Threats, Screaming … and the American Flag

Last week I told you I’d share my opinions on various candidates running for a variety of offices.

Let me preface this by saying that CV Weekly takes pride in “writing down the middle;” in other words, most readers don’t know if a writer leans to the left or right, is Black or White, Christian or Jew. Our goal is to give our readers the facts; we believe they’re smart enough to make up their own minds regarding the content they consume.

The exceptions to those rules can be found here in my column, in Mary O’Keefe’s weather column and on our Viewpoints page. These are the places where you might be able to discern an opinion. That’s because those sections are not news.

Which leads me to some of my opinions.

My kids went to Glendale Unified schools as did my husband and his siblings. Though I might not agree with every decision the GUSD makes, I felt confident in its decisions. I never felt my children were in danger or were being “indoctrinated.” Of late, I’ve had emails and phone calls from people accusing the district of indoctrinating our kids, of teaching them an LGBTQ+ curriculum and explaining to them homosexual acts. When I’ve asked for proof – the name of a teacher or a classroom that we could monitor or book/s in libraries that promote this, for example – I’m met with crickets. (Former teacher Ray Shelton is not a reliable source after his attendance at a school board meeting holding a swastika.)

One candidate is particularly vocal about promoting these falsehoods. Jordan Henry contacted the CV Weekly back in 2021, eager for us to publish his accusations that critical race theory (CRT) was being taught in local schools through the implementation of Learning for Justice. Despite digging into the GUSD curriculum, I could find no proof of this accusation and I refused to print his claims.

Apparently he did not find traction regarding CRT and turned his attention to the proposition that an LGBTQ+ curriculum is being taught in local classrooms. As was evident by the discord at the June 6, 2023 school board meeting (that ended in a “massive brawl” and included people who weren’t even from the area), Henry has found a niche audience of people interested in supporting his views – and his candidacy for school board.

Scary times were especially evident when social media posted that a Jordan Henry supporter refused to leave a local mom-and-pop business until he was threatened with a phone call to the police. Why did this business get targeted? Apparently it displayed a sign endorsing a Jordan Henry opponent.

And Jordan Henry wants a seat at the GUSD board of education? To me, that’s a dangerous proposition.

I hope voters will take the time to get to know the candidates before casting their all-important ballots.

To learn more, consider visiting https://www.therealjordanhenry.com/.