Subject: [SocialistWorker.org] Live from the day of action
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http://socialistworker.org/2010/03/04/live-from-the-day-of-action
National
======== LIVE FROM THE DAY OF ACTION =========================================
March 4, 2010
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Today, students, teachers, faculty, campus workers and community members are
making their voices heard--in California and around the country. They're
taking a stand against the ongoing attack on public education at every level,
from pre-K through to colleges and universities.
SocialistWorker.org readers will contribute their reports, views, pictures
and more throughout the day, and will post them here (times are all Pacific
time). At 5 p.m. (PST, 8 p.m. on the East Coast and 7 p.m. in the Midwest),
we'll have a live video stream from the San Francisco regional rally against
the cuts.
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*6:10 p.m.*: In San Francisco, some 20,000 people--and counting!--were
pouring into the Civic Center, reported Ragina Johnson and David Russitano.
The crowd is enthusiastic and spirited. Contingents from every school in the
district seems to be represented, especially from June Jordan, Balbo and
Mission. Many from those high school have been marching all day.
A massive drum circle is keeping the energy up even after hours of marching.
The energy is contagious.
Aaron Neimark, a Kindergarten teacher from Feinstein Elementary and part of
Educators for a Democratic Union who was part of organizing an afternoon
action for his school site, said, "The most powerful thing was leaving school
with about 400 students and teachers for our own local march to a rally in a
park in the Sunset district. We learned a lot in the process of planning
since the fall. Moving forward we want to keep people informed as we continue
organizing."
Martha Vigil works at Lincoln High School as security guard, and if the
planned cuts go through, could lose an hour of pay every day. "The people who
are making the cuts need to walk in our shoes to see what we go through every
day," she said.
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*5:50 p.m*.: An even larger crowd of some 6,000 people gathered in
Northridge, north of Los Angeles, near the campus of Cal State Northridge,
according to Rebecca, a student at LA Valley College.
With protesters on the march, police insisted that the demonstration couldn't
take the streets. That prompted more than 1,000 people to walk sit down on
Reseda Boulevard and refuse to leave as an act of protest.
Police in riot gear threatened the crowd, with nightsticks out. After a time,
the protesters had decided to disperse, but wanted to do so in an orderly way
that kept everyone together.
But that wasn't quick enough for the cops--they waded into the crowd. In the
melee, an 80-year-old woman professor was injured when she was reportedly
shoved by police, suffering a broken arm. Undeterred, the police started
carrying out arrests.
Officers claimed they only arrested six people, but demonstrators thought the
number was greater. With night falling, the demonstrators started a march to
the detention center to make sure their fellow activists were freed.
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*5:10 p.m.*: Some 4,000 people were gathered in downtown LA for the major
regional rally, with more people streaming in all the time from around the
area, reports Sarah Knopp, a teacher and member of United Teachers Los
Angeles.
The first people on the scene were students who came from the surrounding
high schools. Students at Manual Arts High School southwest of downtown
walked out of classesand marched as a group of 50 or 100 to Pershing Square,
the site of the rally—chanting, “Sí se puede” all the way.
University students from the surrounding area came in as well. Some 200
students at Santa Monica College rallied on their campus quad during the
afternoon, and then made their way to LA.
Members of Students for Quality Education and other groups at Cal Poly Pomona
gathered to board the Bronco Bus and headed into LA, 200 to 300 people
strong, reported Andrea Edwards. The group’s motto is "No decisions about
us without us."
According to Rebecca Sun, an Iraq war veteran spoke out from the platform,
making the case that "our enemy isn't over here. It's over here. One day in
Afghanistan and Iraq, we spend $400 million. That money should be used to
fund education, not war."
A graduate student at Cal State Northridge and teacher's assistant in Los
Angeles said that because of budget cuts, her teachers get her for only 45
minutes a day--last year, they had classroom support all day. She said that
the Kindergarten classes at her school are as large as 30 students.
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*4:40 p.m.*: About 7,000 students, teachers and parents from all levels of
education marched down Mission Street, headed toward a giant rally at San
Francisco's Civic Center, reports David Russitano, a math teacher and member
of United Educators of San Francisco.
The crowd is a cross-section of all races. The feeling is festive, with
costumes, homemade signs and plenty of noise-makers. It feels like the start
of a massive movement.
And the crowd is still continuing to grow as schools get out!
Protesters from all parts of the Bay Area are converging on the Civic Center
rally in San Francisco--expectations are high for a huge turnout.
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*4:30 p.m.*: Teachers marched in one of two feeder marchers to San
Francisco's Civic Center from northeast area schools, said teacher Robin
Horne. About 150 teachers and parents from Sherman and Galileo Elementary
Schools marched on Van Ness, as cable car drivers rang their bells in
solidarity.
One parent said that their school had music and art programs, but only
because it was funded by the PTA. The only way to get a good education is
that students did it themselves, the parent explained. Dmitria said, "They
shouldn't give so much money to war."
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*4:10 p.m.*: Some 400 teachers, parents and students are posted at the
busiest intersection in Castro Valley, reports John Green, a teacher at
Castro Valley High School.
The car honks are deafening. This is the largest rally in Castro Valley in
decades. All school sites are represented. Students are walking banners back
and forth across the intersections. Not much more room left on the sidewalks,
but more people keep streaming in.
Members of the California Teachers Association have been organizing at each
school site, and spent the weeks leading up to March 4 reaching out to the
community--inviting parent clubs, civic organizations, places of worship and
other unions. That work obviously paid off with this big turnout in a Bay
Area town.
