SWOPblogger

So how did it feel to be a panelist on television? Have you done this before and who were your co-panelists?

Nerve-wracking. It was my first time doing something like this and it was kind of awkward being the only young person as well as the only female. All my co-panelists were much older men in positions of power in our community. They were Marty Esquivel, a school board member who voted in favor of an armed APS police force; Roberto Lucero, a school board member who voted against it; and Sergeant Robert Romero. It was moderated by David Alire Garcia.

This is a highly charged topic in Albuquerque. Did you feel it received a balanced approach on the panel?

Aside from the gender and age imbalance, I thought KNME did a great job addressing both sides of the issue. We each got an opportunity to give a little bit of our piece, but because the panel was large and there wasn’t much time I was disappointed that there were some issues I didn’t get the opportunity to address. And also, there was one moment when I felt I really needed to respond to something and I wasn’t given the opportunity to do so. But all in all, I appreciated that they included me. It was a real learning experience and I feel passionate about the issue.

What was it you didn’t have the opportunity to respond to?

Well, like I said, there were a lot of things I would have responded to given time. But most importantly was the comment made by Marty Esquivel in which he attempted to invalidate my use of the word “ludicrous” to describe his statistic that 80% of Albuquerque wants to arm APS security. He told me on the air that he was offended that I would call him ludicrous, and he said my use of the word was hyperbole and emotional. First let me say, he ran for office just 8 months ago on the stance that he was opposed to arming officers. Given the fact that he was elected after having said that, you could reasonably assume that more than 20% of his district is opposed to arming guards.

Hyperbole? That’s a big word. Isn’t that a synonym for exaggeration?

Yes, I believe so which I find funny because I find his 80% to be quite an exaggeration.

Tell me about that. Why do you think the number is much less?

For one his statistic was not based on fact. For myself, my sense of the numbers comes from my work in the week prior to the vote in which I and other students went to four high schools to circulate a letter asking the school board to vote no. These letters were individually signed by almost 300 students. Our approach was to get conversations going with students to ask them what they thought about the issue. We had many great discussions with students, and in almost all cases the students we spoke to wanted to sign a letter. I understand that this also, like Marty Esquivel’s numbers, is not a scientific poll, but it does demonstrate real voices and real proof that opposition to armed police officers does exist among the student body. And I would also like to note what Robert Lucero said, that a survey of high school student body leaders in all the high schools demonstrated a roughly 50/50 split on the subject.

What were the high schools you went to?

Albuquerque High, Highland High, West Mesa, and Rio Grande.

What were some of the other things you would have liked to respond to?

Well, a big part of the show was devoted to the “what if” argument, as in “Look at Virginia Tech. Look at Columbine and what if…yada yada yada.” We can not allow “what if’s” to be the basis of our argument. There is not a legitimate argument without facts and a “what if” statement is not a fact. So I think we should cease with the “what if” fear driven nonsense because it is not credible.

Also, the idea that officers need guns as a tool is not an argument I agree with. To often it is compared to not allowing a teacher to use chalk. This is a horrible argument because you can’t compare a piece of chalk to a gun. A piece of chalk doesn’t have the potential to kill somebody. I think it’s really sad that we are getting into this discussion of providing tools for officers in APS when we are failing our students in terms of education and providing them the tools they need to be successful in their education. New Mexico students were recently deemed least likely to succeed in the nation by Education Weekly Magazine. And yet we want to spend millions of dollars that’s coming out of funds for books and more teachers to create an armed police force, supposedly to keep students safe but without anything that shows we have an increased problem with violence. If we want to talk about keeping students safe, we need to be providing students with the tools to stop that violence from happening, which will also provide them much needed life skills. And, APS officers should be trained in how to de-escalate violent situations without having to use a gun on a school campus.

Tell me, what is the current state of the state on this issue? I thought it was a done deal but here we have KNME having a debate about it this week.

The vote by the school board happened, but they are unsure if it’s legal to create an armed police force for APS and they are waiting for a decision by the state attorney general. If the AG says no, it will have to be something that wins approval by the state legislature in 2009. Let’s be clear, beyond the guns in school issue, the idea that we should create a separate bona fide police department for APS is a really, really bad idea. It’s basically saying that our schools are so bad that they can’t function without their own police force. If that’s true, it means we are failing not only our students but our society as a whole. Anyhow, if the police department idea is shot down, the school board can still arm APS security guards around the clock through a simple policy change. So what if we do have guns in school? What then? Is it going to improve our educational standards? What purpose is it going to serve in terms of education? None. And then there will be armed people walking around, which in my opinion is crazy. Better yet, who does it really serve, our students or our security officers? The day after the vote happened, the headline in the Journal was “APS Cops get their Guns.” So what does this say about who we’re doing this for? Cops or students?

I want to deviate just a minute from the broader issue of guns in schools, and go back to the moment in the show when Marty Esquivel charged that you were full of hyperbole and emotion. At the School Board meeting when they voted on this issue, he also told those on the opposing side to not be emotional or full of rhetoric, and to demonstrate intellectual rigor. What are your thoughts on these words that he uses to describe those on the other side of the issue?

I think his use of words like this are an attempt to devalue not only myself but others in terms of class and gender. Especially in this case, being on the panel as the only woman, and a very young one at that, I took it as him trying to devalue me as a stereotypical “young, emotional woman” who because of who she is can’t make a valid and strong argument. He did not address the actual substance of what I said, instead he personally attacked me for using the word ludicrous to describe a statistic he used. He wasted that time on the panel, which could have been used to substantively discuss the guns in schools issue.

Yeah, I immediately noticed his use of the word “emotion” in both instances. As most women know, it’s a charge that is commonly used to dismiss us, not to mention disenfranchised peoples in general.

Yes, it insinuates that there is a lack of education and a lack of an ability to make a valid argument if you are someone who expresses yourself differently. It was to me a low blow because I know very well that I am very informed on this issue. Possibly even more so than Mr. Esquivel seeing as how easy it is to become disconnected to youth with age. As a young person myself I can relate and identify with students about their concerns. I just graduated from an APS high school in 2005, only 2 years ago. I think my age provides the perfect opportunity for me to gain some real insight into the opinions of students because when they speak with me about the issue they can open up to me and more closely relate to me as someone who just finished going through the same educational system that they are going through now.

Thanks Emma! I thought you did a great job on the panel. ~Marjorie

Labels: APS, Guns in Schools, guns on campuses, Safe Schools

# posted by marjorie @ 7:17 AM