DeKalb’s Eugene Walker on loss in court today: Constitutional and civil rights at stake
Here is a response from former DeKalb school board chair Eugene Walker to his loss in federal court today:
By Eugene Walker
I am dismayed but not deterred, following our setback in federal court Monday. I respectfully but wholeheartedly disagree with the judge’s decision, and I plan to continue to seek justice through the court system until this matter with the Governor is resolved. This is why:
I was born in Thomaston, a small town in Upson County Georgia. The indignity of segregation and racism was the backdrop of my youth. I swore at that time that I would stand up for my rights no matter the cost. I have not swayed from the self commitment, and virtually all my adult life has been dedicated to service to my fellow man, with a special dedication to education.
I preface this to explain, again, why I am obligated to engage the governor in the court system. It is morally abhorrent to sit idly by and allow the usurping of the one man one vote rights that has been bought and paid with the blood, sweat and tears of my generation. It is imperative that public servants preserve and protect the constitution and adhere to all laws, including the precept of a citizens’ right to choose their representative government. With the current assault of Section V of the voting rights act and the perpetual gerrymandering to disenfranchise races of people, I am compelled to employ every means available to me to protect citizens’ rights. The governor is using SACS and the State Board of Education as a hammer and chisel to chip away at the progress we have made.
No one on the DeKalb County Board of Education, myself included, has committed a crime or misappropriated, misused or misspent funds entrusted to us. Quite the opposite: We have served with honesty and integrity. In fact, this board under the severe stress by the downturn of the economy has worked tirelessly to provide a quality education to our children with a minimum amount of adverse impact on the homeowners of this county. It has not been easy, and there has not always been a consensus. There is no crime in that, rather it is an inherent ingredient in the democratic process.
I don’t feel the governor is personally attacking me. This is not about Eugene Walker. When I step aside through my own actions or through the wisdom of the electorate, I believe I will ultimately be judged on my legacy as an educator, coach, administrator, state senator, state commissioner, pardon and parole board member, in addition to my role now as a school board member. I believe the greatest gift I can bequeath to the children of this school system at this time is a contemporary lesson on civics, civil liberties and standing up for what is right.
If this unconstitutional act is to stand, then what is next? It will only be a matter of time before another constitutional right will be taken away by another wayward and self-perpetuating politico under the guise of the greater good. Minorities should not feel secure if contrived allegations from anonymous sources with hidden agendas can go to private agencies and to have their civil rights stolen away. This cannot and shall not be allowed to stand.
Leadership calls for tough and sometimes unpopular decisions. Such it is with standing up to the power brokers who seek to systematically erode, divide and conquer the voting strength of partisan and racial minorities. If I lose, so be it. But I cannot and will not go down without a fight on the principles at stake here.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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176 comments Add your comment
Married with (School) Children
March 5th, 2013
8:21 am
“Though the public has an interest in its elected officials being able to serve in the offices to which they’ve been elected, there is an even greater public interest at stake here. The interest of the public in a healthy school system outweighs the interests of the board members in serving in their positions.”
- quoted from the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Story
Bobby
March 5th, 2013
8:24 am
Through this removal process it is becoming glaringly apparent which member of the school board was the root cause of the problem. I feel sorry for other members of the board such as Nancy Jester and Dr. Speaks that were trying to do the right thing and got involved with a loser like Walker. People like him and Crawford Lewis have hurt a lot of people. All out of selfishness. Go away Walker!!
allamerican
March 5th, 2013
8:34 am
This fool is absolute proof that a person does not have to be intelligent to have a PHD.
Pee willie
March 5th, 2013
8:37 am
Dr..?…Wallker let me make this statement clear.
We have heard enough of your nonsense.
MDW
March 5th, 2013
8:40 am
Playing the Race Card…Seriously??? No excuses for Incompetence!!!