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*3:55 p.m.*: About 50 graduate students at the University of Chicago, led by
their Graduate Student Union (GSU), marched from Ida Noyes Hall to the
administration offices today, reported Kathryn O'Neil Weber.
They were protesting the continued difficulties imposed on them by high
Advanced Residency Tuition (ART) rates, increasing costs of health insurance
and activity fees, as well as the burden of being forced to teach courses
rather than work on their dissertations, resulting in more years paying ART.
The students wore mouse ears and delivered mousetraps with messages pasted on
them. An official report on the issue was recently dismissed with little
comment by the provost of the university.
The GSU has also pitched in where the administration refuses to, paying for
one student's tuition and fees for the 2010-2011 academic year with a
Graduate Emergency Tuition Assistance lottery.
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*3:45 p.m.*: Hundreds of people came out for an afternoon rally at the state
capitol building in Sacramento, reports Christopher Benedict. Activists on
the edge of the rally leafleted passersby and played music to draw people in.
Speakers included parents, students, teachers and activists--among them
representatives of faculty and students from different schools in the UC
system.
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*3:40 p.m.*: More than 300 members of the UC United Coalition of students,
workers and faculty came together for a march and rally "for an accessible,
diverse, and democratic University of Illinois of Urbana-Champaign." The
march began at the campus' Alma Mater statue and circled the Liberal Arts and
Sciences Quad before participants rallied in front of the Swanlund
Administration Building.
The UC United Coalition includes the Graduate Employees' Organization
(AFT/IFT Local 6300 AFL-CIO), which won its demands with a three-day strike
last fall. According to the UC United statement:
>State funding for public education has been decreasing for years, and the
>University of Illinois administration has consistently accepted budget cuts
>as it transforms the University into a privatized and corporatized
>institution...
>
>The major burden of the lack of state funding has been placed on low-income
>workers and students, rather than on bloated administrative units and
>salaries. Speakers at the rally called for a tuition and fee freeze in the
>face of University of Illinois Interim President Ikenberry's recent
>statements that significant tuition increases, layoffs and furloughs are
>inevitable and necessary responses to the shortfall in Illinois state
>funding for the University.
>
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*3:25 p.m*.: In New York City, elementary school teacher Brian Jones called
in to say that he and his coworkers were among a few hundred gathered to
march and listen to speakers. Big cheers went out to any speakers who talked
about taxing the rich to save and expand public education.
Protesters gathered at a rally earlier in the day at Gov. David Paterson
office, reported Lyric Croy. Carl, a graduate student at CUNY and a member of
the Professional Staff Congress, told the crowd, "There are larger class
sizes for less pay. Students and workers are having to pay for the crisis.
This will not stand."
"We see Chicago teachers standing against school closures and winning," said
one speaker. "We want a better deal and have the power to do so. No to you
pay. Tax the rich! Chop from top!"
As the march stepped off in the late afternoon, the crowd had grown to at
least 1,000 people who headed to Fashion Institute of Technology, where
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials were meeting.
The NYPD was forced to give up trying to confine marchers to the sidewalks,
as we took the streets chanting, "Whose streets? OUR STREETS! Whose schools?
OUR SCHOOLS!"
Transit workers joined marchers at the protest of the MTA meeting.
A Graduate Student Employees Union member said, "We will not stand for the
budget to be balanced on the back of workers and students. We hear
'entrepreneurship,' 'privatization' and 'budget flexibility.' SUNY works
because we do. We cannot have faith in the administrators to have our best
interests at heart."
A banner from the Students for a Free Palestine pointed out the warped
spending priorities: "Fund Schools, Don't Bomb Them."
A teacher from elementary school P.S. 30, where part of the building will be
used to house a new charter school, explained, "We are an A school, by the
board's standards, but they want to put in a charter school. We say yes to
education and no to the annihilation of our schools!"
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*3:20 p.m*.: A mass of anywhere from 500 to 1,000 students, faculty, workers
and union members dressed in red and carrying signs left the UC Riverside
campus, heading to downtown Riverside after a day of protests, reports
Jennifer Ramos.
Workers who have been connected to UCR for 10 or 20 years agreed that this is
the largest protest movement our campus has seen in that time.
Events at UCR got started this morning with a teach-out at the central
commons area. Speakers included students, teachers, campus workers and the
chancellor, Tim White.
Stephanie Hammer, a professor of comparative literature and creative writing,
remarked that a highlight for her was hearing the head cook from one of the
student dorms speak about the effects the furloughs have had on him being
able to perform the basic and essential job of feeding students who live on
campus.
The teach-in event only grew as the program rolled on, attracting scores of
passersby, some of whom were compelled to miss class to join the events.
After the teach-out, the huge gathering marched to Unity Corner, a spot on
the edge of campus used by students and unions for rallies and
demonstrations. Students marched, chanting, "No cuts, no fees; Education
should be free" as they walked off campus.
The march headed toward downtown Riverside because state legislators and one
UC Regent have offices there. Before convening downtown, the march will stop
twice: Once at a local community center to join with protesting members of
the community who support public education, and a second time to join with
protesting students from nearby Riverside Community College. We expect the
rally downtown to be even larger than the rally on campus.
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*3:15 p.m.*: More than 200 students, faculty and staff participated in a
spirited march on the campus of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst,
raising chants of "You got bailed out, we got sold out," and "Education under
attack, what do we do, stand up fight back!" writes Michael Fiorentino.
At the end of the march route was the Whitmore administration building.
Protesters entered the building, led by a team of delegates who presented a
list of demands to the vice chancellor's office.
The March 4th Coalition on campus has vowed to continue the fight until its
demands are met--including full funding for the University Health Services,
no new fees, an end to police presence in dorm rooms and a democratic budget
process.
