'Equal Education' Rally Brings About 250, including Sharpton, to Brookside [New Video]

Update 9:53 a.m.:

For supporters at the Tuesday afternoon rally for Tanya McDowell and the cause of education in poorer communities, McDowell's enrolling of her son in a Norwalk public school rather than in Bridgeport was the act of , not a thief, as .

To strong applause from the audience of about 250 to 300 at the many of whom were from Stamford, Bridgeport and other places around Connecticut, most of the several speakers expressed outrage that McDowell was arrested when others were not.

Several of the speakers also indicated they found it suspicious that a single, homeless, poor and black woman was treated differently from all others who were similarly accused of improperly enrolling children in Norwalk schools when living outside the district. The rally was held at , the school McDowell's son had been enrolled. It occurred on the same day as McDowell's in state . The case some .

Al Sharpton, who made a national name for himself as a prominent supporter of Tawana Brawley, who falsely accused law enforcement officials of racist acts and sexual assault in the early 1990s, spoke in a passionate manner, although his words were relatively moderate.

Although Sharpton touched on McDowell's case, he drew no conclusions about her from it, and spoke more about educational equality and quality in general.

"There are those all over this country that are balancing state deficit budgets by closing down schools and cutting budgets to education," Sharpton said in his speech.

"If we cannot have equal opportunity at the beginning of life, we will never have equality in life. The civil rights issue of the 21st century is education. Every child in America should have the right to a quality education."

Sharpton pointed out that he doesn't know the particulars of McDowell's case and hasn't been involved in her defense, but added, "I am going to review this case with the N.A.A.C.P., and I want to tell the press one thing: My concern is not the past of the mother, but the future of the child. I don't know anything about the case. We're going to look into the case. Were going to deal with wherever the chips fall—let 'em fall."

Sharpton also said it was wrong to use the McDowell case for political advantage rather than do what's best for McDowell's child (a point Mayor Richard A. Moccia ): "A five-year-old child should not be a pawn of politics. ... I hope everybody puts the politics, and the posturing and the positioning aside, and do what is necessary to educate every child, black and white and Latino, that needs an education."

Tanya McDowell herself, when she got up to speak briefly near the end of the rally, said: "All I ask is for a good education which is one of the best for A.J. [...] I'd do it all over again, because I didn't do anything wrong."

Anita Schmidt, president of the Norwalk N.A.A.C.P., told the crowd: "We support Tanya McDowell and her son. [...] I think the most important thing we stand for in this country is the equal administration of justice. Why is the state prosecutor, Suzanne Vieux, still pushing to put Tanya McDowell in jail?"

Shirley Moseby, a vice president at the Norwalk N.A.A.C.P., in which she said: "We as a group should lead the fight against injustices that stop any parent from obtaining an equitable equal education for their children without the fear of retaliation of losing your freedom for trying to educate your child."

Scot X. Esdaile, president of the state N.A.A.C.P., acted as master of ceremonies, introducing most speakers and sometimes leading the crowd in chants, including "Drop the charges! Right now!"

"There's no way we can let parents be arrested for trying to do the best for their child—isn't that right?" Esdaile asked the crowd. "This is a beautiful school," he said, referring to Brookside. "Every child should be in a position to be able to go to a school like this—isn't that right?"

A long prayer by the Rev. Albert R. Dancy of Macedonia Church in Norwalk, was given at the start of the 2 1/2-hour event, and a stepping demonstration was given toward the end.

"We command every high and haughty spirit to come down from your authority," Dancy said in his prayer. He also asked God to "empower us as we confront the barriers to our American Dream, which includes a world-class educational system."

At another point, Dancy said: "We're Americans united not by race or religion or blood but by our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings on all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us."

The crowd was also urged to register to vote and to get involved in lobbying for more education funding for schools.

Clarification: An earlier version of this article said in the regular text that about 300 showed up for the rally, but mentioned 250 in the headlines. It was about 250, but may well have been more, as the article now states (it was hard to gauge).

This article was updated at 9:53 a.m. Wednesday. Additional comments from the rally were added.