Advice from Jason Jones to Upper West Side Parents: Don't Talk to the Press
The contentious public hearing on a plan for moving an Upper West Side school had gone on for nearly three hours Monday night, when a man with a scruffy beard and glasses took the microphone to add his comments.
"I was just going to come up and make jokes because everything's been said, eloquently and not so eloquently," announced Jason Jones.
But the former mock correspondent for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" had a lot more to say, about what he read that morning in a New York Times article about a proposal to move P.S. 452 from West 77th Street to West 61st Street.
"It disheartens me to wake up in the morning and see that the Upper West side is divided," he stated. "We are not divided, we are absolutely united in wanting what's best for our children."
Jones has three children with former "Daily Show" correspondent Samantha Bee. He went on to complain about what he called "rhetoric" from some parents that, he thought, suggested those opposing the move are "terrified" of having their school relocate to a building near a housing project. He called that characterization, "dishonest at best and slanderous at worst."
"So I urge you A, to stop talking to the press," he continued. "This is a private matter, I think, from our community. This story doesn't exist without your quotes."
Jones would know a thing or two about using quotes. His segments on "The Daily Show" often skewered regular folks and politicians by catching them making hypocritical statements, especially when the subject was gay marriage or defenders of the Washington Redskins' team name.
Jones complained about another quote by a parent who suggested their high-performing school would change if it moved near the housing project. He said that showed little respect for the teachers.
"So just be mindful of when you speak, if you're going to speak to the press, because slandering or saying anything negative about this teaching staff is wrong," he added. "Conversely, painting any opposition as classist or racist is about as bad as it can get."
The Canadian-born comic might be asking a lot of New Yorkers to stay quiet. They're not a shy bunch.
Click to listen to Jones' brief public comments, recorded courtesy of the Community Education Council for District 3.