Letters

Published on August 31, 2007

Talib Sadiq, schools show process works

To the Bulletin:

Having been educators in the Amherst-Pelham schools for 30 years, we have been following reactions to the hiring of Talib Sadiq with more than a little interest.

For once, the school district has, by its actions, reconciled its stated philosophy of inclusion with action. In the hiring of Talib, the district has shown that personal redemption is an attribute to be rewarded and included by example in the daily lives of the young men and women of the Regional Middle School.

As his principal and teachers, we knew Talib when he was Vincent Bias. As a student in the high school, he possessed an air that suggested he had more to give to his community and much more he needed to give to himself. It would be far too easy to blame Vincent's fall from positive citizenship on a military that spits out its soldiers, ill-prepared to re-enter civilian life. The statistics bear witness to the number of men and women who served and who are in emotional, legal, economic, and psychological distress.

The mark of Talib's character is that he did not blame this abandonment for his legal predicament. He, as they say, 'manned up,' did his time and went on to become a husband, a father, and an educator. It certainly must have occurred to Talib as he sat in his classes that, unlike his classmates, the path to full redemption, gaining employment in his chosen field, would be difficult. Yet, he did not waiver, and he did succeed. What better testament to the resiliency of the human spirit, and what better model of the self-made, self-improved man could one ask for?

As for the process, the district followed its protocol and hired the best person for the job. The parents of middle school students received notification in a timely and appropriate manner.

Talib's hiring is not the business of others in the system at this point. If Talib fails, according to any reasonable standard of evaluation, he should be removed. If he succeeds, which we know he will, he should be left alone.

Having sat on numerous interview committees, we can assert that there are few interviewees who come to the table with no strikes against them. Neither Talib nor the district tried to hide from the past, and in doing so, they provided the middle school with an opportunity to hire a truly outstanding young man.

Anyone who sees this as an act of 'rehabilitation' needs to consult texts on criminology or a dictionary for a more factual understanding of the term. Talib rehabilitated himself long before he applied to the middle school and is now worthy of the opportunity afforded him. We fully support his efforts.

Gaylord F. Saulsberry

Janet Elias Saulsberry
Amherst

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Sadiq excelled as our son's football coach

To the Bulletin:

This is the third year Talib Sadiq has been our son's football coach. In that time, we have gotten to know him as a teacher and role model. He has always coached with respect, patience and encouragement. He is not your prototypical football coach. He is soft-spoken, calm and never demeaning. Our son, Makenna, confirms this and says, 'I have never heard him raise his voice at me or anyone on the team.'

We have witnessed him as a husband and father where his thoughtfulness and calm patience are apparent. He has been an example of commitment, integrity, volunteerism and apparently turning a life around.

We were shocked when we heard of his past criminal act because it seemed so out of character. This revelation does not change our respect and admiration for Talib. What matters to us is who he is today. We trust him personally, as well as with our son and will continue to do so.

We can understand how parents might react with fear at hearing their children might be counseled by a former convict. We have no such fear, only positive anticipation because we know Talib. We know what kind of positive influence he can have on our kids. We advise concerned parents to get to know Talib, talk to him, call us, don't pre-judge him. We believe you will agree that he is an asset to our children, our school system and our community.

We ask you to please not focus on the mistake Talib has made in his past; rather, focus on his character in the present and for our future.

Sam and Sandy Rodgers
Leverett

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'To deny him position would simply be wrong'

To the Bulletin:

With regard to the hiring of Talib Sadiq, Alberto Morales says that he supports Mr. Sadiq's right to a second chance, that is, as long as his 'second chance' doesn't happen anywhere near Mr. Morales' family.

When I read Talib Sadiq's story in the Aug. 17 Bulletin, I found it inspirational. Hiring him is not giving him a second chance. His second chance began the day he left prison and it's hard to see how anyone can claim that he has not taken full advantage of it. Here is a man who has earned a B.A., an M.A., is pursuing a certificate in advanced graduate studies, is raising a family, and coaches youth football.

He's done everything right since his release from prison ten years ago. He is not being hired as part of his 'rehabilitation,' as Mr. Morales says. It's clear from what Mr. Sadiq has accomplished that he IS rehabilitated. To deny him this position would simply be wrong.

Aaron Bousel
Amherst

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Sadiq's transformation can be 'constructive'

To the Bulletin:

Last week's article regarding the hiring process of Talib Sadiq was racially insensitive.

At the bottom of the first page, 'see RAP page 2' appears. On Page 2, the word 'rap' appears again at the top of the continuation of the article. The word 'rap' in today's world refers to a creative style of music with lyrical content that many find offensive because it is frequently sexual and/or violent. The Bulletin's use of that term in this article focusing on a man of color is just plain wrong.

We have here a young man, married, the father of three children. He has already completed a successful one-year internship at the Regional Middle School. He also successfully coaches youth football here in town. He graduated from Amherst Regional High School, earned a BA in Communications at UMass in 2002, and is well on his way to a certificate of advanced studies also at UMass. Sounds great so far.

But some 14 years ago, way back in 1993, after military service in the first Gulf War, Talib robbed a bank, for which he served 31/2 years in prison. Since then, he has moved on steadily, in a remarkably constructive life.

