Los Ángeles, CA – Desde hace dos años el Centro CSO ha estado organizando para presionar al Distrito Escolar (LAUSD) que construya una nueva secundaria-prepa en Boyle Heights para aliviar la condiciones de sobrepoblación extrema en la Roosevelt High School (RHS). La LAUSD presentará el diseño preliminar en una junta comunitaria en la Utah Street School el 14 de abril de 2004.

El Centro CSO, junto con padres, estudiantes y maestros de Boyle Heights, y los estudiantes revolucionarios de RHS, han organizado una serie de acciones, conferencias de prensa y juntas para presionar al Distrito para acelerar la construcción de una nueva high school en la esquina de Misssion y Primera. Además para condenar el constante reclutamiento militar que hace blanco de la juventud latina inmigrante, y para hacer un llamamiento para poner fin a la ocupación de Irak, Palestina, y al Plan Colombia.

RHS está sobrepoblada con más de 5,000 estudiantes, un horario año redondo de pistas múltiples y una tasa promedio de deserción de más del 50%. El Departamento de Educación del Estado le ha ordena a RHS que haga cambios el las notas escolares, alivie la sobrepoblación y mejore las condiciones de la instalación.

No hay planes para completar una nueva High School para Boyle Heights hasta fines de 2007, y sólo para 1,026 estudiantes. Existe una necesidad para una secundaria adicional en Boyle Heights para aliviar la presión en RHS. Esto no toma en cuenta la necesidad adicional de 2,000 nuevas plazas para el área no incorporada para aliviar la Garfield High School en condiciones similares.

Los estudiantes de RHS son inmigrantes mexicanos y centroamericanos cuyas familias huyen de la guerra, represión y extrema pobreza en sus países natales. Estas condiciones son causadas por el gobierno de EU y las intervenciones corporativas en los asuntos económicos y políticos de naciones soberanas. Al igual a México, que ha sufrido desempleo, crisis agrícola y de negocios, merced a la política como el Tratado de Libre Comercio. Además, El Salvador, Nicaragua y Colombia han sido sometidos a regímenes represivos y guerras fundados por el gobierno de EU.

Ahora estos estudiantes hacen frente a las condiciones racistas de malas escuelas, y son el blanco de reclutamiento militar con promesas falsas de capacitación y universidad. Otras escuelas se construyen en otros lugares, más Boyle Heights y el Este de Los Angeles continúan en la marginación. Esto es racismo.

El ejército y EU y los Marines específicamente hacen blanco de los latinos para enrolarlos, aprovechándose de las malas condiciones escolares, la pobreza y falta de buenos trabajos y posibilidades para ingresar en la universidad. Muchos de estos reclutas terminan con tareas peligrosas en guerra que conducen a una tasa alta de muertes latinas. Como antes Viet Nam, ahora Irak.

La gran pachocha: los proyectos de construcción de LAUSD son una fuente gorda de dinero para las grandes corporaciones y bienes raíces por medio de contratos de construcción, cobros de consulta y desarrollo de bienes raíces y adquisición. La nueva propuesta (measure R) recién pasada en las elecciones del 3 de marzo, impondrán 3.87 mil millones de impuestos para la reparación y construcción de escue

las. ¿Dónde están las high schools para Boyle Heights y East LA? La comunidad siempre ha apoyado las medidas electorales para las escuelas. Ahora debemos exigir equidad y prioridad para las comunidades de Boyle Heights y East LA.

La oposición a la nueva high school en East LA viene de una pequeña minoría de burgueses autodenominados líderes que se han lucido bajo la falsa bandera del Save Belvedere Park Committee.

El Centro CSO Community Services Organization, Inc., basado en Boyle Heights, fue creado en 1947 para luchar contra la discriminación contra los chicanos, mexicanos e inmigrantes.

#LosÁngelesCA #LosAngelesCA #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #News #ChicanoLatino #militaryRecruiters #CentroCSO #BoyleHeights #RooseveltHighSchool

Minneapolis, MN -A two thousand-plus crowd of high school, college and even elementary school students gathered at the University of Minnesota student union, Nov. 2 to protest the war on Iraq and demand that military recruiters get out of their schools.

Speakers at the rally demanded that money be spent on education and jobs, not on war. Courtney Gallo of the Anti-War Organizing League (AWOL), one of the main groups organizing the rally, stressed, “The illegal U.S. occupation of Iraq was only part of a larger plan for domination and U.S. imperialism,” and demanded that “ U.S. troops be sent home immediately.” The United States is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to destroy Iraqi cities and families, yet it will not provide an education to those living within its own borders.

The rally was followed by a militant march through campus. When students passed the General College building, they chanted, “Money for schools, not for war – save General College!” Last year the University of Minnesota Board of Regents voted to shut down General College, which provides access and education for low-income students and students of color. Outraged by the University’s racism and elitism, the chants grew louder. The protesters were greeted warmly with waves and clapping from the College’s windows.

