The People's Record

An ongoing chronicle of communities of resistance around the world: anti-racism, anti-zionism, anti-imperialism, the Arab Spring, anti-austerity protests in Greece and across Europe, student movements all around the world, the Occupy Movement, anti-capitalist movements, anarchist movements, socialist movements, leftist communities and other relevant international news.

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anarcho-queer: Drone Spotted Hovering Over West Oakland On February 8th, 2013 at 3:50 pm a drone was sighted hovering above a neighborhood in West Oakland. There didn’t seem to be a focus, it just maintained it’s position above properties. It is not known at this point what agency or individual was operating the craft. Alameda Sheriff’s recently released their intended policies around the use of drones. You can take a read here Once introduced into their arsenal, they would be used for a variety of purposes ranging from counter terrorism operations, chases, search and rescue, surveillance, as well as other operations.

anarcho-queer:

Drone Spotted Hovering Over West Oakland

On February 8th, 2013 at 3:50 pm a drone was sighted hovering above a neighborhood in West Oakland. There didn’t seem to be a focus, it just maintained it’s position above properties. It is not known at this point what agency or individual was operating the craft.

Alameda Sheriff’s recently released their intended policies around the use of drones. You can take a read here

Once introduced into their arsenal, they would be used for a variety of purposes ranging from counter terrorism operations, chases, search and rescue, surveillance, as well as other operations.

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Alan Blueford supporters shut down Oakland City Council September 30, 2012 The Justice for Alan Blueford (J4AB) campaign, angry and over a hundred strong, led by Alan’s family, forced the Oakland City Council to cancel their meeting Sept. 18. They had gone to the City Council, which hadn’t met since mid-July, to demand the police report on Alan Blueford’s killing, and that murder charges be brought against Officer Miguel Masso. The Council had previously promised to assist the family in getting to the truth about their 18-year-old son’s May 6 killing by the Oakland Police Department. It had taken over two months to get the coroner’s report, which was finally released after the J4AB campaign held a press conference and rally in front of the coroner’s office. The report showed that there was no gunpowder on Alan’s hands and no drugs or alcohol in his blood. Now, after more than four months, the family was insisting that they would not leave the Council without the police report. Jeralynn Blueford, Alan’s mother, pleaded to the Council: “We came here in May asking for help … and this officer is at home on our tax dollars. We still don’t have a police report. The [police] story has changed so many times.” Adam Blueford, Alan’s father, pointed out that the coroner, per the report, had moved Alan’s body at 1:25 a.m., only an hour after he was fatally shot. This indicated that they were more worried about quickly removing Alan’s body than conducting a proper investigation. Jenny, Alan’s sister, told the Council: “Look at my parents’ faces and see if they need more time for the police report. We don’t need money. … You have the power to demand the answers.” After the family and supporters took over the meeting for an hour, the Council president, Larry Reid, declared a 10-minute recess, supposedly to wait for the appearance of Police Chief Howard Jordan and the police report. The 10 minutes turned into 45, after which the Council tried to reconvene and move on to the next agenda item, without the promised appearance of Jordan or the report. Ironically, the first item was a declaration of an “international day of peace”! The crowd roared, chanting “No justice! No Peace!” The J4AB supporters were determined not to allow the Council to conduct business as usual. Reid hastily adjourned the meeting, declaring the next meeting to be in two weeks! Blueford supporters respond to OPD article On Sept. 22, an article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, in an attempt to slander Alan Blueford. The OPD and the Council had received significant negative press after the Sept. 18 Council meeting. They used Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross, Chronicle columnists often used for this type of political volleying, to present a “leaked” story from the OPD, that they supposedly now had Alan’s fingerprints on a gun, claimed to have been found 20 feet from his body. A Sept. 23 press release issued by the J4AB campaign reads in part: “Suddenly this allegation is released, with no way of substantiating it, seemingly as revenge against the Blueford’s for demanding justice for their son. If this evidence were so clearly damning, they likely would have released it months earlier. “‘First we want to know if it’s actually true,’ said Dan Siegel, former legal advisor to Mayor Jean Quan. The police have already lied to the press, claiming that Alan shot at Masso, which we now know is not true. Now they leak this item to the press because they think it will help their case, but we still can’t see the police report. “This latest action by the Oakland Police Department is yet another maneuver to avoid any accountability for the actions of Officer Miguel Masso, who should have never been hired in the first place. Masso faced brutality allegations during his previous tenure at the New York Police Department, a fact which did not stop OPD from hiring him. “It has never been explained why Masso shot himself in the foot with his own weapon, whether this was an accident that caused Masso to think he was shot or done on purpose to cover up the shooting. Additionally, Masso had absolutely no reason to stop Alan the night of May 6 in the first place. “OPD Chief Howard Jordan claimed that Masso thought Blueford and his friends had a concealed weapon or drugs, an incredible claim as these two items look nothing alike. More likely, Masso saw a group of young African-American men on the streets of Oakland late at night and assumed they were criminals and treated them as such. “The allegation that Alan’s fingerprints were on the gun says nothing about the events leading up to his murder. Whether he pointed the gun at Masso, or Masso even saw him holding it at all, will remain unverified until all the evidence in the case is released — something OPD has steadfastly refused to do. “‘We still want the police report. We still want Masso fired. We still want an end to stop-and-frisk practices in Oakland,’ said Adam Blueford, Alan’s father. ‘This doesn’t change anything for us. This is just another broken promise from the police that they need to be held accountable for.’ “The Bluefords and their supporters will be attending the October 2 meeting of the Oakland City Council to once again demand justice for their son. For more info: www.justice4alanblueford.org” Source

