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Assembly Candidate Harmeet K. Dhillon at JROTC Rally, Tom Ammiano Absent
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2008
Contact: Dhillon '08 Community Affairs Liaison Alisa Farenzena,
(415) 706-0407
San Francisco Assembly candidate Harmeet K. Dhillon stood with JROTC
students, parents and fellow supporters this morning at a rally on the
steps of City Hall announcing the delivery to the Department of Elections
of more than 13,000 San Francisco citizens' signatures in support of a
measure to save the program, under attack by a majority of current members of the Board of Education.
"The one person we don't see here defending students' rights to make their
own decisions about their school programs is Tom Ammiano," Dhillon said, in reference to her opponent in the race for the 13th Assembly District
seat. "The reasons for Ammiano's absence are obvious. He started the
crusade against JROTC nearly 15 years ago."
In 1994, when Ammiano served on the San Francisco Board of Education, he initiated the effort to end the JROTC program, falsely claiming that the
program was anti-gay and apparently disapproving of the entire concept of
patriotic training, discipline and service. In June 1995, the
ill-conceived proposal initiated by Ammiano and taken up by Dan Kelly and Steve Phillips failed by a 4–3 vote of the Board of Education. Ammiano had already begun his 14-year tenure on the Board of Supervisors by that time, but continued to condemn the JROTC, likening the program to "apartheid," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Unwilling to drop the subject despite having lost this battle over a
decade earlier, Ammiano, in a San Francisco Bay Guardian article he
co-authored in 2006, referred to "the kids" as "the problem" because of
their outspoken support of the JROTC program and their publicizing of the
fact that the JROTC program does not discriminate against gay students.
"In other words, 'the kids' were the problem for speaking the truth in
support of a program widely supported by San Francisco public school
parents and students," Dhillon said. "This is typical of Supervisor
Ammiano's attitude -- a one-note song that is out of tune."
The JROTC, which provides leadership training to hundreds of San Francisco high school students annually, a majority of whom are minorities, does not compel students to join the military. In fact, most students who participate in the program never enlist in the armed forces. Over 70 percent of the JROTC instructors in San Francisco are African-Americans. Numerous LGBT veterans were among the key supporters of the successful
petition drive.
Other attendees of the rally included Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor
Carmen Chu. Seeing the support of the petition drive, the mayor today
announced his complete support for the broad-based, multi-ethnic coalition
to save the JROTC in San Francisco. "I'm pleased that some San Francisco
leaders are finally acknowledging what thousands of San Franciscans have
shown in recent weeks -- that JROTC is a patriotic program that instills
discipline and strong values and creates leadership opportunities for San
Francisco's public school students," Dhillon said. "I hope that in
November, San Francisco voters will come together to embrace this
coalition's vision to continue a vital program providing choices for
tomorrow's leaders."