Time to put this lifelong government leech out to pasture
March 5th, 2013
8:41 am
This man is the definition of low information, kool aid drinking, save my own skin, government hack. Works his whole life in the one system where he can’t be fired b/c he knows he doesn’t have a prayer of cutting it in the private sector. Government jobs – THE haven for the otherwise unemployable.
I bet I know who got his vote.
Rob
March 5th, 2013
8:45 am
Disappointed that he will fight with DeKalb taxpayer dollars. I would bet he might not be so quick to fight with his own money.
gdfo
March 5th, 2013
8:48 am
The right of the voter of Mr Walkers discict have not been denied. They voted and they still have the right to vote.
What happens if the person they voted for is not really able to fulfull the office, either because they have lied or defrauded the voters or because they really cannot comprehend or execute the difficult aspect of the position? The what if that person takes on another role that they were not elected to by the voters of their district? Like Board Chairman? When does the person who has the responsibility to perform,TAKE that responsibility. Is Responsbility the Ability to Respond to the needs of the position or is it to act from a personal and political agenda that does not serve the whole community?
We all have personal histories that can and have shaped our lives. No one is more against change than someone who has an investment in the past. That includes all races and religions. A black person is just as able to be a bigot as a white person. There are people from mainland
India who come here to do business that think ALL Americans are stupid.
There are people who come here from Africa who think American blacks are lazy and stupid, and those Africans did not grow up here.
Holding an elected office is a priveledge and a high service, many of us forget that. A person who Chairs the Dekalb School Board has to SERVE all the county. The Superintendant has to SERVE all the county. That School board has to work WITHIN a budget and meet real goals and be accountable to the community in which they SERVE.
The 1960’s are gone. Please let us not go back to it. Why keep doing that when so much has been accomplished. Look forward. Reach high.
mark
March 5th, 2013
8:51 am
Stand up for your RIGHTS with your OWN Money! Stop wasting the taxpayers money on your own selfish agenda.
Tellrtall
March 5th, 2013
8:55 am
Impeachment by the State Board of Education is enough for me. Removal by the Governor is good enough for me. Goodbye BOE – find something else that doesn’t use the public funds to screw up nor the children to ignore while you all politic.
Pardon My Blog
March 5th, 2013
8:57 am
@Pro.Ed. – I had asked the same thing when they filed the initial suit in State Court, he had already resigned as Chairman but the lawsuit still listed him “Individually and as Chairman of the Dekalb Board of Education” which to me, it should have been rejected immediately as it was incorrect and he could no longer claim the title of Chairman. To me that was a falsehood.
Maureen Downey
March 5th, 2013
9:03 am
@My understanding is that Walker was chair when the board approved the lawsuit and the documents thus reflect the situation at that point in time.
Maureen
George
March 5th, 2013
9:11 am
Dr.Walker Every Teacher in the system wants you gone and race has nothing to do with it.You are making a fool out of yourself you have gotten all of your people jobs go head and leave it is over one way or another.please just go.
CJae of EAV
March 5th, 2013
9:13 am
I predict the ramifications of this action will come to haunt the voters in this state. Pandora’s box has been opened and what springs forth will not be pretty.
Wondering Allowed
March 5th, 2013
9:15 am
Mr. Walker, you are a failure. You have failed. Everyone knows you have failed. You have presided over the ruination of one of the better school districts in GA. You have completely and utterly failed. No lawsuit, no whining, no public charges of racism will change that fact that everyone knows, including you, that you absolutely failed. You only prolong your public flogging by not resigning and just going away.
The governor was elected by the people of GA. One of the duties those people have instilled upon him is to, at the recommendation of the state school board, remove incompetent school board members. The Gov is not a dictator. He is not arbitrarily canning you. Deal has followed the due process required in exercising the authority given him by the voters. He is not overriding the will of the people. He is doing exactly what the people elected him to do and allow him to do through laws passed by elected representatives.
