Sherman R. Frederick/Properly Subversive
I am not sure why some have such incredible heartburn with Marin’s School Resource Officer programs. I’m not being coy when I ask, what, exactly, is wrong with that?
With the horrific Texas elementary school shooting fresh in our minds, you’d think elected officials – and here I’m talking directly to the Marin County Board of Supervisors – would be working to enhance SROs, not distance themselves from the program.
It was just some 36 months ago after the George Floyd death kicked off a summer of Black Lives Matter outrage, when the ever-woke supervisors refused to take a big grant to fund SROs for three years. They said they received “a lot” of calls from Marin-ers objecting to the program.
But this month, the supervisors swayed back when a $247,000 grant became available to add one person to the public school SRO program.
Schools guru Mary Jane Burke did not mince words in advocating for the program: “The SROs are the go-to people that we call when we have particular issues. The difference they make can be life and death.”
The supervisors approved the grant, with Supervisor Damon Connolly voicing apprehension about having cops in schools. His apprehension comes from what I think is the totally unproven fear that police presence in schools somehow accrues negatively against Black kids.
I’m not buying that. It is also disappointing to read comments from the peanut gallery that demonizes police work. Take a look at this week’s Cop Log in which the SRO program in Novato led to the arrest of two people involved in a recent attempted murder. Also, take a look at the story of the SRO with Marin County Sheriff’s Department who received a statewide award for her stellar work in schools. These are good things, not bad things.
(If I’m missing something, I’d honestly like to understand the opposing view. Feel free to set me straight via email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
CROSSING MY MIND:
A SHORT JOURNEY
– Homelessness: All the king’s horses and all the king’s men can’t fix the homeless problem in the Bay Area. I know this because I read this in the Mercury News last week:
“When Apple helps the homeless: When the tech giant cleared a camp from its own backyard, it faced the logistical and ethical challenge of aiding its residents. With the help of a nonprofit, Apple put them in a motel but now that reprieve runs out with few success stories, showing once again how hard solving the housing crisis is even for one of the world’s wealthiest companies.”
– Putin Saves The Planet: So, let me get this straight. Gas is $6 a gallon because of crazy Vlad Putin. High gas prices will force a painful transition of green energy. So, by invading Ukraine, Putin saves the planet and life as we know it? Is that really the messaging from the ever-strange folks in the White House?
ONE MORE THING
– I am not proud of the person I become when I see a cheese tray at a party.
– If you are under 5’11” your pronouns are oompa/loompa/doompety/doo.
– If you are over 5’11” your pronouns are fe/fi/fo/fum.
– What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? Supplies!
– With bad jokes like that I’ll be reincarnated as me.
See you next week. In the meantime, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.
(“Properly Subversive” is commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick for the Novato Advance, San Rafael News-Pointer, Mill Valley Herald, Ross Valley Reporter, Twin City Times and the Sausalito Marin Scope. Frederick is a long-time journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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