Alan Blueford supporters shut down Oakland City Council

September 30, 2012

The Justice for Alan Blueford (J4AB) campaign, angry and over a hundred strong, led by Alan’s family, forced the Oakland City Council to cancel their meeting Sept. 18. They had gone to the City Council, which hadn’t met since mid-July, to demand the police report on Alan Blueford’s killing, and that murder charges be brought against Officer Miguel Masso. The Council had previously promised to assist the family in getting to the truth about their 18-year-old son’s May 6 killing by the Oakland Police Department.

It had taken over two months to get the coroner’s report, which was finally released after the J4AB campaign held a press conference and rally in front of the coroner’s office. The report showed that there was no gunpowder on Alan’s hands and no drugs or alcohol in his blood. Now, after more than four months, the family was insisting that they would not leave the Council without the police report. Jeralynn Blueford, Alan’s mother, pleaded to the Council: “We came here in May asking for help … and this officer is at home on our tax dollars. We still don’t have a police report. The [police] story has changed so many times.”

Adam Blueford, Alan’s father, pointed out that the coroner, per the report, had moved Alan’s body at 1:25 a.m., only an hour after he was fatally shot. This indicated that they were more worried about quickly removing Alan’s body than conducting a proper investigation. Jenny, Alan’s sister, told the Council: “Look at my parents’ faces and see if they need more time for the police report. We don’t need money. … You have the power to demand the answers.”

After the family and supporters took over the meeting for an hour, the Council president, Larry Reid, declared a 10-minute recess, supposedly to wait for the appearance of Police Chief Howard Jordan and the police report.

The 10 minutes turned into 45, after which the Council tried to reconvene and move on to the next agenda item, without the promised appearance of Jordan or the report. Ironically, the first item was a declaration of an “international day of peace”!

The crowd roared, chanting “No justice! No Peace!” The J4AB supporters were determined not to allow the Council to conduct business as usual. Reid hastily adjourned the meeting, declaring the next meeting to be in two weeks!

Blueford supporters respond to OPD article

On Sept. 22, an article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, in an attempt to slander Alan Blueford. The OPD and the Council had received significant negative press after the Sept. 18 Council meeting. They used Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross, Chronicle columnists often used for this type of political volleying, to present a “leaked” story from the OPD, that they supposedly now had Alan’s fingerprints on a gun, claimed to have been found 20 feet from his body.

A Sept. 23 press release issued by the J4AB campaign reads in part: “Suddenly this allegation is released, with no way of substantiating it, seemingly as revenge against the Blueford’s for demanding justice for their son. If this evidence were so clearly damning, they likely would have released it months earlier.

“‘First we want to know if it’s actually true,’ said Dan Siegel, former legal advisor to Mayor Jean Quan. The police have already lied to the press, claiming that Alan shot at Masso, which we now know is not true. Now they leak this item to the press because they think it will help their case, but we still can’t see the police report.

“This latest action by the Oakland Police Department is yet another maneuver to avoid any accountability for the actions of Officer Miguel Masso, who should have never been hired in the first place. Masso faced brutality allegations during his previous tenure at the New York Police Department, a fact which did not stop OPD from hiring him.