You, Mr. Walker, aren’t king. While a very small minority of people in DeKalb put you in office, you are not entitled to hold the rest of the county hostage to your whims. Clearly, after a public hearing, at which you were entitled to present your case, the democratic process determined you have proven yourself unfit to hold your position and you were fired. Buck up man. Admit what everyone else knows; you have no business running a school district. Go read The Emporer’s New Clothes and realize you are the naked fool parading the streets of DeKalb.
KGray
March 5th, 2013
9:20 am
It isn;t about the race card it is about the people voting and choosing a school board that was vote upon. It is not the Govnernor’s place to supercede votes and if the parents on the northside of Dekalb don’t want their children to be apart of that process, then my suggestion is to either seperate yourselves or put your children in private school. If the Governor is allowed to change laws and do whatever he chooes then what next to take away the Voting Act Right or Segreation Again and call that unconstitutional. Please again if you don’t want your kids in this school system put themin PRIVATE SCHOOL!
Disgusted in Dekalb
March 5th, 2013
9:23 am
It is really horrifying to think that this man was the chairman of the school board. When was he first elected as chair and who was on the board at that time? I can’t imagine Jester, Speaks, or McChesney voting for him. I’m assuming he got his own vote, as well as that of Copelin-Woods and Cunningham. So which two members put him over the top? Edler? Womack? Was Zeporah Roberts still on the board then?
reality check
March 5th, 2013
9:26 am
In my view one of the reasons schools are changing is that many of them are more instruments of social change – including civil rights – than education. This Walker episode is a case in point. He is going to “…stand up for his rights no matter what the cost.” Of course, others are bearing all the costs, especially the children.
What a selfish jerk.
Wondering Allowed
March 5th, 2013
9:30 am
@KGrace – The people in North DeKalb want nothing more than for their children to be “apart of that process.”
Rather than putting their children in private school, those in Decatur and Atlanta, in the near future Dunwoody, and certainly not too far behind them Brookhaven and Lakeside, have or will start separate school districts. This will make DeKalb the place people go when they can no longer afford Clayton. Why would you wish this upon the homeowners or children of DeKalb?
Carlos Whitfield
March 5th, 2013
9:38 am
If the Governor was so concerned about the children along with SACS then why wasn’t the Hall County School Board placed on probation or reprimanded for trying to prevent Cody Stephens last year from being the valadictorian when he had the highest GPA in his class. The other student parents had to step down so Cody could be the sole valadictorian. It’s valadictorian not valadictorians. Perhaps the Hall County School Board doesn’t know the difference. One is singular and the other plural. Did SACS rush in to see why Hall County didn’t want Cody to be the sole valadictorian. No. You know why because he was black and they didn’t want a black to be the valadictorian. Did the so called caring Governor send Cody’s parents a letter of apology or even look into the matter. No because he could care less. How come the Governor wasn’t removed after Fox 5 discovered him along with members of his family created some fake company and when the I-team went to investigate the matter under the address it was another company. Or the good ol governor appointing a guy in the reserves who clearly wasn’t qualified. Sometimes you don’t have to play the race card. Sometimes others play it for you.
Private Citizen
March 5th, 2013
9:41 am
Mr. Walker should be represented by salaried counsel that have received a 25% pay cut, no retirement, no healthcare upon retirement, that is being exclusively what to do according to a list from the federal Department of Law, an attorney that then repeatedly receives 360 degree worker evaluation based on if meeting the required activities of the list and judged as “minimum,” “emergent,” and “proficient.” The attorney should have mismatched legal code books, some held together with glue or tape, should have a surveilled computer system, punch in on a time clock, and receive demerit if “the essential challenge” is not current and written on the wall of their office.
