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A Joyful Noise

ab 2165

Carrying the banner forward

March 3, 2011 by Melodye Shore
Today, I am signing a bill that sends a strong message to criminals on campus:  If you commit a violent crime, you lose your privileges on campus until you pay your debt to society.
~Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (5 Sept., 2006)

Kudos to Sports Illustrated for running the story, “College Football and Crime.” I’m also tipping my hat to CBS news, who co-conducted their 6-month research project. According to co-authors Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, that investigation yielded some “ striking revelations,” including these:

• Seven percent of the players in the preseason Top 25 — 204 in all (1 of every 14) — had been charged with or cited for a crime, including dozens of players with multiple arrests.

• Of the 277 incidents uncovered, nearly 40 percent involved serious offenses, including 56 violent crimes such as assault and battery (25 cases), domestic violence (6), aggravated assault (4), robbery (4) and sex offenses (3). In addition there were 41 charges for property crimes, including burglary and theft and larceny.

• There were more than 105 drug and alcohol offenses, including DUI, drug possession and intent to distribute cocaine.

• Race was not a major factor. In the overall sample, 48 percent of the players were black and 44.5 percent were white. Sixty percent of the players with a criminal history were black and 38 percent were white.

• In cases in which the outcome was known, players were guilty or paid some penalty in nearly 60 percent of the 277 total incidents.

Players who would have been on last year’s rosters but had been charged and expelled from their teams before Sept. 1 — and there were dozens — were not counted in [the] sample. Nor did SI and CBS News have access to juvenile arrest records for roughly 80 percent of the players in the study.

In the aftermath of my own family’s experiences with this issue, you can color me not surprised. Our circumstances, as well as those of countless others’, opened my eyes to the widespread, insipid nature of this problem. [Sports Illustrated covered “our” story here, as did USA TODAY, among others.] That incident introduced me to those for whom denial is the first line of defense. Failing that, they assumed a fall-back position: avoidance over cure. For the first time ever, I was exposed to the “fanatic” side of fandom, and to some unsavory elements of sports competition. Our experiences and observations made us keenly aware of the serious nature of this problem, and of the smoke-and-mirrors tactics used to disguise its prevalence. Believing the issue warranted a wider conversation, I was inspired to follow through on my “Rosa Resolution.” 

This article (and the coverage it’s been given since) strips away the potential for ignorance-as-defense, even for those entities who’ve turned a blind eye to the problem before now. Hurray for that! And huzzah to Governor Schwarzenegger and our California legislators, who helped us lead the charge awhile back. Some argue that our new law doen’t go far enough. I tend to agree. But hey, it’s a starting point, from which others can carry the banner forward. 

Here’s hoping this article spurs nationwide interest, and that the follow-up conversations lead to tighter regulations, strictly enforced. Because a sense of fair play matters more than a single win, and doing the right thing is the mark of a true champion.



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Posted in: family Tagged: ab 2165, college football and crime, governor schwarzenegger

Of sports and scofflaws

October 31, 2008 by Melodye Shore

I was shocked when I read these news articles (here and here), which spotlight an apparent end-run around the California law I proposed and helped pass.*

Nobody is above the law — not athletes, not their coaches, and certainly not publicly-funded academic institutions and athletic associations. As Governor Schwarzenegger suggested at the signing ceremony, we’re all equally responsible for upholding this piece of legislation.

I spoke many times on the bill’s behalf — before college representatives and state legislators, among others. The legislative process was open to public testimony, pro and con, but I don’t recall the proposed bill being openly challenged by the individuals cited in the aforementioned articles. The final vote was nearly unanimous, in favor of the proposed legislation. (There was only one ‘no’ vote, which is almost unheard of.) And many elected officials, dignitaries, and public safety groups (pdf) gave their full support for the bill’s passage. As one legislative committee member said, “This is a no brainer, isn’t it?”

So why hasn’t this story been widely publicized? I wish the involved parties would be more forthcoming (pdf), and that the underlying issues would get broader exposure. More daylight, please, like this. And I hope an appropriate measure of accountability is meted out to anyone who’s found guilty of flagrantly violating, or surruptitiously circumventing, this law.  

*In brief, Section 67362, which was added to the California Education Code, prevents college athletes who have been convicted of a violent felony from playing college team sports until after they complete their terms of incarceration and any supervised period of parole or probation. NOTE: It does not prevent in any way their participation in educational opportunities and co-curricular events available to all eligible students.

