High School Walkouts across California: Oakland report

High School Walkouts across California
(don’t tell me people don’t want to fight!)

As we rolled up on Fremont High School about 40 students were picketing each of three entrances. As they merged to march off, their yelling and laughing and energy grew louder. Dozens of picket signs amplified their message: Schools not jails! Don’t cut my teachers! Don’t cut drama and music! And a few signs with creative expletives!

Across the road the adult education teachers and students, about 60 of them,
gathered to join the main contingent from Fremont High. This group was quieter, overwhelmingly women studying English as a second language and with lots of small kids in tow.

Close to 150-strong, we began marching through Oakland’s Fruitvale district, with its mostly Latino working class neighborhoods. It was once we hit the streets that it became evident how popular this fight is. The march was continuously encouraged by the non-stop honking of passing cars. Residents came onto their porches beaming big smiles. One old Asian man grabbed an arm of a protester to tell her, “this is a good thing, this is good.” I noticed two homeless guys with their lives in shopping carts, smiling and nodding their heads to give their endorsement. Every single City of Oakland truck that passed us, maybe a dozen or so, honked their horns long and hard. Young guys that drove by with music pumping slowed down and honked and gave off peace signs. It was a celebration and a holiday to see young people putting a fight up for anything. And today was for education.

This was the fastest paced demonstration I’ve ever been on. Eventually the raucus high schoolers left the Adult Ed students behind. We passed a big Tire replacement shop, where the workers downed tools to watch what all the commotion was. Youth after youth chanted Si Se Puede! And Money for Jobs and Education, not War and Incarceration. Another popular chant was “Black, brown, Asian, white: students, workers, lets unite.” This was significant voice for unity, as there was possibly not a single white student on the march.

A little after 10am we came up on Life Academy High School the next nearest public high school. As we chanted and yelled outside, I wondered why the Fremont students were not going in to appeal to the Life students to walkout. Then a young lady on the bullhorn said, “3 minutes to Recess! 3 minutes to Recess!”

This was perhaps the most emotive moment of the morning. The bell struck and there was nothing just 150 Fremonters outside the huge school wire fenced gate. Chanting and screaming – a slight majority of the protesters were young women who, given the call, would all scream as loud as possible. This, I imagine would scare the shit out of any enemy!! It was something else.

Then the tension broke as a huge crowd of Life students came out to recess behind a massive banner, “Tax the Rich!” Somewhere up to 200 students crossed the schoolyard and as the huge school gates were opened, there was a huge wall of noise as the two contingents merged.

And without missing a beat the demonstration was back off to its destination of Fruitvale station to hook up with the other marchers. We passed the Tire shop again and the workers looked shocked and excited that the march had doubled its size in a short few minutes. And this was just two of Oakland's many high schools.

What resonates with me is the huge community support for this strike. There were miles and miles of smiles and supportive gestures. People have had enough. They want to do more than just complain. As one teacher told me, “our future is decided, this is about the future for young people!”