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*3 p.m.*: Students for a Democratic Society at University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee issued a statement condemning police brutality following
an attack on a demonstration of 250 people earlier in the day that resulted
in 18 arrests.
SDS was part of a campus-wide coalition called the UWM Education Rights
Campiagn, which considered of dozens of organizations, including the
professors' and teaching assistants' unions. The coalition organized a
peaceful demonstration on March 4, with a speakout planned to bring attention
to its demands.
As the SDS statement says:
>The really ended in a march to Chapman Hall to deliver petition signatures
>to a chancellor that has thus far refused to meet with us, instead choosing
>to introduce us to more campus police and locked doors.
>
>Two hundred fifty students, workers, professors, teacher assistants and
>concerned community members gathered today to show their support for the UWM
>Education Rights Campaign. SDS believes we had a great event and are proud
>of the students all around this country who rallied with us for education
>rights and stood their ground for over two hours as the police pepper
>sprayed, punched and arrested over 18 people.
>
>"It is difficult to express how outraged we are of the use of police
>repression against a peaceful protest," commented student organizer Jacob
>Flom. "We are outraged by the Chancellor's unwillingness to come and meet
>with the peaceful assembly.
>
>"Our thoughts and prayers go out tonight to the students who have been
>attacked, arrested, pepper sprayed and injured. This campaign was about the
>tens of thousands of youth in our impoverished city who have absolutely no
>hope of attending this university due to a gutless university administration
>and politicians who instead give billions to war, occupation and bank
>bail-outs."
>
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*2:40 p.m.*: Some 2,000 UC Berkeley students, staff and faculty participated
in pickets, rallies and marches throughout the day, reports Todd
Chretien--and many more discussed the budget crisis in their classes.
Starting at 7 a.m., protesters blockaded Sather Gate, the central passageway
on campus. There was a heavy police presence, but activists were completely
peaceful. Ominously, in the mid-morning, police arrested a campus union
leader, claiming he "looked like" an anarchist they supposedly wanted. After
releasing him, police continued to circulate through the crowd in an obvious
effort to intimidate protesters.
A noontime rally shut down the busy street corner of Bancroft and Telegraph,
and featured speeches from a campus bus driver and member of AFSCME--which
recently stopped the university's efforts to privatize bus services--as well
as students and staff. One student performed a spoken word piece that went in
part:
>It shouldn't take a typhoon for the campus to move
>Lately, revolutions only seem to follow catastrophes
>We only flinch when we're hit
>How many lives could we have saved if we'd raised funds before the flood
>Noah built an arc with his bare hands
>We can take out a loan
>It doesn't take divine foresight to predict the storm
>We were warned before Katrina
>How long until we regret California
>Does the earth have to shake before we are moved?
>
Shortly after the rally, more than 1,500 people began a five-mile march down
Telegraph Avenue to meet up with high school students from Fremont High and
other schools, plus a feeder march from Laney College, for a rally in
downtown Oakland, scheduled to run between 12 Noon and 3 p.m.
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*2:35 p.m*.: Some 100 parents, teachers and students marched against Mayor
Bob Duffy's bid to take full control over the city school district in
Rochester, N.Y., reports Ralph Bean.
Mayoral control has already been established in Chicago, New York City and
Washington D.C., among others, and has led not to improved education as
promised, but to the spreading of charter schools, privatization,
union-busting and tighter working conditions for teachers.
Here, mayoral control would mean dissolution of the Rochester City School
Board. By denying the mostly Black Rochester population of a portion of their
right to vote, many marchers feel that this is an attempt to sneak Jim Crow
in through the backdoor.
The demonstration was lively. In response to the call by Students for a
Democratic Society and the Community Education Task Force, marchers gathered
downtown for a rally and open-mic speakout from 4:30 p.m-5:30 p.m. and then
proceeded to march to City Hall with chants of "Whose schools? Our schools!"
and "Don't be fooled by Duffy's lies, his plan is to privatize!"
An open town hall meeting is still ongoing to discuss next steps for the
movement.
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*2:30 p.m.*: About 500 people are picketing the quad at the University of
Washington in Seattle as part of a student strike, reports Leela Yellesetty.
After a spirited rally, students set up picket lines during class changes
encourage students to skip class. Another short rally is planned, to be
followed by a march through main classroom buildings around the quad.
All the campus unions endorsed the action, including the Washington
Federation of State Employees, the Service Employees International Union and
the graduate students represented by the United Auto Workers. Some high
school students and community college students came to campus to join the
protest, though another action was planned at Seattle Central Community
College.
The most popular chants are, "This what democracy looks like," "Whose
university, our university" and "Hey, hey, ho, ho budget cuts have to go."
The University of Washington Student-Worker Coalition is making several
demands, including: a freeze on tuition; the replacement of loans with
grants; a democratic budget allocation; chop-from-the top cuts to
administration, including a cap on all salaries at 150,000 per year; an end
to layoffs and speedups for workers and accessible public education for all.
At one point, a chant went up "They say fee hikes, we say strike." At this
point, the growing protest took off from campus, taking over the main street
University Way.
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*2:10 p.m.*: Around 200 rallied at the University of Minnesota today to stand
up to massive tuition increases and staff furloughs, wrote Chance Lunning.
The rally, organized by students and union members, called on university
administration to "chop from the top" instead of passing the burden of the
budget crisis on to students, faculty and staff.
Some 250 administrators currently make over $200,000 a year. According to the
/Minnesota Daily/, U of M basketball coach Tubby Smith, pulls in actual total
earnings in excess of $1.7 million.
