The Minority Majority sues Gwinnett
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed the lawsuit today on behalf of Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO), the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and seven individual plaintiffs contending that the Gwinnett Board of Commissioner and the Board of Education Districts exclude minorities from electing candidates of their choice.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Dave Wickert reports that:
the lawsuit seeks new districts more favorable to minorities, as well as the elimination of the at-large county commission chairman’s job. It could affect county commission elections in November if the plaintiffs seek an immediate injunction to overturn the districts, though an attorney representing them said they have not decided to do so.
Illegal immigration advocate Jerry Gonzalez commented:
Until it’s an inclusive government, it’s a fraudulent government.
The impact on the upcoming November and future elections is unknown at this time but based on the settlement in a voting rights lawsuit in Fayette County, this story is likely to play out for a long period.
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It’s impressive how quickly a connection was created between affording minorities equal access to ballot and illegal immigration. Of all the areas Jerry Gonzalez is involved in, you chose to bring up his work related to undocumented immigrants. Fear monger much?
There are many ways to posit Gonzalez’s work, but “illegal immigration advocate” is maybe not the one I’d go with.
i totes get the impetus for a lawsuit like this, but why eliminate the county wide chair position?
The presumption is that the chair would be chosen by racially-concentrated votes, and that it creates an unrepresentative extra vote on the commission. That’s probably not going to play well in court, but it’s a chip on the table.
The problem with the commission districts as they stand is really, really subtle. District 2 — Lynette Howard’s seat — is probably going to vote majority Democrat … this year. But it’s only up for election in gubernatorial election years, when nonwhite voter turnout falls disproportionately. Gwinnett is going to argue that black and Latino voters have a shot at electing one of their own because the district is 43 percent nonwhite.
I think Gwinnett’s in some trouble on this one.
The geography for nonwhite voters is compact enough to suggest that packing has occurred in the school board map and cracking has occurred in the commission map.
The situation is a little weird, though. For one, the changes have been rapid enough for me to take intent off the table. One doesn’t need to argue malice to suggest there’s a problem. Those commission lines have looked like that for something like 30 years. Demography has finally caught up to the county.
And while there’s plainly racial concentration in some areas — Latinos around Norcross and Lilburn, Asians in Duluth, black people south of Snellville — it’s not nearly as racially segregated as Fulton or DeKalb. Any majority nonwhite district is going to have a lot of white people living in it.
Let’s try this.
A. Gwinnett County Schools are majority-minority.
B. Gwinnett County Schools are among the best run in the state.
C. Add A+B together and minority children attending Gwinnett County Schools disproportionately benefit from the current governance/administrative structure.
D. Add A+B+C and you ask: if it isn’t broke why fix it?
DeKalb County used to have the best public school system in the state. Clayton County used to be above average. The leadership changed and one county lost accreditation and another nearly did. Now it is very easy to claim that it is a mere matter of demographic change but Gwinnett County is also majority-minority. (Fulton County Schools are also majority-minority but perform well in every area but dropout rate.) So perhaps the difference is leadership?
Of course this is not an argument against blacks holding elected office. But why cannot the changes occur naturally as a result of inevitably changing demographics? Which are due at least in part to minorities choosing Gwinnett over Atlanta, DeKalb and Clayton due to the quality of the schools? I would sure hate to see those families’ successors being forced to move out to Forsyth or Cherokee in 15 years if you know what I mean …
Just gotta step back and ask if this lawsuit is in the interests of the black and Hispanic communities of Georgia.
George, the demographics in Gwinnett County started to rapidly change in the 1990s. In 1990, some of the census tracts in Radloff’s district were only 5-10 Black, while by 2010 there were 40-90% black. Gwinnett’s delegation at the General Assembly introduced the new lines in 2011 (I believe), clearly splitting Radloff’s increasingly minority district. It will be interesting to watch if these groups can prove intent, but numbers certainly don’t look good for Gwinnett.
Here’s a counter-argument to that.
The school system exists, today, because of a broad commitment to an excellent education defining Gwinnett. It’s about the only thing that defines Gwinnett, actually. It is the fundamental social compact there. I’m incredibly proud to live in a state that can produce schools like Gwinnett’s, and I want DeKalb to return to glory like Gwinnett enjoys today.
But here’s the thing: can an all-white school board be expected to continue this commitment to excellence, if most of the children in school are nonwhite? I would say this current school board would: I know the members. But Louise Radloff is a mortal human being, not a robot or a vampire. They’re all going to be replaced eventually. Can we be certain that new school board members elected strictly along racially-gerrymandered lines won’t decide to tear up the social contract in Gwinnett in favor charter-school programs or lower spending in the name of “fiscal conservatism?”
The decline in school quality in DeKalb and Clayton wasn’t about black leaders taking over. It was about the withdrawal of financial capital from the tax base and political capitol from leadership. White people moved away as black people moved in. Property values fell because relatively wealthy white home shoppers weren’t part of the market, and a smaller market means lower home values … and less money for public education.
