Opinion – Page 11 – West Boca News

Karen Brill – School Board Candidate

Having interviewed the two challengers for school board earlier, I met Karen Brill the other day at Jidai Kaiten Sushi on Powerline. The funny thing about interviewing candidates is that they all tend to be likeable. Sometimes that makes it hard to pick who to vote for. In this case Brill made it easier.
Brill, Dave Mech, and John Hartman are running for District 3, which runs north from Clint Moore so most of West Boca can’t vote in the race.
She was elected to the school board in 2010 by defeating a long-time incumbent and a few others. She was endorsed in that race by the Palm Beach Post, and they endorsed her again today.
As their 2010 article mentions, Brill became motivated by challenges she faced from the school district in getting a proper and fair education for her autistic son. Because of that experience she describes herself as the go-to person on the board for parents with special needs kids.
Two things in particular impressed me about her. First, she’s very knowledgeable. Some people get elected to boards and just show up to collect the paycheck. Brill, by contrast, has spent the last four years learning a great deal about how things work in the school district. She doesn’t know everything, but she understands how the school district works far better than her opponents.
Second, she is a bundle of energy. The Post mentioned that as well. Our conversation ranged over many topics and anything that came up sparked a stream of ideas and answers from Brill.
She’s not perfect. I asked her some tough questions about “Common Core” and I didn’t love her answers. Her focus on special needs and her knowledge of the finer details of the issues seems to keep her from taking a “big picture” look at the district. For example, we talked about how the system should work better so that parents of kids with special needs wouldn’t need to go to a school board member for help. She got the point, but didn’t seem to know how to get there.
In a follow-up e-mail she said:

I believe we went off on a tangent on how to address the issue of parents of special needs students going to a school board member for assistance. There is an answer. The District needs to restore the Parent Services position (with federal funding from the IDEA) under the new ESE Director or they need to create an ombudsman position.”

And regarding seeing the big picture she said:

My special needs son is only 1/4 of my children. They range from gifted to advanced to average and then to challenged. One my primary concerns is the crush of standardized testing and what is doing to our students’ love for learning and teachers’ ability to teach.

I don’t find those responses persuasive, but I’m voting for her anyway. She has two opponents in the race. I interviewed Dave Mech in June. While I liked him, he just didn’t seem serious enough about the actually winning the election and serving on the school board. Brill, by contrast, is almost too serious about it.
More recently I interviewed John Hartman. There are some critical things I love about Hartman. He’s more of a big picture guy. He’s very concerned about Common Core and strongly opposed to it. If opposition to Common Core is your biggest issue with the schools, then Hartman is the one you should vote for and you should give him some money too. But it’s a little too much of a holy war. He reminds me of the Blues Brothers:

I don’t like Common Core, but it’s not enough. One school board member isn’t going to stop it, or whatever other name they place on it. Brill does see problems with Common Core, FCATs, etc. Her knowledge and energy will be more effective at managing how to deal with it. At the same time she’s ready to handle all the other issues our school board will confront. And she has the personality to get along with others and work through things.
Ideologically I line up more with Hartman. But you don’t win elections because of a higher power. You win them by planning ahead and figuring out how you’re going to reach the voters with your message. Those same methods help you get results when you do get elected. Brill is more ready to get things done. Like many first-time candidates Hartman did not understand how difficult it would be. And that makes you wonder how effective he would be if he won.
Practically speaking, Brill is going to win this election easily. I hope Hartman runs again, either for school board or another office. I’d love to help him in that next race.

Editorial: They Are Anti-Israel

Yesterday we mentioned in a Facebook post that readers had told us about a protest on Glades Road near Boca Rio.
That sparked quite a comment thread, mostly favorable but with some angry opposition. One common objection to our post was that we should not have referred to the protest as “anti-Israel.”
The most eloquent critic was Farrah Ibrahim, an FAU graduate who is now a law student at Nova Southeastern.