“It has never been explained why Masso shot himself in the foot with his own weapon, whether this was an accident that caused Masso to think he was shot or done on purpose to cover up the shooting. Additionally, Masso had absolutely no reason to stop Alan the night of May 6 in the first place.

“OPD Chief Howard Jordan claimed that Masso thought Blueford and his friends had a concealed weapon or drugs, an incredible claim as these two items look nothing alike. More likely, Masso saw a group of young African-American men on the streets of Oakland late at night and assumed they were criminals and treated them as such.

“The allegation that Alan’s fingerprints were on the gun says nothing about the events leading up to his murder. Whether he pointed the gun at Masso, or Masso even saw him holding it at all, will remain unverified until all the evidence in the case is released — something OPD has steadfastly refused to do.

“‘We still want the police report. We still want Masso fired. We still want an end to stop-and-frisk practices in Oakland,’ said Adam Blueford, Alan’s father. ‘This doesn’t change anything for us. This is just another broken promise from the police that they need to be held accountable for.’

“The Bluefords and their supporters will be attending the October 2 meeting of the Oakland City Council to once again demand justice for their son. For more info: www.justice4alanblueford.org”

Source

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Unmanned drones coming to a police department and local border near you! September 29, 2012 DHS to test unmanned aircraft for variety of applications. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week issued a call for unmanned systems makers to participate in a program that will ultimately determine their safety and performance for use in first responder, law enforcement and border security situations, Network World Layer 8reports. In a twist that will certainly raise some eyebrows,  the program’s results  of the ironically named program — The Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) — will remain unavailable to the public, which considering how involved the actual public may be with these drones is shall we say, unfortunate. According to the DHS, the RAPS program will feature flight tests to evaluate unmanned systems “using key performance parameters under a wide variety of simulated but realistic and relevant real-world operational scenarios, such as law enforcement operations, search and rescue, and fire and hazardous material spill response.” Watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office recently issued a report saying worries over national security, privacy, and the interference in Global Positioning-System (GPS) signals have not been resolved and may influence acceptance of routine access for unmanned aircraft in the national airspace system. Source

Unmanned drones coming to a police department and local border near you!

September 29, 2012

DHS to test unmanned aircraft for variety of applications.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week issued a call for unmanned systems makers to participate in a program that will ultimately determine their safety and performance for use in first responder, law enforcement and border security situations, Network World Layer 8reports.

In a twist that will certainly raise some eyebrows,  the program’s results  of the ironically named program — The Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) — will remain unavailable to the public, which considering how involved the actual public may be with these drones is shall we say, unfortunate.

According to the DHS, the RAPS program will feature flight tests to evaluate unmanned systems “using key performance parameters under a wide variety of simulated but realistic and relevant real-world operational scenarios, such as law enforcement operations, search and rescue, and fire and hazardous material spill response.”

Watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office recently issued a report saying worries over national security, privacy, and the interference in Global Positioning-System (GPS) signals have not been resolved and may influence acceptance of routine access for unmanned aircraft in the national airspace system.

Source

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Activists revive shuttered library in East OaklandAugust 14, 2012 Around 7 a.m. Monday, activists took over a vacant building in East Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood, which they said had been left unlocked. After word spread on Facebook, about a dozen volunteers arrived and set to work, stocking it with donated books and clearing out grime, old mattresses, graffiti and other markings of abandonment. A bilingual banner hanging in front of the entrance at 1449 Miller Ave. welcomed passers-by to the “Victor Martinez People’s Library,” named for the late Latino author. Decades ago, the building housed an official city library, an ornate space with built-in wooden bookshelves and high ceilings decorated with molding. Completed in 1918, it was one of four branches funded with a Carnegie grant. But that branch closed in the 1970s, and since then, the building has sat mostly unused, said Jaime Silva, one of the organizers. Squatters and illegal dumping have turned the property into an eyesore, he said. I think everyone in the community is psyched this will no longer be a dumping ground,” said Silva, 43. The building is owned by the City of Oakland’s Redevelopment Successor Agency within the Office of Neighborhood Investment. In an email Monday, an agency spokesman said the city would issue a dispersal order with a set time to vacate the property; his response didn’t include the city’s plans for the blighted building, which remains in disrepair. Late Monday morning, people began trickling in. Some checked out books, shared their ideas, or asked how they could help. “You open Monday through Friday?” one man asked a volunteer. “We have no idea,” the volunteer responded. Goldie Simmons of San Leandro, whose husband is the pastor of the nearby Agnes Memorial Church, said she and her husband had proposed that city officials turn the building into a youth center, but that they were told it needed to be retrofitted. She said she was glad people had taken matters into their own hands. “There’s nothing in this area, really,” she said. “There’s really no place for kids to come.” Silva and other activists say the goal is for the building to be used for a community purpose, whether it’s a library or a community center with a garden. “All we ask is that you consider keeping it out of the hands of a city which will only seal the fence and doors again, turning the space back into an aggregator of the city’s trash and a dark hole in the middle of the community,” according to the group’s news release, aimed at residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. Only thing is, without a permit and city approval, the police consider them squatters—and the building was raided tonight by Oakland PD.  SourcePhoto I suppose the city would rather see an empty building go to waste rather than to have a library & garden open to the community. Libraries, not raids!