Politicians are, traditionally, pretty risk averse. Successful politicians tend to want to not be the guy catching the falling knife. So weaker leaders took over in elected positions. And you see the result.
The minority population in Gwinnett, though, is fundamentally different that that in DeKalb or Fulton. They’re richer. They tend to be in the top two quintiles of income … just like a lot of people in Gwinnett. They are almost unique in America, in that they’ve managed to build wealth through home equity because white flight isn’t knocking down their home prices. The additional wealth changes the home dynamic, which shows up in standardized test scores. The schools aren’t likely to take a hit under black leadership, because both the financial and political capital remains intact.
If the changes were going to occur “naturally” then they probably already would have. The question is whether white people can accept competent leadership by black elected leaders without getting froggy and jumping ship.
@George:
“But here’s the thing: can an all-white school board be expected to continue this commitment to excellence, if most of the children in school are nonwhite?”
My answer is yes. What is the basis that you have for believing otherwise in the context of a modern, very diverse, mostly affluent urban area 50 years removed from Jim Crow?
I believe that nonwhites will be elected to the school board in a few years without the need of a lawsuit, just as they were in neighboring Cobb County. Especially if more than a few are willing to run as Republicans and as such are able to draw from a coalition of voters that reflects Gwinnett County’s diverse racial and ideological tapestry.
“The decline in school quality in DeKalb and Clayton wasn’t about black leaders taking over. It was about the withdrawal of financial capital from the tax base and political capitol from leadership. White people moved away as black people moved in. Property values fell because relatively wealthy white home shoppers weren’t part of the market, and a smaller market means lower home values … and less money for public education.”
That is not what happened in Clayton County where academic performance of students was never an issue. Also the economic issues in Clayton County were not due to white flight but rather occurred after the dot.com bust and after 9/11 hammered the airlines. Most of the jobs that went away around that time never came back. Note that even now, very few Clayton schools are in Governor Deal’s school takeover list. Instead, Clayton County saw a rapid influx of new residents from all over the metro area, state and indeed country that were not familiar with the local leadership and politics. Those voters made a number of unfortunate choices at the ballot box, including but not limited to candidates affiliated with M.A.C.E. and John Trotter. This also happened with non-school board elections resulting in the likes of Victor Hill and Eldrin Bell. Right now Clayton County has a stronger group leading the school board, many of them former educators and administrators. The leadership on the county commission is stronger than it was a few years ago also.
As for DeKalb County, while your superior knowledge and experience must be shown a great deal of respect and deference I still find space to voice some disagreement. First, DeKalb County is not resource poor especially when compared to virtually every area of this state that is outside metro Atlanta. Second, the group of politicians that Governor Deal was forced to jettison from the DeKalb County school board was very comparable to the Clayton County M.A.C.E.-led group more than a few ways. It certainly does appear that Deal’s appointees that replaced them are more competent and professional. This is not my opinion alone but is also one shared by SACS and the DeKalb County voters that retained them in subsequent elections.
Allow me to restate this: “Of course this is not an argument against blacks holding elected office. But why cannot the changes occur naturally as a result of inevitably changing demographics?”
In the future, the Gwinnet BOE is going to be majority-minority. If it is comprised of people who get elected due to their deep ties in and respect by the local community – such as by being longtime respected administrators in Gwinnett County schools – then the demographic transition of the board will be far more accepted by local residents. But pry open the hatch with legal crowbars and it will open up resentment and demagoguery on both sides, allowing any number of regrettable candidates – again representing both parties – to get elected in the aftermath.
“the economic issues in Clayton County were not due to white flight but rather occurred after the dot.com bust and after 9/11 hammered the airlines. Most of the jobs that went away around that time never came back.”
Those aren’t contradictory statements, I don’t think. It can be both. Jobs leave, white airline employees leave, minorities move in to the now cheaper properties. Add to the mix that Atlanta demolished all it’s public housing and Clayton apparently is where there were voucher-ready residences and public transportation.
One thing about the school board is that the incumbents have been there a long time – the most recent person started in 2005, the most recent before that in 1997 and the person who is in that “packed” district has held that position since 1973. (There is no Democrat running in that district.)
Is this lawsuit the reason that Democrat Derek Johnson dropped out of the race for commissioner district 1?
In the most recent election, Louise Radloff ran for her school board seat as a Democrat. So technically, there are four Republicans and one Democrat on the school board.
I still don’t know why districts aren’t created as a matter of course by an impartial software program crunching data to a formula which allows minority blocs fair access to representation. is it so hard to tell when you’re stretching the numbers too thin, or packing too tight? mortal legislators should not be charged with manipulating their destinies.
Oh. Districts should be impartial, in a perfect world of disinterested political actors …
In truth, redistricting is one of the most nakedly and purely political acts in government. The only reason we’re having this discussion is because it’s not legal to screw people based on their race. It is perfectly legal to screw anyone when drawing district lines for any other reason.
Is it fair? Is it moral? It it good for democracy?
You are aware you’re reading about American politics, right?
Illegal Immigration Advocate…..
IrishPat. White People Advocate.