Friday, Antonio Villaraigosa said that he’s going to give up on his quest for mayoral control of LA schools—a reality based decision. The four new FOA (Friends of Antonio) LAUSD board members clustered around AV at his press conference like a back-up group behind the lead singer. Along with them for the photo op was Board Prez, Marlene Cantor, a well-meaning, if ineffectual leader, and Julie Korenstein, who always seems to pay far more attention to her manicure than, say, school governance. (And, no, that isn’t a metaphor.)

Conspicuously absent, was recently reelected board member Marguerite LaMotte, whose antagonism toward the mayor (she likened his school takeover attempt to the “Tuskegee experiments”) and the burgeoning charter school movement are often breathtaking in their virulence.

At the event, the mayor and the board members talked cheerily of “common goals,” … smaller, safer schools ….parent involvement …increased input from teachers….yadda, yadda, yadda. It was nothing that we hadn’t heard….oh…a zillion times.

(Did I say I was optimistic about the future effect of the newly Antonio-tilting Los Angeles school board? My bad. I’m over it.)

ON THAT SAME DAY, there was, however, one genuinely promising development on the LA public school front: THE GROWING PARENT REVOLT.

You see, Friday was also the day that a group called the Courage Campaign, along with the 2006-formed LA Parents Union, sent out a mass email urging all LA parents and any other concerned parties to sign a petition demanding that the school board start breaking up the district’s big, failing schools into smaller more manageable ones. And to do it now. Not later.

Interestingly, the petition isn’t just another passive plea. It carries with it an unstated threat: IF YOU WON’T DO IT, WE WILL. You don’t think so? Take a look at Locke High School, babe.

As threats go, it’s a pretty good one. And, in terms of pure drama the unfolding Locke High School saga is definitely the best show in town.

In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a quick rundown of the details….

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Yesterday morning, Liam Rector, the director of Bennington College’s MFA Writing program, sent out links to this article to those he thought might be interested, myself included. It’s a thoughtful and sobering piece from Higher Ed Magazine, that talks about what happens when creative writing teachers come across unusually violent content in the writing of their students. It pertains, obviously, to the writing of Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech shooter, who was also an English major, but it goes much further, into the issue in general. It’s called, “When Creative Writing Provides a Clue,” and it’s a worthwhile read, comments included.

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When something truly terrible happens, as it did at Virginia Tech yesterday, there are bound to be collateral effects that unfold later on in ways that we can’t at the time imagine.

I’ll give you an example of what I mean that relates specifically to Los Angeles.

The incident occurred nearly two years ago, in July of 2005. A 19-month old little girl named Suzie Pena died when her dad, Raul Pena, was pumped up on Tequila and cocaine, plus a night of fighting with his common-law wife and stepdaughter. Then, for reasons no one entirely understands, he got into a shootout with the Los Angeles Police Department. After hours of standoff, a department SWAT team blew through the back doors of the used car dealership where Pena was holed up inside a small interior office with his gun and his toddler daughter and, in an attempt to take out the dad, the cops shot the little girl too. The SWAT guys found her amid the smoke and debris curled in her dead father’s arms.

I was asked to report on the story, and so spent a great deal of time deconstructing the actions of the police, most specifically SWAT. At some point when I was talking to then LAPD Assistant Chief, George Gascon, trying to yank apart how everything happened, he brought up the school shootings at Columbine
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It’s very difficult to post about anything else today with the story of the shooting on Virginia Tech’s campus still unfolding. We fear for the wounded students, grieve for the 22 31 32….33 dead. I can think of nothing on earth more terrible than losing a child. Nothing.

As the news unspools itself in the days and weeks to come, I hope that kind and cool heads will prevail. When something awful like this occurs, the feelings of helplessness and grief we all feel for the individuals and families affected often turns to rage, and then to a desire to DO SOMETHING.

When that something is done, may it be wise, not reactive, practical, not a result of politicians’ posturing.

Here’s the link to CNN’s developing coverage.

A link to the written statement by Virgin Tech President.

This NPR story is reassuringly calm in tone, and has an informative interview with a student.

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