Exclusive Video of CEJ Rally and Civil Disobedience at Tweed

A rally of mostly NYC students near City Hall in NYC focused on the forced closing of schools as part of the drive to privatize by short-changing these schools of resources. Over 20 people blocked Chambers Street near the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge and were arrested. Students began a march to the precinct but on the way they were told the police to avoid the march were taking the arrested to another precinct. The event was organized by the Coalition for Educational Justice, consisting of community based organizations.

We have heard for weeks that this rally called by CEJ (Coalition for Educational Justice) would ramp up the protests into civil disobedience. Originally scheduled for last Weds, the day before the Stop School Closing Rally but postponed by the snow it was held on Monday, Jan. 31.

Why two rallies? Complex, but the simple answer is two different messages and approaches between GEM and CEJ but we are communicating and supporting some efforts. We are mostly teachers and they are mostly parents and students and one day soon the train shall meet.

Joel Klein called the misnamed "achievement gap" the "civil rights issue of our time." His and the other ed deformer strategy of forcing the closure of many inner city schools to make way for favored privately controlled charters is the real civil rights issue of the time, as this video shows with students and parents declaring that their schools have been purposely set up for failure so justification can be found to shut them down and turn the valuable real estate their buildings represent over to charters.

Here is 14 minutes of edited video I shot: the rally, excerpts from speakers, the push into Chambers St., the arrests and the follow-up march to the police station. Fabulous stuff from a great bunch of students who did us all proud.

http://vimeo.com/19443862


Here is Lindsey Christ's story on (NY1)

Also check out this amazingly supportive piece from Gabe:
Gabe Pressman Supports Teacher Experience

Follow-Up

Dear Followers,
Lots to report on the Cathie Black situation with online petitions opposing the waiver she needs springing up and agitation over what to do about it. I'm only going to focus on one aspect in this post, starting here:

Hi SOS,
Many of you may have seen my quote in the Wall Street Journal this morning. I wanted to let you know that what I said was not accurately reported, a lot of context was left out. Second, I was not in any way speaking for S.O.S. I apologize if the article gave that impression. I respect this campaign and
mission too much to put it in jeopardy.

Sincerely,
Zakiyah 

Our buddies at CAPE (Concerned Advocates for Public Education) responded with:

Doubt It!

 In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, a member of the organization Save Our Schools is quoted in reference to  Cathleen Black, the mayor's choice to replace Joel Klein as school chancellor this January.  It seems her discussion with the reporter was not accurately reported and much of the context left out.  CAPE  supports the work of Save Our Schools (SOS), most importantly the fight against high-stakes testing.   However, we do not agree to give Ms. Black "the benefit of the doubt." The members of CAPE reject Cathleen Black as a valid or even reasonable choice for our new chancellor and in no way see her as an ally.  We have no illusions that the appointment of someone with zero experience or credentials in education is anything but another step in an agenda to undermine public education.  We demand a qualified chancellor with a record of service to public education that can be publically judged. The law requires it. And our children deserve it.
http://capeducation.blogspot.com/

Commentary
The reaction to the Wall Street Journal report that some standard opponents to BloomKlein were will to give the Cathie Black appointment a chance resulted in more than a bit of a reaction with other members of the SOS (Save Our Schools) coalition responding with some initial chagrin. People were real happy that Zikiyah Nasari assured them she was misquoted - gee, the WSJ shading a story?

Our report on CEJ, one of the leaders of the SOS coalition which includes GEM and CAPE yesterday (How far will CEJ bend?) also led to some phone calls and emails, one accusing me of helping BloomKlein by making it look like the opposition was divided.

SIDE NOTE: There's always a fine line between trying to be an activist/organizer and a semi-journalist and because I have access to lots of info I try - and not always successfully - to hold back certain things when necessary even though I am an advocate of the maximum openness possibly since the free flow of info is crucial to informing people of the full context of what is going on. On the CEJ issue, I have exercised a lot of restraint due to the respect I have for many of the people involved I have met, including Zakiyah.

Since Save Our Schools is a coalition, many of the partners had some consternation over Zakiyah Nasari's quote in the WSJ, even some outrageous charges about CEJ. Always suspicious by anything in the Journal, especially if it's written by Barbara Martinez on education - almost every article has an ideological bias - I did raise the point that this might be an intentional misquote in order to give the impression there was division in the opposition to the Black appointment in my piece yesterday. But I also was worried that CEJ might jump at a chance to get some of their program into play if an offer was made. I posted this the NYCEdNew listserve:

Some of these divisions have a historical context.
I wonder if some of the "jump to conclusions" issues emanate from the St. Vartas Church rally/protest (Feb. 28, 2007- the day Martine Guerrier was appointed to her new position)  aftermath where a May 1 rally that would have been a major event was undercut by a deal offered by BloomKlein. CEJ amongst others joined the UFT in making this deal.

