Lamya Cammon's Very "Public Wrong" -Mother of Girl Assaulted and Humiliated by Teacher "Satisfied"
Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 8:02AM The Blogmother WAOD READER-ACTIVIST BlkSeaGoatI spoke with Sheila in the office of the DA-John Chisolm, Office of Sensitive Crimes. She stated that they have no record of the case being referred to the office and had received one call regarding the case. She promised to look into the case an would get bach to me.
You may call, email, or write to:
Office of the District Attorney, Milwaukee County
John Chisolm, D.A.
821 West State Street, Room 405
Milwaukee, WI 53233414.278.4653
WAOD READER JENI spoke to the NAACP-Milwaukee and they said they can’t intervene legally until the parent files a case. I also wrote to the principal of the school. Here’s the number and e-mail to contact the school directly:
Tel: (414) 616-5300
E-mail: 116@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.usWe can also file complaints to the Milwaukee Public School System. I think their number is (414) 475-8467
Folks we got a child abuser teaching in the schools of Milwaukee. Beyond being incompetent, this teacher is a threat and an danger to children. I don't care what Lamya's Mama wants. This teacher has clearly taken leave of her senses. She's a bully of the worst sort and the idea that this assailant would be allowed to return to the classroom is an indication of how little the Milwaukee school district values the lives of its students.
As a general rule, I never fight harder for someone than they are willing to fight for themselves, but in the cases of children, I think we as a community have to make an exception. And so we continue the story poor little Lamya Cammon. Her Mama Helen Cunninghan trotted her out on television to tell the humiliating story of how a school teacher abused her authority and power over a an elementary school student to practically scalp the girl in front of her classmates.
To the surprise of a lot of poster's, she isn't necessarily calling for the teacher to be fired.
"I talked to the principal once, and she told me she's doing what she could to be able to discipline the teacher," Cunningham said.
The mother said if the teacher is under that much stress, MPS needs to do a better job of providing counseling.
Still, Cunningham said she wants to be reassured that the teacher realizes what she did was wrong.
Helen Cunningham, I don't' even think YOU know what the teacher did wrong. This reminds me of those folks in Cleveland who lived with ROTTING HUMAN FLESH surrounding them, yet managed to carry out their lives literally surrounded by the stench of death.
Now if this teacher had shaved the head of a kitten, PETA would have ridden her out of town on a rail.
But alas, Lamya Cammon is a little Black girl. There isn't any PETBG People For the Ethical Treatment of Black Girls so little Lamaya is up a creek. Now that Helen got her turn on national television and got interviewed by ESSENCE, she's had enough and appears to want the matter to rest.
Luckily for us we recognize that there are private wrongs and public wrongs. In the same way we recognize that a husband beating up his wife is a public infraction, and purse charges whether she wants us to or not, assaulting this little girl's personhood was a public wrong.
The fact that the District Attorney isn't charging the menace with a violent crime is indicative of how little we value the lives of poor little Black girls with accommodating Mamas!
PPS..Where is the Daddy? How does he feel about all of this?If Mama's throwing in the towel, where is the Daddy to pick it up off the ground?
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Reader Comments (22)
This is not the first story of a teacher assaulting a black girl.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-18936338.html
When I called the DA's office yesterday, the person who answered told me that she would pass on my concerns as she had the many other phone inquiries of the matter. This person also said that the teacher was fined but no criminal complaint had been lodged as of yet. "As of yet" is the key. Come on Miss Cunninghan, protect your daughter and show her how much you lover her and care about retribution for the teacher who hurt her and betrayed parental trust. Sue the school for not protecting your daughter. Just a word from you should get the ball rolling. Other children are not safe in this woman's classroom so she needs to be out. Where is the outrage?
Normally, I'm all for activism, but if the girl's mother thinks that it's not in her daughter's best interest to file a criminal complaint or call for the woman to fired, should one go over her head? Just because the lesson she is giving her daughter is what you would advocate, doesn't mean that it's not a valid one.
M,
That type of logic would have left black people enslaved in the US and Segregation completely legal. So the mother doesn't want to cause any waves... I don't CARE!
Here are the facts:
A psychologically deficient person has been retained by a school to preside over a classroom with impressionable, vulnerable, young minds.
Said psychologically deficient person viscerally reacts to the actions of a 7 year old black girl by PHYSICALLY assaulting her.