Concernedmom30329
March 5th, 2013
9:42 am
KGray
Are you aware of just how much DeKalb schools are failing students? Do a little research into the decline of student achievement over the last decade among African-American students and then decide if the status quo is ok.
kevin
March 5th, 2013
9:54 am
Everyone, be careful about what you say and how you say it. Georgia itself have been tied to racism no matter what directions turn. You see everyone breaking away from Dekalb, or whatever trying to become seperate, or seperated from this or that. Race-Cards are played at every turn and when it is a white person or black person…race seems to be at the center. Taking a close look at the Atlanta School Board entirely, well, they was voted in by the voters, same as Gvt Deal; now how would he feel if a group of citizens remove him, instead of all those who actually voted for him removed him. Same as Dr. Walker is talking about. Yet, we don’t see that, do we. So now, a Judge sided with Gov Deal…when this get’s all the way to the Supreme Courts, its going to be a different story….elected by the people for the people means just that! There is a greater motive here in removing those who have been removed, and Gov Deal should never put his voice into it. Nothing is proven, and there is nothing saying that these people being removed did something wrong. That is what the courts will be looking at……and it is going to make Georiga and Gov Deal look very stupid for not doing their jobs…….correctly.
sandy
March 5th, 2013
9:58 am
Mr. Walker: It is clear from all of these comments that the public does NOT want you to continue on the Board. The Governor does not want you and a federal judge, who has listened to all of the pro s and con of your service, agrees. ” IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU. Sometimes it is hard to step away from something we have gotten accustomed to for many years but all good things must come to an end, even for you. Clearly, to make matters worst, you must NOT consider using public funds to finance your fight against the public…
Five unbiased people, black, white, asian, hispanic some other part of the country with no local ties whatsoever to listen to your side and all sides and make a determination as to your appropriateness in all of this might help. Yes, go enjoy your grandchildren at this point in time.
Rusty
March 5th, 2013
10:00 am
Why does it have to be about race, Dr. Walker? I believe Governor Deal’s decision had far more to do with the utter failure and ineptitude of your Board.
Chamblee Dad
March 5th, 2013
10:07 am
At this point, while I am pleased with the prospect of replacing these 6, even though not thrilled with the mechanism, i will add this, when considering who ends up on the new board member list:
Given the current demographics of DCSS, if the appointments do not include some HISPANIC representation, then no one can say the board will be truly representative of the county. Just check the numbers. This isn’t just black & white, & while I think most of us agree race shouldn’t be a factor, it still is. But more than that – if you want a true “buy in” of a population truly disenfranchised – they really need to know they have seat at the table.
LtCol Razorback
March 5th, 2013
10:14 am
In StarWars, Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, Senator Palpatine tells Anakin Skywalker that the Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, was so powerful that all he feared was – “losing his power”. In that respect, the dethroned DeKalb school board member is just same as the Sith Lords of StarWars! : ) Isn’t it amazing how life emulates fiction?
Walker sounds exactly like a Sith Lord!
kaitsmom
March 5th, 2013
10:30 am
“Please again if you don’t want your kids in this school system put themin PRIVATE SCHOOL!”
@KGray – I will if the county give me my property taxes to go along with that. But as long as they are being used to fund Dekalb, I expect a school system fit for my child to attend.
Funny
March 5th, 2013
10:31 am
Where did Mr. Walker get the degree that gives him the right to be called Dr. ? Reading his writing shows that he could not have completed the writing required for a degree. Let us all pray that he is reading this blog and will do what is right for 99K children. If he wants to continue to be a laughing stock let him do it on his own dime not using money that should be used to educate the children.
Vince
March 5th, 2013
10:37 am
….and here, in this essay, outsiders get a glimpse of why employees who CAN leave Dekalb are doing so in droves.
That being said, the Georgia “law” that allows removal of elected officials seems to be unconstitutional. Dr. Walker and others should humbly resign. THAT’S the right thing to do.
Chuck Allison
March 5th, 2013
10:45 am
It is vitally important that our nation root out people like Eugene Walker who are misguided because they have been taught that their own racism is acceptalbe because of the color of their skin. Black racism is justified and simply called affirmative action. When you see how deceived our black neighbors are in this matter, it helps you understand how white folks might have felt justified in their own racism which prevailed 50 years ago. Then the politicians supported white racism just as they support black racism today. If the politicians would quit supporting racism on behalf of any race, this who black/white animosity thing could finally grind to a halt.
