The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

opportunity, or do you wait for the opportunity to come to you
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Q. So to clarify and summarize what you’re saying, black people do have
needs, but they’re the ones who need to take care of those needs. That
we have given them the starting point, and if they fail to do better, it’s
because they fail to take advantage of the opportunities that they have
A. I guess, you know, on ground zero, every kid goes into kindergarten on
the same page...
The Indian children have very special needs, I think.
Q. Why they
A. Well, the Hispanic kids, too. We have a terrible language problem. We
have to have interpreters for a lot of these kids. We don’t have any
residential treatment centers to help understand the Hispanic culture. I
don’t know if you want separate facilities for the black, Indian, and
Hispanic children. I don’t think so. How are you going to get these people
to come in and understand our culture They have to learn to respond to
the dominant culture, too. People have to understand the different cultures
but at the same point in time they’re going to have to understand what’s
going on culturally here just like you and I have to. The biggest thing with
Hispanics is the language. The biggest thing with the Indians is the
extended family. Most Indian kids are probably raised by grandparents.
Usually you have all these people thrown into one or two houses together.
They all become tied into each other. They don’t expand beyond that
family except to go to school. They have a self-destructive behavior.
Alcoholism is rampant in the Indian culture. There’s also a lot of sexual
abuse. They are very stoic. They don’t trust white men or the white
culture. The reservations are one of the most destructive things that ever
got put on this earth. Those are the worst ghettos in America.
I think one of the big things is the school system in Sioux City. I think
we’re in really bad shape there. I think the schools have a policy of
exclusion. If you don’t fit in exactly right they’re going to start to look for
ways to get you out of there. One thing leads to another, you’re not in
school, then you’re not employed, you’re going to be