Beyond March 4
Ryan Villarreal
Issue date: 3/18/10 Last update: 3/18/10 at 1:17 AM PST
Section: March 4 Demonstrations
Following the March 4 "Day of Action' which saw mass statewide protests in support of California public education, many are wondering what will come next.
Most organizing groups see this as a time to continue networking with other groups, getting more people involved in the organizing process and educating them about the issues regarding public education.
The NoEdCuts and No-Cuts Peralta coalitions are continuing to hold meetings at Berkeley City College and Laney College. NoEdCuts recently held a meeting at BCC, where the possibility of a mass rally in Sacramento was discussed for the fall.
'This needs to be unprecedented," said Chabot College instructor and NoEdCuts organizer Kip Waldo. "We have the energy and momentum to build toward 100,000 people."
No-Cuts Peralta is planning to hold a meeting March 19 in the Laney cafeteria at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Student Senate of California Community Colleges (SSCCC), a community college student-led governing body that represents California's 110 community colleges at the state level, has been organizing with the California State Student Association (CSSA)-their counterpart in the California State University system-for a protest march and rally to held March 22 in Sacramento.
The day of protest has been dubbed the "March in March: Invest in Education" by the SSCCC, and was decided upon back in November 2009.
"We're hoping to draw around 10,000 people," said SSCCC President Reid Milburn.
Students from community colleges and across the state are expected to arrive in Sacramento, where people will gather in Raley Field before 10 a.m. at which point they will march one mile to the state capitol building for an 11 a.m. rally, and a period in the afternoon when protesters will be encouraged to contact their state representatives.
Governor Schwarzenegger has been asked to speak, but has not yet responded.
Associated Students of Laney College (ASLC) senator Leonard Hutton has been signing up Laney students for free seats on buses headed to Sacramento for the protest. Other Peralta colleges are making similar arrangements.
"I'm going to keep signing people up until they're all filled," said Hutton. "SEIU (Service Employees International Union) has two buses as well, so we'll be able to handle any overflow."
Regarding immediate and concrete goals, many organizers are petitioning to get the California Democracy Act (CDA) on the November ballot and must gather 1.3 million signatures by April 5. The CDA would remove the two-thirds majority voting system from the state legislature, which is viewed by critics as preventing substantive education reform.
Most organizing groups see this as a time to continue networking with other groups, getting more people involved in the organizing process and educating them about the issues regarding public education.
The NoEdCuts and No-Cuts Peralta coalitions are continuing to hold meetings at Berkeley City College and Laney College. NoEdCuts recently held a meeting at BCC, where the possibility of a mass rally in Sacramento was discussed for the fall.
'This needs to be unprecedented," said Chabot College instructor and NoEdCuts organizer Kip Waldo. "We have the energy and momentum to build toward 100,000 people."
No-Cuts Peralta is planning to hold a meeting March 19 in the Laney cafeteria at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Student Senate of California Community Colleges (SSCCC), a community college student-led governing body that represents California's 110 community colleges at the state level, has been organizing with the California State Student Association (CSSA)-their counterpart in the California State University system-for a protest march and rally to held March 22 in Sacramento.
The day of protest has been dubbed the "March in March: Invest in Education" by the SSCCC, and was decided upon back in November 2009.
"We're hoping to draw around 10,000 people," said SSCCC President Reid Milburn.
Students from community colleges and across the state are expected to arrive in Sacramento, where people will gather in Raley Field before 10 a.m. at which point they will march one mile to the state capitol building for an 11 a.m. rally, and a period in the afternoon when protesters will be encouraged to contact their state representatives.
Governor Schwarzenegger has been asked to speak, but has not yet responded.
Associated Students of Laney College (ASLC) senator Leonard Hutton has been signing up Laney students for free seats on buses headed to Sacramento for the protest. Other Peralta colleges are making similar arrangements.
"I'm going to keep signing people up until they're all filled," said Hutton. "SEIU (Service Employees International Union) has two buses as well, so we'll be able to handle any overflow."
Regarding immediate and concrete goals, many organizers are petitioning to get the California Democracy Act (CDA) on the November ballot and must gather 1.3 million signatures by April 5. The CDA would remove the two-thirds majority voting system from the state legislature, which is viewed by critics as preventing substantive education reform.
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