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*1:55 p.m.*: At Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, 300 students,
alumni, and faculty gathered for a rally at 1 p.m. followed by a march around
the campus.
Students, faculty and members of community organizations offered inspiring
speeches, and frequent updates of actions in solidarity around the country
were followed by long applause. Live music spurred an impromptu dance party
in front of the stage for future PSU students--over a dozen preschoolers from
the university's child care center who joined the rally with childcare staff.
"Many of you know about the structural adjustment programs that have
devastated developing countries," one PSU faculty member said. "Well, college
debt is a deliberate structural adjustment on our own citizens. Economic
democracy is a key piece of real democracy. And we don't have it. Yet!"
At the high point of the rally, protesters began a march that went through
three major campus buildings and ended up at the office of the president.
There, protesters raised their demands, including opposition to cuts in
Black, women's and ethnic studies programs.
A number of students talked about the threat posed here by the Frohnmayer
report--a study named after its author, retired University of Oregon
President Dave Frohnmayer, that outlines a plan to restructure the public
universities as public-private corporations. The consequences of such a move
are clear: corporate management, tuition increases, lack of student voice and
restriction on faculty curriculum, to name a few.
PSU student Adam Sanchez spoke at the rally. Here are some of his remarks:
>Budget cuts have already cost over 40,000 teacher jobs in the course of the
>recession. Because tax revenues have declined as a result of the recession,
>27 states and the District of Columbia have made cuts to K-12 education and
>36 states have made cuts to higher education.
>
>These cuts are not accidents. They are part of a conscious strategy by those
>with wealth and power to make working people and students pay for the
>economic crisis...
>
>The government has prioritized bankers' bonuses over teachers' jobs. And we
>all know that when a school loses teachers, class sizes go up, and education
>gets worse. The sad fact that many people today are realizing is that our
>government, whether controlled by Republicans or Democrats, puts the
>interests of bankers and employers before the interests of students and
>working people.
>
>The government's priorities are exacerbating the budget crises nationwide
>and the crisis in public education. In Oregon, we recently voted in Measure
>66 and 67, which send a very different message about what /our/ priorities
>are. We said that we want to tax the rich and wealthy corporations to pay
>for teachers' jobs and quality public education.
>
>But let's be clear: These measures were far from an adequate response to
>Oregon's crisis. The money these measures raised is less than one-sixth of
>Oregon's $4.4 billion budget hole, which is only expected to get worse.
>
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*1:45 p.m.*: Some 500 Baltimore-area high school students and supporters took
to the streets this morning to demand an end to what they call the
"schools-to-prison pipeline," Ben Dalbey writes.
Students are outraged that after cutting $30 million from Baltimore city
schools, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to spend $300 million to build
three youth jails in the city.
The Baltimore Algebra Project is demanding $100 million of that money be
spent instead on youth jobs and education programs. Protestors marched
through downtown chanting, "No Education, No Life!" and "We don't want your
pity, we want funding for our city!" The march ended with a protest at the
downtown juvenile justice center, also known as "Baby Booking," to call
attention to the fact that while last year, 4,285 Baltimore youth graduated
from city high schools, some 5,876 were locked up.
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*1:40 p.m*.: Two hundred Cañada College students walked out of class this
morning and gathered in the campus quad for a speak-out against budget cuts,
reports Elizabeth Terzakis.
The college's budget was cut by 10 percent in the last year, leading to the
cancellation of more than 27 sections (out of a total of about 600) this
semester, and reducing student services programs that help first generation,
disadvantaged and disabled students to access their right to education. Both
counseling hours and book vouchers were cut in half, while disability testing
was moved off campus.
Cañada is facing a second 10 percent cut to its budget in the next year,
which will result in the cancellation of over 100 sections next semester. The
English as a Second Language Program will be hit particularly hard; almost
all the part-time faculty in the department did not get assigned any classes
next semester.
Since Cañada has historically served Redwood City and East Palo Alto's large
immigrant communities, these cuts are likely to have a significant impact on
the racial composition of the student population.
The walkout was called by Cañada Strikes Back! (CSB), a student group that
also organized a teach-in earlier in the semester. CSB co-founder Katy Rose
challenged campus administrators to take responsibility for the cuts or join
in the fight against them:
>The administrators say their hands are tied. Well, I got up the other
>morning, and the content of my bank account was negative $1.75. My net worth
>was less than a half a tank of gas. But I'm still here. Because if there's
>one thing working class people are good at, it's finding a way out of no
>way. And that's what we need from our administration. No more cuts. No more
>excuses. The money is out there. It's their job to find it.
>
After the speak-out, students presented a list of demands, signed by all
present, to the college president, and then marched to the campus entrance,
which was being picketed by Carpenters Union Local 217. The carpenters were
out because the San Mateo Community College District has hired nonunion
carpenters to do the finishing work on a faculty housing complex that is
being built on Cañada's campus. Students stood beside picketing carpenters
and chanted their support while calling for solidarity between students and
workers.
After marching back to the center of campus, students formed carpools to join
in the march and rally for public education in San Francisco.
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*1:30 p.m*.: Despite the snow, about 100 students, faculty and staff took
part in an outdoor rally and speak-out at noon at UMass Boston, reported
Julie Keefe.
Speakers voiced anger at student fee increases--a $1,500 fee increase was
passed last year--and budget cuts to education--Massachusetts decreased
funding to higher education by 37 percent between 2008 and 2010.
One speaker questioned the priorities of UMass, which granted President Jack
Wilson a $73,000 raise this year. Meanwhile, UMass teachers are asked to do
more and more work for less pay. And every student knows several others who
couldn't return to campus this semester due to costs.
