Activists Turn the Tables at Chicago Closing School Hearing

Below is a great report via Mike Klonsky of how Mayor Rahmbo "hired" 200 people to control a closing school hearing. But they turned around and began to support the 200 activists opposing the closing of the school.

Report from hearing on the closing of Crane High School

Hearing on Chicago school closing. (M. Ritter)

Unreal event tonight.

Donald Fraynd was the MC and Jesse Ruiz of the Board was present. Around 200 rental protesters were bused in [by the mayor's people]. They didn't know why they were there but all said they got paid. Around 200 Crane supporters: community allies, students, alums, staff, etc. 

Crane Coalition prepared a Power Point presentation -- but were told we could not present it... so after the initial Board presentation 10-15 Crane presenters engaged in civil disobedience and stood at the mike, made a statement about presenting the power point and stood silent. This was extremely effective as our crew and even the rental protesters began to shout together: Show the power point!!! This went speaker after speaker for 20-30 minutes. Jesse Ruiz and CPS didn't know what to do. Finally they relented and let us show our stuff that refuted tons of CPS data. The place erupted as we began to win the hearts and minds of the bused in folks. CPS looked confused and worried.

It gets better: At that point the public officials walk in together. Sen. Annazette Collins, Alderman Burnett, Congressman Davis, Fmr Alderman Ed Smith, and Alderman Fioretti (wearing a Crane Varsity Letterman's Jacket - the place goes nuts for this). They speak one by one stating their position supporting Crane staying open and opposed to phase out!

They tell CPS - listen to the people. Congressman Davis was more on the neutral side but he said his job was to listen to the people and he said the people were demanding Crane to stay open. The bussed in people are either silent or on our side. A good number of current and former students, parents and community reps speak.

After that person after person tell CPS - "Don't phase out Crane." 8 p.m.comes and CPS high tails it outta there. Round 1 victory.

Martin (Marty) L. Ritter

That is why we need increasing bodies of people to create a force of opposition (I'm about to head over to 60 Wall St. for the Occupy DOE meeting at 2PM). ODOE is one of our hopes here in NYC because unlike Chicago, we have to do it with tenuous and hesitant support from the UFT leadership, which will dip its toe in the water -- get buses, etc.- but put in little political capital and boots on the ground.

Note this comment I cut from an email -

The militancy this year is at a much higher level and there is a powerful partnership between the Chicago Teachers Union and parent groups not seen elsewhere in the US (or in Chicago). ---anonymous report from Chicago

The action in Chicago after 16 years of ed deform/mayoral control has excited people here in NYC. Could it happen here? Maybe. But the crucial difference between Chicago and here is the approach of the teachers union. Chicago has a reform/progressive/social justice oriented recently elected group (CORE) running the union. In NYC we have a 50 year-old one party (Unity Caucus) dominated union which controls every single seat on the UFT Executive Board and has the power to pack every Delegate Assembly to control the vote - and will do so again at the Jan. 18 DA to push through a constitutional amendment that will increase the power of retirees to control the fate of the union.

Think: could we see a day where the UFT/Unity leadership would support an occupation of Bloomberg's office? (Chicago Parents Hold Day 2 of Sit-in at Mayor Emanuel's Office)

So for those hoping for a Chicago hope, I say "Nope" - not until there is a significant movement for democratization and change in the UFT.

Substance reports:

We Are The People Who Will Save Our Schools is a new YouTube video produced by Labor Beat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFAOJsBxAxY 

This video begins with Professor of Education Pauline Lipman (University of Illinois-Chicago) briefly recapping the plans hatched a decade ago in Chicago to replace public schools with private charter schools. Then Chicago Public Schools head Arne Duncan implemented those plans (Renaissance 2010) so obediently that President Obama picked him to do the same thing to every school system in the country.


So Chicago's growing uprising against these deepening attacks against public education has national importance. Here is a battalion of voices from the communities and the teachers union, all exposing the constantly changing, Kafkaesque rules for evaluating school turn-arounds and closings. The counter-attack from the working people in the city is energized and spreading, and is on a collision course with the 1% who want to take away their children's futures. Includes comments from Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, teachers and parents from targeted school communities. Length - 24:40.

Check out this article by one of my Chicago pals who is working for the union:
Where is the debate? Kenzo Shibata challenges corporate schools reformers on Huffington Post

A more general report on Chicago from an email:

Chicago education struggles are back in the news -- on a higher level. CPS proposes to close or hand over to a corporate turnaround group 19 neighborhood schools in African American and Latino communities. The struggle against school closings this year is more fierce and more political and is invoking the spirit of the civil rights movement. At this moment parents and teachers and community members from the Bronzeville area are in their 3rd day of a sit-in/occupation at the mayor's office.

In Dec. teachers, members of the CTU, parents, and supporters including occupy Chicago slept out in front of the school bd all nite (it was raining and cold) and then packed the school bd meeting, took it over with a mic check, and shut down the meeting. Videos of that meeting went viral nationally. See below.

This is a big story because Chicago is the model for Duncan's national agenda of closing neighborhood schools and opening charters or turning neighborhood schools over to private operator "turn-around specialists." The militancy this year is at a much higher level and there is a powerful partnership between the Chicago Teachers Union and parent groups not seen elsewhere in the US (or in Chicago).

The most organized group is the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization which has brought a real civil rights flavor to this movement. they are leading the occupation at the mayor's office. Their community has born the effects of school closings and disinvestment since 2004. They developed a plan with teachers and parents and academic experts over the last 18 months to transform their schools. Instead of considering this plan, CPS announced that they would close 3 of the schools. KOCO has requested multiple meetings with the mayor to discuss their plan but has been totally ignored.

I also want to remind you that the mayor appoints Chicago's BD of Ed which is dominated by corporate CEOs and finance capitalists (the President was the CEO of the Chicago BD of Trade) -- summary of BD attached.

Below are links to video's and media accounts to give you a sense of what is happening. There is going to be a showdown around this and I hope DM can cover it. It will make a difference not only in Chicago but to the education movement nationally.

labor beat  24 minute video Shut Down at Board Meeting Dec. 14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAiDwPf7G8E

Dec. 13 Save our Schools Rally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbRKZk-yYw0&feature=youtu.be

Mic check shuts down School Bd. Mtg Dec. 14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoIsdXkVzVg

Stop the Hit list!  Teach in at King HS, Dec. 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPyiW-XQfQc

Checkout good print media, and there is much TV footage on the web:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/9440216-418/protesters-take-over-chicago-school-board-meeting.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-crowds-gather-to-protest-cps-school-closures-and-turnaround-projects-20111214,0,10496.story

Protesters disrupt Chicago Board of Education meeting
http://www.wbez.org/story/protesters-disrupt-chicago-board-education-meeting-94896

For more info: contact Jitu Brown or Jay Travis at the Kenwood Oakland
Community Organization  jitubrown@yahoo.com  jhatayn@yahoo.com
 

And  one more from NYC based activist/videomaker Jaisal Noor on a piece he did for Democracy Now in Chicago in the fall 2010 http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/21/chicago_parents_occupy_elementary_school_building
 
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