OPENING THE HEART: A CLASS FOR MEN than any one person in the County’s history. You only hear in the media about the lawsuits. What is not in the media is the hundreds of letters my office and my clients have written that obtain access without a lawsuit. The enforcement mechanism chosen by Congress and the State of California is effective, however draconian in some circumstances. It does work though. Unlike the building departments which frequently do not. If you do not like the law, propose something better to your legislator. In the interim, feel free to continue to place this issue in the media. It renders the letters my clients write prior to litigation, rather receptive to the recipients, and on whole, makes litigation less likely. Jason K. Singleton EDUCATION / BY RYAN BURNS / WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18 AT 11:09 A.M.
ACLU Suing Eureka, Loleta Schools
Native American and black students face racial and sexual discrimination from students and staff in Eureka and Loleta according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the National Center for Youth Law. The suit alleges that top officials in the Eureka City Schools District “subject Black and Native American children to a racially hostile educational environment by allowing pervasive racial harassment to persist unchallenged,” according to a press release. The two groups also joined with California Indian Legal Services to ask the Office for Civil Rights to investigate racial
LEON BERLINER
discrimination in the Loleta Union School District. The groups allege that school officials in Eureka intentionally discriminate against black and Native American students, disciplining those students more harshly than white ones, subjecting them to a “racially hostile educational environment” and pushing them out of mainstream schools into alternative schools. They also say school officials tolerate weekly traditions such as “titty-twisting Tuesdays” and “slap-ass Fridays,” where, according to the press release, “students have their nipples, breasts and buttocks grabbed and hit in school hallways, locker rooms and other areas of district schools.” Defendants named in the suit include members of the Eureka City Schools District Board of Education, District Superintendent Fred Van Vleck and other school officials. The complaint against Loleta Union School District says the physical and verbal abuse levied at Native American students is perpetuating racist behavior in the region that dates back nearly 150 years. The Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria passed a resolution supporting the Office of Civil Rights complaint. You can read the complaints against the Eureka City Schools District and Loleta Union School District online at www. northcoastjournal.com.
4 Tuesdays 4 Saturdays Jan. 7, 14, 21 & 28 or Jan. 4, 11, 18 & 25 6-8 pm 10 am-Noon Cost $160 For millennia, men have been asked to be warriors with strong, proud and rational hearts. Times are changing, but for many men, opening to their inner softness and sensitivity is a risk they are reluctant and frightened of making. I hope that through journeys, exercises, and sharing I can help you discover the courage to move into your more loving, nurturing and compassionate self. For several decades I have been teaching classes for men and women focusing on healing the heart. People find me easy to talk to and non-judgmental. You will find this work helpful and fascinating.
Facilitated by Marny Friedman Call (707) 839-5910, or email iamalso@hotmail.com
Don’t pour that New Year’s champagne just yet. We’ve got an Early Deadline!
The Jan. 2nd, 2013 edition deadline is Thursday, Dec. 26th. 442-1400 www.northcoastjournal.com
310 F Street, Eureka, CA 955010
BY LINDA STANSBERRY / TUESDAY, DEC. 17 AT 3:14 P.M.
Leon Berliner Has Left Us
On Sunday, December 15th, Leon Berliner, owner of Berliner’s Cornucopia in Old Town, Eureka, died at age 78 after a brief battle with cancer. Leon was a man of many titles: Holocaust survivor, staunch Democrat, music lover, baseball enthusiast, card sharp, pool shark, doting grandfather, loving father and dedicated husband of more than 50 years to his wife Diana. Many were touched by his fierce intellect, his kindness and inquisitiveness. He was an active community member until the end of his life — greeting customers at his shop, going down to San Francisco to watch the Giants and hosting his regular poker game. Berliner embodied how the best of human nature could survive the worst of human atrocities. In accordance with his wishes no memorial will be held, but those who loved him can honor his legacy by upholding the values he held dear. Tonight, put some Beethoven on the stereo. For the good times, for our friend Leon. ● northcoastjournal.com • NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, DEC. 26, 2013
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