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Tulsa Clergy Comes to Black Principal's Aid
Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011,
By: Denise Stewart, BlackAmericaWeb.com
A Tulsa, Oklahoma elementary school principal is fighting to have her case dismissed following a March incident in which she was arrested after asking if police searching her daughter’s residence had a warrant to do so.
The case of Lynnette Dixon is about a black woman speaking up in a city where one race usually rules, civil rights leaders and Dixon's lawyer say.
That point was made clear in an email made public last week in which the Tulsa schools chief of police told Tulsa police officers the system wanted to fire Dixon, and her arrest would help their case.
“It’s like we still are in 1921. They don’t like for you to bring up the Tulsa race riots, but they still have not dealt with it,” Tulsa NAACP President Dr. William Blakney told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “As a minister, I have lived all over the country - Alabama, Oregon, Missouri - but this is the most racist place I have ever lived.”
The incident began on March 7, when police went to the residence of Dixon’s daughter who lives in subsidized housing. A neighbor had accused the daughter and her boyfriend of burglary, according to her attorney, Richard O’Carroll.
Police were going through the apartment when Dixon arrived. She asked her daughter if the officers searching her home had a warrant. She also told her daughter to get the officers' badge numbers, according to O’Carroll.
“Ms. Dixon asked them what they were doing. Instead of asking her to be quiet, they told her to leave,” O’Carroll told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
Dixon was charged with obstructing a police officer and fined $200, according to O’Carroll. She was placed on paid leave from the Tulsa Public School System, but the incident could cost Dixon her job as principal of Hawthorne Elementary School, the lawyer said.
Blakney is calling Tulsa ministers together later this week to support Dixon and her school, he said.
“Ms. Dixon is a good principal. The parents are supporting her. The school is not at risk,” he said. “She meets all of the challenges and deals with them, helping the children to succeed.”
Hawthorne has 430 students, and 99.7 percent of the students are on either free or reduced lunch. An overwhelmingly majority of the students – 94 percent – are African-American, according to the school’s web site.
“This is not only affecting Ms. Dixon. It’s affecting the students and their families,” Blakney said.
School officials told BlackAmericaWeb.com they could not comment on Ms. Dixon, or the email from Tulsa Public Schools Police Chief Gary Rudick, obtained by NewsChannel 8.
Here is an excerpt of the email to Tulsa police made public in Oklahoma and dated March 8:
“I am sure you know the fat is in the fire over the arrest of Principal Lynette Dixon. The NAACP is having a support mtg for a public show of support tonight. We served a suspension letter on Dixon this afternoon and about 40 people were at her home all *****ing about the racists cops we all are.
“We want to fire this woman so your case is important to us. I've got Collburn on this from our end gathering admin data. He spoke to your guys. We intend to interview the security guards. Here is what I think is the best course.
“We don't want any reports or statements on paper that are not already a matter of public record. I suspect that when we fire her that her attorney will want a hearing and try to do discovery at the hearing on anything we use. For that reason, we are simply putting a report together that is based on our interviews and what is already public, nothing more That way if we go to an admin hearing BEFORE the court proceeding, we don't have a lot for them to do discovery on. However, chances are good that the attorney would subpoena your guys to our admin hearing in order to do exactly that........ discovery of what the case would be about.”
“If the criminal case is dismissed it will hurt us badly in trying to fire this woman. I think someone from TPD needs to make sure the Prosecutors are on board this case and don't dismiss it out of hand or bow to public pressure. There will be a great deal of pressure on this as we've been getting calls here and to the Sup's office all day.
“I am so glad that your guys arrested her ...”
Dixon’s lawyer said he will argue for dismissal in a hearing on May 10. He is also having Rudick’s computer subpoenaed.
“It’s all about the fix,” O’Carroll said.
“Rarely do you find someone who will plan to do something like this and write it,” he said. “He is attempting to obstruct justice. This is the kind of thing that Attorney General Eric Holder should be looking at.”
Rudick, who has now been placed on leave by the school system, defended his actions in a statement last week, saying it’s not unusual for his department to conduct an investigation when an employee has been arrested.
“The purpose of that is to determine what impact that arrest may have on the ability of the employee to continue to carry out their duties
and responsibilities for employment with the district,” he said.
Rudick maintains that the communication with the Tulsa Police Department was not done under the direction of the school superintendent or other leaders.
In a release from the school system on the same day as Rudick’s statement, Superintendent Keith Ballard also said that he did not approve the email and did not have knowledge of it until April 19, when Rudick brought it to his attention.
“The superintendent does not agree with many of the statements contained in the email but because this matter involves a confidential internal employee matter, as well as an ongoing municipal criminal matter, it would be inappropriate at this time to discuss the email in detail,” the superintendent’s statement read.
Blakney said he is committed to continue raising the awareness of Dixon’s case among blacks in Tulsa and in Oklahoma.
“Sometimes apathy can settle in because you are used to things being the way they are,” he said. “I’m telling people, you can fight and win.”
Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011,
By: Denise Stewart, BlackAmericaWeb.com
A Tulsa, Oklahoma elementary school principal is fighting to have her case dismissed following a March incident in which she was arrested after asking if police searching her daughter’s residence had a warrant to do so.
The case of Lynnette Dixon is about a black woman speaking up in a city where one race usually rules, civil rights leaders and Dixon's lawyer say.
That point was made clear in an email made public last week in which the Tulsa schools chief of police told Tulsa police officers the system wanted to fire Dixon, and her arrest would help their case.
“It’s like we still are in 1921. They don’t like for you to bring up the Tulsa race riots, but they still have not dealt with it,” Tulsa NAACP President Dr. William Blakney told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “As a minister, I have lived all over the country - Alabama, Oregon, Missouri - but this is the most racist place I have ever lived.”
The incident began on March 7, when police went to the residence of Dixon’s daughter who lives in subsidized housing. A neighbor had accused the daughter and her boyfriend of burglary, according to her attorney, Richard O’Carroll.
Police were going through the apartment when Dixon arrived. She asked her daughter if the officers searching her home had a warrant. She also told her daughter to get the officers' badge numbers, according to O’Carroll.
“Ms. Dixon asked them what they were doing. Instead of asking her to be quiet, they told her to leave,” O’Carroll told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
Dixon was charged with obstructing a police officer and fined $200, according to O’Carroll. She was placed on paid leave from the Tulsa Public School System, but the incident could cost Dixon her job as principal of Hawthorne Elementary School, the lawyer said.
Blakney is calling Tulsa ministers together later this week to support Dixon and her school, he said.
“Ms. Dixon is a good principal. The parents are supporting her. The school is not at risk,” he said. “She meets all of the challenges and deals with them, helping the children to succeed.”
Hawthorne has 430 students, and 99.7 percent of the students are on either free or reduced lunch. An overwhelmingly majority of the students – 94 percent – are African-American, according to the school’s web site.
“This is not only affecting Ms. Dixon. It’s affecting the students and their families,” Blakney said.
School officials told BlackAmericaWeb.com they could not comment on Ms. Dixon, or the email from Tulsa Public Schools Police Chief Gary Rudick, obtained by NewsChannel 8.
Here is an excerpt of the email to Tulsa police made public in Oklahoma and dated March 8:
“I am sure you know the fat is in the fire over the arrest of Principal Lynette Dixon. The NAACP is having a support mtg for a public show of support tonight. We served a suspension letter on Dixon this afternoon and about 40 people were at her home all *****ing about the racists cops we all are.
“We want to fire this woman so your case is important to us. I've got Collburn on this from our end gathering admin data. He spoke to your guys. We intend to interview the security guards. Here is what I think is the best course.
“We don't want any reports or statements on paper that are not already a matter of public record. I suspect that when we fire her that her attorney will want a hearing and try to do discovery at the hearing on anything we use. For that reason, we are simply putting a report together that is based on our interviews and what is already public, nothing more That way if we go to an admin hearing BEFORE the court proceeding, we don't have a lot for them to do discovery on. However, chances are good that the attorney would subpoena your guys to our admin hearing in order to do exactly that........ discovery of what the case would be about.”
“If the criminal case is dismissed it will hurt us badly in trying to fire this woman. I think someone from TPD needs to make sure the Prosecutors are on board this case and don't dismiss it out of hand or bow to public pressure. There will be a great deal of pressure on this as we've been getting calls here and to the Sup's office all day.
“I am so glad that your guys arrested her ...”
Dixon’s lawyer said he will argue for dismissal in a hearing on May 10. He is also having Rudick’s computer subpoenaed.
“It’s all about the fix,” O’Carroll said.
“Rarely do you find someone who will plan to do something like this and write it,” he said. “He is attempting to obstruct justice. This is the kind of thing that Attorney General Eric Holder should be looking at.”
Rudick, who has now been placed on leave by the school system, defended his actions in a statement last week, saying it’s not unusual for his department to conduct an investigation when an employee has been arrested.
“The purpose of that is to determine what impact that arrest may have on the ability of the employee to continue to carry out their duties
and responsibilities for employment with the district,” he said.
Rudick maintains that the communication with the Tulsa Police Department was not done under the direction of the school superintendent or other leaders.
In a release from the school system on the same day as Rudick’s statement, Superintendent Keith Ballard also said that he did not approve the email and did not have knowledge of it until April 19, when Rudick brought it to his attention.
“The superintendent does not agree with many of the statements contained in the email but because this matter involves a confidential internal employee matter, as well as an ongoing municipal criminal matter, it would be inappropriate at this time to discuss the email in detail,” the superintendent’s statement read.
Blakney said he is committed to continue raising the awareness of Dixon’s case among blacks in Tulsa and in Oklahoma.
“Sometimes apathy can settle in because you are used to things being the way they are,” he said. “I’m telling people, you can fight and win.”
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