Activists revive shuttered library in East Oakland
August 14, 2012

Around 7 a.m. Monday, activists took over a vacant building in East Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood, which they said had been left unlocked. After word spread on Facebook, about a dozen volunteers arrived and set to work, stocking it with donated books and clearing out grime, old mattresses, graffiti and other markings of abandonment. A bilingual banner hanging in front of the entrance at 1449 Miller Ave. welcomed passers-by to the “Victor Martinez People’s Library,” named for the late Latino author.

Decades ago, the building housed an official city library, an ornate space with built-in wooden bookshelves and high ceilings decorated with molding. Completed in 1918, it was one of four branches funded with a Carnegie grant. But that branch closed in the 1970s, and since then, the building has sat mostly unused, said Jaime Silva, one of the organizers. Squatters and illegal dumping have turned the property into an eyesore, he said.

I think everyone in the community is psyched this will no longer be a dumping ground,” said Silva, 43.

The building is owned by the City of Oakland’s Redevelopment Successor Agency within the Office of Neighborhood Investment. In an email Monday, an agency spokesman said the city would issue a dispersal order with a set time to vacate the property; his response didn’t include the city’s plans for the blighted building, which remains in disrepair.

Late Monday morning, people began trickling in. Some checked out books, shared their ideas, or asked how they could help.

“You open Monday through Friday?” one man asked a volunteer.

“We have no idea,” the volunteer responded.

Goldie Simmons of San Leandro, whose husband is the pastor of the nearby Agnes Memorial Church, said she and her husband had proposed that city officials turn the building into a youth center, but that they were told it needed to be retrofitted. She said she was glad people had taken matters into their own hands.

“There’s nothing in this area, really,” she said. “There’s really no place for kids to come.”

Silva and other activists say the goal is for the building to be used for a community purpose, whether it’s a library or a community center with a garden.

“All we ask is that you consider keeping it out of the hands of a city which will only seal the fence and doors again, turning the space back into an aggregator of the city’s trash and a dark hole in the middle of the community,” according to the group’s news release, aimed at residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Only thing is, without a permit and city approval, the police consider them squatters—and the building was raided tonight by Oakland PD. 

Source
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I suppose the city would rather see an empty building go to waste rather than to have a library & garden open to the community.

Libraries, not raids!

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MUST WATCH: Oakland PD draws guns on two black men just walking down the street
August 1, 2012

Livestreamer @BellaEiko caught two Oakland police officers drawing their guns on two men who were walking across the street live. Officers tell them to get down to the ground before both men are detained. 

“Would you all have done him like Alan Blueford?” she asks. “This is what happens when you’re black & walking down the street in Oakland.”

It’s horrifying how many police stories we’ve been posting lately, but this is literally happening every day across the US. We will continue to post every single incident we find. This must stop.

(Also: damn, I love this livestreamer.)

