Inspired by MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, I have decided to (try to) have a weekly post in which I shine a light on some of the main supporters of the anti-immigration movement. This weeks person?
Jerry Walker, a member of the Maricopa County Community College District's governing board.
During a a school sponsored trip to Washington D.C. Mr. Walker heckled a student while she was giving a demonstration on the DREAM Act to Rep. Trent Frank’s legislative aide (Bobby J. Cornett). The East Valley Tribune describes how the student " broke into tears after Walker, a member of the district’s governing board, incessantly ridiculed her during her attempts to lobby for federal legislation to help illegal immigrant students"
The Tribune writes how according to the students complain Walker continuously interrupted her presentation on the act. Walker allegedly interjected comments including, “you are wrong,” “that is not true,” and “I do not agree with you.” Then at the conclusion of the presentation, Walter apologized to Cornett for the student's "rude" behavior.
Mr. Cornett states "I found it, you know, kind of strange that (Walker) would apologize for something I didn’t even think happened."
At the end of this meeting the student recalls how she " began to pick up my pace in order to catch up with the group, while Mr. Walker began to verbally attack and pursue me down the hall".
The next meeting took place with Sen. Jon Kyl’s legislative aide,at the end of it another student, Christopher Esteen, says that "Walker started to accuse the female student of lying during her presentation, calling the DREAM Act 'stupid' and the student 'dumb'."
The Tribune describes:
The female student attempted to diffuse the increasingly tense situation, according to her complaint. She responded to Walker that he has a right to his opinion, but she disagrees.
Student witnesses said that response only pushed Walker to make his case more loudly.
As it continued, Walker “began to yell at me and tell me that he did (not) care how I felt about his opinion and that 65 (percent) of the citizens of Arizona agreed with him and that was all that mattered to him,” the student’s complaint said.
Walker told the Tribune that he informed the female student that 71 percent, not 65 percent, of voters approved Prop. 300.
The female student then lost her composure. She made her way to a public bathroom.
The four other Maricopa district board members have already sent an apology letter to Rep. Trent Frank’s legislative aide. However Mr. Walker is unrepentant. Instead he wants to spin this by saying that the real victims are "his political views and those of local taxpayers".
Oh best part? Walker is a Baptist minister-in-training.
Feel free to email Mr. Walker at jerry.walker@domail.maricopa.edu
Article at http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/136698
