City college demonstrators demand education funding

By Greg Zeman
The Guardsman

After months of organizing and preparation, the united students, faculty and staff of the City College General Assembly joined with thousands of Californians who took to the streets on March 4 to speak with one voice and demand free access to education.

GA organizer and City College pre-nursing student Gemma Mirkinson used a megaphone to notify students of the noon rally at Ram Amphitheater.

“It’s up to us as students to demand our education. Sacramento is not giving it to us, the federal government has decided to bail out Wall Street — rather than people on Main Street, rather than people in the schools,” Mirkinson said. “We are spending trillions of dollars on wars, and in California’s budget, ten percent goes to prisons and five percent goes to schools. What does that say? That California is more interested in sending our children to prison than educating them.”

She said California’s struggle was just one piece of a national issue.

“As we speak, K through 12 students, from ages 5-years old to 18, are walking out of their campuses,” Mirkinson said. “All over the state, all over the country, it’s happening. My brother just called me from New York and said all the schools are shut down. Brooklyn College, Hunter, NYU — it’s awesome.”

Chancellor Don Griffin indicated his full support of the March 4 Strike and Day of Action, saying his office and the student movement are “united in terms of demanding a better funding structure for colleges.”

“We need March 4 because we have to have strong advocacy for the community colleges, and the strongest group that can advocate is of course the students,” he said.

At roughly 11 a.m., City College Associated Students Senator “Diamond” Dave Whitaker, 72, kicked off the unified day of action with a parade, leading a 12-piece, brass band from Ram Plaza on a march around the campus to spread the word about the rally.

“I hope everyone has a good time, gets into it and realizes what’s going on.” Whitaker said with a smile. “We’re going to change the shape of the world!”

As the small, pre-rally march reached the Cloud-Science Mall, the group stopped to encourage students to attend the rally while the band played a refrain of “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley.

“Walk out today to have class tomorrow,” said student Andrew Todd.
Approximately 300 students were gathered at Ram Amphitheater for the start of the rally. Some participated in drum circles, some sat on the steps and others just enjoyed the free spaghetti meal provided by the GA.

Michael Brandt, GA organizer and member of City College Veterans Alliance said this was a crucial part of the rally.

“This is a feast. We’re trying to give everyone energy to rally, energy to speak and do whatever they want to do,” Brandt said.

He said the GA gathered the food the previous week from farmers’ markets and donations, including one Whitaker secured from Food Not Bombs.

Abel Mejia, a City College political science student and member of Students United for Power, stressed the need for community college students to embrace the fight for education.

“With the recent wave of occupations at the UCs, they’re challenging the power relations between students and the people who have control over the budget,” he said. “But the CSUs and UCs can do all they want, all these occupations, but as long as the CCs aren’t in the struggle, the student movement isn’t going nowhere.”

The crowd, which grew to approximately 450 by 1:45 p.m., marched back to the Cloud-Science Mall after the speak-outs and entered Cloud Hall, moving loudly through the hallway chanting and encouraging students to walk out of class.

The crowd slowed their march when they entered the Science Building and screamed, “Walkout!” into classrooms.

Some faculty held up their fists and encouraged the marching students while others slammed their doors.

It was widely known that the group had planned to enter BART at Balboa Park Station, with or without paying the fare, and organizers received word that the police were waiting for them there.

The marchers moved through the Rosenberg Library and onto Circular Avenue in an attempt to bypass the police by using Glen Park Station as their entry point.

There were roughly 30 police officers waiting at Glen Park Station. Students demanded entrance and passage on BART free of charge, chanting, “BART and MUNI should be free.”

GA organizer Xochitl Moreno handed a megaphone to Dean of Student Affairs Rodney Santos and asked him to explain to police why some City College students couldn’t afford the BART fare.

Santos volunteered to pay for students who couldn’t afford the fare out of his own pocket, and all of the marchers then entered the station.

“That’s chopping from the top,” Santos said.

The group rallied and chanted all the way to Mission and 24th on what Whitaker dubbed the “Freedom Train.”

When marchers finally stepped into the light at Mission and 24th streets, they were greeted by nearly 2,000 students, teachers and supporters already flooding the streets and completely blocking the intersection. The sound of drums and hopeful slogans echoed through the Mission as the massive crowd headed for Civic Center Plaza.

At 20th and Mission streets, about 100 students from Lincoln High School joined the crowd, and marchers with bullhorns and banners poured out from doorways on every block. Small children ran out with handmade signs to join the protest.

By the time the marchers reached Civic Center Plaza, their numbers had grown to more than 3,000 —less than half of the approximately 10,000 Californians who filled the plaza and covered the steps of City Hall.