Wow a protest for Gaza automatically means “anti-Israeli”? You can be against the killing of innocent children and condemn Israel’s illegal actions without being “anti-Israeli”.

The discussion touched a nerve. People in political debates play with words in a way that would make Orwell laugh. Note for example how Ibrahim slightly twists our term, “anti-Israel” into “anti-Israeli.”
Democrats complain about “access” to healthcare as if Republicans are blocking the doors to hospitals. They claim Hobby Lobby is banning birth control when all they’re doing is refusing to pay for some forms of it. They’re not stopping anyone from going to the drug store and paying for it out of their own pockets.
Republicans are just as bad. The whole notion of using the word “defense” to describe our military operations is absurd. Defense is when we defend our own borders – which we don’t do. We’re in other people’s territory. That’s offense. Republicans pretend they’re for small government and fiscal responsibility when their hero, Ronald Reagan, doubled federal spending and tripled the national debt.
It should be obvious by now that we’re not trying to make friends with this editorial.
So we’re not playing games with what the protesters are about. They are anti-Israel. One argued with us that they’re not “anti-Israel,” but rather “pro-Palestine.” We invited these critics to let us know what their proposed long-term solution is to the situation when we all know what they really have in mind is a final solution – no Israel.
Please stop pretending that’s not true. If you’re going to respond to this editorial, the first thing we want to hear is what your proposed solution is that doesn’t involve the elimination of the State of Israel. What borders and conditions do you propose that will satisfy enough Palestinians so that we’ll have peace?
We believe there is no such answer and you know that. But we’re open to a discussion, especially from Ms. Ibrahim. We offered to debate her on our site but she declined.
You can see her real policy agenda in some of her words. She refers to Israel’s existence as an occupation, for example. If that’s what you believe, the only just solution in your eyes is to end the occupation, which means no Israel.
She also uses this phrase: “Israel has been mass murdering the Palestinians for over 60 years.” It is also common for “pro-Palestinian” advocates to call what Israel is doing a “genocide.” This is one of the most blatant and offensive abuses of language I have ever seen.
In a genocide the targeted population gets dramatically smaller. In Israel and the rest of the disputed territories, the Arab population has consistently and dramatically increased.

arab-jewish-population-in-israel-palestine-1914-to-2005

See this link for more on that. In this idiotic view, Israel is both overpowering in military force and yet incompetent in its genocidal actions.
Some other comments from Ibrahim deserve a response:

Finally, Israel’s indiscriminate use of heavy weaponry in civilian areas is a war crime, not self defense.

This is the United States. We have a long history of using heavy weaponry in civilian areas. Visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ask the Native Americans about that, and also about occupation. You’re living on their land right now.

Gaza is the most densely populated place on earth.

Sorry for the humor, but maybe y’all should stop working for Hobby Lobby and use some birth control. Gaza is experiencing fast population growth due to very high fertility rates. And yet again that genocide thing isn’t working so well.
Some final words. First, we think the pro-Israel rallies are the wrong response. Having an anti-Israel protest in Boca Raton is hysterical. It might be less stupid than having a KKK march in Harlem, but not by that much. The sensible response would have been to have a chuckle and ignore them. We covered Venezuelan protests a few months ago and most of you probably don’t remember or never noticed. But then we are writing this editorial so maybe we’re guilty too.
Second, I want to be clear on my position about Israel. Yes I am Jewish and pro-Israel. However, I am an American and not a Zionist. I have never been to Israel and have no interest in moving there. I’d take an Irish pub over an Israeli cafe any day. I’m also opposed to all foreign aid, including to Israel. The US government should not take money from American taxpayers and give it to other countries. And we certainly shouldn’t borrow from China, give the money to other countries, and expect our children and grandchildren to pay it back.
Third, I’m not anti-Palestinian. I recognize they’ve been getting screwed for hundreds of years. That is not the fault of Jews or Israel. It dates back long before to the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire and even the Mongols. Today they get mistreated by many Arab countries, but for some reason they fall for the propaganda and blame Israel.
We normally stick to news about West Boca and stay away from foreign affairs, national and even statewide issues. But since these events are happening in West Boca, we figure we should cover them.

