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Indybay Feature

San Francisco's Lowell High School Rallies and Walks Out Against the War-Pictures

by Mara Kubrin
Lowell High School's Revolution Youth Club organized a rally and walk-out on February 15 demanding that Congress use its "power of the purse" to cut all war funds and bring the troops home now.
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§lowell priciple amy hansen
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§daniel johengen speaking
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§eucalyptus drive
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§meeting SFSU students at the recruitment center at Stonestown
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PLEASE FORWARD OUT WIDELY!

On February 15, 2007, over 700 students walked out of their classes
at Lowell High, the oldest and largest public high school in San
Francisco. Students and teachers spoke at an impassioned mass anti-
war speakout in the school’s courtyard. Spirits were high and
resistance was in the air.

Senior Gordo Johengen from Revolution Youth -- the student group that
organized the protest on one day’s notice -- led the crowd in a chant
of “Cut the Funds!” A teacher whose son is serving in Iraq denounced
the war, as well as the Democratic Party’s refusal, to call for
cutting the war funds.

Due to the extremely high energy of the crowd, a spontaneous student
march was called. Despite a heavy police presence, over 100 students
took to the city streets and marched for over an hour. A student petition
to Nancy Pelosi, demanding that she cut all the war funding and bring
the troops home immediately, was circulated and will be presented to
her office at a city-wide rally at the Federal Building on February
22 at 4:30.

This was the first protest for many of these students – but judging
from today’s extraordinary energy, it won’t be the last.

For more information, contact Revolution Youth at
revolutionyouthsf [at] gmail.com and 415 646 6469.

Check out http://www.indybay.org for photos and videos.
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Revolution Youth
Check out the link!
by Vietnam war protester
It is heartening to see the young people at Lowell High take the bold stand of opposing the war and actually doing something about it. This movement needs to grow rapidly across the country, and together with the older protesters we can succeed.
It is the workingclass who are the most harassed by the military, but of all the schools where there was any kind of planned rally, only the elite Lowell High School had a rally. Lowell High School has an academic entrance exam and thus is the only public high school in San Francisco that can be safely called an adequate high school because it is treated as a college prepatory academy. It is in effect a private school within our public school system, receiving all the education money. The school board should abolish the entrance exam to Lowell and spread the money around to all the schools. The racism inherent in this private school setup in our public school system is obvious.

As to walking out of school, that is not what any peace movement is about. We support education and the students should demand better education for all public school students, especially for the workingclass students who fill the public school system. That would be really turning swords into plowshares.

As to stopping any war, I certainly clearly remember how the Vietnam War ended: The Vietnamese people, aided with arms from the socialist world, defeated the US military, the mightiest imperial gang of thugs the world had ever seen since Nazi Germany on April 30, 1975. Our massive protests, including making every college a center of protest after 1968, did succeed in ending the draft in 1973, and that is when most of the protests ended. No protest movement can end a war. Wars are ended either when there is a victory, as we saw in Vietnam, or when labor is strong enough to declare a general strike to bring down the government perpetrating the war, as happened in Germany during World War 1, causing the Kaiser to flee the country to Holland, and allowing Russia to carry out the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Wars also end when people stop fighting them, and that is why it is important to (a) demand that all schools receive the same education funds and offer the same advanced placement courses as exist at Lowell and (b) organize the workingclass students to oppose the military and never join the military.
by Lowell HS student
In reality, "700 students" is a blatant lie. That was Lowell's "MOD 13", and nearly everybody that that period off for one reason for another. Just a clarification. Let's not be drama queens.
by mark from lowell high
i think there were definately at least 700 students, maybe more. it was packed! people were so into it, it was great. all my friends from other schools heard about the protest and are pumped. hopefully other schools will be inspired to hold similar actions... what do you all think? what about a city or state-wide student strike against the war? when could work?
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