Student seeks suspension of the culprits By fan Noble News Reporter AS Rodncy Langston left the change room at Carson Graham sec- ondary in North Vancouver recently, he was called back in by another student. Langston, a mulatto Grade 1} student, sat down. “Do you want the boys in the white hoods to come to your house?” a shaken Langston recalled the white student as saying. Referring to the Ku Klux Klan remark, Langston later told the News: “I was a little bit scared. I didn’t know whar vo think.” According to Langston and others, the white student had made racist remarks to others, but never before to Langston. The Klan comment seemed more ominous in the context of what had happened a year and a half carlier. On Halloween in 1995, two mulatto students at Carson had returned home to find a sturdy cross on their back lawn. There was the smell of gasoline in the air. Langston calls the Klan remark a threat, and he wants the student who made it to be kicked out of school. He said a Carson Graham vice-principal talked to him about the incident and assured him it was being taken seriously. That bappened nearly three weeks ago. Since a few meetings between he, the author of the remark and administration officials, noth- ing has happened, said Langston. No disciplinary action, no suspension. “I knew they were not going to do any- thing, so it is not a surprise,” said the disap- pointed 16-year-old. Langston is not the only black or mulatto student with complaints of racism at the school or how Langston’s incident was handled by the administration. Carson Graham principal Dave Dairon said suspensions have not resulted from the inci- dent, but action is being taken. He would not discuss the disciplinary procedares resulting from the Klan remark in more detail. But he said cach case must be judged separately. “It depends on the seriousness of the inci- dent,” he said. He said other issues may be taking place Wednesday, February 12, 1997 — North Shore News — 3 | Racism rears head at Carson NEWS photo Cindy Goodman MOTHER Barbara Atkins (left) wants to eradicate racism at Carson Graham. West Vancouver secondary foot- balf coach Reggie Brown brought racist incidents at Carson to public attention. thar are guised in racial overtones. Dairon said that he doesn’t believe suspen- sions are the “be all and end all” because sus- pensions do not necessarily resolve the prob- Jem, he said. Raising awareness and fostering understanding are other routes that can be taken. “It’s a huge process potentially, but one that can be quite productive in the long run,” he said. “Anything thar’s related to cultural con- flict or difference is pretty sensitive these days, as it should be.” Dairon said the dust-up between the two students started as an exchange that was meant to be light-hearted and racial slurs went both North Van suburban goat herder praises prized pet we used to do when we were tree-planting,” said Harvey. As a multi-media producer Harvey is always sur- rounded by computers and high-tech equipment. His friends spend a lot of their time in similar environments. “On weekends, we make a point of going hiking or By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter THE goat is safe. whatever, because if you spend enough ti in front of a ways. He doesn’t know who started it. North Shore Multicul- tural Society executive direc- tor Margaret Third said the school must see racial con- flict developing and make it clear it’s not appropriate or aceeprable. It's up to the school to restore harmony, she said. Carson administrators, who consulted the multicul- turalism society, have han- dled the recent case properly, Third said. “You can only try and see if it is the appropriate way of handling it. Not letting it simmer ... and dealing with it usually does —_ produce results,” she said. Meanwhile, a few of Langston’s senior football teammates say the racist remarks can often be traced to the same small group of football players. One mulatto student said the students making the remarks don’t scare him, and he wouldn't leave the school because of it. “I don’t know what can be done. It’s just too bad the administration doesn’t do anything,” he said. The racist remarks have not flared into violence yet, but one student said: “I don’t know how long thar is going to last. People are just getting tired of it and don’t want to put up with it anymore.” A black srudent, Paris Jackson, said: “I don’t fee] threatened, but I don’t feel like going to school with him,” referring te the student who made the Klan remark. The Grade 31 tailback and linebacker said Carson’s senior football team split along white and non-white fines in the fall 1996 season. Racist comments were hurled both ways on the team, said Jackson. He said the senior football coach tried to bring the team’s factions together, but with limited success. See Policy page 18 She is the beloved pet of a North Shore couple. Sunny the goat, News readers may recall, was spotted last month in the pouring rain on the west bank of Lynn Creek just north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The goat was standing by a bonfire with six men. Judy Stone, president of Animal Advocates of B.C., happened to be walking dogs on the other side of the rag- ing creek when she saw the goat and called police. Stone, a West Vancouver resident, has since talked to the goat’s owner and is satisfied that the animal is not abused. “What a relief to know that they are nice people and the goat is in good hands,” said Stone. Sunny’s owners, Ross Harvey and Michelle Mitchell, got the animal about two years ago from Galiano Island where the goat was spending its days in a short, small pen. “The pen didn’t have a blade of grass in it,” said Harvey, who also owns a cat. Harvey said Sunny’s original owner bought the goat for his children. “But he was involved in a separation so the kids weren't there, the goat had grown up and nobody played with it,” said Harv Since her move from Galiano, Sunny, who is about the of a German shepherd, has enjoyed a pleasant life grazing in her large North Shore yard Harvey said he makes a point of playing with Sunny at least 30 minutes a day “You can really see it smile. ft really will smile,” said Harvey who wor leographer™ on the Internet. So what w and his pals doing there in the rain with a bonfire “What we we computer, vou forget what your feet are for,” said Harvey. He often goes hiking in the woods of the North Shore with the goat. “Everybody is a little leery ar first and then they come to talk to us and pet the goat. That goat just brings so much happiness to so many people every day,” said Harvey. Harvey is a member of The Free Beer Orchestra. The band calls itself the Free B Orchestra when play- ing at children’s festivals. Harvey wrote a song called Suburban Goat Herder after being inspired by his life with Sunny. Meanwhile Stone said that giving a goat like Sunny a good home is something Animal Advocates strongly sup- ports. Stone said most farm a live “miserable lives.” “My problem is with people who get inappropriate pets and when the novelty wears off, abandon them to a pen or aquarium and let them waste away in loneliness,” said Stone. Sunny, who is not house broken, never poes in the hous Harvey said the goat is much easier to clean up after than a dog. He pointed out that a goat is also much qui- eter than a dog, “Tcan't tell nals are treated “awful” and ‘ou how much I love my goat.” “Some people are dog people, some pet re cat peo- and we just happen to be goat people,” said Harv sit Sunny on the Internet navigate your web to (http: //wwwitvnet/jazziy/sunny hol). NEWS photo Terry Peters SUNNY the goat is happy to be with Michelle Mitchel! and Ross Harvey as they model their stage hats.