RCB
March 5th, 2013
10:47 am
After today, the AJC should stop putting his name in lights and giving him a forum. That’s what he is counting on…the publicity. Just make him go away.
Concern Parent
March 5th, 2013
10:52 am
Mr. Walker, Please for the sake of all Dekalb County Students LEAVE, LEAVE, LEAVE!
Coco
March 5th, 2013
10:56 am
OMG – Ted let Jane eat an apple? THAT’s the real news story.
A Parent
March 5th, 2013
10:59 am
Just go away…Please
Dekalbite@Funny
March 5th, 2013
11:12 am
“Where did Mr. Walker get the degree that gives him the right to be called Dr. ?”
Duke University in Durham, NC
Remember those pledges DeKalb board members made to resign? Why haven’t any of them done so yet? | Get Schooled
March 5th, 2013
11:14 am
[...] While board member Eugene Walker has made his desire known to continue the legal battle, most of his colleagues promised to step down at the 14-hour state Board of Education hearing if rulings went against them. [...]
steve apolinsky
March 5th, 2013
11:15 am
Mr. Walker, you fail to give the judiciary its proper respect. Judge Story is a well respected Judge and he understands the legal issues. It is not a racial matter; it is a legal matter.
Chamblee Dad
March 5th, 2013
11:22 am
@maureen “former DeKalb school board chair Eugene Walker” Just caught “former” let’s hope it stays that way!
I did catch my favorite law professor at UGA – Ron Carlson, pointing out it’s not over yet, but for now we can take a collective breath & see how things work out. I would recommend readers of the AJC & followers of this situation in general: I would listen closely to anything you hear from Carlson, rather than most other lawyers, armchair or real (including me – I was wrong on this, at least so far). He’s a level-headed teacher (see they do matter, even at that level) who can explain things in “real” english, without being condescending. Hope they keep going to him. One of my few fond memories of law school.
Private Citizen
March 5th, 2013
11:38 am
Kevin, Nothing is proven, and there is nothing saying that these people being removed did something wrong.
Maybe you did not read the SACS report. Threatening teachers and principals is “wrong” in my world.
By the way, I have seen plenty of black -> white racism in K12 government school administration in Georgia. I have seen a white accused of “white privilege” in education, simply for being white. More than once I have seen a black student work up adults by saying the white teacher is racist. No reason given of any kind. Then the teacher is required to address the complaint that they are “racist.” I have seen urban hood type black students respond to teacher “you are racist” when given homework. I have seen a black female administrator come into a school building and pick out three non-black teachers and harass them. It is like a little call and response game. My report is not opinion. It is what I have seen or experienced.
I also had a black male teacher friend who told me that he was being harassed by the all female colleagues he was working with. He said, “It’s bad.” He left his position and went to another school district. That is another story for another day, female-heavy management environments where males are treated in a harassing manner. It’s real, reference my friend above. I also know of a male senior education worker who was harassed by his female assistant and was friends with the female head boss. This assistant was neurotic and in the middle of the work day would say to my friend, “Why are you looking at me?” and was very unfriendly about it, but had the suppport of their female boss. My friend, the male, has since resigned, is no longer in the work force.
This type imbalanced work situations are common and difficult to deal with for the person being harassed and just trying to do their job.
Private Citizen
March 5th, 2013
11:45 am
Surprised that no one has mentioned that with President Obama in his second term, there is a change in the land re: black Americans using the race card. It’s game over. My opinion is that with the finish on President Obama’s second term just visible on the horizon, there is now a shift away from “all things black are holy” in power structure, and basically allowing this type exploit that has gone on for a long time and in some environments turned in a country-club using public resources and downgrading anyone not in the club.
I keep wondering what DeKalb county must be like for the many residences from far away countries in Africa, India, Asia, and Latin America. DeKalb county must surely have the most diverse and culturally vibrant populous of any county in all of Georgia and yet, politically, things go into this retrogressive black / white coffee grinder.