You may not see it that way. I posed the same question you asked in the last thread about this, but I was being rhetorical. I am in NO WAY abandoning prodding the DA to charge this teacher with a crime and to have the school district FIRE her. If Lamya had cut this teacher's hair she'd have been expelled and her life RUINED by the slew of juvenile charges that would come down the pipeline.
If the teacher is remorseful about what happened and wants to make necessary amends why haven't we heard from them?
There is no lesson to learn here. Lamya was ROBBED of her personal dignity. If Helen doesn't care enough or understand WHY SHE as a parent should be outraged, then those of us who do care and understand will fill the gap.
1. If a grown woman would let a seven year old cut her hair she would need to be put in a state home because clearly does have the mental capacity to care for herself.
2. The child was taken out of the class and the teacher was disciplined and placed under probation. In this economy, if cuts are to be made, she'll be the first to go.
3. We don't know the mother and what her motivations are. (Suppose she is a Christian who believes one should forgive.) She really does not owe anyone an explanation.
I think this case is about Lamya and the rest of the kids in the class. The teacher is still in the classroom with students who witnessed her humiliate a child their age. What are they thinking? At least, the teacher should be suspending pending psychological evaluation. I don't know the child's mother but I'm shocked by the lack of outrage.
M,
Do you work for the inept local NAACP, school district, or the DAs office?
You sound like you do. I smell an astroturfer.
What does being Christian have to do with any of this? Forgiveness doesn't abrogate one from punishment.
I called the Milwaukee Public School system and was told to come into the office to file a complaint. I assume that I can have a complaint form faxed to me since I do not live in the area. They assured me they are doing what they can and I dont believe them because they just want this to go away. This white woman might get away with her evil act. Lamya's mom is a coward. And weak. Im sorry but do not have kids if you are not willing to fight for them. Save us all some trouble. Ill call the DA next.
If all else fails, insult the person who disagrees with you. Insult the mother of little Lemaya while you are at it. The child has been violated, now you really should direct your energies to bullying her mother.
Seriously, some of the comments on this and the related posts are the height of bourgeois condescension. This single black mother of six children (thanks for bringing that to our attention) doesn’t have sense enough to know how or when to fight for her child. Maybe you should call child services (Wait, I’m sure one or two have.)
Blkseagoat, why don’t you take your paternalistic, patronizing attitude and put it to good use elsewhere.
Let that mother be a mother.
17 December 2009
When an instructor of young minds becomes so 'frustrated' (her words) that she takes out her 'frustrations' physically upon someone that probably is less than a third her age; she needs serious help...
particularly if this 'frustration' involves the use of a very sharp, edged weapon near the face of a small child. what if her 'frustrations' had led her to miss the child's braid and hit an eye?
There is NO excuse for this! Had this been a white child and a black instructor, the black instructor would have (in all probability) fired, incarcerated, and/or run out of town on a rail.
What will the excuse be the next time she becomes 'frustrated' and attacks another Black child? Or anyone's child, for that matter, but specifically a Black child?
It makes me tired that Lamya is going to have to have this on her brain until forever, because she may not be allowed to vent how she really feels.
But what happens if Lamya is attacked again? Will she be told to 'forgive and forget' again? This will become traumatic. I am in California. I have no idea what I can do, but I've posted this incident on my FACEBOOK page.
Forward,
MK
Lamya is a Black woman in training. She's being taught to shoulder abuse and that no one will fight for you. As a matter a fact, it's probably being pounded into her head that she deserved said abuse. She'll end up like her mother, unable and unwilling to defend herself or her children.
This cycle needs to stop.
@Gina--May I offer another suggestion to the readers of WAOD? Is it possible that parents, aunts, uncles, babysitters....etc....anyone with and/or mentoring children Lamya's age can create crafts or cards with your children and send them to Lamya's school? These crafts could show pictures and/or words of encouragement to the little girl to let her know people do care about HER FEELINGS and that she is valued and appreciated? From a child's perspective being accepted and encouraged by other children can bring more joy to her than any legalities we adults are thinking about, though I'm all for those courses of action as well. Right now, Lamya is a child who needs others around her to show her that she is important and that no one has the right to violate her.
@MK I agree with you. If this teacher is so "frustrated" that she had to reach for scissors and bring them near a child's face, she could've stabbed that little girl in the face. This woman is dangerous!
Adults vent to other adults, journal, exercise, dance WHATEVER constructive to take out their frustrations not reach for a child with a sharp object! At the very least the school should understand that the teacher has taught the other children that it is okay to violate someone else's space when you are "frustrated". This is not a lesson we want to teach our children.
