Bail Out the People Movement

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SIGN ONLINE PETITION TO DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST CLEVELAND
COLLINWOOD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

RESCIND ALL DISCIPLINARY ACTION INCLUDING SUSPENSIONS AND THREATENED EXPULSIONS

STUDENTS COURAGEOUSLY PROTESTING SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND TEACHER LAYOFFS
MUST BE SUPPORTED, NOT PUNISHED

Please CLICK HERE to SIGN the important ONLINE PETITION to
DROP ALL THE CHARGES AND DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS NOW!

UPDATE: The school has dropped threats to expel walkout leader Seth Barlekamp. But we must continue to pressure them to expunge the suspension from the records of the 12 students who were suspended, and continue to demand all charges be dropped.

Tell Cleveland Mayor Jackson, Cleveland Dept of Law Dir. Triozzi, the Cleveland City Prosecutor, Cleveland Police Chief McGrath, Cleveland Schools CEO Sanders, Collinwood H.S. Principal Deborah Moore, Cleveland City Council, Cleveland Board of Education, Ohio Governor Strickland, the Ohio Legislature, the Ohio Congressional Delegation, Education Secretary Duncan, President Obama and members of the Ohio and National media you want ALL CHARGES DROPPED and ALL PUNISHMENT RESCINDED NOW!

Cleveland high school students attacked for protesting layoffs and school cutbacks

On May 13, at 10:30 AM, a small group of Collinwood High School students walked out to protest the layoffs of 800 teachers and other school workers. They were joined by two activists with Fight Imperialism-Stand Together (FIST) (FISTyouth.wordpress.com) who also work with Bail Out the People Movement and were carrying a BOPM banner. By 10:45 Cleveland police had arrived on the scene, most likely after being called by the prinicipal. Cleveland FIST leader Caleb Maupin videotaped the police assault (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpmjnDW-Ys8) The video shows an African-American male being shoved against a police car and a vicious attack on a 19-year old African-American female and her 16-year old sister. The two young women were arrested; the 19-year old has been charged with obstruction of justice, resisting arrest and aggravated disorderly conduct. The 16-year old has been charged with assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, aggravated disorderly conduct and violating daytime curfew. Other students were also given citations for violating daytime curfew and were suspended from school for five days. Walkout organizer Seth Barlekamp and another student were brutally interrogated inside the school by police, who threatened to have Seth institutionalized. Seth’s mother was threatened with arrest if the protests continued. All of the students who participated in the walkout, with the exception of Seth, are African-American, as are the majority of students at Collinwood High and in the Cleveland Public School District.

The impending layoffs and closure of 16 schools will result in class sizes as high as 45 students in a room. The walkout was a courageous effort to build solidarity between students and members of the Cleveland Teachers Union and other school unions. The brutal assault was a deliberate attempt to intimidate students and crush the potential for labor-student-community solidarity and was a racist attack on the African-American community of Cleveland. We cannot stand for this!

SIGN the online petition below

Call the Fifth District Police station, 216-623-5618 & 216-623-6500 to demand all charges against the students be dropped and to protest the brutal treatment of the students. Call the Cleveland Board of Education, 216-574-8000 and Collinwood High School, 216-451-8782 to demand the suspensions be rescinded and that Seth Barlekamp not be threatened with expulsion.

Please help by sending the message below to Cleveland Mayor Jackson, Cleveland Law Dept. Dir. Triozzi, the Cleveland City Prosecutor, Cleveland Police Chief McGrath, Cleveland Schools CEO Sanders, Collinwood H.S. Principal Deborah Moore, Cleveland City Council, Cleveland Board of Education, Ohio Governor Strickland, the Ohio Legislature, the Ohio Congressional Delegation, Education Secretary Duncan, President Obama and members of the Ohio and National media DEMANDING THE CHARGES BE DROPPED AND ALL THREATENED PUNISHMENTS INCLUDING SUSPENSIONS AND EXPULSIONS BE RESCINDED NOW!

Complete the following easy steps:

Step 1: Enter your contact/signature information
Step 2: Edit/tailor our sample letter to send, and
Step 3: Send the message!

Sample Text (you will be able to edit it in step 2):
To: Cleveland Mayor Jackson, Cleveland Law Dept. Dir. Triozzi, Cleveland City Prosecutor, Cleveland Police Chief McGrath, Cleveland Schools CEO Sanders, Collinwood H.S. Principal Deborah Moore, Cleveland City Council, Cleveland Board of Education

Cc: Ohio Governor Strickland, the Ohio Legislature, the Ohio Congressional Delegation, Education Secretary Duncan, President Obama and members of the Ohio and National media

I am writing to demand that all charges be dropped against the Collinwood High School students who participated in the May 13 protest of school budget cuts, school closings and teacher layoffs, and all disciplinary actions including suspensions and expulsions be rescinded and expunged from the students' records. These students did nothing except exercise their constitutional right to protest against school closings and teacher layoffs that threaten their ability to obtain a quality education in Cleveland Public Schools. But their peaceful, legal protest was met by police brutality and inappropriate arrests, charges and discipline. I demand the police be brought to account for their brutal treatment of the students and the inappropriate arrests, that the various charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, aggravated disorderly conduct, and violating a daytime curfew against DeAsia and Destiny Bronaugh be dropped, that the citations for violating a daytime curfew against other students participating in the protest be dropped, and that no expulsion or other action be taken against Seth Barlekamp in connection with the protest.

Students who take courageous action to stop the threat against public quality education should be commended, not penalized.

Sincerely,
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Your message will be sent to Cleveland Mayor Jackson, Cleveland Law Dept. Dir. Triozzi, the Cleveland City Prosecutor, Cleveland Police Chief McGrath, Cleveland Schools CEO Sanders, Collinwood H.S. Principal Deborah Moore, Cleveland City Council, Cleveland Board of Education, Ohio Governor Strickland, the Ohio Legislature, the Ohio Congressional Delegation, Education Secretary Duncan, President Obama and members of the Ohio and National media.

posted March 21, 2010
Cleveland Collinwood H.S. Students Petition