A well stated opinion piece from Paterson Public Schools Board of Education Commissioner, Corey L. Teague:
I think it does a major disservice to the community each time any elected official gets so bogged down with politics that they begin to forget about people. If you walk the streets of Paterson as I do - you will hear the lamentations of the public. There are so many disheartened folks in our neighborhoods today. People who have lived in Paterson all of their lives, but are now too scared to sit in front of their own property. We have scores of the homeless, who are trying to survive but can't seem to find the help they need to make survival possible. We have our young people, getting gunned down in the streets like animals because of senseless violence.
We have teachers who are reluctant to enter school settings for fear they might come under verbal attack by their students. Likewise, we have students who are afraid to go to school for the same reasons. If it appears that the masses have become sort of cold or callous, its probably because they witness their leaders behave in like manner. The constant in-fighting, bickering and trying to prove something must end today. If we cannot operate as ONE CITY united with ONE CAUSE and ONE AIM then collectively we will forever be locked in a virtual prison unable to connect with the rest of the world.