Posted in: family, Uncategorized Tagged: ab 2165, college athletes, College sports and crime, felons, Governor Schwarzeneger, pasadena city college, rosa resolution, section 67362 california education co

More Signing Ceremony Photos and Media Mentions

September 5, 2006 by Melodye Shore


Left to Right: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Melodye Shore (me), Assembly Member Jay La Suer, and my son, David Wiens


Left to Right: San Diego Sheriff Bill Kolender, me, David, San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegge (seated), S.D. Chief Deputy District Attorney Mark Pettine, S.D. District Attorney’s Office Investigator Darrell Brown

“Today, I am signing a bill that sends a strong message to criminals on campus:  If you commit a violent crime, you lose your privileges on campus until you pay your debt to society,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.


Left to Right:David, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, me, and my husband, Eric


Left to Right: Laurie Paredes, Legislative Director for Assembly Member Jay La Suer, and me

From the lede paragraph of an article in USA TODAY: “Two years after a traumatic, life-changing experience, David Wiens and his mother, Melodye Shore, on Tuesday experienced what Shore called, ‘a full-circle moment.'”The Los Angeles Times gives a brief mention to the signing ceremony for AB 2165, in the context of a larger story about a more controversial bill.Here’s a related article from the San DIego News Tribune.

SDSU’s Daily Aztec posted a story, as well. You can read it here.

CBS News has an online story and video at this link; NBC News covers it here.

ETA: We’re also in Sports Illustrated.

The Community Community College League’s Commission on Athletics responded to the proposed (not yet signed) legislation in the Sacramento Bee; it’s reported here.

Also, you can watch the Governor’s Office Web video of the entire signing ceremony (“Schwarzenegger Signs Student Athlete Violence Bill“).

Even though I’m a writer, I’m struggling to find words that sufficiently describe my thoughts and feelings about yesterday’s signing ceremony. I need time to soak it in, to sort it all out. I can say, however,  that I’m very happy to have witnessed the fulfilment of my personal Rosa Resolution in this very public, positive way.

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Posted in: family Tagged: ab 2165, College sports and crime, governor schwarzenegger, rosa resolution, signing ceremony, sports illustrated

AB 2165 Signing Ceremony

September 5, 2006 by Melodye Shore

 Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Require State Schools to Remove Athletes who Commit Felonies 

Today, I am signing a bill that sends a strong message to criminals on campus:  If you commit a violent crime, you lose your privileges on campus until you pay your debt to society — California State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

This is the symbolic moment before my son received the legislative signing pen from California State Governor Schwarzenegger. The day I made good on my Rosa Resolution.

(Yes, I’m crying. Need you ask?)

You can access the Web video here.  Also, here’s an early-release San Diego News Tribune article and a summary of local NBC news coverage.

Want to see a few more photos? To coin a famous actor’s trademark phrase, “I’ll be back!” First, however, I’m going to treat myself to a much-needed nap.

Edited to add: More signing ceremony pictures and media mentions posted here.

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Posted in: family Tagged: ab 2165, College sports and crime, governor schwarzenegger, rosa resolution, signing ceremony

Protected: Morning Meditations

September 5, 2006 by Melodye Shore

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Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: ab 2165, signing ceremony

I’m Walking on Sunshine

August 29, 2006 by Melodye Shore

Yesterday, the fourth thug who assaulted my son pled guilty to felony assault. And this afternoon, I heard good news with bigger, broader implications.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to sign into law Assembly Bill 2165!  Not only that, but his staff is arranging for a special signing ceremony in San Diego next Tuesday morning, to which they’re inviting local and state dignitaries, my family, and the press.

I’m proud to have brought this very worthy piece of legislation to the citizens of California. I’m also very grateful for the symbolic closure this signing ceremony will bring to my family.*

Pictures…oh yes, there will be pictures!

UPDATE: Take a peek at the signing ceremony photos, Web video and news articles here and here.

*USA TODAY printed an article that explains my connection to this bill. It’s available here. Also, I first blogged about it here.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: ab 2165, college athletes and crime, governor schwarzenegger, rosa resolution

Ode to Justice

June 20, 2006 by Melodye Shore

My testimony tomorrow before the California Senate Education Committee is very high stakes. If all goes well, AB 2165* will pass one of its last remaining legislative milestones on the way to the governor’s desk.

Your continued good thoughts mean the world to me as I carry forward a commitment to my Rosa Resolution. No matter how things turn out, I want to know with a certainty that I could do no more, that I’ve given it my best.

I often re-read Maya Angelou’s poem, And Still I Rise for inspiration and encouragement on this journey. If I could, here are the parts I’d read aloud to the criminals whose actions led me to initiate and then sponsor this bill:

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries
.[…]

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
[…]

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise. 

Thank you, my LJ friends, for helping me rise to this challenge. I’m so very grateful.

