Blinders Uniform of Choice in Richmond

The West Contra Costa School District (Richmond, Ca.) must issue blinders to their officials. In the last month, two reported acts of sexual violence have occured on the grounds of two district schools, Portola Middle School and Richmond High School. At RHS, a young teenage female fell prey to an alleged gang rape, after leaving her school's Homecoming Dance. And at Portola, a 12 year old was a victim of a rape by a 14 year old boy, on campus during school hours. What makes these vicious crime even more appalling are the statements from officials involved at the district. At Portola, two campus supervisors made statements that seem to be in support of the suspect. One, Marquita Dones, asks "If she was being raped, why didn't she scream?" What? Maybe if she was doing her job properly, she just might have heard a scream. The other, Mustapha Cannon, publicly doubted the sex was NOT consensual. "I know for a fact that that girl could've knocked that boy out with one hand tied behind her back" was Cannon's lame excuse for not doing his job. They didn't provide adequate (I believe it's in the job description) safety to the grounds, but, let me see, she was at fault. Are you freaking kidding me?

I spent a few years as campus supervisor at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, Ca. That was quite likely the most intriguing job I have ever held. You must first get know to the kids, each and every one. Make yourself visible and allow the kids to have access to you, at any time, for any reason. Earn their trust. It's amazing what young adults will tell you if they trust you. It is painfully apparent that the two aforementioned campus supervisors do not possess any skills for this highly visible position. And visibility is the key here. You must, at all times, show your face and take an interest in the students and there needs and concerns. Teenagers have a myriad of problems, especially in a school setting, stemming from problems at home to problems on campus.

You gotta listen, people. Believe it or not, they will look to you for help. You just have to care about your charges more than your paycheck. Dones and Cannon have no business supervising children, let alone a head of lettuce.They should be summarily fired, NOW, and, if I had a say, charged with a crime. I know it's not a crime to  be stupid and unsympathetic. However, you could make a case for dereliction of duty, creating an unsafe have for children, or child endangerment. Get'em off the grounds and make a permanent red mark that says 'unsuitable in the presence of children'. And, wait, it gets better. Going back to the gang rape at Richmond High School, district spokesman Marin Trujillo did not discipline the Principal or Vice-Principal, but he placed on administrative leave the folks holding those positions at Portola for not doing their jobs. Again, WHAT?

Trujillo, facing questions about these incidents and others violence throughout the district, including fights at Pinole Valley High and DeAnza High, in which a total of 14 people were arrested said, to paraphrase, "There appears to be no connection between the incidents......." and "It would be erroneous to assume that having several violent incidents in the district reflects something, because these things are not connected".

Trujillo needs to reconnect with reason and sanity, and find a lucid thought wherever he can. Some school districts, especially in a tough area like Richmond, are run like the inmates that run the California DOC. If a student at Richmond wants a student at DeAnza "got", that student will "get got". That is called "pecking order", and Mr Trujillo is at the very bottom. When, and if, those two campus supervisors get terminated, Mr Trujillo should be afforded the opportunity to share his termination with them. He has no business playing "three blind mice" with the safety of the district's students.

My first guess would be that Trujillo is the person responsible for hiring these two knuckleheads in the first place. He does state that the district does not believe "they were speaking for us". So? The damage is done

Two young girls are not being supported by the three principals (Trujillo, Dones and Connor) in this scandal. How long do we have to wait before we hear about another "unconnected" incident. If the district has any integrity at all, three muzzles and three termination paychecks should be hand-delivered forewith. I volunteer.