2000 students walk out

By Ed Felien
Editor/Publisher of Southside Pride

More than 2000 students and antiwar protesters converged at the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Union plaza on the anniversary of the re-election of President George Bush. (Photo by Sid Pranke)

More than 2,000 students from over 30 high schools in the metro area walked out of classes Wednesday, Nov. 2, to protest the Iraq war and the Bush victory one year ago.

At a rally on Oct. 25 at the Board of Education to protest the possibility that teachers might fail students who left school to attend the protest, speakers urged the Board to not fail students who participated.

City Councilmember Natalie Johnson-Lee said she was “in solidarity with these young people.” She agreed to ask the School Board to excuse the students: “Young people need to be educated. They need to be given true information. They need to walk on Nov. 2.”
Councilmember Dean Zimmermann, of the 6th Ward, said the present-day “King George has engaged in a war of aggression to steal the wealth of the Iraqi people. My heartfelt thanks go to the young people of Minneapolis and the Twin Cities for having the courage to engage in this action, to speak truth to power.” He spoke of how local problems, for example, the asthma epidemic and the shortage of livable wage jobs, are connected to global issues such as the war in Iraq and our dependence on imported oil.

Students rallied at Coffman Union on the University of Minnesota campus last Wednesday and then marched to a military recruitment station to protest the presence of military recruiters on campus.

This Sunday, Nov. 6, the Youth Against War and Racism, the chief sponsor of the demonstration, will be holding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser beginning at 6 p.m. at Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Ave. S. $10 minimum donation. RSVP at 612-760-1980.