Sean Arce

MAS Redux: Tucson Weekly & MalintZINE Dare to Tell the ‘Rest of the Story’

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Domestic violence_20b10e08caby Pamela Powers Hannley

Sexism and sexual violence cross all ethnic, racial, and class boundaries. This story focuses on the struggle against misogyny and sexual violence in Tucson’s Chicano community.

For years, the Tucson Weekly’s Mari Herreras has covered multiple aspects of the rise and fall of Mexican American Studies (MAS)– the chaining, the chanting, the demonstrations, the fundraising, the controversies, the personalities– but A Broken Community, the cover story of the July 18 issue, was one of the more fascinating stories about the evolution of MAS.

Maybe it’s because I gave up reading the Three Sonorans blog years ago, but I haven’t heard or read much about MAS since the former director of the program, Sean Arce, was charged with domestic violence back in December 2012.

At the time, the silence surrounding the Arce’s charges and what happened between him and his wife that night in December at La Cocina was deafening. As I wrote, “Bloggers who regularly post ‘news’ stories every time Arce catches a cold are mute, and none of the mainstream media have touched his story.”

A handful women bloggers wrote about the Arce story– most notably, a relatively new blog, MalintZINE. “Dear Sean”, a moving essay about machismo and sexism in the MAS movement, was one of the first few posts on this blog, and at the time, the author(s) was/were anonymous to the general public, myself included.

Herreras’ TW story updates us on this thread.

Rape and Violence

Without naming many names, Herreras gives us the back story on sexism, sexual abuse charges, and fallen idols in the MAS program, with accounts dating back to 2011 (more than a year before the December 2012 Arce incident). At the core of the story is former MAS spokesperson and former cover girl for the Precious Knowledgemovie Leilani Clark and the womyn of MalintZINE. In the early heyday of the MAS protests, Clark was everywhere. I heard her speak with poise and fire  about the MAS struggle at multiple events, and then… poof… she disappeared from the scene.  She was everywhere, and then, nowhere. (I’m sure I’m not the only one who wondered what happened to her.) 

To find out, follow the jump.

Our society must move beyond violence against women

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Domestic violence_20b10e08caby Pamela Powers Hannley

This week the story of domestic violence charges against former Mexican American Studies (MAS) Director Sean Arce bubbled up on the Arizona Daily Independent (ADI) blog and on Facebook, where discussions continue to roil. Prior to ADI's initial blog post on December 27, 2012, rumors were swirling around regarding what happened on December 9, 2012, the night Arce and his compadres celebrated his birthday. Now we have ADI's account– written from the police report and reaction from people across the political spectrum, including this blogger. Unfortunately, none of the lame stream media outlets have chosen to cover this story.

Did Arce aggressively confront his ex-wife in a local restaurant? Did he follow her home, break into the house, and break windows– causing Essence Arce to flee? That is for the courts to decide, but, in my opinion, the police report (which alludes to dried blood on Arce's hands when he was arrested) is very damming. 

My goal here is not to try Arce's case in the court of public opinion, but to point out that IF the domestic violence charges against him are true, we have yet another local case of a powerful man abusing his power and acting in a violent or at least highly inappropriate manner toward women. In recent months, Arizona has seen SIX powerful men charged with domestic violence or sexual harassment.

Women are murdered every day in this country by husbands, lovers, and former partners. In the workplace, women are subjected to harassment and discrimination. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. For more details, continue reading after the jump.

On MAS: AG Tom Horne is like a dog with a frickin’ bone (video)

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

Multiple levels of court cases related to TUSD's Mexican American Studies (MAS) are winding their way through the judicial system. 

There's the case of former MAS teacher and whistle-blower John Ward against former MAS chair Sean Arce and teacher Jose Gonzales. (Three versions of this story and links to fundraising appeasl for both sides, here: 1, 2, 3. #1 is Ward's affidavit plus other statements; it gives you an idea why he blew the whistle. #2 is a fundraising appeal for former MAS head Sean Arce. #3 is a fundraising event for Ward. It's interesting to note that Attorney General Tom Horne spoke at the fundraiser for Ward. Is that some sort of conflict of interest for an AG?)

There's the lawsuit against SB2281– the racist Arizona Legislature bill crafted by then Superintendent of Public Instruction Horne and gleefully implemented by AG Horne. (Close as I can tell, #1 above is an excerpt from the supporting documents for this court case.)

And last but certainly not least… the decades-old TUSD desegregation suit. Is TUSD in compliance with the desegregation suit or not? This goes back and forth. (Here's some background.)  Horme wants to keep his thumb on the pulse of what's left of MAS and wants to play a role in the creation of the replacement curriculum, which would be protected under the desegregation order. Recently, a federal judge officially told Horne to butt out of the TUSD desegragation case, but Horne is not ready to let go of the MAS bone.

Video after the jump.