More than 400 students assembled today at the Quad in Brooklyn College today to call for an end to the proposed $600 tuition hike for City University of New York students.

Report Back from City School Board Meeting 4/28/09 – Another Long and Frustrating Evening

Several people spoke eloquently during the public comment period at this evening’s school board meeting against changes in board policy that would increase military recruiters’ access to student information. Speakers included students, a city school teacher, parents, peace activists and veterans. Rochester City Students for a Democratic Society was in the house, some members speaking and some with colorful signs saying “protect student privacy” and “no military in our schools.”

Additional Information: Report Back: Rochester City School Board Meeting on Student Privacy and Military Recruiters | School Board Military Recruiters and Student Information | Rochester City School District: Answer to Parents, Not Marines

On April 23, hundreds of people participated in protests at 5 military recruitment centers across the Twin Cities. An anti-war demonstration was also held in front of the ROTC office at Mankato State University. The following day, students from Macalester College took direct action at a recruiting center near the University of MN campus. The 7 total actions were part of the Anti-War Committee-initiated Zero Recruitment Day. Objectives were to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, expose recruiter lies, and disrupt the business of recruitment using a diversity of tactics. The series of actions featured several arrests, intense confrontation, funny tricks, and quick getaways. The following are reports and photos from all groups that took action on April 23.

Anytime the District has to rally a line-up of politicians to testify on its behalf, you know something’s up.

On Wednesday night, a group of political heavy-hitters opened the School Reform Commission meeting to urge the SRC to vote in favor of the District’s controversial strategic plan – Imagine 2014.

The Project is a newspaper created by an open collective of UCSC students and allies to document and inspire strategic radical actions that are relevant to local, regional, and global socioeconomic justice. The Project collective have published their second issue since being resurrected in the Fall.

Conor Tomás Reed explains why he's ready for an April 22 protest at City College of New York against a tuition increase and faculty cutbacks.

HOLY SHITBALLS! What the fuck happened last night at the New School? Hundreds of people at the anti-police brutality rally at the 55 w13th st New School building, dozens in Bob Kerrey masks, speaker after speaker condeming the NYPD and the New School's violent response to the occupation, absurd revolutionaries challenging everyone to OCCUPY EVERYTHING! ABOLISH TIME! and NEGATE NEGATION.

New School Reoccupied blog

Kids Against the Death Penalty has won the 2009 Youth Abolitionists of the Year award given by Students Against the Death Penalty and Texas Students Against the Death Penalty. The award was announced and presented to KADP at the Texas Capitol on March 24 by Hooman Hedayati, president of Students Against the Death Penalty and Jason Kyriakides, board member of Texas Students Against the Death Penalty.

The award recognizes the hundreds of hours of activism performed by Kids Against the Death Penalty in the last year educating the public about the injustice of the death penalty. The hard work and passionate commitment of members of Kids Against the Death Penalty has greatly benefited the national movement to abolish the death penalty. Several members of KADP are relatives of Jeff Wood, who is on Texas death row convicted under the Law of Parties even though he did not kill anyone.
[read full article] Kids Against the Death Penalty Lead the 9th Annual March to End Executions that took place this October in Houston.

60 students entered into a New School University building early in the morning April 10 and occupied it for over five hours before a violent NYPD raid broke the demonstration up, resulting in the arrests of 19 people.

The students were calling for the resignation of Bob Kerrey, the embattled President of the New School, and James Murtha, the Vice President. The occupiers were also demanding greater transparency and accountability, and more student power in decisions regarding how the New School’s money is spent and how the school operates.

An occupation of the same building, 65 Fifth Ave. in Greenwich Village, occurred in December, and ended with some of the demands being met, although the administration of the New School did not step down. [Read More & Coverage Roundup]

Around 20 youngsters from Houston joined Students for a Democratic Society of UH for a protest of the Houston Processing Center as part of the Campaign to End Family Detention. Other participating groups included Houston Anti-Racist Action, International Socialist Organization and whatever the RCP's youth crew is going by these days.

Our protest started on Greens road where we were visible to traffic, we then marched while chanting and chatting to the visitors entrance on the south side of the facility. Many folks were there waiting on family members who were meeting with people detained inside. We rallied an chanted again and spoke with some of the folks there who shared some of their stories about the plight and struggles of their loved ones in detention.
[Read full article with photos]

Rally with students to save higher education!
Monday April 6, 11 am
West Steps of the Capitol

The Colorado State Legislature's Joint Budget Committee has voted on and recommended a measure that would cut higher education funding by 50% as well as allowing institutions to have massive tuition hikes. This not only shows the state's lack of regard for higher education, but their willingness to put the burden on students rather than the schools that are mismanaging their budgets and overpaying administrators. The students that will experience the brunt of this are those attending affordable schools like Metro and the community colleges. They will be the poor, the people of color and the otherwise under-served. read more

A report from Virginia!