For 40 percent of Massachusetts families, the cost of one year at a four-year
public university is equal to more the 50 percent of yearly family income.
It's no wonder that over one-third of UMass Boston students report stress due
to lack of money for personal and family essentials, such as food and rent.
We chanted "Education is a right, not just for the rich and white!" After
hearing several speakers, the speak-out transformed into an impromptu march
through campus. We were able to march through each building on campus before
police blocked the entrance to the Campus Center and threatened arrest.
Popular chants were "Real pain, real action!" in solidarity with the
anti-racist struggle at UCSD and "What's disgusting? Union busting! What's
outrageous? Tuition raises!"
The next step is a teach-in about the budget cuts, with students, faculty and
staff speakers. It's at 4 p.m. today.
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*1:15 p.m.*: About 50 students walked out of classes at the University of
Maryland-College Park to protest a modest tuition increase and the use of
tuition dollars for development projects and administrator salaries, instead
of improved instruction, writes Brian Tierney.
Students assembled near the student union building and then marched to an
academic building where teach-ins are being held on topics such as hip-hop
and education, the corporate university, and race and gender in the
classroom. A general assembly is planned later in the day to discuss the
state of education at UMD.
The pending 3 percent tuition increase at UMD pales in comparison to the
massive hikes and budget cuts on the West Coast, sportswriter and activist
Dave Zirin pointed out in explaining the lower turnout than expected for the
UMD actions. Zirin joined UMD student organizer Suzaana Elizabeth Rose on
campus for the mid-day actions and gave a teach-in on sports and education.
The /Washington Post/ quoted Bob Hayes, another student organizer, who
explained why they organized the actions today. "We feel disconnected from
our education," Hayes said. "We're being run by a Fortune 500 company instead
of by a university."
Meanwhile, although no protests for education are taking place in Washington
D.C. today, this evening an activist panel event, "Defend Public Education"
will be held in the city. The panel will feature student activists from the
University of the District of Columbia and UMD. A teacher from nearby Prince
George's County, Maryland school district--which just announced massive
budget cuts, layoffs and furlough days--will also speak on the panel, in
addition to a Washington, D.C. public schools parent and board member of
Empower D.C., a local economic justice activist organization.
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*1 p.m.*: About 100 students and activists gathered for a rally and speakout
at City College of New York in Harlem, reports Lyric Croy. The protest
against the harsh cuts being carried out by the state government lasted for
several hours.
"Nothing's going to change if we don't get mad and do something about it," a
speaker from the CCNY Black Student Union told the crowd. "We made this
school, and we have the power to change it."
Emotions ran high for CCNY students because many who are now going to City
College recently graduated from a New York City high school that has been
shut down under the rule of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor
Joel Klein.
The cuts are following students into the city college system. Hector Agredano
said that grad students are being required to teach three classes each
semester, and they are paid only $20,000 a year--far cheaper than it would
cost to pay someone with full benefits to teach.
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*12:55 p.m.*: In Austin, Texas, around 200 people came out for a
demonstration on the University of Texas (UT) campus against budget cuts and
for public education. After hearing several speakers, the protesters marched
to the famous UT Tower, chanting: "Take the power out of the tower."
Matt Beamesderfer was one of the speakers at the rally. Here's part of what
he had to say:
>Today, hundreds of thousands of students are protesting around the U.S. The
>problem: higher education run for profit, not for the ones who need the
>education. What that means is higher tuition in a tough economy, less of the
>classes available for a well-rounded education, and a generation of people
>with a permanent debt.
>
>This affects me personally since I'm in school full-time with two jobs. I
>was reading an article the other day in which a student had to decide
>whether or not to buy books or eat. This is the picture of what is going on.
>
>The problem is that this isn't unique to higher education. Same when it
>comes to health care. Same when it comes to Social Security. Same when it
>comes to the wars being conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a
>systemic problem that won't change on its own.
>
>The fact is that Texas has money. Think of the new Liberal Arts building
>being built as I speak. Think of the insane raise that Mack Brown, the UT
>football coach, was given recently. I don't know if you guys saw that last
>game--he lost. The real problem is those resources are used to help the rich
>and begrudgingly doled out to the poor.
>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*12:50 p.m.*: At the University of California Los Angeles at 12 p.m., the
protest was growing, as at least 1,000 people gathered in Bruin Plaza,
reported Cindy Kaffen. AFSCME Local 3299, which represents general services
workers and patient care workers at the medical center, led the protest.
Jose Mendez, who has worked at UCLA for 26 years, said that he can't afford
to send his kids to UCLA, and neither can other workers he knows. "Students
and workers have to fight together against tuition hikes," Mendez said. "We
have to fight for the kids in the future who won't be able to afford to take
classes here."
He added, "We've always come out for student, and the students come out for
us . We have to be united against the regents, because they're the ones
cutting things for all of us."
Later today at 4 p.m., teachers who are members of the United Teachers Los
Angeles other unions will rally with their students downtown.
A protester named Roslyn explained that her entire education is the product
of California's public schools. She went to LA city schools, then a city
college, then she transferred to a UC school before going to Cal State for
graduate school.
Asked why protesting was so important, she said, "Whenever a group shows
solidarity and takes a stands, it helps shift perception. People have no idea
what the budget cuts really mean, and today's actions will help show the real
costs and hopefully force a change."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*12:45 p.m.*: Oakland High School students and teachers joined the picket
lines at 7:30 a.m., reports Todd Chretien. Some 25 teachers and staff joined
about 50 students and parents on an informational picket line this morning
starting at 7:30 a.m. Teamsters in Waste Management garbage trucks, blasted
their horns to show support, as did bus drivers for AC Transit, members of
the Amalgamated Transit Union. Commuters honked for solidarity, too.
