> Michael, my recollection from that time is that Foster wanted to implement a system of student ID's, which now are fairly commonplace in most schools. I don't recall his proposing armed guards. Many if not most schools were and are surrounded by fences, except for their entranceways. Also, while the use or abuse of Ritalin was a subject of public debate, I don't recall that Foster was linked to it. Is the material you presented in some book or article about the SLA? Jeff Blankfort > Date: Fri, 06 Oct 2000 18:40:40 -0400 > From: Michael Rossman <mrossman@igc.org> > Subject: [sixties-l] Re: Fwd: Lawyers Seek SLA Shootout Files > > >D. Horowitz wrote: > >Actually the SLA became famous not with the kidnapping of Patty Hearst but with > >the cold blooded assassination of Marcus Foster, the first black superintendent > >of Oakland's schools. > > Although I abhor such violence as much as the next pacifist, even at targets > less-generally respected, it's instructive to review the rationale given by > the SLA for the assassination of Marcus Foster. As I recall, they saw him as > presiding over the military pacification of the public schools -- the key > points being their fenced enclosure with armed guards, and the drugging of > then-termed "hyperactive" students, particularly with Ritalin. Although the > paths of development since do not coincide with SLA expectations, the irony of > the present situation is apparent. For the degree of protective fortification > and policing has advanced significantly, not only in inner-city schools but > in spreading to those more privileged; and the degree of drugging, across all > social levels, has multiplied remarkably with the popularity of ADD/ADHD > diagnosis and the general trend towards pharmaceutical management of personal > and social problems. Ironically also, perhaps, Foster's assassination was a > significant factor in disrupting the development of analyses and activism > concerned with the conjunction of these two continuing developments. > > Michael Rossman <mrossman@igc.org> >
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