquiry will be conducted and appropriate actions taken."

ASU's response, or lack thereof, communicates the message that the police have the right to profile as long as they claim an excuse like "obstruction of a thoroughfare," even if that means that they caused you to stop in the middle of crossing said thoroughfare.

If you'd like to help:
Sign the MoveOn petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/justice-for-professor.fb50?source=s.fb&r_by=10826128

Donate to Dr. Ore's Defense: http://erslegaldefense.com/

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

AZ Police Harass African American Professor on ASU campus

Further Racist Abuses of White Privilege in Arpaio's Maricopa County
In the interest of transparency, I personally know Dr. Ore and have heard her account that is detailed in the Statement.

 Maricopa County's Sheriff Arpaio has been found to be guilty of human rights abuses when working with undocumented persons, so it is not a surprise, but nonetheless shocking that racist abuses of power take place on the local police level. In the Statement of Concern from Arizona Critical Ethnic Studies, the account of the harassment and police brutality enacted against Arizona State University's English Professor Dr. Ersula Ore, who is an African American woman. When the police could not provide a reason why they stopped her, Dr. Ore refused to do as she was told by the white male police officer. Those who want to argue that racism does not exist do not understand that police harassment is a reality for people of color at the present, not just historically.


http://azethnicstudies.com/archives/565

Even though the abuse occurred on ASU's campus, the university has failed to acknowledge the role of race and the abuse of power allowed to take place on the institution's campus. From the Statement:

"Officials at ASU, in response to questions about the incident and possible racial profiling, have sought to distance the University, stating that 1) because the incident occurred on a public street between parts of campus, it was technically “off campus,” so Dr. Ore was a private citizen; and 2) although they will comply with any investigation, there is no evidence of racial profiling."

In the context of Arizona's Superintendent of Education admitting to blogging racist rants, it's really hard to believe that the powers that be at ASU would ever address the dehumanizing treatment of their faculty of color where there's an established tradition of shirking responsibility when it comes to race.

If you'd like to help:
Sign the MoveOn petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/justice-for-professor.fb50?source=s.fb&r_by=10826128

Donate to Dr. Ore's Defense: http://erslegaldefense.com/

Monday, June 23, 2014

AZ Ed Superintendent Admits to Racist Blogging

Arizona's public school chief admits he anonymously blogged racist rants

It doesn't feel good to say I told you so Arizona...Even as Arizona Superintendent of Education John Huppenthal, who is infamous for enforcing HB 2281 on Tucson's Mexican American Studies department, admits to racist blogging, it's too late. It's too late for the students who were robbed of a culturally relevant education that served it's population. It's too late to bring back all of the committed educators whose time and energy were diverted from teaching to deal with a racist law whose enforcers are now publicly admitting to their own racism.

http://boingboing.net/2014/06/20/arizonas-public-school-chief.html 

But the voting block of Arizonans who elected Huppenthal, his role-mode/predecessor Tom Horne, and the likes of Joe Arpaio won't have their minds changed even when presented with facts that counter those beliefs. You can't mess with the terministic screen of ideology, especially when only relying upon cognitive dissonance.