Letters to the Editor

Defends Fulani and Smith

To The Editor:

Re “Fulani flap” (Scoopy’s Notebook, June 13):

Three of my five daughters graduated from Yung Wing, P.S. 124, on Division St. As an active parent at that school and in Community School District 2, I had the privilege of appearing before the School Board 2 whose leadership included Ms. Sophie Gerson. I recall Sophie for her advocacy of a civil rights and tolerance agenda and her introduction of resolutions honoring the slain civil rights martyrs James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. I also have the privilege of working with Dr. Shirley H. Smith, co-chairperson of the Youth Committee of Community Board 2, as well as a member of the Community Education Council of School District 2.

I am writing with reference to Scoopy’s advance warning of Dr. Lenora Fulani’s presentation to C.B. 2 last month on her New York Police Department-endorsed program, “Cops and Kids Conversations,” which did a great disservice to your readers, New York City youth and especially Dr. Smith, who invited the noted and notorious developmental psychologist.

While references to and focus on Dr. Fulani’s alleged anti-Semitism might motivate politicians and some readers alike to make phone calls to eradicate such appearances and the person responsible for the invitation, fair and balanced reporting of the event would have made more responsible copy and possibly resulted in informed reader judgments on the merits of the program.

First, the program was reported as “Corps and Kids,” a meaningless sobriquet to describe an apparently worthwhile program that brings youth and police officers — not in uniform and unarmed — together in a structured and safe environment, in order to build personal relationships and break down stereotypes by promoting understanding and tolerance.

Second, the piece was devoid of any description of the substance and results of the program or its partners. With a school-to-prison pipeline marked by “minority” dropout and incarceration rates exceeding 50 percent, how can we not afford to look at any possibly effective method to address this crisis?

Moreover, police relations can continue to be improved — in general, as well as in relation to the children who still “hustle” on the piers and in other parts of The Village. This issue, too, would further warrant an open explication of Dr. Fulani’s intergroup program.

Just weeks before, Dr. Smith — also founding and current chairperson of the Community Education Council District 2 Human Research Committee — had Dr. Fulani report on details of the Cops and Kids program. Written information was available to the public and your publication at this public meeting. Dr. Smith does not do media interviews with anyone on any subject, which may not be known. She did not hang up on The Villager because of the particular subject matter, but merely conformed to her longstanding professional policy. She is not a politician nor beholden to any.

In addition to political spins, whispers and stealth telephone calls, where is the community today? Well, Dr. Smith’s Youth Committee is about to be irrationally combined with a number of other committees. And with pressure being put on Councilmember Alan Gerson to “investigate” the matter, it seems likely that the only African-American member of C.B. 2 will be eased out of her committee chairmanship and — should we expect, even removed from the board?

It could become the height of irony and hypocrisy that Dr. Smith is being ostracized and punished for Dr. Fulani’s alleged past views, which the mayor and Police Department do not permit to get in the way of advancing joint interests of benefit to the public. Recall that Dr. Smith was responsible for introducing a major resolution which passed C.B. 2 by a 40-0 vote calling for the enhancement of protections for youth being subjected to nontherapeutic psychological and other research in city schools. This forward-thinking action was motivated by her desire to protect all vulnerable children, including those of color, poor, L.G.B.T. and immigrant students. These children increasingly have become targets of “researchers” in “urban education” and medicine in the burgeoning and converging arenas of behavioral science, neuroscience and genetics.

Can we compartmentalize, evaluate the Cops and Kids program on its merits — and not condemn it or shoot messenger Smith? Would a better example of mediation, conflict resolution and tolerance be set by engaging Dr. Fulani in frank questioning and civil discourse? Perhaps some would prefer the uncivil and vituperative method in which the Sonny Carson street-naming mess is being “discussed,” angrily in the streets.

Finally, Dr. Smith should continue her leadership role as chairperson of an independent Youth Committee. There is so much work that remains and her record demonstrates that she is best suited for the position.

Granville Leo Stevens

Editor’s note: Community Board 2’s June calendar of board meetings, posted online on C.B. 2’s Web site, contains two agenda items for the Youth Committee’s June 14 meeting; the first agenda item is listed as “The Corps [sic] and Kids Conversations – Dr. Lenora Fulani.” When The Villager called Shirley Smith to ask why she had invited Fulani to the meeting and for clarification on what topic Fulani would be speaking, Smith said, “I do not give interviews to The Villager,” then hung up the phone.