Tag Your Dogs

From a reader:
Recently there has been an increase of lost dogs being found by caring strangers. I can’t stress enough the importance of a dog wearing a collar with Pet Tags for ID on it.
Not everyone knows about scanning for microchips or may not have the time. For example, you spot a stray dog on the way to work. It would be a lot faster to call the owner per the dogs ID tags than to risk being late or missing work to take the dog to be scanned for a microchip (considering you’re lucky enough that a stranger is going to care enough to do that). Tags can be money people don’t want to spend at the big name pet stores so here is the company I use that is super cheap and mails it right to your home: www.pettags4less.com – Free shipping! I got 3 tags for $5!!
Another side note is to use harnesses when leash walking and only use collars so you dog has ID at all times. Harnesses don’t cause damage to a dogs trachea like a collar can and collars are easy to slip out of. If you are interested in buying a harness for your dog then you might want to check out this review of the best escape proof dog harnesses here.
Last year my friend lost her dog to being hit by a car because she had taken her dog’s collar off. A local friend actually saw her and the dog ran up to her and was friendly. But because she knew that “Lacey Lu” always wore a purple collar, she didn’t think it was her friends dog and didn’t take the dog in. Lacey Lu was hit by a car a block away. That identifying collar could have made all the difference between Lacey Lu making it home safely.
Sometimes a collar simply isn’t enough to help other people identify your dog, and it could take them longer to be found if they aren’t distinguishable. And so that’s why some pet owners may be turning their attention towards a GPS tracker for their dogs, (see this list for recommendations) in order for them to track their lost friend. Their trackers can be traced to your cell phone so that you are aware of their exact location. This could help you to be reunited with your furry friend significantly faster, especially if other people can’t identify them upon sight.
The person who finds your dog may not know how to help reunite your dog with you or may not care enough to put in the effort. Make it easy for that Good Samaritan – please keep collars with tags on your pets at all times. Now, I know many people take them off for fear of choking accidents in the home when no one is there and that’s completely up to you. But accidents happen and your dog can slip out of the house or someone may break in and let them out. Protect our four legged friends.

Town Center Nightie Arrest – Questions

The Sun-Sentinel has an interesting story about an arrest in one of the parking garages in Town Center. The salacious details are that the woman is supposedly wearing lingerie and sleeping in her car. When confronted by police she eventually tries to drive off and they accuse her of aggravated assault.
I looked at the facts as described in the article and have some questions and thoughts. Here’s some excerpts from the article:

Officers found Suzanne Morales, 45, sleeping in the car. They knocked on the car window …. Morales woke up and locked her car doors. Officers asked her to step outside the car, but she refused ….
Police also said they could smell alcohol and suspected she might be drunk ….
They told Morales if she continued to refuse, they would knock out her window.

As a defense lawyer it looks like the police violated her rights.
First of all, it is not illegal to sleep in your car.From the facts in the article, she had every right to lock herself in the car.
Second, they smelled alcohol from outside the car? With the windows closed? I’m sorry folks, but I’m a defense lawyer and that sounds like a routine police lie.
And even if it were true, it’s not illegal to be drunk in your car when you’re parked.
Third, they threatened to knock out her window? That sounds like excessive force and there’s a federal case on it – Deville v. Marcantel.

Officers may consider a suspect’s refusal to comply with instructions during a traffic stop in assessing whether physical force is needed to effectuate the suspect’s compliance. … However, officers must assess not only the need for force, but also “the relationship between the need and the amount of force used.” …
Taking the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiffs, a jury could reasonably find that the degree of force the officers used in this case was not justifiable under the circumstances. A reasonable jury could infer from Deville’s deposition testimony that Marcantel engaged in very little, if any, negotiation with her — and find that he instead quickly resorted to breaking her driver’s side window and dragging her out of the vehicle.