UPDATE: If you’re interested, I’ve included a copy of the testimony I’ll give to the Committee tomorrow (under the cut). I only have five minutes to present, so my comments have to be short.

Mr. Scott and members of this Committee, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak out today in favor of Assembly Bill 2165.

 
This proposed legislation has its origins in a traumatic personal experience. In late 2004, my son was a victim of a vicious and unprovoked assault by several members of Grossmont Community College’s football team. He suffered significant injuries, for which he required major surgery and ongoing medical attention. Thanks to San Diego investigators and the District Attorney's office, three of the assailants were identified, prosecuted, and sent to jail on felony convictions. And thankfully, my son has healed. However, our experiences in the aftermath of the assault led me to suggest, and then sponsor this bill.
 
The actual assault occurred off campus and, speaking in purely legal terms, the coach, community college, and statewide athletic associations are not responsible for the actions of student athletes beyond their participation in school-sanctioned events.
 
But you might reasonably assume that no school would want the black eye that comes of playing these violent, convicted felons on their teams. Surely, no coaches would want to put themselves in this situation, given that they’d potentially endanger other students, staff, and community members. And given the moral codes of conduct and eligibility requirements to which college coaches and athletes are bound, it logically follows that dangerous criminals who haven’t yet served their sentences would be scrubbed from team rosters.
 
We know now that none of these assumptions are true.
Instead, we experienced a complete breakdown of individual and institutional accountability in these circumstances – clearly illustrating the need for this bill’s legislative remedy.
 
Grossmont College coaches deflected responsibility.
Grossmont’s head football coach and others on his staff knew about the crime and the investigation involving their student athletes. The unspeakably violent assault was caught on video, which many of your staff members saw. And yet, after seeing video evidence of his team members’ criminal behavior, the coach still kept them on his team. In fact, two of the three felons were arrested in on campus – in front of the whole team. Nevertheless, the coach allowed them to continue playing football for the college, even after they entered guilty pleas to felony assault (in May 2005) and as convicted felons, were awaiting sentencing.
 
When asked by a newspaper reporter about his decision to allow convicted felons on his football team, the coach at first denied playing at least one of them, then said, “Maybe if it was my star quarterback, I would have paid more attention.”[1]  And in an interview with a broadcast journalist, he also said, “I guess I figured if they weren’t in jail, they were all right [to play]."[2]
 
When my son and I raised the issue with Grossmont-Cuyamaca College District officials, they said the issue “raised huge concerns,” but later asserted that their “hands [were] tied.”
District spokeswoman Susan Herney conceded to the media that there is no specific local college rule requiring coaches to notify college administrators that they have players facing criminal charges – only “an expectation and a professional obligation” that they be kept informed.[3]
 
However, and despite their immediate expressions of concern and promises to investigate, college officials later told us that their “hands [were] tied” by the absence of definitive guidelines and policies they could follow when determining whether student athletes are eligible to continue playing sports for the college after being convicted of a violent felony.
Grossmont College has submitted to your Committee a letter of endorsement for this bill, acknowledging it as an effective and appropriate legislative remedy.
 
Moving up to the next level, I contacted The California Commission on Athletics (COA). The message I received from COA officials was that, while the Commission has the authority to write standardized eligibility regulations, they chose not to do so.
 
To my surprise and chagrin, COA Board Chair Eva Conrad told me that “formal action [by the COA was] unlikely” because, in her words,
“…The existence of a code of conduct or decorum does not guarantee that individuals would adhere to these.”[4]
 
In essence, Ms. Conrad acknowledged that, while the COA is vested by the State of California with the authority to create standards and codes related to student athlete eligibility, they were abdicating that responsibility because those new regulations might not be uniformly or consistently applied.
This ambiguity about eligibility and enforcement policies has allowed a gaping chasm of accountability. In fact, my research turned up just two of 109 California Community Colleges who demonstrated a willingness to write and implement policies that expressly exclude felons from playing on their teams.
 
The NCAA takes a bye on writing restrictive eligibility regulations, as well.
An article in the LA Times reinforced what I had already been told by an NCAA spokesman — that “while it’s known for its hefty manual, containing myriad rules that cover issues ranging from uniforms to recruiting — [the NCAA] has no policy for criminal behavior.” Therefore, an athlete can, theoretically, face immediate suspension for improperly accepting a cheeseburger from a booster, yet continue playing on the team after being convicted of any one of the violent felonies listed in this bill.
 