Many warned that they would never adhere to what they agreed to. There is always danger in an offer by dishonest people who want to undercut any movement that is developing. I think some people may be concerned that if such an offer agreeing to parts or all of the platform is offered (always I believe with bad intent) as a way of undercutting resistance to the Black candidacy some might find it hard to refuse. These are standard bait and switch techniques we have seen used in the UFT (which led the deal with BloomKlein in 2007). I have felt that the May 1, 2007  proposed demo could have been a huge defeat for mayoral control and may have forced people to take a closer look before it was renewed and may in fact have scuttled Bloomberg's 3rd term. So my instant reaction was that Bloomberg would go back to the well and the WsJ article might be message of sorts with the quote being misused as an opening or just to divide people.

The UFT -which we know didn't really want to hold that rally (you could argue that without them it would have been scuttled anyway) could not have  made that deal alone unless other groups signed on. So this is not a black and white issue and is worth some closer examination - if anyone ever does a history of the last Bloomberg ed control years it could read like a novel. If anyone wants to take up the challenge I have almost 15 years of Ed Notes archives chronicling the Randi/Bloomberg years available.

A note: I was called by the editorial page of the WsJ and interviewed on Sept 24 when we held that rally. The questions were so tainted and loaded with intent that I had to be very careful with what I was saying and indeed worried later that I had mispoken in some way. While I speak to most reporters I'm not sure I would ever talk to the WsJ without saying everything is off the record.

 HEADING OVER TO TEACHERS UNITE/CORE MEEETING NOW. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

How far will CEJ bend?

Last Update: Nov. 12, 12:30PM

That's the "Coalition for Educational Justice" for those not aware. CEJ is the group that got good vibes for leading the rally that closed down the Aug. 16 PEP meeting. (I'm in too much of a hurry to get you the links but you can find it by searching this blog's archives.) Now I'm getting bad CEJ vibes when I read this in the WSJ:

Cathie Black isn't expected to take the helm of the country's largest school system until next month, but the battle lines are already forming.

Ms. Black is garnering some leeway from critics of her predecessor even as she faces resistance from other key stakeholders in the city's sprawling educational bureaucracy.

Zakiyah Nasari, a parent and member of the organization Save Our Schools, says she is giving Ms. Black, the head of Hearst Magazines, the benefit of the doubt. The group—which has adamantly opposed many of the initiatives of Ms. Black's predecessor, Joel Klein—wants the Department of Education to roll back the use of state tests in school report cards and do more to help those students deemed not proficient, issues that the teachers union agrees with.

Ms. Nasari's organization, a coalition of community groups that has also fought school closures, was created after new state test scores showed that only 42% of city children are proficient in English and 54% proficient in math.

"We hope Ms. Black will be an ally to move forward and really open a dialogue and include us as key stakeholders in decisions," Ms. Nasari said. 

So, will CEJ join the growing "Stop Cathie from getting a waiver movement?" I'm doing an over under on that one. Though it is Rupert's WSJ and they have an interest in highlighting possible support for Black. Is this an attempt to create splits in the opposition to Black. Will CEJ jump?

Luis Reyes wrote to the listserve:

As a member of the SOS coalition, I know I was never asked, though the article implies that she speaks for the whole coalition. It also spells her name wrong, consistently.

NOTE: CEJ jumped back in April 2007 after the St. Vitas church outpouring of hatred toward BloomKlein (look it up in the Find box) - the only time BK blinked - but in essence CEJ and others led by Randi Sellout led them away from militant action, which after all is what the UFT does. People tell me the UFT funnels money to CEJ, a subsidiary of the Annenberg Inst. I can probably find out but I'll leave that to journalists. Muckrakers can just be lazy.

Hmmm. BloomBlack - BB or BlackBloom - BB or as one retiree emailed me "leaving the kids, teachers and schools Black and Bloom after they're gone."

CEJ Front and Center

"The NYC Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ) is organizing a parent-led movement for educational equity and excellence in the city’s public schools. We are a citywide collaborative of community-based organizations and unions whose members are parents, community residents and teachers. Together, we are fighting to ensure that every child in NYC receives a quality and well-rounded education."
 
Few news reports on the closing down of the PEP meeting for the first time in history gave credit to the
Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ) for being the force behind the organizing effort that brought out over 100 parents and community activists to the meeting. (See my videos here and here and -----one more uploading later).

Monday night's events are a strong sign of CEJ's recent activity where they seem to be trying to take the lead in forming a broader citywide parent coalition than exists within CEJ (already a coalition of groups - see About us).

Love 'em or hate 'em

The more I talk to people about CEJ the more contradictory reports I get. One of my best ICE/GEM pals works with them and has a lot of praise for the work they do. Other activists out there are not so sanguine. I have had little contact with them so I don't know much.