Monica, everyday in this country prosecutors charge people with crimes irrespective of what the victim wants. Happens everyday. The crime isn't a crime against an individual, its a crime against all of us. What the mother wants is irrelevant when ti comes to the charging decision. This child was the victim of a violent assault by an agent of the state. That's not a private issue anymore than a husband beating up his wife is a private issue.
By the way I LOVE LOVE LOVE they way Black folks LOVE to use bourgeois in the pejorative. Call me bougie if you wanna, this little girl still is entitled to the protection of the jack booted foot of government whether her mother believes it or not.
I'm letting the mother be a mother, did anyone call for removing the child?
I'm also asking the prosecutor to be a prosecutor and do their JOB!
and yes, BlkSeagoat shouldn't have accused you of being an astroturfing troll. I have an astroturf-o-meter and you didn't set it off. People tend to astroturf for powerful people with very thin skin.
I was actually directing my comment at BSG.
Also Gina, I wasn't think in terms of bourgie (as in black bourgeois), I was referring to middle class attitudes and assumptions which may include placing Ms. Cunningham in a box because she is a single mother with 6 children. Assumptions that lead to questions and conclusions about her integrity, her intelligence and her ability to properly care for children.
I had no idea about her background until I read about it on this site. Why bring it up?
And again I don't see what gained by bullying (or attempting to browbeat this mother) into doing what you feel is the right course of action. That teacher attempted to shame that child into submission. How is cajoling her mother any different?
Again, because you have an agenda and clearly won't read the post, and all of my subsequent comments have stated EMPHATICALLY that it is the PROSECUTOR'S responsibility to enforce the law. We don't have private crimes in this country. Irrespective of the mother's wishes, a crime has been committed and it needs to be prosecuted.
Second, I don't expect nor have I demanded that the mother DO anything. But I'm done with my interaction with you. You've made up your mind. you refuse to concede that there are private and public wrongs and you are miffed that we mentioned that Ms Cunningham has 6 kids. A, Ms Cunningham isn't ashamed of her 6 children, so why are you? Second, the number of Children in the family MIGHT explain why this mother might be overwhelmed or might not want to pursue the matter.
That this is even being debated truly astounds me. Who cares if the mother has forgiven the teacher or not? When you get down to it, if another seven year old child had taken scissors and cut off this little girl's hair, that child would've had to face repercussions. That child would've possibly been SUSPENDED. Whatever it may have been, the child would've been punished regardless of whether or not the mother forgave that child or not. So, why shouldn't this teacher have to be held responsible for her actions? And are we overlooking the fact of the example this teacher has set for the other students at the entire school. It's bad enough children have to face unwarranted ridicule from their peers, but to be publicly humiliated by someone who's job is teach and influence you in a POSITIVE way is completely absurd.
If this child had come to school with a bruise on her face, would the school had forgiven the parent for possibly abusing her? I think not. This should be treated no differently. If a teacher can take it upon themselves to raise suspicion upon a parent's treatment of a child, then the city or even the state should be able to question the motives of a teacher who's possibly psychologically damaged this innocent child. The teachers can protect the children from the parents, but who's going to protect them from the teachers?
Monica,
Your misguided and misdirected apathy is amusing, but I use my paternalistic instincts to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves for any reason. I don't do it to patronize anyone and I think you've misunderstood why I mentioned the 6 kids in the first place. Ms. Cunningham put that information out there... Not me.
I apologize for calling you an astroturfer. Your response, however, seems to support the apathy of the school district, the D.A.'s office, and yes, even Ms. Cunningham, Lamya's mother.
-if it was me, in a rage, i would have beat the teacher down, and i know helen would have too, however, she chose to let the police, the courts, and mps, fight for her and Lamya, its a degrading shame that when african americans do the right thing, according to the law of the land, our "brothers and sisters" sell us out...
I'm watching the Wanda Sykes show & she had the nerve to joke about Lamya. She basically act like the child should just "let it go", because she has 99 other braids in her head. Then she said, "she should join with Jay-Z & do a song that goes, I got 99 braids & a b***h cut one. Just thought I pass this along to you all.
@supporter of Helen OH pluuueeez you need to come up with a better attack than calling other Black people sell-outs. We perfected "Selloutology." Also, as we are not related we are not your brothers or sisters ESPECIALLY if you are calling us names.
Why do some people think that if you preface your insult with "Brothers and SIsters" that that somehow makes it okay.