Talib Sadiq's redemptive transformation can serve as a constructive model in some counseling situations at the middle school. Years ago, I was a member of a group that mentored prisoners at the state correctional institution at Walpole. Many of the prisoners I befriended went on to successful and fulfilling lives on the outside.

Will the Amherst School Department create a climate of employment denial for those whose lives may not rate as 100 percent pure? I could not pass such a test. Could you?

Alan Root
Amherst
Editor's note: The term rap is slang for a criminal record.

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Strong Street traffic exceeds speed limit

To the Bulletin:

As former residents of Lincoln Avenue, we have followed letters and articles concerning traffic problems in the Amherst Bulletin.

Last September we moved to Strong Street, where the problem of speeding traffic is worse. Strong Street is a major route used to avoid travel through downtown Amherst. This means that it is used by much of the University of Massachusetts commuting population, as well as by many heavy trucks. In spite of the fact that the street includes a railroad crossing and an elementary school, drivers, by and large, pay little attention to the speed limits of 35 and 30 miles an hour.

In a letter to the Bulletin, Robert Greeney encourages a town-wide campaign to calm traffic and suggests signs as part of the effort. We believe that there is a need for improved signage on Strong Street.

Driving from east to west on the street there is one 35 mile speed limit sign soon after the driver turns off North East Street. There is no other speed limit sign until the driver comes near the Wildwood School district, where the limit is 30 miles an hour.

Strong Street is one mile long. How much time does a driver save by speeding through this residential area?

Better signage, increased enforcement and higher fines are badly needed on Strong Street and elsewhere in town.

Ellen and George Goodwin
Amherst

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Select Board minority orders trees cut down

To the Bulletin:

On Aug. 20, the Select Board made a decision to cut down the three perfectly healthy beautiful cherry trees located at 190 North Pleasant St. Three days later, the trees are gone.

This decision to cut down the cherry trees was made by a minority of the Select Board. Only two of the five members (Anne Awad and Alisa Brewer) voted for this decision. The third member present at the meeting, Hwei-Ling Greeney, voted against the proposal.

Yet the vote was binding. The public hearing on the cherry trees had been originally scheduled in the spring, but was postponed and rescheduled until two members of the Select Board (Rob Kusner and Gerry Weiss), who opposed this decision, would be out of town on summer travels.

The meeting with three Select Board members present constituted a quorum, according to town government rules. And a vote in favor by two members constituted a majority of a quorum, even though it is a minority of the five-member Select Board.

Thus we see a structural weakness in our town government, whereby a minority of the Select Board can get their way by the scheduling major decisions affecting the town to a time when two members of the board are away from town on their summer travels.

Moreover, it was obvious from the outset of the public hearing that Awad and Brewer had already made up their minds on the issue, making it a formality.

The town manager read aloud an email letter from Kusner (traveling in Brazil) which was an eloquent plea to save the cherry trees. As was to be expected, the lengthy impassioned plea, with moving humane feeling for the trees, fell on deaf ears.

Harold Kulungian
Amherst

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In defense of beavers at Puffer's Pond

To the Bulletin:

I'm writing to respond to the recent letter, 'Beavers, not humans, ruin Puffer's Pond' (Bulletin, Aug. 17).

Singling out beaver as the most likely source of Giardia in Puffer's Pond is a form of wildlife profiling that is not supported by the facts. The real public health risk of becoming ill from waterborne diseases from beaver is often over-generalized, greatly exaggerated, and inaccurately stated. The same is true of alleged water quality and erosion problems credited to beaver.

Giardia is carried by dogs, cats, muskrats, deer, coyotes, and many waterfowl, including egrets, herons, Canada geese, and seagulls. Humans can transmit Giardia to other humans, pets, and wildlife, and are the major source of Giardia infections.

And, Giardia cysts from human sources are more infectious to humans than those from animal sources. A single stool from a human carrying a moderate Giardia infection can have 300 million cysts. With regard to the potential for beaver to transmit Giardia to humans, studies indicate that Giardia cysts from humans do not appear to be highly infectious to beaver, indicating that beaver are not likely to harbor large numbers of cysts.

The original reports in the media that produced the myth of 'beaver fever' were not based on good science and failed to offer any scientific evidence that beaver transmitted the disease. Specifically, the reports implicating beavers as the source of waterborne outbreaks of Giardia were based on poorly documented and largely circumstantial evidence, i.e., junk science. These early reports were based on the fact that beavers are highly visible in watersheds because they are natural 'architects of wetlands' and typically build dams and lodges. In short, the myth of 'beaver fever' resulted from a classic case of guilt by association rather than fact.

Recreational use and other activities by humans and/or their pets and livestock in watershed areas remain the major source of waterborne disease outbreaks. Malfunctioning sewage and septic systems, and inadequate treatment of sewage and/or drinking water, can add to the problem and represent a much greater public health risk than the mere presence and normal activities of beaver and other wildlife.

Finally, the natural and instinctive activities of beaver harvesting trees are normal parts of ecosystem function and not 'destruction of many trees around the pond.' Humans also harvest trees to meet their legitimate needs for wood products, fuel, and for other reasons not considered to be destructive.

Guy Lanza
Amherst