They are backed by the Annenberg Institute or some offshoot. That means some funding and other organizational support. Meetings are held at their headquarters. I don't know the exact relationships. My friend tells me they have brought together some fantastic parent activists from various boroughs. People really rooted in their communities.

CEJ developed a relationship to the UFT. The ed deformers try to paint them - as they do any actions against them - as tools of the UFT. I don't know exactly how deep this goes. If someone checks a recent LM-2 they might find some UFT funding. I haven't had time. I commented in my reports of the PEP meeting that the UFT seemed to have zero presence. Does that mean that had no behind the scenes role? Don't know. The kind of militancy exhibited seems so far from where the UFT has been.

St. Vartas Church 2007 event recalled
There is some distrust of CEJ due to the famous deal they and the UFT made with Tweed in April 2007 that seemed to kill what looked like a major opposition forming against BloomKlein as a result of the St. Vartas Church meeting of Feb. 28, 2007 where a call went out for a massive May 1 demo against Tweed. Many feel that if that rally had taken place politicians wouldn't have been so willing to go along with the renewal fo mayoral control two years later.

It was clear that the move to kill May 1 was led by Randi and the UFT - see, they don't only sell out teachers. But CEJ took some hits from other Tweed resisters who wanted more militancy.

St. Vartas Retrospective
Leonie introduced me to Diane Ravitch February night - I filmed a brief interview with Diane but the noise was deafening - and to Patrick Sullivan (who I only knew from the blogosphere). I had been bugging Leonie to start blogging and she happily informed me Patrick was going to get it going. The wonderful NYC Parent blog was the result.

I filmed part of that amazing event and put some up on you tube.

NYC City Councilman Robert Jackson at Feb. 28 Rally

Tim Johnson Critique of BloomKlein Reorganization Scheme

I never really wrote it up in a way that would give us a useful historical perspective from my point of view. But one of Leonie's first posts on the new blog was an excellent summary:

Rally to Put the Public Back into Public Education

Here are a few of my posts in the aftermath of the deal in April 2007 - which many characterized as a sell-out.

Say It Ain't So Martine
Deal Announced on Reorganization: Did BloomKlein Blink?
A unique opportunity has been missed


Has CEJ taken a lesson from the St.Vartas/May 1 events?

It certainly seems like they have. Remember that in March 2007 BloomKlein were reeling and were willing to deal. So CEJ got something out of it. But over the last few years Tweed has turned deaf ears to them. So they have begun to ramp up their activities.

Yesterday (Tuesday, Aug. 17) they held a meeting where many politicians showed up, including major future mayoral candidates Bill DiBlasio and John Liu.

I didn't attend but reports are filtering in, both pro and con. DiBlasio seemed to turn people off with his "let's not look back and play the blame game - we have to look forward" position. Sure, Bill, tell that to Tweed who play the blame game every minute of the day - as long as they are not the ones being blamed.

Brooklyn Assemblyman Hakim Jeffries was the one who really seemed to galvanize the crowd with a much more militant stance. He wants Tweed to be held accountable (the Assembly will be holding hearings) and put forth a "those who live by the accountability sword should die by the accountability sword."

There were lots of others there, including Carol Gerstl from the UFT. She was/is Randi's counsel at the UFT - in essence she holds/held - who knows what's going on there - the same position Randi was hired for when she came to the UFT. One of our Unity moles claim she is Randi's eyes and ears and reporting back on Mulgrew and his crew. Was her presence there as an observer or as the UFT point person?

Is CEJ organizing for the long term or angling for another deal with Tweed?

Ahhh. That is the question of the day. We do know that if the UFT is involved deeply they don't want any militancy and will go for any crumb Tweed puts on the table - a knish would suffice.

So, yes, there is some suspicion out there about motives. Other parent groups are hesitant to jump on board with full support until there are clear signs CEJ is willing to stay the course and engage in a battle to put a stake through the heart of mayoral control once and for all.

We know where the UFT stands - they will bluster and blather - but will support mayoral control no matter what they say.

IS CEJ willing to go in a direction radically different than where the UFT wants them to go? That will be the million dollar question.

Some parent/community groups are not willing to wait for an answer. Thus there is another meeting called for tonight. CEJ will be there as one of the 25 or so groups (including GEM) that are taking part. I'll be back with some reports tonight or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, here are some links on CEJ

web site

Platform

Parents Close Down PEP - Commentary and First Video (more coming)

Photo Anna Phillips, Gotham Schools, -see goofy guy with camera

August 16, 2010, 6am

There was no Panel for Education for Educational Policy meeting at Murray Bergtraum HS last night. Or at least barely a glimmer of one before parents organized by the Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ) shut the meeting down. The meeting will be rescheduled, undoubtedly with a lot more security.