The march also passed by the administration building, Morrill Hall. Here the students showed their solidarity with the AFSCME workers’ unions by chanting, “What do we want? Fair contracts! When do we want it? Now!” The unions have been negotiating for months with the administration, which refuses to offer anything more than a 2% wage increase for the workers. Kelly Ryan of AFSCME 3800, the clerical workers’ union, said, “We had to fight even for the administration to offer a 2% raise. We’ve suffered a two-year wage freeze, and many of us work second jobs just to get by. Meanwhile, President Bruininks makes over $300,000 a year. We demand fair wages and appreciate student support, because a united front will mean victory.” Though the marchers intended to pass through Morrill Hall, they surrounded it instead, since the building was locked down.

The march ended at the Army Recruitment Center on Washington Avenue, where the students demanded that military recruiters get out of their schools.

Sabry Wazwaz of the Anti-War Committee said, “The Bush administration claims there will not be a draft. We know the truth – there already is. There is a racist draft, a poverty draft. We find these recruiters at schools in low-income communities, where lies and deceit trick innocent children into joining the military. We refuse to fall for their lies, and we are here today to spread the truth.”

A massive presence of high school students gave inspiring energy to the protest, especially since many of these students knew they could be punished, even suspended by their schools for their decision to stand up for justice. Youth Against War and Racism brought out students from 40 city and suburban schools, with the largest presence coming from Minneapolis South High, where students walked out by the hundreds.

For all those who attended, this protest was an inspiring renewal of anti-war sentiment.

The majority of Americans are against this war, and we will be heard. The tide is turning. It is only a matter of time before it washes overshore.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Iraq #militaryRecruiters #AFSCME3800 #AntiWarOrganizingLeague #IraqWar #MiddleEast

Los Angeles, CA – More than 500 students, teachers, union members and parents rallied and marched here, March 17 to demand an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, that military recruiters get out of schools and to call for a stop to attacks on immigrants. Latinos Against the War organized the action. A statement from the organizers said, “The military recruiters target immigrant Latino youth while their parents are victims of racist legislation like HR 4437 and deportations by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The U.S. military recruits Latino youth for war and the ICE deports their parents.”

#LosAngelesCA #AntiwarMovement #News #Iraq #ChicanoLatino #militaryRecruiters #LatinosAgainstWar #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE

The event will also commemorate the 35th anniversary of the historic Chicano Moratorium of Aug. 29, 1970, when over 30,000 Latinos protested the war in Vietnam and the high casualty rate of Chicanos. That massive rally was attacked by the L.A. sheriffs department and L.A. police, causing a rebellion were three people died and hundreds were injured and arrested. Ruben Salazar, KMEX news director and LA Times writer, was killed by the Los Angeles County sheriffs, and became a martyr of the Chicano community.

Latinos feel that our war is here at home – in the struggle for genuine equality and justice, free from racism and poverty. Our fight is for education, health care and good jobs.

Latino youth are targeted by the U.S. military for recruitment, especially in inner-city schools with a high number of immigrant youth. These students already face overcrowded schools and high drop-out rates. The military offers money, immigration status and citizenship. These youth are sent to fight, die and kill in foreign lands in unjust wars and are not provided the opportunities for college admissions and skilled jobs. Many of these youth have fled harsh conditions in Mexico caused by NAFTA or have fled from war-torn Central America where the U.S. government supports repressive military regimes.

The recent Latino service men killed in Iraq is reminiscent of the high casualty rate of Latinos in the Vietnam War. “This targeting for military recruitment of our Latino youth is a racist practice. Our youth should be recruited to college and jobs, not war,” states David Cid, teacher at El Sereno Middle School and member of Latinos Against War In Iraq.

#LosAngelesCA #AntiwarMovement #News #Iraq #ChicanoLatino #militaryRecruiters #LatinosAgainstWar #ChicanoMoratorium

Los Angeles, CA – Students and parents in East Los Angeles want decent schools. Centro CSO has been organizing for over two years to pressure the Los Angeles Unified School District to build a new high school in Boyle Heights to relieve the extremely overcrowded conditions at Roosevelt High School. The L.A. Unified School District will present the preliminary design at a community meeting at the Utah Street School on April 14.

Centro CSO, with parents, students and teachers from Boyle Heights and the Revolutionary Students of Roosevelt High School, have organized a series of actions, press conferences and meetings to pressure the L.A. Unified School District to speed up the construction of a new high school at the corner of Mission and First Street. They reject the presence of military recruiters targeting Latino immigrant youth and to call for end to the occupation of Iraq and Palestine and an end to intervention in Colombia.

Roosevelt High School is overcrowded, with over 5,000 students, year-round multiple track calendars and a drop out rate of over 50%. The California State Department of Education has ordered Roosevelt High School to make changes to improve student scores, relieve overcrowding and improve facility conditions.

A new high school for Boyle Heights is not planned to be completed till late 2007 and will only house 1026 students. There is a need for a second high school in Boyle Heights to relieve Roosevelt High School. This does not include the additional need for 2000 new seats for the East L.A. unincorporated area to relieve Garfield High School, which has similar bad conditions. Schools are going up in other areas, but Boyle Heights and East L.A. continue to take a back seat and are given low priority. This is racism.

