Uhuru Charter School Opening Soon?

[Tom]

Monday's St. Pete Times will have news of a new job for Doug Tuthill running the Florida private school subsidy program.

Doug Tuthill is the new president of the Florida School Choice Fund, which raises money for the state's $118-million corporate tax credit voucher program and awards vouchers to low-income children. He's also a former teacher and president of the Pinellas County teachers union, and he helped start the International Baccalaureate program at St. Petersburg High.

In this story Ron Matus looks at Tuthills role as an educator over ten years ago. Its and interesting view of someone who once supported public schools and now will help redirect tax money to private schools. These tax breaks mean less money coming in for public needs like employee pensions, crime prevention, hurricane protection, etc.
Tuthill has accomplished much as an educator. As a union member I admire him for stepping up to lead his union and I hear great things about the IB program from students and parents who have benefited from it.
I put my two cents in to ask about his more recent career since the October '96 riot in St. Pete. The years not covered in this news story. I seem to recall him as a tireless advocate for the Uhurus, helping to open their computer lab in preparation for turning Uhuru House into a charter school.
After a half a milion dollar renovation perhaps Uhuru House is now ready to welcome students and shape young minds. With a hundred million to spend and statewide connections to business leaders Tuthill is now in position to help his friends.
Despite strong support from both Governors Bush and Crist and a local mayor who ran the Bush election machine the Uhurus were stopped by stronger objections from our local school board. Their school never got off the drawing board.
Ya gotta admire these Uhurus. Just over a month ago they disrupted Obama's town hall meeting in St. Pete. One minute of yelling got them international publicity including the cover of the New York Times, CNN, NPR and the BBC. If McCain wins they have one big IOU to cash in.
Who would have thought their baseless claim of bias in the state attorneys office would be given credibility when Governor Crist claimed he had grounds to investigate.

School board elections are coming in a few weeks. Concerned taxpayers have an interest in their scarce tax dollars being wisely spent. Why not look at this issue before we choose a new school board instead of waiting for this proposed school to sneak up on us. Do you know where the candidates stand on an Uhuru charter school?

To see the full story "Former teachers union chief leads Florida voucher program" go here :http://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...0.ece#comments

If McCain wins the Uhurus are still a small club of idiots in St Petersburg. They couldn't effect change on the scale of a national eletion by one protest at Gibbs High School - what are you, smoking rock?

You know what grinds my gears? American born American citizens that refuse to admit they are Americans by calling themselves "African."

Were you born in Africa? No.

Have you ever been to Africa? No.

Do you live in Africa? No.

Do you pay taxes, receive benefits, jobs, money, and other amenities from Africa? No.

That is because you are American and if you want to be African...move to Africa. Until then you are an American. To say otherwise really grinds my gears and shows me how racist you really are for saying it.

I thought the Uhuru school was in the Upper G classroom at the Jail on G-wing.

[Tom]

Thanks for those comments.
Ben, I think you underestimate the potential of this group to influence life here in south St. Pete. You say "the Uhurus are still a small club of idiots in St Petersburg." They may be small but the Governor listens to them and the media broadcast their statements. Their continued incitement of violence has caused great harm to residents, police and people trying to drive through this neighborhood. As government uses tax money to build institutions for this group their influence will grow.
I don't see them having a significant impact on the presidential election but I was amazed at the amount of national and international press coverage from their disruption of last months Obama meeting. It looks like they got what they wanted, a bunch of press clips to use for fundraising.

This past Thursday they came as a group to the City Council open forum to accuse law enforcement of "murder". Constant repetition of that word has a corrosive effect on public support for the police department. By helping undermine law and order they play a significant role in helping criminals who really do murder people.

Here are more stories and comments on tax supported vouchers. So far the press has ignored Tuthills Uhuru connection.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/20...r-teacher.html and http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/ ... 807113.ece

by John
This does not surprise me at all. I could tell from exchanges with Tuthill on The Gradebook that he had sold out to the Business Roundtable corporate agenda for education. My only regret is that this probably won't be the last I hear of him. Sigh.


No mention of Tuthill's continuing involvement with a Pinellas School's improvement iniative through UF? It's really cool--collect salary from a public district under the guise of helping the very children your new group will provide with vouchers!

[Tom]

I looked up some old newspaper stories about Doug to refresh my memory. In the years after the '96 riots he was hired to run a city funded University of South Florida Urban Initiative that was supposed to help restore neighborhoods devastated by the riots and loss of jobs and business investment that followed. He soon began using his position to assist the revolutionary movement led by Omali Yeshitela, and thus became a part of the problem instead of helping find solutions. He helped strengthen the Uhurus so they could do a better job stirring up violence and hatred of the police department. When the worst crime in the county kept out businesses and jobs he blamed the city for the resulting poverty.
Finally council members Bea Griswold and Kathleen Ford brought the voice of reason to city hall and opposed funding it. The Urban Initiative trimmed back its mission and he soon resigned.

From the Times:

Council chairwoman Bea Griswold, who has questioned the propriety of city officials' support of two charter school proposals, wants council members to cut ties to the University of South Florida Urban Initiative.

Doug Tuthill, who works for the initiative, helped the National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement complete its application for the charter school. The Urban Initiative gets funding from the city, and Griswold doesn't think that's an "ethical" use of taxes.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/121599/S...s_contra.shtml

In a 2004 article Creative Loafing (then called the Weekly Planet) Tuthill presented and elaborate defense of his Uhuru movement and an incredibly absurd argument that Omali was in fact working for peace. This came after the riot was organized at a rally in front of Uhuru house. After Uhuru leaders got the crowd worked up and turned them loose criminals went on a rampage of looting businesses and throwing rocks at unfortunate people caught driving through the neighborhood. At that time Tuthill was senior vice president for Creative Loafing, Inc., the owner of the newspaper.

In the meantime, the Uhuru Movement continues to pursue its agenda of strengthening -- economically and politically -- St. Petersburg's poor and working-class black neighborhoods. Their furniture and physical fitness businesses in St. Petersburg and around the country are thriving, their organizational membership is growing locally, nationally and internationally, and they'll be breaking ground on a $600,000 renovation to their headquarters this summer.

"And we are going to start a school next year," Yeshitela said, smiling.

http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyroba ... mments=yes

Here's a letter in response to that crazy article:

An Inexplicable Defense
I've always been a fan of the Weekly Planet offering an interesting alternative to the St. Petersburg Times and regularly exposing the Times' secret agendas. However, a recent column by Doug Tuthill crossed the line. His inexplicable defense of the Uhuru Movement and Omali Yeshitela was not only insulting to the Times staff but also to the St. Petersburg Police Department and City Hall. Furthermore, it would seem to be highly offensive to those in the African-American community who have been trying so hard to distance themselves from Yeshitela and his illegitimacy.

Tuthill's research of the man has fallen well short, depriving Weekly Planet readers of the big picture surrounding this radical rabble-rouser. Tuthill made no mention of Yeshitela and his group calling for the execution of former Mayor Fischer and other city leaders. Tuthill made no mention of the Uhuru website referring to the police as terrorists. If readers wish to go beyond the seemingly cozy relationship between Tuthill and Yeshitela and the fallaciousness contained in the aforementioned column, they will realize that there is only one terrorist. His name is Omali.

--Kevin King
St. Petersburg

http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyr...oid=oid%3A3981

So did the city buy that compound for the uhuru's southside? Or was it through government grants they applied for? I can't believe it was done with private funds. I'd figure it would have to be city money, because if it was state or federal tax dollars they'd build them in other areas also. I heard they were run out of Tampa, though I'd love to know how...