Howard Thurman: Jesus and the Disinherited Mr. Thurman passed in 1981 but his insights continue to influence thinking today, especially about the intersection between religious faith and public policy.
Paul Tough: How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character The author of "Whatever It Takes," the story of Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children’s Zone, provides insight into the early development of children. What’s best? Cognitive or non-cognitive learning? Tough’s theory is that character is what really matters.
Anthony S. Bryk: Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago In 1988, Chicago public schools decentralized, granted parents and faculty resources and authority to reform. This book reports on a seven-year study of what happened and identifies the practices and conditions that were essential for improvement of student academics. The authors arrived at their conclusions by researching 100 elementary schools that improved and 100 that didn't. The five essentials—school leadership, parent/community ties, professional capacity of faculty/staff, student-centered learning environment, and instructional guidance system.
David M. Kennedy: Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America Kennedy has shared his ideas with us and Seattle police successfully used his Drug Market Initiative along 23rd Avenue to stop decades of open drug trafficking. Now, Kennedy's new book tells the whole story, from the beginning to today. It's a story of reform, hard work, determination, and guts. It's about justice in the true sense of that word, a justice that infects a community and spreads. It's about the police and how their pursuit of excellence can inspire all of us. It's about cities and specific neighborhoods and how to create peace and community. If you want safe streets and sidewalks, if you want to end mass incarceration, if you want racial equity, if you want truth and fairness returned to the justice system, read this book!
Jan Gehl, Architect and Urban Quality Consultant: Cities for People Gehl is a global expert on urban places. His firm's 2008 conclusion that Seattle should move as many vehicles as possible underground and work to reduce surface traffic is a compelling argument. Read Gehl's book at the same time you read Edward Glaeser's "Triumph of the City." Both authors present persuasive arguments for city planning that focuses on people.
The weather forecast called for rain throughout the day, yet the sun popped out and I was confident I could make it to and from City Hall on my scooter without getting drenched.
Then, on a day to celebrate the effective and necessary role of labor unions, along with a separate march celebrating the importance of immigrants and the need for immigration reform, chaotic violence and property destruction occurred downtown.
Self-described anarchists mingled with peaceful May Day demonstrators at Westlake Park, covered their faces with masks or bandanas and engaged in destructive acts of vandalism and violence. It stopped almost as quickly as it started; the anarchists pulled off their black clothing and melted away into the larger crowd once again, though not before some were arrested. (The Seattle Times has extensive coverage of all this in today’s newspaper.)
Twelve years ago this week Seattle was rocked by the World Trade Organization (WTO) conference civil disorder. It was ugly.
Legitimate WTO demonstrators saw their protests disrupted—and their message overshadowed—by individuals who wanted to wage violence against the police, WTO delegates and local businesses. And because police commanders were not adequately prepared they responded with rapidly escalating interventions, including chemical irritants and rubber bullets. Chaos reigned in our streets.
In early 2000, the City Council appointed three citizen review panels to determine what happened at the WTO meetings. I chaired the panel that examined the police response. Our report to the Council in September of that year included 11 major findings and recommendations, including very specific recommendations on police tactics to maintain order and the use of chemical irritants (see “Finding 3: Large-scale arrests rather than chemical irritants or other less-lethal force should be the tactic of choice in dealing with unlawful assemblies”).
After re-reading that 2000 report, I'm reminded of the vital importance of consistent clarity and boundary setting by the Mayor, the City Council and the Chief of Police. In
No wonder the Occupy Wall Street protest movement, including Occupy Seattle, has captured the support of the American people.
Just watch this segment from last night’s 60 Minutes on CBS regarding members of Congress using insider information to make millions. Or this segment from November 6 where felon Jack Abramoff tells all about buying our elected officials in Washington, D.C.
I watched both of these 60 Minutes’ reports last night; my blood was boiling!
Occupy Wall Street has tapped into a deep, strong and explosive undercurrent of thought running through America. It’s a core belief that something is seriously wrong with our country economically, politically and ethically. 60 Minutes has confirmed the worst with their two reports.
