Chattanooga Pulse

End Discrimination at Normal Park
Last week the Tennessee State Report Card was published. Rivermont Elementary got straight Fs. Normal Park Elementary got straight As. The schools are close to one another. So the student body should not be that different. But, obviously, something went wrong. The statistical reports released with the State Report Card helps explain. Rivermont has a 53 percent African American while Normal Park has just 22 percent. The African American population in Chattanooga is around 36 percent. So the student population should reflect a similar percentage. If you combined Normal Park and Rivermont’s student body, it does represent Chattanooga. But, at the individual school level, there is a dramatic disparity. How Normal Park cherry picks students is where things get interesting. Part of Normal Park’s student body is supposed to be from the local neighborhood. The other part is supposed to be selected by a lottery system that corrects for discrimination. Obviously, that correction is not happening. Instead we have economic and racial discrimination.
Charles Bikas

American Bands
Damn it! I agree with Chuck Crowder [“We’re An American Band”, Life In The Noog]. I hate when that happens. He chose three of my favorite bands. I guess I can move on now and forgive him for that whole Guns ‘N Roses thing. Cheeky monkey.
Paul Lecours

Loss Of Local Music Venues
What scares me is that some venues may discontinue live music in favor of a DJ, or worse yet, in favor of Karaoke [“Truly Scary”]. I still see some packed houses—Bud’s does well with its live music; Rhythm & Brews still gets some big shows. Here Come The Mummies packed the house to the max, again. The loss of The Tin Can, The Lowdown, and now Midtown Music Hall (rumored to soon be Midtown DJ Hall, with no live music) cost this town music spots for 25 or more shows per month. That’s hard to make up. The good news is that as demand for live music increases, someone will step in to meet the need. Until then, we just have to support the venues that still provide live music.
Bob Payne

Rescuing Yourself
Dr. Rick, I love this series on rescuing ourselves [“Rescuing Yourself, Part 2”, Shrink Rap]. Believing in oneself, and discovering neglected parts of who we are which also need to be “rescued” and honored is one of the best ways I know of to avoid playing the victim. With a little guidance and perhaps someone who believes in us, we really can help heal ourselves. Thank you for getting us to think, and consistently reminding us that we are worthy, lovable beings!
Bearman Bill