News from Capitol protest, CA

[Rusty Shackleford]

So, there was an attempt by some people to take the capitol building. It ended in 65 being arrested (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/05/chp-.html). Starting at 6:30 PM they started arresting people and then pulling them out in non-descript vans. i didnt have anything to take down plate numbers though ><

Turnout maxed out at maybe 600 people, but it was only day one. it may increase as the days pass.


anyways. so, they are being held in the County Jail AFAIK.

I was outside of the building because incase anything happened, i had to make the phone calls :lol: but yeah.


Tomorrow is Day 2. i dont know what is going to happen... at all... im still showing up though.

[Le Socialiste]

Reason for protest? I live not too far from Sacramento and I was unaware of this...

[Rusty Shackleford]

It is a last ditch effort to demand that there be no cuts to education. nearly $1,000,000,000 is being cut from higher ed and K-12.

[Le Socialiste]

I recall that now, I simply didn't know about the planned protests...

[CynicalIdealist]

I left at 6:00 pm. o_o

Fucking creepy.

[wunderbar]

I was there from the morning until mid-afternoon, and back again at 7:30 to see protesters being driven off in vans by the police.

And this:

xecBKhU5t1w

[Rusty Shackleford]

ah i forgot about that hahaha. yeah, man, the cops are fucking aggressive this month.


Also, CONFIMRED: Sac County Jail.

They are just now getting through booking the detainees. some weird ass charges too...


"Skiing on closed trail"

[CynicalIdealist]

Anything new? I biked to the capitol at 6:00 pm and didn't see any fellow dissidents, so I'm wondering if anything happened earlier today.

[Rusty Shackleford]

i had to leave at about 5 to get to a Union thing at the University and also to meet with comrades.

but, ill give you some times because the CTA has basically changed it to a Lobby week :/

so:

Wednesday: 4-6pm East Steps, Teach-in & workshops
Thursday 9:30 AM: Demo at north steps
Friday: 1PM culmination demo. I am going to get there at about 11:30 AM to be ready for the events. thats supposed to be this big day apparently.

Wunderbar might have some other stuff that i missed. (i had to leave an organizing meeting kinda early)

[wunderbar]

Billionaires vs. Bravehearts pillow fight @ 10th and N streets, Friday 3:24PM (not a real "serious" thing, but whatevs). Other than that, I don't think there was anything else this week.

[wunderbar]

Showed up today for about an hour. Not a lot going on outside (didn't bother going inside, I had a sign and my IWW flag).

[wunderbar]

I should add that anyone who is able to come to the capitol and protest is encouraged, but if you can't put yourself at risk of arrest, you can still show your support by being outside with a sign or something.

[Rusty Shackleford]

im gonna show up tomorrow most likely with a plain ol red flag.

[CynicalIdealist]

^I still need one myself, or a red/black flag. Or red with shades of black to denote my surefire communism and less surefire anarc- okay you get the picture.

In any case, suppose I'll show tomorrow for a little bit.

[IndependentCitizen]

It is a last ditch effort to demand that there be no cuts to education. nearly $1,000,000,000 is being cut from higher ed and K-12.

What?! How can you cut so much from education...

[Rusty Shackleford]

1 Billion dollars from education statewide averages out to abotu 1,000 dollars per student cut in services. apparently in some schools, rats and rattle snakes are making it into class rooms after the cuts made over the last few years.


It is seriously collapsing. for them to cut a billion could kill entire branches of education. And, next year will be worse. Some people are saying the CSU system could be shut down.

[wunderbar]

I just got back from the capitol. Nothing going on today either. I met with some of the other activists in what seems to be the meetingplace for us. The big demonstration is apparently going to be tomorrow, but I'm not really holding my breath, judging from what else has happened (or hasn't happened) this week.

[Qayin]

Solidarity! Bring down CA so us Arizonians get an effect going

[Rusty Shackleford]

http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/california-teachers-and.html