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Oakland/Bay Area followers: There will be a rally today for Alan Blueford, a teenager who was murdered by Oakland police. Everyone will gather at Oscar Grant Plaza at 5 p.m. About Alan’s murder: Just after midnight on Saturday May 6th, Alan Blueford and two of his friends were waiting for some girls to pick them up on 90th Ave., in East Oakland, after the Floyd Mayweather fight. Not long after Alan had phoned his parents to check-in with them, a car slowly pulled up to them with its lights off. Alan ran. One officer gave chase. A few blocks later Alan was shot by OPD officer Miguel Masso. Masso also shot himself in the foot. Over a dozen witnesses all said that Alan had no weapon and posed no threat to the officer. Why did the police approach Alan and his friends with their lights off? Why did they give chase when Alan had committed no crime and posed no threat to the officer? Why was Alan shot three times when he had no weapon? How did a trained officer shoot himself in the foot? From the witnesses’ statements, why was Alan not given emergency CPR by OPD? Why did the OPD change their story to the family several times in the days after the shooting? Why have they refused to release the coroner’s report, despite the fact that it has been complete for weeks? The family has gotten nothing but lies, distortions and stalling from the OPD. The Blueford family and the Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition are demanding: Officer Miguel Masso be fired and charged with Alan’s murder. OPD Chief Howard Jordan be held accountable for lying to the Blueford family. An end to stop-and-frisk and other police practices of racial profiling. The repeal of the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights, that shields violent cops from prosecution and keeps them on the street. Source Reblog & spread the word - Demand justice for Alan & his family! To hear his parents, Adam & Jeralynn Blueford, speak about their fight for answers, click here. 

Oakland/Bay Area followers: There will be a rally today for Alan Blueford, a teenager who was murdered by Oakland police. Everyone will gather at Oscar Grant Plaza at 5 p.m.

About Alan’s murder: Just after midnight on Saturday May 6th, Alan Blueford and two of his friends were waiting for some girls to pick them up on 90th Ave., in East Oakland, after the Floyd Mayweather fight. Not long after Alan had phoned his parents to check-in with them, a car slowly pulled up to them with its lights off. Alan ran. One officer gave chase. A few blocks later Alan was shot by OPD officer Miguel Masso. Masso also shot himself in the foot. Over a dozen witnesses all said that Alan had no weapon and posed no threat to the officer.

Why did the police approach Alan and his friends with their lights off? Why did they give chase when Alan had committed no crime and posed no threat to the officer? Why was Alan shot three times when he had no weapon? How did a trained officer shoot himself in the foot? From the witnesses’ statements, why was Alan not given emergency CPR by OPD? Why did the OPD change their story to the family several times in the days after the shooting? Why have they refused to release the coroner’s report, despite the fact that it has been complete for weeks?

The family has gotten nothing but lies, distortions and stalling from the OPD.

The Blueford family and the Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition are demanding:

  • Officer Miguel Masso be fired and charged with Alan’s murder.
  • OPD Chief Howard Jordan be held accountable for lying to the Blueford family.
  • An end to stop-and-frisk and other police practices of racial profiling.
  • The repeal of the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights, that shields violent cops from prosecution and keeps them on the street.

Source

Reblog & spread the word - Demand justice for Alan & his family!

To hear his parents, Adam & Jeralynn Blueford, speak about their fight for answers, click here. 

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At the Chalk Walk in LA

My friend is a preschool teacher who went out to the protest today. She brought a couple of boxes of street chalk, the sort her students use, and a bunch of oatmeal raisin cookies for other protesters. She was there when the police went crazy and started corralling people and she was shoved and hit with batons. Right now she’s posted she is safe, but she’s still stranded in the middle of downtown because the LAPD has locked everything down. One of the last things she texted to a friend before everything went down was this:

“Actually I can tell you they put on riot gear before anything was thrown. I can tell you that they corralled me in. I’m telling you right now I begged a cop to let me go…and he told me to run.”

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Oakland school sit-in raided after three weeks (photo)July 5, 2012 A sit-in at Oakland’s Lakeview Elementary School ended early Tuesday July 3 as police from the Oakland School Police force entered the school building, making two arrests. The dispersal was calm by all accounts, although protesters say that officers threatened to use chemical weapons to disperse the crowd, which included young children. Officers from the Oakland School Police force, the Oakland Housing Authority Police force, Oakland Police Department, and California Highway Patrol were deployed to end the protest, according to a statement from OUSD Superintendent Tony Smith. “There were children there, parents and teachers and a few occupiers,” said Lola, an organizer with Occupy Oakland who was supporting the sit-in on 4am security duty when police arrived. There were 20-25 sit-in participants present when police arrived, according to Lola and another Occupy Oakland participant who was on the scene, Alyssa Eisenberg. “There were at least 15 police cars when I drove up,” Eisenberg said. “The officers were saying, we’ve given you notices now we’re going to give you 15 minutes to leave. Then they gave an official dispersal order and they said, ‘If you do not disperse we’ll use chemical agents against you,’” Lola recounts. Oakland parents, teachers, elementary school-aged children and supporters had been demonstrating at the school for 17 days. The school is one of five marked for closure by the Oakland School Board, a move that parents and teachers opposed. The demonstration consisted of a free day camp for children called the People’s School for Public Education, a community garden, and a 24-hour sit-in involving half a dozen tents on the school property. Source

