Lexington C.A.R.E.S.Lexington Stand for Children Strategy Team would like to commend Principal Jay, Superintendent Hurley and all of the School Committee for their responsible handling of the events at Estabrook.
During this challenging time for our community, our school administration and our School Committee have exercised great sensitivity in listening to all sides. Operating in the glare of the national news spotlight is difficult and unforgiving at best. We appreciate the professionalism with which our local officials have carried out their duties and the manner in which they have represented Lexington.
At the School Committee meeting last week, the superintendent and School Committee came forward both collectively and individually in support of including all children and their families within our schools. They made it clear that providing a safe, supportive and welcoming environment in which to educate all of our children is and should be the only agenda. For this, Lexington Stand for Children Strategy Team applauds them and commends their service to our community.
Lexington Stand for Children Strategy Team
An interesting process has been occurring in our community. We are to be the target of a small group from Kansas who plan to demonstrate at our houses of worship and schools.
A group of Lexingtonians gathered to discuss responses to the negative protest. Participants were representatives of the Interfaith Clergy Association, Lexington Schools, Lexington Police, No Place for Hate, the Respecting Differences Coalition and concerned citizens. What grew out of this gathering was the realization that we are being targeted because we are striving to establish values of mutual respect and inclusion in our town. The group decided they want to set a tone of love and non-violence and not to respond to anger with anger. We need to celebrate our community and celebrate the fact that our community welcomes all of us, gay or straight and whatever our ethnic origin or religious practice is.
We are thrilled that there is so much energy for a silent and loving presence at our houses of worship this weekend. To that end the Clergy Association is training a number of people to be a "Shield of Loving Kindness" along the sidewalks to protect the entering worshipers. We urge folks to participate in this event by attending a worship service of one of the faith communities rather than lingering outside and giving attention to the demonstrators.
Inky MacDougal
Harding Road
The Article 8 Alliance has aligned itself with David Parker in his effort to undermine the inclusive and welcoming nature of Lexington's public schools. Article 8 may also have been instrumental in creating the incident in order to generate press coverage sympathetic to their political views. So perhaps residents would be interested in learning more about this group.
The Article 8 Alliance is an organization that is behind multiple pieces of harmful anti-judicial and anti-gay legislation. One proposed bill would actually require all parents to "opt-in" before a teacher could even mention the same-gender parents of a student!
If you go to the Article 8 Web site and click on their MassResistance blog, you will find many inflammatory quotes, some about our town. Here are four examples: 1) "the jackbooted thugs currently in control of the Lexington schools;" 2) "the fascists of Lexington are marching in lockstep!;" 3) "Lexington lemmings;" 4) "Lexington LGBTQI Fourth Reichers."
Article 8 has been with the Parkers since the beginning of his Estabrook campaign. According to a Boston newspaper, Brian Camenker of Article 8 said Mr. Parker contacted him in January, which is the same month in which Mr. Parker sent his first e-mail about the diversity book bag to the Estabrook principal.
There is extensive coverage of Mr. Parker on Article 8's Web site. Amazingly, a story, pictures, and the complete correspondence between the Parkers and the Estabrook principal appeared on Article 8's Web site the very evening of Mr. Parker's arrest.
Mr. Camenker appeared on the courthouse steps with Mr. Parker for his arraignment. Other Article 8 supporters were also at the courthouse. Mr. Camenker was referred to as Mr. Parker's "advisor" when both appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" on May 10.
And Article 8 is holding a support rally for Mr. Parker on June 5.
This clearly goes beyond book bags and challenging the inclusive culture of Lexington's excellent schools. Lexington is being used to advance a larger state-wide political agenda.
Cecilia d'Oliveira
North Hancock Street
Just trying to a good Dad? No, it was a planned, orchestrated attack by David Parker and the Article 8 Alliance on Lexington and its values. Parker objected strongly to the Estabrook diversity program, a program that, in some form, exists in many communities. He communicated his displeasure to the school administration. He rigidly defined the outcome he desired and took no responsibility to make things work out or give any consideration to the community norms.
When he did not like the outcome he staged an event to get himself arrested and handcuffed. The media had a press release and prior notification in order to get photographs. Even the Governor was notified of the Article 8 version of the event for his comment. A media blitz followed on local and national talk radio, TV and in the newspapers. The communications were framed to make the issue about teaching homosexual sex to kindergartners.
Parker's selfish act to promote his far right social agenda has now made Lexington the flashpoint of the culture war. An extreme right-wing fringe group is on its way to Lexington to stage their hateful protests. Do you really think this is the action of a Dad protecting his kid?
By creating a media noise machine, the objective here is to marginalize the town and school leadership. Anyone listening to the rhetoric will get the impression that the town police and school administration acted irresponsibly, i.e., the town with its policies brought this mess upon themselves. That is not the case at all. Expect the noise to continue. The school and town leadership will continue to be vilified in an effort to wear them down. This is supposed to resonate to create a lack of confidence in our leaders. Ignore the noise machine.
Affirm your values of inclusion and tolerance. Stand up against oppression and for freedom and support our town and school leadership. Make this a Lexington issue to solve. Don't let the action of a few extremists burn the fabric of our community. Don't let this fringe movement take hold in Lexington. Blame what is happening not on the town, but on the individuals who brought this to the town, David Parker and his outside supporters. Expel this "culture of intolerance," for what will follow from the anti-gay premise of today is an anti-women's rights, anti-ethnic, anti-science, anti-pluralist agenda.
Craig Cyr
Revere Street
I am a lesbian parent of two elementary school children, and I have been going through a plethora of emotions due to groups trying to restrict my children from being able to talk about their family.
I worry that my children will be forced to hide in a closet, rather than be proud and open about who they are and how their family fits into their world. Imagine having to tell a kindergartner that they are not allowed to talk about what they did with their parents over the weekend? Imagine how terrible that same kindergartner would feel if they were not permitted to draw a picture of their family, because it might upset somebody? I shudder to think of what that would do to any of our children and their sense of feeling good in the world.
I am also concerned about the hatred and bigotry that has been brought into our community from David Parker and hate groups from across the country such as White Revolution and Fred Phelps. These displays of hatred will affect all our children. The thought of any child going into a house of worship and seeing horrible, stomach-turning signs and being forced to listen to terrible things about people in their community makes me sick. This sort of hate is not what I want my children seeing. I also worry about which group will be targeted next. History has shown us that it is very rare to start excluding one group, and then stop at that one group.
I have been feeling very proud, however, of the Lexington School Committee and the Public School Administration, and how they have shown respect for all parents. They understand that it is the obligation of the public schools to truly respect all parents and families in the community. Children need to feel safe, comfortable and accepted in order to learn, and children from all families deserve to be able to learn in a public school. The school administration, including the Estabrook principal, understands that no one group has the right to ask that any other group be excluded. They understand that the goal of public education is to help educate everybody. Parents now know their family will not be excluded in the public education system merely because one group has decided they don't like their group. Public Education is not the venue to practice bigotry and exclusion.
Bonnie Brodner
Trodden Path