RW ONLINE: Hour of Resistance: L.A. School Walkouts\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHour of Resistance: L.A. School Walkouts\r\n<\/p>
by Revolt<\/p>\r\n
Revolutionary Worker #1186, February 9, 2003<\/i>, posted at rwor.org<\/p>\r\n
Cynics always try to paint the youth, especially high school students, as \r\nbeing apathetic, as not caring about anything or anyone. However, on Monday, \r\nJanuary 27, when the clock struck noon, students in Fairfax High School walked \r\nout of their school in the hundreds against the war, shutting down the streets \r\nfor two hours. Walkouts--speaking out against a future of war and \r\nrepression--were also held in Montebello High, near East L.A.; John Burroughs \r\nHS; in Burbank, San Fernando HS; and the University of Southern California (USC) \r\non the same day. The walkouts were coordinated by NION, in response to a call \r\nmade nationwide for an hour of resistance, and were organized by the students \r\nthemselves.<\/p>\r\n
At Fairfax, of the several hundred students, there were kids from all the \r\ndifferent scenes. They were mainly Black and Latino, but there were hip-hop \r\nheads, punks, anarchists, and the anti-war activists who organized the walkout. \r\nMore than half the student body was there. The youth were rowdy--yelling, \r\nchanting, and excited that they had taken over the streets. To show their \r\nopposition to the unjust war in Iraq, the students took over the corner of \r\nFairfax and Melrose and held a sit-in right in the middle of the street.<\/p>\r\n
When the L.A. school district heard about the walkout, they unleashed the \r\nLAPD riot police on the youth. About 50 riot police were sent to the school. The \r\nstudents were fearless though. A member of the Youth Network of NION described \r\nthem like this: \"The students were really fierce, standing up against the war at \r\nfirst and when the police came in to quiet them down, they did not back down.\" \r\nThe police were in full riot gear and were aiming beanbag shotguns at people's \r\nheads. They shut down the streets around the school. Police cars were hit with \r\nbottles and rocks when they rode through the crowd of students. The youth \r\nchanted, \"Fuck the war! Fuck the Police!\"<\/p>\r\n
One of the organizers of the walkout, Sam, a junior at Fairfax and member of \r\nthe Youth Network of NION, was arrested and detained when he supposedly crossed \r\na \"police scrimmage line,\" but Sam said there wasn't any scrimmage line. Sam \r\ntold me, \"They just didn't like what I was doing. They tossed me in the back of \r\na squad car and took me to the Hollywood Police Station. They didn't give me a \r\nticket, they just detained me, just to suppress my right to speak.\" The cops \r\ntold the legal observers that Sam was being arrested for \"inciting a riot.\" When \r\nhe was picked up by the police, students chanted, \"Let him go!\" After a couple \r\nof hours of detainment, Sam was released to his parents.<\/p>\r\n
When the action was ended after an hour or so, the students went back into \r\nthe school auditorium for a speak-out and teach-in. Some NION members went \r\naround Melrose Ave., while the streets were still closed, asking the shop owners \r\nto put up the NION globe poster on their windows. The shop owners were helping \r\nactivists tape up the posters and showing their support for the walkout. A \r\ncouple of shop owners actually confronted the cops and told them that they were \r\nscaring away their business, and told them to leave. The arrogant cops \r\nresponded, \"Don't you think it's these kids that are scaring away your \r\ncustomers?\" An Iranian shop owner assured, \"No, it's you. These kids are \r\nstanding up against the war, they want peace in the world. I want peace in the \r\nworld too, so I support them. I support them, and we want them to be out here.\" \r\n<\/p>\r\n
Things happened a little differently at Montebello High School. Crystal \r\nexplained to me how she organized her school, \"I got this flyer and made more \r\nthan 200 copies and started passing them out in school. By the next day, \r\neverybody knew about the walkout. Kids started planning different things, like \r\nmaking banners.\" As soon as the principal found out what was being planned, he \r\nstarted to send the security guards to bully the students. Anyone who was caught \r\nwith a flyer was interrogated until Crystal fearlessly announced that she was \r\nplanning a walkout. The principal called the walkout illegal. Crystal said that \r\non the day of the walkout the atmosphere in the school was tense. Teachers were \r\ngiving speeches about why the students shouldn't walk out, while the youth were \r\nexcited and scared at the same time, but at 12 p.m. everybody left their \r\nclass.<\/p>\r\n