The author is a public school teacher at Fairmount Elementary in San Francisco and participated in the week of action in Sacramento and San Francisco.
Hundred of students and teachers descended on the Sacramento State Capitol on May 9 to kick off a week of action called by the California Teachers Association.
The day started with a press conference and prayer followed by a procession around the state capitol. Even though the procession was advertised as a silent procession, a group of teachers voiced their anger and opposition about the attacks on public education chanting “Who do we tax? The rich! When do we tax them? NOW!” Teams of teachers from all over the state—including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego and elsewhere—then lobbied legislators about the effects of budget cuts.
The most inspiring action took place in the rotunda of the state capitol at 5pm. Over 300 teachers and students entered the rotunda chanting “Tax, tax, tax the rich, we can chop the deficit!” They marched and chanted for the better part of the hour, carrying signs and banners about the need for public education and demanding that there be no more budget cuts to social services. The crowd then sat in the rotunda for an impromptu rally.
Betty Olson-Jones, the president of the Oakland Educators Association, opened with an appeal to teachers and students to come together to take action against the budget cuts. A student from Santa Cruz spoke about the desperation and frustration students are feeling as they are denied access to education. She warned the legislators that if they didn’t take action soon they would see the result of this frustration and anger. The author, a San Francisco teacher and member of Party for Socialism and Liberation, spoke about the need to build a movement independent of the Democrats and Republicans in order to defend public education and social services.
Midway through the rally, as students and teachers continued to speak out, the California Highway Patrol ordered everyone to disperse or be arrested. Sixty-five people continued to sit in and were arrested over the course of 2 hours. Some were released that night and others were held until the next morning. They were charged with misdemeanor trespassing. The specific bogus charge was “skiing on a closed trail.”
Cuts to education over the last 4 years have totaled $20 billion; 40,000 teachers and paraprofessionals have been laid off and thousands more secretaries, janitors, nurses and specialists have lost their jobs. There is no doubt that public education is in a state of crisis.
Across the state, teachers’ unions have made concessions in pay, healthcare contributions and other wages. School years have been cut down by days and weeks as districts institute furloughs—both cutting teachers’ wages and denying our students important time for learning. Music, art and physical education programs have been cut.
In the midst of the crisis, we are being told that there is no money for education and public services. While banks received bailouts, corporations continue to pay little to no taxes and the federal government uses trillions for wars and occupations in foreign countries, while school and social services are being cut.
California governor Jerry Brown’s plan for “saving” education is to push through a budget that has $18 billion in further cuts and extend sales, vehicle and income taxes already in place. This is not a plan for defending public education. The $18 billion in cuts are drastic attacks on welfare, housing and education. The tax extension continues to tax poor and working people more heavily than the rich in order to pay for public services.
There are very clear solutions to the budget crisis. The money that lies in the hands of bankers and corporate bosses should be redirected to fund education and public services. But both the Democrats and Republicans in the White House and halls of the Sacramento State Capitol refuse to make the real change that is needed.
The CTA, one of two state union federations representing teachers, called for the May 9-13 week of action to confront the state of emergency in California. The union rightly recognized the crisis and called for actions throughout California. Thousands of teachers have engaged in grade-ins, sit-ins, forums and protests this week to bring attention to the plight of public education.
Unfortunately, the CTA was not willing to take a strong political position for this week of action. They have merely focused on calling for support of Gov. Brown’s budget and the proposal to extend taxes. The CTA leadership is so tied to the interests of the Democratic Party that it has been unwilling to organize real mass action to confront the attacks on education or take a principled stance against the budget cuts, calling for real solutions to the crisis.
Despite the union’s weaknesses, the week of action is and continues to be an important event for defending public education. The attacks on education—and housing, health care, public transportation and other services—will not be stopped by legislators and wealthy politicians. An independent movement is needed that can push back the attacks on education and demand that education be treated as a right, not a privilege.
Thousands of teachers, students and families and their supporters will be rallying in 5 major cities across California on May 13 as a culmination of the week of action.

In short, the CTA leadership's unwillingness to break with the democrats destroyed any potential for real aciton. i mean shit, sacto PSL got kicked out during set up because they were "tired of people piggy backing" said the cop that stopped us. yes, the leadership talked to the cops. i mean fuck, we made a banner that said "Students Workers Teachers UNITE!" the night before only to get kicked out because we were trying to support them. OH, and the democratic party was able to table but we werent because "the democrats are also doing voters registration"

im still going to show up and support them even though they gave us and basically the state the cold shoulder.

i fucking hate democrats.

[Jose Gracchus]

Dude, here the left is holding events and fight-back, and there's opportunistic Democratic city commissioners stumping at the podium while the College and Young Democrats stand nearby...and as soon as a group as lumpy as student activists and AFL-CIO-affiliated union people with some workers starts marching, they evaporate.

I think this is no good, it shows the weakness of the popular front approach...how can you emphasize a fight against the working-class or even move in that direction while allying with a political organization which is the direct instrument of assaults on the working-class? Some vague thing about working-class elements in the Democratic Party locally? After Madison, maybe the working-class isn't quite the little kids some people treat them as.

[ellipsis]

Solidarity from SF! Things look like they will be getting real bad soon...

[Rusty Shackleford]

I think this is no good, it shows the weakness of the popular front approach...how can you emphasize a fight against the working-class or even move in that direction while allying with a political organization which is the direct instrument of assaults on the working-class? Some vague thing about working-class elements in the Democratic Party locally? After Madison, maybe the working-class isn't quite the little kids some people treat them as.


The PSL doesnt ally with the democratic party. sure we attend events that democrats attend, or sometimes ones that they host if they are labor oriented. but it isnt about supporting or allying with the democrats.

If someone from the DP tried to recruit a PSL member they'd probably just get harsh words.

right now, revolutionaries must go to where the workers are to pull them away from anti-worker organizations until we are capable of our own labor events.

also, i was there to support the workers. we had a banner that stated "Students, Workers, Teachers, UNITE!" that we made the night before to try to knock some consciousness into people. yeah the slogan wasnt complete, we only had so much room :lol:

[Jose Gracchus]

I mean SDS organized it with some unions, including an independent labor candidate (from the electricians' union) who spoke, yet also hosted a local Democratic Party candidate. Yet the Democratic Party was supporting a candidate who had defeated that independent labor candidate. And the Democrats' wouldn't even complete a march with labor for Rick Scott? Disgraceful.