Sunday, October 16, 2011

Monday, October 17th - Anti-Privatization Action & Support for Puerto Rico Teachers at NYC Department Education

Protest Arne Duncan visit to privatize schools in Puerto Rico

I met Angel Gonzalez through his work with the FMPR (Puerto Rico) support group when he came to ICE for support. He told me when he retired he would join me - sure I thought, I've heard THAT one before. But true to his word, he did. We teamed up to help form what turned into GEM in Jan. 2009. For me, Angel brought a level of activism I had not known before - ICE seemed much more a group into educating while GEM has been touching the other 2 pillars - organize and mobilize - and it has been a great partnership for 2 retirees.

Angel is great friends with the union president Rafael Feliciano, who had the guts to pull the 40,000 teachers out of the AFT in 2003 and Raffie has been a great friend of GEM.

Unfortunately, tomorrow is our annual family birthday outing with our young cousins to Peter Lugers so I will not make the event. I hope some of you, especially if you are checking out OWS, get on over there to support the struggle in PR.

P R E S S  A D V I S O R Y

FMPR Support Committee – NY

Contacts:  Angel Gonzalez (718) 601-4901                        Frank Velgara  (718) 601-4751

CHARTER SCHOOL OPPONENTS JOIN SUPPORTERS OF PUERTO RICO’S TEACHERS’ UNION TO BRING ANTI-PRIVATIZATION MESSAGE TO BLOOMBERS’ EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Manhattan, NYC – On Monday afternoon, October 17th , teachers, labor, religous, community activists and Occupy Wall Street supporters will be at Mayor Bloombergs’ NYC Education Department in response  to the call for support by  the Teachers’ Union of Puerto Rico (FMPR) against charter schools and Privatization of the public schools system.

The FMPR is protesting the visit to Puerto Rico of U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, to attend an “Education Summit” from October 17-18.   This visit by the education tzar of the Obama Administration was convened to increase support for the federal No Child Left Behind policies that have promoted thousands of layoffs, school closings and school privatization with charter schools in Puerto Rico and throughout the United States.

The Teachers’ Union of Puerto Rico (FMPR) has been the target of intense repression by the Puerto Rican government, including police brutality, the illegal elimination of dues deduction by the union and the revocation for life of the leaves of absence from work without pay for teachers.

The Monday demonstration will also denounce the anti-democratic privatization policies at the federal, state and city level that continue to cripple public school education for the children of working famlies and the assault on the rights of teachers and other school employees in New York City.  This protest is part of ongoing campaigns and actions by anti-charter privatization groups throughout the U.S. and by NYC based education, community and labor activists.

WHEN:           MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

WHERE:         NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
                     52 Chambers Street @ Broadway y Centre Street, Manhattan

TIME:            5:00 P.M.

CONTACT:     FMPRSUPPORTNY@HOTMAIL.COM

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