Segregation In Omaha

The New York Times has an article on the move by Nebraska to break up the Omaha school distract into three racially distinct school districts. They get it partially right, but blame it primarily on whites.

It's actually not so much racially based as it is made out to be. That's not to say that some people aren't motivated by the racial component, I'm sure some are. The story touches on the underlying reason. The Omaha Public Schools (OPS) has been trying to annex several areas that have separate school districts. They have been absurdly heavy handed in their approach to it. The smaller districts have been fighting not to be swallowed into the very mediocre OPS system.

The main proponent of this segregation move has been Ernie Chambers. The article paints him more-or-less favorably. I doubt there are many people outside of his constituency that would speak glowingly about Chambers. He's pretty commonly thought of as an obstructionist demagogue. I suspect Mr. Chambers is pushing this for the exact opposite reason he's stating. He must know this will not pass constitutional muster. I think he's counting on that and a backlash to make the seizure of the smaller districts (and their tax revenues) a reality.

But that's just a guess.