By slim - Oct 22, 2003, 11:02 AM Post #1 of 621
Another of Boston's socially conservative dinosaurs has passed: Louise Day Hicks, vocal anti-busing crusader reviled by some as an unabashed racist; praised by others as a motherly preservationist of Boston's neighborhoods and neighborhood schools. But what do I know? I'm from New York... I'd be interested in hearing what Bostonians think.
Register or log in to reply
By Ron Newman - Oct 22, 2003, 11:05 AM Post #2 of 621 [In reply to]
Boston's answer to Lester Maddox and George Wallace; good riddance.
My boss and his colleagues were just talking about her...They've all worked in education in Boston since the 60's. They said: "she made her mark, but it wasn't a good one" "she is responsible for many of the problems encountered in Boston Public Schools to this day" "she helped create the demountable (temporary) classroom" "The biggest tragedy is that she was elected to congress that one term"
By slim - Oct 22, 2003, 11:16 AM Post #4 of 621 [In reply to]
Yes, I read a quote in the paper this morning describing her as the "Bull Connor of Boston."
By adamg - Oct 22, 2003, 11:24 AM Post #5 of 621 [In reply to]
What Ron says, but with a caveat and a shocker: The shocker is I found myself agreeing with Jon Keller this morning, sorta, that the busing crisis was really more than just a bunch of racist thugs throwing stones at school kids in South Boston. The reason is that Garrity didn't go far enough. Unlike in other cities, the suburbs were excluded from any solution to Boston's educational apartheid, even though many of them basically grew at Boston's expense as whites fled in the 1960s and early 1970s (think of the way Mattapan and Roxbury quickly flipped from Jewish to black, thanks in part to scare-mongering real-estate brokers and redlining bankers). So Garrity (Wellesley resident, I think) pitted two working-class groups against each other, with the result that desegregation largely failed (as even more whites fled the system and the city). OK, so that's Keller's thesis and I agree with it. What he didn't really get into, however, is that the legitimate issues raised by the Garrity ruling were quickly overwhelmed by the racist thug tactics of people and groups like Hicks and the South Boston Information Center (current president: Jimmy Kelly), which led to such things as the black city official getting rammed with an American flag right in front of City Hall, etc., etc. Even if Garrity was wrong, there is no excuse for what happened afterward. Hicks served one term in Congress - she was defeated by Joe Moakley, who fortunately seems to have left a much larger, more positive legacy.
By slim - Oct 22, 2003, 11:24 AM Post #6 of 621 [In reply to]
I wonder if it signals the end of an era in Boston, or if her legacy (and those of others like her) lives on in these white Irish and Italian "Young Turk" politicians now populating City Hall and the State House...
By adamg - Oct 22, 2003, 11:31 AM Post #7 of 621 [In reply to]
Yeah, with her and people like Dapper O'Neil gone from the scene, I think Boston is a changed city - to the point where people in West Roxbury are now complaining that there aren't enough seats in local public schools for them ('course, they never seem to stop and think why, exactly, West Roxbury might have relatively few schools - or even to look at a map and see that, in fact, there are more elementary schools in the neighborhood than just the Lyndon). That isn't to say race relations under the "Young Turks" are the best, but I hope we've gotten beyond violence.
By slim - Oct 22, 2003, 11:41 AM Post #8 of 621 [In reply to]
There's still Jimmy KKKelly though, who's latest civic achievement was defending Dennis and Callahan after they made their Metco gorilla remark. In any other city that would be political suicide; but here it's re-electable.
By adamg - Oct 22, 2003, 12:04 PM Post #9 of 621 [In reply to]
Yeah, good point, and it says something about those "Young Turks" that they help keep him as city-council president, although I'd classify him as "Old Guard." One interesting thing about him is how he does keep getting re-elected. What is it about alleged liberals and progressives in this city who can't figure out how to run a get-out-the-vote campaign? You'd think the South End, which is part of Kelly's district, would be a breeding ground of opponents, but no. Happens time after time - the progressives talk the talk but when it comes time to actually deliver the votes, well, South Boston and West Roxbury vote and the South End and the Back Bay go out for dinner in that cute new trattoria ...
I'm sure her family will be happy to hear your observation. You're a nitwit. So if you don't agree w/ a person's politics, you hope they die. Nice.
Why do people focus on Southie? There were riots and cars on fire all across the city.
Just like Uncle Ted---re-electable. The only difference is Kelly never killed anyone.
By adamg - Oct 22, 2003, 12:29 PM Post #13 of 621 [In reply to]
True, but you didn't have the organized violence that you did in Southie - there was no Hyde Park Information Center. Were rocks thrown at school buses carrying students in other neighborhoods?
Didn't have to hope she'd die - she did. Where's the grave, I feel like dancing.
Absolutely...Charlestown looked like Hanoi in 1974.
Another nitwit. You probably never even heard of her until today. At least Ron contributes to this site. I've never seen an intelligent post yet from you.
By slim - Oct 22, 2003, 12:52 PM Post #17 of 621 [In reply to]
So you condone saying "good riddance" when someone dies? Because that's what you are condoning by disagreeing w/ me.
By slim - Oct 22, 2003, 1:12 PM Post #19 of 621 [In reply to]
I think you condone her "politics."
You're thinking, so at least that's a start. However, you're barking up the wrong tree...I don't condone her being a racist I will ask again, you condone people saying "good riddance" when a person dies? People can't have differences in their politics?
By Vikram - Oct 22, 2003, 1:29 PM Post #21 of 621 [In reply to]
There's people whos death brings me a feeling of good riddance..yes. I don't know anything about her other than what I've read in the papers today so I don't offer an opinion on this particular case.
The woman had politics w/ which most on this board disagreed. To me, you have to put yout differences aside at a time of grieving. I'd like for the same people who say "good riddance" say it to her family right now.
By Vikram - Oct 22, 2003, 1:36 PM Post #23 of 621 [In reply to]
Again, I'm just commenting in genralities..not in this particular case. But it's naive to assume that people will put aside their differences at a time of death. I'm sure people who lost businesses, were injured in the riots etc. have every right to feel what they do at her death.
Just as an fyi, the people who rioted were the ones who agreed with her. They were the ones throwing rocks and setting cars on fire. I'm not a big fan of the Kennedys. However, I agree w/ few of Ted's stances but would never say "good riddance" when he goes.
By slim - Oct 22, 2003, 1:49 PM Post #25 of 621 [In reply to]
Gosh, I don't really agree all that much with Osama Bin Laden's politics or the methods by which he expresses them... Is it ok if I say "good riddance" when he goes?
• Log in
• Create login
1190 registered users
Complete forum list
Create a login
User profiles