The school was like a prison, with a spiked 10-foot fence all around. On that \r\nday the \"prison\" was guarded heavily by the principal (the warden) and the \r\npolice. Security guards barred doors closed with chains; while police guarded \r\nthe door from the outside, a helicopter circled the school, and six to eight \r\nsquad cars patrolled the streets.<\/p>\r\n
The youth and their rebel spirit were not bogged down by this though. Some \r\nwere having a sit-in in the school field, and some gathered to figure out ways \r\nto walk out. When students saw that they couldn't get out through the front \r\ndoor, some started jumping the fence. About twenty kids jumped, and raised their \r\nprotest signs and placards. The cops isolated this one youth, and as soon as he \r\njumped the fence, he was socked in the face. A member of the RCYB was arrested \r\nwhen he was doing agitation over the bullhorn. He was detained for five hours \r\nand later released, confiscating his backpack and bullhorn, and charging him \r\nwith three misdemeanors.<\/p>\r\n
While all this was happening the principal was going after Crystal for \r\norganizing this action. She explained to me how she got detained and handcuffed \r\nby the principal: \"I was running to the front gate when they got me, and the \r\nprincipal told me to go to his office. I walked out the building, through \r\nanother way, and kept protesting through the school.\" Later, when Crystal was \r\ncaught again, the principal instructed a security guard to put handcuffs on her. \r\nThe principal grabbed Crystal by the left arm, and shook her, bruising her \r\nreally bad. Crystal still resisted, she escaped the principal's office twice. \r\nWhen she was trying to jump the fence of her school, a security guard grabbed \r\nher by the belt, pulling the belt off of her and slamming her on the ground. \r\nLater they tried to expel her from Montebello High, but NION members and her mom \r\ncame to defend her. They pointed out the bruises on Crystal's arms and scared \r\nthe principal into letting her back into school. On Wednesday, January 29, \r\nanother walkout was organized at a nearby school called Schurr High School.<\/p>\r\n
Other walkouts happened throughout Los Angeles on the 27th. In John Burroughs \r\nHigh School in Burbank 150 students walked out. Students who walked out were \r\ngiven Saturday School for truancy, but students are fighting this, saying that \r\nit's only because of political reasons that they're being given Saturday School, \r\nand this is supposedly illegal.<\/p>\r\n
In San Fernando High School Roberto, who is 16, was attempting to walk out \r\nwith a couple of dozen students when they were stopped by administration and \r\nschool security as they were making their way to the gate. Roberto, who was \r\nholding a banner, was thrown to the ground by the school dean and later kicked \r\nout of the school for organizing, but NION will fight for him and against the \r\nschool for doing this in the first place.<\/p>\r\n
The walkouts on Monday have challenged other high schools and different \r\ncampuses to do the same. Other walkouts are being planned for different \r\nschools.<\/p>\r\n
Actions were also held on college campuses like the University of Southern \r\nCalifornia and Cal State Northridge (CSUN). At USC, Carl Dix, national \r\nspokesperson for the RCP, took part in a speakout to mark the hour of \r\nresistance, and there was a sizeable student walkout. On Wednesday, January 29, \r\nat CSUN 500 people marched and spoke out against the ROTC (Reserve Officers \r\nTraining Corps) on that campus. This action was organized by Students Against \r\nWar. They had guerrilla theatre that mocked the school president--who they are \r\npressuring to remove ROTC.<\/p>\r\n
When I talked with older people about the actions on that day, they said they \r\nwere moved and inspired when they saw all these youth walk out of school at \r\nFairfax High. When high school students walk out, it puts these war pigs on the \r\ndefensive. They always try to portray the youth as not caring about anything, \r\nbut when we step out in numbers, like we did in Montebello, in Fairfax High, and \r\nUSC, it shows people that no, we're not having this future of war and \r\nrepression. It challenges other schools and other people to step out in that \r\nway. When these actions get attacked by the police in an attempt to scare the \r\nyouth and to silence us, it just exposes their reactionary police-state \r\nrepression.<\/p>\r\n
No, the youth will not be silenced, and we will not be broken, because the \r\nfuture of the planet is on the line.<\/p>\r\n
This article is posted in English and Spanish on Revolutionary Worker \r\nOnline
rwor.org
Write: Box 3486, \r\nMerchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: 773-227-4066 Fax: \r\n773-227-4497
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