Oakland High teacher and Oakland Education Association (OEA) site rep Jessie
Muldoon explained why she and her coworkers are on the street today. "We're
out here to protest the draconian cuts to education. And we're out here as
teachers fighting for a good contract in the midst of a recession because we
believe that good teachers are the heart of a good school."
Students boiled down the issue to its core. "I want the law makers to stop
giving the money to the prisons and start giving it to schools because
education is the future," said Lisa Lac, a 16-year-old junior.
Tina Brown, 16-year-old sophomore, agreed. "I'm out here today so they know
to stop taking the money. Our school needs clean bathrooms and supplies for
school. Our parents and teachers are out here so that we can have a future."
Her classmate, 16-year-old sophomore Cornneisha Godfrey, agreed. "The law
makers need to fund more programs to keep kids in schools and out of the
streets and in jails. I love everything about school and I'm really happy to
hear all the people who are beeping their horns for us... especially the big
ol' trucks!"
Ben Visnick, Oakland teacher for 30 years, a candidate for Oakland School
Board, gave the picture for the protest:
>We're out here fighting the cuts from higher education to K-12. It's gotten
>a lot worse over time. We had many more electives at Oakland High in the
>past, many more career and vocational education programs. It's been a war of
>attrition against public education. We are so far behind. If you compare
>teachers to other employees with similar responsibilities, like
>helping-professionals, nurses, firefighters, etc. They often begin at
>$70,000 per year, we begin at $39,000. We have to start fighting back like
>never before if we're going to get parity with our peers.
>
After spending the first hour of school making signs to express their
opinions, teachers and staff at the Manzanita Seed and Manzanita Community
elementary schools led 500 students in a march around the block, Todd
Chretien reports. Neighbors waved and drivers honked to show their support.
One teacher explained to the kids, "This is what democracy is all about. You
have to think about what you want and what your community needs and then you
need to speak up for yourself. Today we've learned a little bit about how to
do that." There were smiles all around as dozens of parents joined in to let
their voices be heard and kids led bilingual chants. "¡Vivan las escuelas!"
was one popular grito, while 7-year-old Isabela got her classmates yelling,
"Schools need money too!"
On my way to UC Berkeley for the noontime rally, news helicopters hovered
overhead filming the protests and TV satellite trucks were following school
marches. There I found a spirited protest at Sequoia Middle School students
and teachers at the intersection of Fruitvale and MacArthur Blvd.
Just 10 blocks away, I ran into a march by Allendale Elementary students,
parents, teachers and staff and caught up with Betty Olsen-Jones, president
of the Oakland Education Association for quick interview on the fly:
>We're out here today to oppose these terrible cuts at all levels of public
>education. It's so wonderful to see students from kindergarten to seniors in
>high school out on the streets with their parents, teachers and support
>staff. And this day of action shows that we can unite with all the other
>levels of public education--from the community colleges to the California
>State University system to the University of California--so that they can't
>pit us against each other.
>
>For teachers in Oakland, today is just a starting point, because we've
>called for a March 24 one-day strike to try to get a decent contract. We're
>opposing the district trying to increase our health care costs, and we've
>got to fight to keep our class sizes small so our students can get the
>education they deserve. And we've got to find a way to get a raise for our
>teachers. We're the worst paid teachers in the seventeen surrounding
>communities and that makes it very hard to recruit and keep good teachers.
>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*12 p.m.*: Recent racist incidents--including a noose that was found in a
campus library and a racist "Compton Cookout" organized by a campus
fraternity--at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have sparked
outrage and protests [1] over the last few weeks by hundreds of African
American students.
Last week, students furious at the administration's foot-dragging organized a
150-person-strong occupation of the chancellor's office, with some 500-600
protesters protesting outside throughout the day.
At UC Berkeley, about 200 anti-racists organized a protest in solidarity with
African American students at UCSD on Monday, gathering at the main gate to
campus, wearing black clothing.
The recent anti-racist struggles show that students are fed up and ready to
take on the bigots. It also highlights the important link between the
struggles for diversity on campus and against the budget cuts that making it
harder for Black and Latino students to attend college.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*11:45 a.m.*: Powerful speeches indicting California's upside-down priorities
will be heard up and down the state today. But one voice, sadly, is silent:
the late Peter Camejo, the longtime Green Party candidate, activist and
socialist. In his three campaigns to be governor of California, Peter put the
heat on the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes to repair
public education and restore social services. In his 2006 book, /California
Under Corporate Rule/, Peter wrote:
>How could it be that California could afford free higher education 45 years
>ago, when there was less money per person and far lower productivity? What
>happened? Just from the years 1970 to 2001 the American economy more than
>doubled, adjusted for inflation. During the economic rise of the late 1990s
>California's foreign exports tripled in a 10-year period. Why can't we
>continue to finance public education?
>
The answer, not surprisingly, is a regressive tax system that forces workers
to pay a far higher share of their income in taxes than the wealthy, once
sales taxes, tolls and other indirect taxes are factored in. To illustrate
the point, he looked at a sample of exactly typical 100 adult Californians:
>The top 1 percent of our people--that is just one of our hundred in this
>example--has more income than over 60 percent of our people. The top 5
>percent make the equivalent of 85 percent of the income earned by the other
>95 percent of the population. If that top 5 percent is not paying its fair
>share of taxes, it is impossible to balance the budget. If there is one fact
>that explains the budget crises and decline of funding for education in
>California, it is this fact. This is the policy promoted by the Democratic
>and Republic parties, which have consciously and deliberately raised your
>taxes and allowed education to decline as they cut the taxes of the rich and
>of corporations.
