Out of the Mouth of Babes: 11-Year-Old Kid Calls Dallas City Council Members Out for Being Rude to Constituents
An 11-year-old boy stunned the Dallas City Council this week with a precociously astute remark about the members' disrespectful behavior.
David Williams attended the council meeting so he could express his concern about school teachers being allowed to bring guns to school.
"What is an alternative for teachers to keep their students safe in the DISD district without having to bring dangerous weapons to school?" David politely asked the council members.
But in waiting for a response, David's patience ran out after he noticed that members were not paying attention to questions from constituents and were instead distracting themselves with other matters.
So he approached the podium again.
"Do you feel it is acceptable for City Council members to be up and walking while their constituents are addressing them?" David chided the council.
That certainly got their attention.
Councilmember Dwaine Caraway immediately addressed David's comment with an apology, telling him he was correct in pointing out the members' disrespectful behavior, and promised to minimize his walking around "when visitors are speaking."
He also took the opportunity to encourage other residents to be like David and "come in with a subject, a message and positive criticism that other people can appreciate."
Shatara Mathis, David's mother, said her son's candid criticism surprised her as well.
"I was very proud because sometimes it's out of the mouth of a babe that you really get enlightened as an adult," she told KDFW.
The Fox affiliate asked David if he wanted to be a city council member when he grows up. David replied that he would be "more interested in being President of the United States."
