VOICE OF DETROIT: The city's independent newspaper, unbossed and unbought

Syrian civilians in Aleppo following air strike; U.S. has escalated war to overthrow Syrian government by sending U.S. troops there. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders support the U.S. intervention.Photo: The Guardian

by BAR executive editor Glen Ford

April 27, 2016

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders agree on U.S. war agenda in Syria, Middle East.

Bernie Sanders has endorsed President Obama’s troop escalation in Syria, once again showing that “he is no more ‘progressive’ than Obama on foreign policy, and just as dishonest – a true Democrat.”

Sanders will ultimately bow to Hillary Clinton, while still claiming that the Democratic Party can be transformed from the inside. However, millions will have witnessed that the campaign proves exactly the opposite – and will seek alternatives.

 “His underlings are telling the troops that this whole electoral exercise will be worthwhile if they succeed in pushing through a progressive party platform, in Philadelphia.”

The 2016 presidential season will only be of historical significance if it leads to a fracturing of the duopoly electoral system in the United States, a “trap within a trap” in which the rich control both parties – one of which is always the overt party of white supremacy. Donald Trump has already succeeded in creating a “market” for a second right-wing party by stripping the GOP’s’ appeal to its raw, racist, white nationalist essentials – a political nightmare for every corporate public relations department in the nation. Corporate logos will be hidden in brown paper bags at the Republican convention, in Cleveland.

US business magnate Donald Trump, who is running for president in the 2016 presidential elections.  AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN

It is difficult to imagine how the Trump rank and file and the party’s corporate “establishment” will paper over their irreconcilable differences, rooted in the party’s failure to preserve skin privilege and good jobs in a White Man’s Country. Just as brazenly, Trump, the rabble rousing billionaire, has violated the most sacred ruling class taboos by rejecting the national security rationale for the hyper-aggressive, ever-expanding, global U.S. military presence. If Trump fails to convincingly recant such heresies, the rulers will deal with him with extreme prejudice.

“Trump has violated the most sacred ruling class taboos by rejecting the national security rationale for the hyper-aggressive, ever-expanding, global U.S. military presence.”

Bernie Sanders presents no such threat to Empire. He supports President Obama’s illegal drone wars and the 15-year occupation of Afghanistan. Should he somehow be elected president, Sanders would follow Obama’s practice of reserving Tuesday’s for choosing targets from his “Kill List.” To circumvent U.S. and international prohibitions against assassination, Sanders offers the same “self-defense” justification as the Israelis do, when they slaughter Palestinians by the thousands. “There are people out there who want to kill Americans, who want to attack this country, and I think we have a right to defend ourselves,” Sanders told Chris Hayes, of MSNBC.

U.S. President Barack Obama has boots on the ground in Syria, across the globe.

The nominally socialist senator from Vermont claims that he differs from Hillary Clinton on foreign policy because she “is too much into regime change and a little bit too aggressive without knowing what the unintended consequences might be.”

During the New Hampshire debate, Sanders said the ouster of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein “destabilized the entire region” and the overthrow and death of Muammar Gaddafi “created a vacuum for ISIS” in Libya. “Yes, we could get rid of Assad tomorrow,” Sanders told the crowd, back in February, “but that would create another political vacuum that would benefit ISIS.”

“It doesn’t bother Sanders a bit that the U.S. presence on sovereign Syrian soil is illegal, an act of war.”

His leftish boosters clung to these utterances as proof that Sanders was, deep down, a peaceable kind of guy, in sharp contrast to “Queen of Chaos” Clinton. Tuesday, however, as he was losing four of five primaries, Sanders showed that he is no less a warlord than Barack Obama – who, like Sanders, based his “peace candidate” appeal on his 2002 opposition to the Iraq invasion. Obama announced he was sending 250 more U.S. Special Forces troops into Syria, supposedly to fight ISIS and to arm and train more of those elusive, damn-near-extinct “moderate” rebels. It doesn’t bother Sanders a bit that the U.S. presence on sovereign Syrian soil is illegal, an act of war, as is U.S. funding and training of fighters attempting “regime change.”

Syrian hospital in Aleppo bombed April 28, 2016.

“Here’s the bottom line,” said Sanders. “ISIS has got to be destroyed, and the way that ISIS must be destroyed is not through American troops fighting on the ground.” U.S. Special Forces have already been engaged in combat operations in Syria, as Sanders should know. Nevertheless, he plowed on:

“I think what the president is talking about is having American troops training Muslim troops, helping to supply the military equipment they need, and I do support that effort. We need a broad coalition of Muslim troops on the ground. We have had some success in the last year or so putting ISIS on the defensive, we’ve got to continue that effort.”