>
Peter would have been an enthusiastic builder of today's protests. He will be
missed--but his many contributions to this struggle will endure.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*11:30 a.m.*: At a school in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San
Francisco, students are getting ready to take part in the demonstration later
in the day, reports David Russitano, a teacher and member of United Educators
of San Francisco.
During a planned disaster drill earlier in the day, the whole school chanted,
"They say cut back, we say fight back!" Students then started writing letters
to the governor and making signs. Many signs say "Save our future" and "save
our education."
There will be a campus speakout later today--more updates soon!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*11 a.m.*: On the other side of the country from California, students at
Hunter College in New York City are rallying and walking out of classes to
protest budget cuts carried out by their own state and city governments.
Around 100 students gathered inside the Hunter building for a rally and then
attempted to march up the building's stairs to call on other students to join
a walkout--but police prevented students from going up the stairs. There's a
heavy police presence on campus, and a few minor confrontations broke out
between police and protesters.
After about a half an hours, some 300 to 400 students marched outside Hunter
and gathered for a rally and speakout. There's a clear sense of outrage among
students, and the energy at the rally is very high, with organizers expecting
the crowd will continue to grow. Speakers emphasized the need to build a
national movement to fight back against the onslaught of budget cuts and
privatization--a movement that brings students, workers and teachers together
in a national struggle for public education.
Hunter students are preparing to march to Gov. David Paterson's office for a
citywide rally later in the day.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*10:45 a.m.*: At SF State, some 300 faculty and students were protesting at
19th and Holloway, as the California Faculty Association began its picket,
joining students who were also there.
Several faculty members canceled their classes and invited students to join
the picket line. As the picket line grew, a favorite chant of "Whose
university? Our university!" rang out, reported Alex Schmaus. Passersby
honked in support.
"This isn't just about the tuition and fee hikes for students," said SF State
student and member of Students Faculty Staff United Cole Sanchez. " This is
about protesting the larger cuts to social services. The politicians are
trying to pit different sectors against one another--funding for education
instead of health care, for instance.
"But it's really a crisis of priority. Corporations are making record profits
this year, but they're putting the burden on our shoulders. That's what we're
fighting against."
About 200 protesters marched around campus and then to Malcolm X Plaza, where
some 800 people rallied.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*10:20 a.m.*: In Oakland, about 100 students and teachers rallied before
school at Oakland High School, reports Oakland Education Association member
Jessie Muldoon. The rally was met with honks and support from parents
dropping their kids off, and grew in size as students arrived for school.
This was only the beginning of a day actions across the district. Later in
the morning, public schools across the state held mock disaster drills to
draw attention to the disaster that's currently facing public education. Some
schools organized rallies and teach-ins, some are marching, and some are
walking out.
Due to safety concerns because of major construction at Oakland High School,
teachers held disaster drills in their classrooms, followed by classroom
discussions on the crisis. Here, we reprint an excerpt from a statement,
written by Oakland Education Association member and special education teacher
Payton Carter, which was read over the intercom:
>The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile remind us of the potential
>devastation that could happen if an earthquake strikes again in Oakland, and
>the dangers of living close to active fault lines...However, we are taking
>this time to address another statewide disaster that is destroying our
>public school system, slowly crumbling the walls of our once exemplary
>institutions, and shaking the very foundations of our society.
>
>Today, every school in the state is holding a mock fire drill to protest the
>cuts to education at all levels. This simultaneous fire drill symbolizes the
>state of emergency currently affecting public education.
>
>Oakland High School is facing $1.1 million in cuts, which will affect
>staffing in all areas of the school. We will potentially have bigger class
>sizes, less security, secretaries and custodians. Students and staff
>protested before school today, holding picket signs and passing out flyers.
>
>If anybody listening would like to participate in large-scale protest
>actions after the school day, you are encouraged to join thousands of other
>students, parents and teachers in attending the Oakland Education
>Association sponsored rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland which
>will run from 12-4 p.m., march en masse to the state building, and then BART
>to the Civic Center in San Francisco for a massive regional rally and
>protest starting at 5 p.m.
>
>Every school in the state of California is holding disaster drills as I
>speak, but elementary, middle and high school students are not the only ones
>affected. Every CSU and UC in the state is also holding huge rallies to
>protest the cuts and tuition hikes on their campuses....
>
>On September 24, 2009, a student strike at UC Berkeley planted the seeds of
>this now nationwide action. Students tired of cuts and tuition increases
>felt it was time to demand that California fulfill Article 9 of its
>constitution, which declares that public education is a fundamental right of
>its residents.
>
>This means increased funding! It is time for corporations and wealthy
>Californians to pay their fair share! It's time for all of us to get
>involved and fight for what is every Californian's right. This is not just
>about your future; it is about all of our future.
>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*10:10 a.m.*: Every state in the U.S. is struggling to balance its
budget--and according to the National Governors Association, the worst is yet
to come.
That's the excuse that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, state lawmakers and school
officials use to justify their cutbacks, fee hikes at the universities,
layoffs and demands for concessions from union workers--there just isn't any
money for our schools.
But a graphical feature by Eric Ruder in the current paper edition of
/Socialist Worker/ makes it abundantly clear that the money could be found
for public education if the politicians wanted to act.
Ruder points out that cuts from last year's budget in California, agreed to
in a deal between Schwarzenegger and Democratic leaders of the state
legislature, totaled a little over $15 billion. But that pales in comparison
to the income last year of the richest 50,000 Californians--a total of $175
billion.