Teacher
March 5th, 2013
11:47 am
How can it be racism (as Walker says) when every black, white, and any other educator I know (and I know plenty of them) want the board out now!
Private Citizen
March 5th, 2013
11:51 am
the Indian business people I know (from India) (Hindoo) send their kids to the cheapest private school available. One of them said, “What is this Jesus? My son comes home singing about Jesus.” I smile and say, “Jesus loves you.”
Grasshopper
March 5th, 2013
11:57 am
Can you imagine the ego on Walker should he win this fight?
Oy! His head will be larger than the Goodyear blimp and everyone he knows will get a job for life!
DeKalbResident
March 5th, 2013
12:21 pm
Mr. Walker, please, please just stop it. I grew up in the South in a neighboring state, in the midst of blatant hate and racism as well. However I have NEVER seen anthing like what has been happening in Georgia school systems. This is just AWFUL. No, Gov. Deal is not going to have the perfect solution but rather than work against, we need to ALL work together to get this thing fixed IMMEDIATELY for these children. The communities and parents of these children should be screaming mad. They need to be treated with dignity and allowed to fight so that their children can get the quality education that they deserve. This world is small and US children need to become competitive, they are so far behind. Do any of you realize that children from other countries can come to the US and run circles around our children, especially in Math and Science. If the Dunwoody’s and Brookhaven’s and others get their segregated school Districts (yes I said it), this will do nothing but compound another problem and shift all resources to these communities.
I love the NAACP’s mission, but this is not a cause to be fighting for. Incompetence has been brewing all these years. These energies need to be shifting to the what is happening right now in DeKalb County schools – Children should not be failing; children should not be advanced to the next grade when they don’t make the scores; ALL children should have textbooks and not share books; ALL children should go home with homework everyday; men in the community should not allow boys to slip through the cracks and should be mentoring; and the list goes on!
Georgia Mom
March 5th, 2013
1:24 pm
@Maureen
Reading through all the comments spiked my curiosity. I’m hoping you can provide some answers or at least point in the right direction. In a closed meeting around the end of February, the then DOE Board voted to hire legal representation for defense against suspension.
1. From what account were these funds authorized?
2. Now that a Federal judge has upheld the Governor’s authority to suspend 6 of the nine board members, is that defense cost authorization still valid?
3. Is Mr. Walker the only suspended board member who intends to pursue resolution through the court system, as far as you know through your sources? Other members have not been so very vocal.
4. If Mr. Walker continues without the others, does that invalidate the vote of the nine member board taken in February relative to funds allocation?
On a more personal note – when I read Mr. Walker’s response, I was immediately struck by the number of times he used the words “I”, “Me” and “My” in a 7 paragraph statement. Actually, it’s kind of sad that he has to try so hard to maintain his relevance.
Maureen Downey
March 5th, 2013
1:38 pm
@Georgia, Just sent your questions to board vice chair Jim McMahan.
I wish the three standing board members would issue a clarifying statement on why they’re paying, how much thus far and how long.
Can’t Melvin Johnson, Jim McMahan and Marshall Orson tell the taxpayers how much of their money is being spent on this?
I also think the three of them should create a daily update blog on their DeKalb web site as citizens really ought to know what is happening with their board and their money.
Maureen
Private Citizen
March 5th, 2013
1:55 pm
If there was a state level “teacher bill of rights” to address harassment in the work place, there would probably be thousands of claims / reports.
Private Citizen
March 5th, 2013
1:56 pm
And you could probably trace every single one of them back to “friends of the school board.”
DeKalbResident
March 5th, 2013
2:02 pm
And another problem which makes my blood boil – Sara Copelin-
Wood is on the board of the NAACP in DeKalb County. What kind of mess is that? It makes the NAACP less credible and self-serving. And this organization is not meant for this type of nonsense.