Military Recruiters

The students at Roosevelt High School are Mexican and Central American immigrants whose families fled war, repression and extreme poverty in their home countries. The U.S. government and corporate intervention caused these conditions. Mexico has suffered unemployment, agricultural and economic crises due to policies like the North American Free Trade Agreement. The people of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Colombia suffer under repressive regimes funded by the U.S. government.

Now these students face racist conditions in bad schools and are the targets of military recruiters who make false promises of training and college. The U.S. Army and Marines specifically target Latinos for enlistment by taking advantage of lousy schools, poverty and the lack of good jobs, by promising college. Many of these recruits end up in the front lines during war, leading to high Latino casualty rates – in Vietnam in the past and now in Iraq.

Big Money

The L.A. Unified School District construction projects are a major source of money for large corporations and big developers via construction contracts, consultant fees and real estate development and acquisition. The new bond measure R, passed on March 3, will tax another $3.87 billion for school repairs and construction. But where are the high schools for Boyle Heights and East L.A? The East L.A. community has always supported election measures for schools in the past, but we must now demand equity and priority for the communities of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles.

The opposition to a new high school in East L.A. has come from a very small minority of middle-class, self-appointed ‘leaders’ who have paraded under the banner of a fake community group calling themselves the Save Belvedere Park Committee.

#LosAngelesCA #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #News #ChicanoLatino #militaryRecruiters #CentroCSO #BoyleHeights #RooseveltHighSchool

Minnesota saw a wave of dramatic anti-war protests at military recruitment centers, April 23. The call of the Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee for April 23 to be Zero Recruitment Day was taken up by a host of anti-war groups that joined together, visibly opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, exposing recruiter lies and preventing military recruiting that day.

Despite Obama’s promise to end the war on Iraq, he has committed to keeping 50,000 troops there through 2011. Meanwhile he plans to greatly expand the U.S. occupation in Afghanistan and send an additional 17,000 troops. These war plans depend on new recruits for the armed forces. The current economic crisis makes it easier for recruiters to prey on poor and working-class youth who are given false promises of economic benefits.

Marie Braun, an activist with the Twin Cities Peace Campaign explained the purpose for the day’s actions, “We are here to say that we are sick of war. We are sickened by the news coming out of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan about continuing death and destruction at the hands of our government. We are appalled by the tactics of recruiters who use lies, innuendo and false promises to get our young people to fight, kill and die in wars that have little or nothing to do with democracy, national security or the welfare of our citizens.”

Six Zero Recruitment Day actions occurred at military recruiting stations throughout Minnesota, five in the Twin Cities metro area and one at the Minnesota State University in Mankato.

In Brooklyn Center, four activists locked themselves to a station, disrupting business for over half the day. Police were forced to cut the door handles in order to arrest the protesters.

Three members of Grandmothers Peace Brigade were arrested after claiming to want to enlist in place of young people in Saint Louis Park. Afterwards, supporters continued to disrupt business. Arrestee Sarah Martin explained their action. “When we went into the Knollwood Plaza recruiting office, the Grandmas Peace Brigade wore t-shirts which said ‘What would grandma do? Pack for Iraq and send the children back.’ We were there to protect our grandchildren from the deadly demands of U.S. imperialism.”

The Anti-War Committee held an all day picket of an Army Career Center in Minneapolis, which culminated in a redecoration of the recruiting station with anti-recruitment posters and foreclosure signs. This led Minneapolis police to cordon off the station as a crime scene and call in the fire department. Three fire engines came to check whether the glue was a ‘hazardous material’ and blocked traffic at the busy Lake and Lyndale intersection for close to an hour.

AWC member Jess Sundin reports, “It’s ironic that the Minneapolis Police declared the recruiting office a crime scene. Our message was that sending young people off to war in Afghanistan and Iraq is a crime. Clearly the police agreed with us.”

Across the river, The Twin Cities Peace Campaign and Alliant Action picketed at a recruitment center in West Saint Paul. Their day-long protest included educational outreach through flyers on cars in the parking lots of surrounding big box stores.

At the University of Minnesota, the lengthy rally organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) closed the recruiting station there, while College Republican counter-protesters held signs – many were racist and some advocated torture – nearby.

Stephanie Taylor, a University of Minnesota SDS organizer, explained, “Even in the face of overt racism from the College Republicans and signs that read ‘Free waterboarding tickets,’ students proved to be successful in shutting down the recruitment center and maintaining their political line, chanting, ‘Recruiters lie, students die.’”

Minnesota anti-war groups who came together to organize protests around the Republican National Convention are continuing to work together to build a movement of opposition to U.S. imperialism. Zero Recruitment Day maintained the pattern of using a variety of tactics, including civil disobedience and direct action to get the message across: “Don’t enlist. Resist.”

#Minnesota #MN #AntiwarMovement #News #civilDisobedience #militaryRecruiters