From my encounters, experiences, and research, I have come to believe this an issue for the Legislature to take on, because it involves decisions and circumstances that California coaches and colleges – as well as the statewide Commission on Athletics and the NCAA – say they are powerless or unwilling to address.
Your ‘yes’ vote on this bill will grant each athlete, institution, and association specific legislation-supported power and encouragement to make the right choices.
This bill’s passage will also send a message to Californians that we do not support with our tax dollars any college athletic teams who harbor violent criminals. And finally, it will assure those of us who enjointercollegiate athletics that, as we cheer on our favorite athletes and athletic teams, we won’t be rooting for violent criminals as well.
 


[1] “Coach Mired In Controversy,” November 17, 2005, San Diego Union-Tribune. Article by Anne Krueger and Bill Dickens, accessed online at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20051117-9999-2m17jordan.html
[2] Video from News 8 San Diego (CBS), November 16, 2005, accessed March 20, 2006 at http://www.kfmb.com/story.php?id=28689
[3] “Coach Mired in Controversy,” November 17, 2005, San Diego Union Tribune.
[4] Email exchange between Melodye Shore and Eva Conrad, 11/03/05 and 11/20/05.
 
*In essence, AB 2165 prohibits student athletes who are convicted of violent felonies or sexual crimes from participating in intercollegiate sports at California public colleges and universities until they’ve successfully completed the terms of their court-assigned sentences.
Posted in: family Tagged: ab 2165, and still i rise, college athletes and crime, maya angelou, rosa resolution

Come Celebrate With Me!

March 28, 2006 by Melodye Shore

You are — all of you — sincerely invited to join me this evening in celebrating an important occasion.

Tonight is the night we raise a toast to democracy, to representative government, to the well-received presentation I gave to politicians and other key influentials today, and to the wisdom of the California Assembly Members on the Higher Education Committee who, this very afternoon, voted UNANIMOUSLY and AFFIRMATIVELY for Assembly Bill 2165!*

Yes, I know there are other steps this bill must travel on its journey to what I hope will be passage by all members of the Assembly and Senate — before it can land on the Governator’s desk. But tonight, I would like you to celebrate with me this one important victory, because every journey begins with a single step.

Grab a glass and let’s make a toast!

*For an explanation about all this, if you’re new to the party, see “My Rosa Resolution,” a few posts back.

Posted in: family Tagged: ab 2165, college athletes and crime, rosa resolution

Five Smooth Stones

March 18, 2006 by Melodye Shore

On Tuesday, I’m headed to Sacramento, to lobby California Assembly Members assigned the first hearing of my proposed bill. Again, and in brief, AB 2165 would prohibit student athletes at public colleges and universities from participating as a member of any intercollegiate team, or as a participant in any intercollegiate athletic event, if they are convicted of a violent felony. (You can read more about this in my previous posting, “A Rosa Resolution.”)

Already, I’m learning lessons about our democracy: about the power and powerlessness of a single voice trying to be heard above the din of highly-funded and powerful special interest groups.
The fact that I’m the proverbial David, going up against Goliath, seems to have affected who’s been willing to see me, and when. When I call politicians’ offices, they invariably ask “What agency are you with?”  When I respond that I am representing myself and the citizens of California, there’s silence on the other end, while the receptionist calculates the fact that I’m a lone voice, speaking without the power of a lobbyist’s purse. The sum of that equation equals access to staffers – I’m not scheduled to speak directly with any Assembly members at all.
But I’m not retreating from the battlefield. Even if I don’t have powerful ammunition in my arsenal, I’ve got five smooth stones in my sling: truth; commitment to justice; courage in the face of adversity; dedication to my principles; and a fierce loyalty to my son and my family, who’ve endured the pain that led me to propose the bill in the first place.
Up against me this week – and in the Committee’s hearings the following week – are the Goliaths who’ve lined up huge armies, fully armed and ready to fight. Here’s what they’ve already said about the bill:
·         It is discriminatory, because if we are concerned with student safety, we should include all extracurricular activities.
·         It’s unconstitutional, taking away rights that belong to the athletes, regardless of what crimes they’ve committed and when.
·         Sports are a means to turn one’s life around – why should they not have a chance if they have served their time.
·         The bill undermines local control – should this not be up to local districts?
Some of their insights are useful; others, I believe are straw men, setting up false arguments to sidetrack politicians from the real issues at hand. Either way, it’s important to address each of them, so I’ll spend time refuting or incorporating their feedback into my presentation.  I’m girding my loins for battle, in whatever form it takes.
If you feel inclined to stand with me on the battlefield (metaphorically speaking, that is), I’ll appreciate any and all insights and support you’re willing to send my way. And if you live in California, you can weigh in on the issue by contacting directly the Assembly committee members considering this bill: the Higher Education Committee and the Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media.
Posted in: family Tagged: ab 2165, college athletes and crime

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