In Virginia, the Westboro Baptist Church started off its tour by first visiting Fairfax High School. Most of the counter protestors expressed confusion at this choice of venue, as Fairfax High School has not done anything newsworthy with regards to the LGBTQ community. It was later revealed that Westboro chose the high school as a target because of Fairfax High School's Rebel mascot; Church members claim that Fairfax High School was an example of how America rebels against god. Police at Fairfax High School were nervous and on-edge, but no altercations occurred.

The Westboro crowd then moved to George Mason U to protest that school's Pride Week. The five WBC members were met by a diverse crowd of counter-protesters numbering in the low hundreds. Police at this event were out in even greater number, but their disposition seemed more bored than anything else. Photos by Wespennest | God Hates Fags gets counterdemos-and urine thrown on them | Video of Phelps crew chased to car in DC later same day

On March 16th, UCSC administrators and Vice Chancellors held a meeting to discuss rent hikes at UCSC's Family Student Housing (FSH). A hundred tenants, from a community of 200 rental units, showed up to demand affordable rents. On Monday, March 30th various Associate Vice Chancellors and Directors of UCSC Housing are holding a second meeting to discuss their proposed rent increase of 7.5% with the FSH tenants. This will be an increase of 62% over the last nine years.

On March 16, 2009, students and educators from public colleges all over the state converged on Sacramento to demand that California fully fund higher education and not raise tuition. Over 6,000 students, teachers, administrators, and education workers converged in Sacramento. They came to demand, "Keep the doors open," "No budget cuts," "Bail out colleges, not banks," "Fund education, not war," and "Money for schools, not prisons."

A group of youth in Salinas are activating a chapter of the Brown Berets to help deal with gang violence, discrimination and poverty. Brown Berets are currently active in communities such as Watsonville and Fresno. Historically, Brown Berets have been an important component of the Chicano/Chicana movement and instrumental in educating and inspiring youth to become politically active.

Teenagers from over 50 countries share stories about the struggle of being immigrant in America.

On Tuesday March 10th, the “Activism Right There (A.R.T.) Festival” was held at Zellerbach Auditorium at UC Berkeley. The festival, part of a week of events commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the third world Liberation Front (twLF) strikes, featured a variety of radical performances.

In 1969, the third world Liberation Front (twLF) was formed by students of color at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and UC Berkeley to demand that classrooms teach about the struggles of third world peoples through the formation of a Third World College. Out of this movement came Ethnic Studies as a college (at SFSU) and as a department at UC Berkeley. Read More

Thousands of students and workers from around the city gathered on March 5 to protest the budget proposed to the NY State Assembly. This includes a 3.3 percent, or $698 million, funding cut for public education. Hundreds of Hunter College students, staff and faculty elected to walk out of class to protest outside of Hunter. They then join the rally down by Borough of Manhattan Community College and finally marched to the main rally at City Hall.

Around 50 people from Houston, Austin, College Station, Georgetown, Hutto and Taylor came to the T Don Hutto "Residential Center" to support the call put out by Students for a Democratic Society of UH to protest the detention of immigrant children and women for the profits of the Tennessee based Corrections Corporation of America. Participating Groups (that we were aware of) included; Houston SDS, Houston Anti-Racist Action, Grassroots Leadership, LULAC, Brazos Valley Coalition Against War, Austin Labor Defense Project, Texans United for Families, Rice for Peace and the fearless A Scouts!

Folks that came to the rally decorated the driveway with chalk, chanted, held signs and banners, spoke to the rally and marched from the North (front) side of the facility to the east side, where we could see the playground behind the prison walls. The event had high amounts of energy from young and old participants, and folks left feeling like the event was a success, and many (re)committed to continuing the struggle to end the incarceration of children and Shut Hutto Down! [read full article with photos]
Houston Press Hairballs Coverage

Efforts from teachers, students, activists, and concerned citizens, have continued in the February struggle to save some 20 schools from phase-out, closure, and consolidation under the city's controversial "Renaissance 2010" plan.

Activist efforts have succeeded in saving six schools from impending closure, but efforts on behalf of the remaining schools have continued unabated. They have included a campout, a public rally and protest, and continuing outreach.

Recent Chicago Indymedia features: Plans To Gut Chicago Public Schools Draws Scores to Protest

Additional Resources: The Caucus of Rank and File Educators | 2009 CPS Hearings | Substance News