Morales is actually in a better position than Deville was. Deville had been stopped for a traffic violation. Morales had done nothing wrong – and note that she is not charged with any offense for what happened before the police threatened her.
In our opinion, based on the facts we’ve read, the case should be dismissed and Boca PD needs to take a look at how they handled this incident.
We followed up with Sun-Sentinel writer Kate Jacobson on Twitter. She wrote back to us:
KJ: She was on private property & manager complained. Surprised she didn’t get a trespass charge but owner just wanted her out.
WBN: Not trespassing if she wasn’t told to leave.
KJ: According to the [probable cause report] that’s what the cops were there to do. Then she tried to run one of them over, allegedly.
But that’s not what they did. They didn’t order her to leave the property, and it’s not clear that they would even have the authority to make such an order. It’s not their property. State law says they have authority only if they have written authorization from the right entity. That’s the requirement under Florida’s trespassing statute, § 810.08(3).

Don't Be Scared of Sandalfoot

A reader moving into one of the neighborhoods near West Sandalfoot (aka the Sandalfoot Trailers or Watergate Estates) asked about the perceived crime problem. Here are some excerpts of our conversation, with reader in italics.
I really like the area from what I’ve seen but today a co-worker of mine has told me that there is a lot of crime close by in Sandalfoot. I did a search on Sandalfoot crime and I have read a few articles that you recently posted. Is it safe to move a family into the [omitted] community off of 441? I am starting to second guess my decision. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for asking. Sandalfoot would not discourage me from living nearby.
While there is higher crime in Sandalfoot, not much of it affects nearby communities. A lot of it is domestic violence (i.e. stays in Sandalfoot) and drug possession (again stays in Sandalfoot).
Our zip code (we also live in 33428) does have an overall higher crime rate than the rest of West Boca, but it’s still lower than at least one part of East Boca and much lower than the county average.
You might want to read our two articles about the crime rate here:
https://westbocanews.com/2014/05/12/how-bad-is-crime-in-west-boca
https://westbocanews.com/2014/05/21/9-zip-codes-crime-rates-in-boca-raton/4878
Being off 441 is convenient with a lot of restaurants and shopping nearby. My favorite plaza is right by Sandalfoot:
https://westbocanews.com/2013/12/28/northwest-sandalfoot-plaza
The elementary school is A-rated. I drive through Sandalfoot all the time. I’ve shopped at their Publix (and donated blood there), and I go to the plazas there including Sandalfoot Square. I’ve never had a bad moment there.
Thank you for the summary and the links that you sent over. I feel better about my decision to purchase. Hopefully Sandalfoot will eventually weed out all the wrong-doers over time.
One more question, is the bad area of Sandalfoot east or west of 441 or a little bit of both?
A little of both. West of 441 is a community called Watergate Estates, commonly referred to as the Sandalfoot trailer park. Also west of 441, but further south, is an apartment complex near SW 18th where we’ve seen some arrests as well.
East of 441 is a large area called Sandalfoot Cove (from Palmetto to the county line and from 441 to the Turnpike).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalfoot_Cove,_Florida

There’s variety within Sandalfoot Cove, with senior condos and one or two nice gated communities. There are also a bunch of apartments, townhouses and other lower end housing and we’ve seen some crime in there.
Of course, we’ve seen people arrested from the expensive communities all over Boca as well.
While there are some problems in Sandalfoot, a lot of those families move there so they can get their kids into our schools. That’s a good thing. It’s why we moved here too.
Palm Beach County has less crime than Broward or Miami-Dade. From our own statistics within Palm Beach County, Boca has less crime than most of the rest of the county, and West Boca has less crime than East Boca.