Oakland school sit-in raided after three weeks (photo)
July 5, 2012

A sit-in at Oakland’s Lakeview Elementary School ended early Tuesday July 3 as police from the Oakland School Police force entered the school building, making two arrests.

The dispersal was calm by all accounts, although protesters say that officers threatened to use chemical weapons to disperse the crowd, which included young children.

Officers from the Oakland School Police force, the Oakland Housing Authority Police force, Oakland Police Department, and California Highway Patrol were deployed to end the protest, according to a statement from OUSD Superintendent Tony Smith.

“There were children there, parents and teachers and a few occupiers,” said Lola, an organizer with Occupy Oakland who was supporting the sit-in on 4am security duty when police arrived.

There were 20-25 sit-in participants present when police arrived, according to Lola and another Occupy Oakland participant who was on the scene, Alyssa Eisenberg. “There were at least 15 police cars when I drove up,” Eisenberg said.

“The officers were saying, we’ve given you notices now we’re going to give you 15 minutes to leave. Then they gave an official dispersal order and they said, ‘If you do not disperse we’ll use chemical agents against you,’” Lola recounts.

Oakland parents, teachers, elementary school-aged children and supporters had been demonstrating at the school for 17 days. The school is one of five marked for closure by the Oakland School Board, a move that parents and teachers opposed.

The demonstration consisted of a free day camp for children called the People’s School for Public Education, a community garden, and a 24-hour sit-in involving half a dozen tents on the school property.

Source

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While The People’s Record was away protests against mass school closures in Oakland were organized and held. July 03, 2012 People demonstrating against the closure of several Oakland schools returned to the Lakeview Elementary campus on July 3 for a rally. Lakeview was occupied by parents, teachers, supporters and several children since June 15. Police cleared out the protesters earlier in the day. Source

While The People’s Record was away protests against mass school closures in Oakland were organized and held.

July 03, 2012

People demonstrating against the closure of several Oakland schools returned to the Lakeview Elementary campus on July 3 for a rally. Lakeview was occupied by parents, teachers, supporters and several children since June 15. Police cleared out the protesters earlier in the day.

Source

(Source: )

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A march and rally was held to protest the closure of the Lakeview Elementary public school at the Oakland Unified School District on June 23, 2012. The Oakland Unified School District administration plans to close five schools while new charters are being opened in the district. The Oakland Education Association stated it’s support of the sit-in and a peoples school has been established.

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Oakland protests school closuresJune 19, 2012 The Oakland Unified School District has planned to close five public elementary schools and hand children’s school buildings over to private charter schools and district administration offices. Hundreds of the displaced students have been placed by the district in elementary schools that are 10 miles away, and the school district has offered no guarantee that transportation will be provided for families. Hundreds of teachers, families & students have been protesting at Lakeview since Friday. The same group of protesters plans to open “The People’s School for Public Education” on Lakeview’s campus this summer, at which a group of volunteers will teach courses ranging from art and gardening to social justice and activism. “This is going to be the hub in Oakland, the place for public education,” Joel Velasquez, whose son attended Lakeview, told Oakland North. “We are going to take back our public education system—it belongs to us.” Source (photo)

Oakland protests school closures
June 19, 2012

The Oakland Unified School District has planned to close five public elementary schools and hand children’s school buildings over to private charter schools and district administration offices. Hundreds of the displaced students have been placed by the district in elementary schools that are 10 miles away, and the school district has offered no guarantee that transportation will be provided for families. Hundreds of teachers, families & students have been protesting at Lakeview since Friday.

The same group of protesters plans to open “The People’s School for Public Education” on Lakeview’s campus this summer, at which a group of volunteers will teach courses ranging from art and gardening to social justice and activism.

“This is going to be the hub in Oakland, the place for public education,” Joel Velasquez, whose son attended Lakeview, told Oakland North. “We are going to take back our public education system—it belongs to us.”

Source (photo)

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