These super-rich residents of the state paid $17 billion in state taxes
(income, sales and other taxes combined)--that is, less than 10 percent of
their income. In other words, a one-year tax hike on 50,000 of the super-rich
would close the California budget gap in one fell swoop.
Overall, the estimated total budget deficit for all 50 states in 2010 is $180
billion. Cutting the U.S. military budget by less than 10 percent would cover
the entire budget gap, saving funding for schools, social programs and more.
Just the annual spending on the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan
would nearly amount to the total deficits.
That's the reality of the misplaced priorities of U.S. political leaders. The
money is there to save our schools--if the politicians would tax the rich and
end U.S. wars halfway around the world.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*9:35 a.m.*: Picket lines have been up at the entrances to UC Berkeley since
early morning.
Last September, more than 4,000 students, faculty and campus staff took part
in protests and walkouts against the budget cuts in the first big day of
action in California. The movement spread with occupations and other actions
on campus. And Berkeley was host to the October 24 conference that made the
call for a day of action on March 4.
Ahead today at Berkeley are a Noon rally at the entrance to Sproul Plaza,
followed by march starting at 1 p.m. from the Berkeley campus to Oakland's
Ogawa Plaza, where students, faculty, staff and the campus community will
participate in the East Bay regional rally--and then the San Francisco
protest starting at 5 p.m.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*9:10 a.m.*: At San Francisco State, Alex Schmaus reported that the day of
action was just beginning, with some 40 people protesting at the school
entrance. They held a banner with a slogan that matches the mood of many
campus activists: "SF State United--Shut It Down like '68." Students were
awaiting the faculty association pickets that will begin at 10 a.m.
The Ethnic Studies Building has already been shut down, and MEChA students
marched in front of the building.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*9:05 a.m.*: Activists fighting to defend public education in the U.S. are
getting solidarity from around the world.
/Democracy Now!/ reports that the Congress of South African Students called
on students to boycott classes at nine campuses. A protest in in Johannesburg
calling on the government to provide free education for the poor was attacked
by police, who used water cannons to disperse demonstrators.
A group of students and professors at Moscow State University sent the
following statement of support to the demonstrators in California:
>We support your struggle against privatization of education, cuts, fee hikes
>and layoffs. Each person should have access to quality education. State
>money should go not on war or indemnification of the losses of big banks and
>corporations, but on development of human potential.
>
>Besides, we are revolted by repressive actions of administration of
>University of Berkeley and police against the well-founded protest of
>citizens. We consider protests of students, teachers and educators to be
>legal, and attempts by authorities to prevent those activities inadmissible.
>
>We express you our solidarity and we wish you success in your fair demands.
>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*8:40 a.m.*: The UC Santa Cruz campus has been shut down, reports Rachel
Cohen. Pickets started at 5 a.m., with around 300 people showing up at both
of the main entrances to campus. Right now, there are around 500 people on
the blockade, and the numbers are growing.
Most of the staff on campus has been given the day off. When campus members
who are members of AFSCME got clearance to have the day off, many came back
to join the picket line. They and some faculty members have joined students
at the entrance to the campuses.
For the first half hour, the administration was letting emergency vehicles go
through the picket lines at the campus entrances. The purpose of this was to
allow other cars following the emergency vehicles to slip onto campus. When
picketers refused to allow this to go on, two of the cars rushed the picket
line, and one protester was struck by a car, suffering a minor injury.
The administration tried about a half dozen times to gather up dining hall
workers and slip them onto campus in vans. So students and activists
organized mobile picket lines--they think have so far been successful in
turning away the vans.
UC Santa Cruz students and activists are looking forward to two rallies
during the morning, and a General Assembly meeting at the end of the day to
discuss the way forward.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*7:30 a.m.*: A day of strikes and actions is getting underway across
California and around the U.S.
The California protests have been building since last September [2], on one
of the first days of school for UC campuses, when students organized for
demonstrations to coincide with a one-day strike by a union for campus
workers, the University Professional and Technical Employees.
The success of rallies and walkouts that day led to an October conference in
Berkeley, Calif., attended by 800 students, teachers and education workers,
representing every level of the public system, grade school through to the
colleges. The Berekely conference set March 4 as a statewide day of action.
The protests continued to build in the meanwhile. Beginning with September,
student activists began to carry out a series of building occupations. That
development hit a high point in November with a coordinated series of actions
across the state when the UC Board of Regents were meeting at UCLA to
consider--and ultimately pass--a proposal to increase fees (the equivalent of
tuition in the UC system) by 32 percent next fall.
According to a list compiled by members of the follow-up committee for the
October 24th conference [3], there are seven regional rallies across the
state and nearly 50 universities, colleges, high schools and school districts
where events of all kinds--rallies, protests, walkouts and job actions--are
taking place throughout the day. And March 4 has been taken up in other
states by activists and unions fighting their own budget battles.
SocialistWorker.org has asked its readers in California and elsewhere to send
us reports, opinions, stories and photos [4]. We'll publish them here
throughout the day. Probably, those reports won't start flowing in for some
time, but we'll get them to you as soon as we can. And if you're like us,
you're looking forward to a day when our side can raise its voice against the
cuts and the conditions that are making working people's lives harder and
harder. Enough is enough!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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[1] http://socialistworker.org/2010/03/01/anti-racists-turn-up-the-heat
[2] http://socialistworker.org/2010/02/26/battle-for-californias-future
[3] http://socialistworker.org/2010/03/01/march-4-in-california
[4] mailto:reports@socialistworker.org