The meeting began with a Power Point report using Tweed fuzzy math to try to discount the awful publicity BloomKlein have been receiving over the results of the recent tests showed that the nationwide accolades tossed at the NYCDOE by ed deformers has been more than a little over done. I like to call it the, "At least we're better than Rochester" defense.

When Manhattan PEP member Patrick Sullivan, who has been the strongest voice in opposition to the BloomKlein policies, said after the presentation, "Frankly, what I heard was an attempt to protect the reputations of the people responsible," the audience erupted into wild cheers.

"I could say a lot more, but what's important to me is to hear from the public what their concerns are for one of the worst debacles in the history of the public school system." Sullivan then called for a motion to allow the public to speak on the issue immediately rather than have to wait until the general public comment time at the end of the meeting when many people are already leaving. Bronx PEP member Anna Santos seconded the motion.

It was ruled out of order.

I put up a video of Patrick's comments and the immediate reaction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_TGCwlaIYY -

The audience than rose with shouts of "Let us speak" and then proceeded to shout out further attempts to continue the meeting. Members of the PEP then walked off the stage to huddle behind the curtain like failed wizards trying to decide what to do next.

Meanwhile, parents used a small bullhorn to hold their own version of the meeting as one parent after another came up to speak.

Some members of the PEP skulked back out to try to reason with an audience that was beyond reason. Actually, it was more of a scolding. They were having none of it and continued shouting. At one point a child went up on the stage to try to use a microphone and she was practically pushed off the stage by burly security guards. That inflamed the crowd even more.

You will see TV and press reports, but they are a bit incomplete.

We have lots of video and GEM and Ed Notes and CAPE are working to put together a comprehensive video like we did the other day. We'll get as many parent statements up during the rump meeting they held as we can by tomorrow.

See Patrick's report at the NYC Parent blog:

Last night's Panel for Educational Policy meeting was another unfortunate example of how the mayoral appointees on the Panel repeatedly show disregard for both the law and the public school community they are supposed to serve.

The public agenda issued prior to the meeting contained no indication that the Panel would consider the enormous controversy surrounding the state testing debacle, yet a fifteen minute session was added for a DOE staffer to present a defense of the administration's record in student achievement.

Read it in full:
PEP Chairman Chang Blocks Vote on Public Comment, Violates Bylaws

News coverage in the Times here and News here.

For the front-page story that likely led to the preparation of the DOE's defensive presentation on testing results, see the Times: Triumph Fades on Racial Gap in City Schools.


Afterburn

About CEJ
CEJ, connected to the Annenberg Institute, has been organizing parents, often in alliance with the UFT. There was zero UFT presence at last night's meeting, perhaps indicating a greater degree of independence from the UFT on the part of CEJ.

I hark back to the famous St. Vartas church events - Feb. 28, 2007 - where a major coalition seemed poised to challenge BloomKlein with a massive May 1 demo, but were accused of selling out after the follow-up agreement between CEJ, the UFT and the Mayor and Joel Klein in April, 2007. 

Here is a selection of some of our posts at the time.
Say It Ain't So Martine
Deal Announced on Reorganization: Did BloomKlein Blink?
A unique opportunity has been missed

GEM/ICE in the house
Gee, there was no presence at all by the UFT or their bought off opposition, New Action. But there were at least 6 GEM/ICEers in the house covering the event and supporting the parents. You remember ICE - that group that does nothing but complain according to the New Action/Unity slugs. 'Nuff said.

Here is ICE/GEM Michael Fiorillo in a comment he left at the Gotham Schools post.

After years of willful ignorance, the state ed department, Regents and editorial boards were forced to dance around the fact that the test scores were bogus, and manipulated for the political benefit of the mayor and his agenda. Then, their deception and self-deception revealed, everyone pivots and comes up with their "now we have to see how to spin this so it can somehow be turned to our advantage" bit.

Presto! We are now told that, even though the tests and scores were invalid, we're making progress anyway (how so, if your vaunted "metrics" are worthless? Oh, and sorry, but we're closing your schools anyway), "although we have a lot further to go," and we're going to whip those kids and teachers into shape so they can meet the New and Improved curriculums (McGraw-Hill thanks you!) coming down the pike.

And somehow we are to believe that the New and Improved testing regime will not be used as a club against teachers, and will not be gamed for the political advantage of the ed deformers.

Ignored and treated with contempt by the Mayor, Chancellor and their lapdogs on the PEP, ignored and treated with contempt by the Mayor's media echo chamber, parents decided to assert themselves last night in an effort to change the terms of debate and show their outrage over the lies they are told and the dispossession they face.

Condescended to and shut out from having input into decisions that affect their children's lives, having resources stripped away in favor of private charter schools, perhaps the parents' "disruption" of a sham, perfunctory, propagandistic hearing was a greater example of democracy than being docile participants in their own disenfranchisement.