NORWALK, Conn. — In explaining why she is gathering Norwalk religious leaders together for a rally Tuesday at City Hall, Brenda Penn-Williams cites a quote from Rodney King, the taxi driver who became nationally known after being beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers following a high-speed car chase on March 3, 1991:
“Can’t we all get along?” she asked, when reached by telephone Sunday.
Penn-Williams, who said she is not running for the Board of Education despite previous reports quoting her as saying she was considering it, said a group titled Concerned Norwalk Citizens is organizing the rally. The group of pastors will be diverse, she said, promising that the Rev. Lindsay Curtis would definitely be involved, and that the Rev. Ray Dancy and the Rev. Oscar Destruge are tentatively scheduled to take part in what she said will be a prayer for peace.
“In the last couple of weeks there’s been a lot of negativity in the paper,” Penn-Williams said. “I am asking it all stop… We need to come together as a city. All this craziness that is going on, we need to come together as a city. It’s about the children.”
By “craziness,” Penn-Williams was referring to the divide stirred by the complaint filed by Board of Education member Shirley Mosby against the Board in June. Penn-Williams was chairwoman of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee at the time, and made the complaint public at a BoE meeting.
“She alleges that the African-American and Hispanic female board members are subject to continual intimidation, harassment, disrespect, exclusion, discrimination, lack of transparency and not being informed, and subject to disparate treatment,” Penn-Williams said to the board, reading what she said was a letter sent June 22 to Lyons.
Details of the complaint are not public, but Norwalk Branch NAACP President Darnell Crosland said recently that it was against BoE Chairman Mike Lyons and then-BoE member Jack Chiaramonte. Chiaramonte resigned two weeks ago after comments he made on Facebook became public.
Councilman Bruce Kimmel (D-At Large) on March 26 called for news organizations to file Freedom of Information requests for evidence that Mosby has reportedly gathered to support her complaint. NancyOnNorwalk has filed a request, but has not gotten acknowledgement from Mosby or Deputy Corporation Counsel Jeffry Spahr, although it has been a week.
The Republican Town Committee sent an FOI request (FOIAMosby[1]) for the documents to Mosby dated April 1, requesting a response within four business days (Tuesday). The Parent Teacher Organization Council (PTOC) also has filed an FOI request, a source said.
Penn-Williams said recently that Mosby does have evidence to support her complaint.
“My perception is she has a case, but you might have a different perception,” she said.
There is now a petition circulating calling for Mosby to resign. As of 4:20 a.m. Monday there were 289 signatures. No one signed it on Easter Sunday.
“I just think this thing is getting out of hand, every day there is something negative in the paper I just think it needs to stop. It’s causing a big divide,” Penn-Williams said.
The divide is making it difficult to find a new superintendent of schools, she said. “They see all that negativity they’re not going to want to come here,” she said.
“I’m certain the division can be overcome as long as everyone agrees to come together and discuss their concerns,” Mayor Harry Rilling said in an email. “I’ve been attempting to get people to the table since last September or before, but unfortunately have not been successful. Unless that happens, I’m not confident there will be a resolution anytime soon.”
“This is not no political game, this is for our children. We want to have a prayer for peace for the betterment for our children,” Penn-Williams said.
The announcement of the rally included Sunday on NancyOnNorwalk drew several negative comments, including one from PTOC Vice President of Administration Drew Todd:
“Maybe at this sham rally they should hand Mosby the FOI requests right to her! Then maybe she will as this joke flyer say will ‘wake up’ and do us all a favor and resign!! The people of this rally are not interested at all of educating our children. They are interested in there own political agendas period! If they were so interested in the education of our children then we wouldn’t be in the position we are today! If they were so interested then they could have awoken to what was going on at the BOE with the select 3 and put a stop to the BS! Instead they let it continue and chase the best Superintendent out of this City! This rally is a sham period!”
“I personally didn’t like how he was talking,” Penn-Williams said. “I want to resolve it. Why do we have to look at color? We really are destroying our city. … I just disagree with people on the blog, talking about people. I don’t want them talking about me. People don’t know me. Don’t go on what you hear about me, you’ve got to know me.”
“You will never see me speak in public about anyone,” Penn-Williams said. “I will not talk about anyone else in public.”
When she went to Brien McMahon High School in the 1970s, no one thought about color, she said. “We had a good time,” she said, describing high school spirit and diverse people going to sports games together.
Last week, Penn-Williams sat on the bench near the door at City Hall, reminiscing about the “good old days” with Councilman Rich Bonenfant (R-At Large), who agreed that when they went to high school there was no racial divide.
“I don’t see any of that now,” Penn-Williams said. “I just see we are going in the wrong direction.”
Leave a Reply
You must Register or Login to post a comment.