What Sanders is saying is that he would continue Obama’s policy of regime change, despite the “unintended consequences” and its clear illegality. He is no more “progressive” than Obama on foreign policy, and just as dishonest – a true Democrat.

“Sanders opposes ‘regime change’ except when it is perpetrated by a Democratic administration.”

Obama sends 500 U.S. troops to Syria.

The same day, Sanders sidestepped Joe Scarborough’s attempts to get him to agree that Hillary Clinton is a “hawk” on foreign policy. “I don’t want to characterize her, but I think our views on foreign policy are different,” Sanders told the MSNBC host.

“I think my views are a lot closer to President Obama’s than they are to Hillary Clinton’s…. I believe it must be Muslim troops on the ground who do the fighting with the support of the United States. I will do everything that I can to prevent our troops from getting involved in perpetual warfare in the Middle East.”

A distinction without a difference, as they say. Sanders opposes “regime change” except when it is perpetrated by a Democratic administration. He really doesn’t mind U.S. “boots on the ground” in other people’s countries, as long as they are arming and training people of native religions and races to kill others of their kind, and U.S. casualties are kept to a minimum.

ISIS executes government police and soldiers in open field in Iraq. ISIS is a creation of the U.S. CIA, originating with the anti-Gaddafi “rebels” who helped the U.S. and NATO obliterate Libya.

Sanders is an imperialist pig. Although his self-image is that of a Scandinavian social democrat, Sanders is more like a French “socialist” who supports the maintenance of a safety net for his own people, but reserves the right to routinely commit mass murder in the former colonies in order to preserve the French “way of life” and “values.”

With the mathematics of the presidential primary race now undeniable, Sanders is preparing his supporters to scale back their dreams of social transformation – which, for some of them, includes a genuine retreat from Empire as well as a new domestic deal. His underlings are telling the troops that this whole electoral exercise will be worthwhile if they succeed in pushing through a progressive party platform, in Philadelphia. Then it will be time to unite with Hillary, the plutocrats’ candidate, in the battle against the dreaded Trumpster.

“Sanders is preparing his supporters to scale back their dreams of social transformation.”

Bernie Sanders is peddling the sucker’s line, that the Democratic Party can be transformed from the inside. However, the actual experience of the campaign, as witnessed by millions of young, newly energized citizens, is proving exactly the opposite; that this corporate-crafted Democratic mechanism and its interlocking Republican counterpart are tools of the oligarchy, designed to manufacture consent to corporate rule and corral and crush dissent.

Military occupation at home: Teen confronts police in Ferguson, MO after the police execution of Michael Brown Aug. 9, 2014. His killer, Darren Wilson, was exonerated.

When Sanders consummates his “sheep dog” assignment, he will deflate to his original state: a small-town Democratic Party operative. Most of his supporters will acquiesce to Hillary’s nomination – just as most people everywhere acquiesce to everything most of the time.

But, a significant proportion, numbering in the millions, and including the half of young African Americans that have rejected the Black Misleadership Class’s slavish allegiance to the Democratic Party hierarchy, will not.  And, although Hillary Clinton will surely win victory in November with her “big tent” Democratic Party – flush with white suburbanites who, only yesterday, were Republicans – it will be a Party that is even more hostile to Blacks and progressives than before Donald Trump plunged the duopoly into crisis.

Millions of people, especially young folks, will be looking for an alternative to the Democrats and the Republicans – or to electoral politics, entirely. It’s up to the Left to give it to them.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

Related stories:

https://www.rt.com/news/341342-us-syria-violation-sovereignty/

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/syria-civil-war-150-soldiers-enter-kurdish-region-160428134351946.html

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/04/29/463065/Russia-Syria-USled-coalition-Lavrov/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-syria-idUSKCN0XL0ZE

http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2015/11/us-sends-special-forces-into-syria-to-act-as-human-shields-for-terrorist-groups-3236900.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/30/syria-us-deployment-troops-obama-special-operations

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/02/19/the-u-s-empire-and-isis-a-tale-of-two-death-cults/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/02/09/the-covert-origins-of-isis-united-states-cia-in-libya-syria-iraq-afghanistan

Front cover of the Final Call, May 3, 2016

With statements by the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, Mother Tynetta Muhammad, wife of the late Elijah Muhammad

Prince not only an artist: he battled corporations for artists’ rights and justice,  fought police violence, environmental racism

“When you stop a man from dreaming, he becomes a slave”–Prince

Note: VOD editor Diane Bukowski previously wrote for The Final Call over a period of six years. The Final Call has produced a stunning, one of a kind article on Prince that analyzes his legacy from a people’s political standpoint, unlike coverage in the mainstream media.

To subscribe to the Final Call Full Digital Edition, click on http://finalcalldigital.com/publication/?m=33030&l=1

By Charlene Muhammad -National Correspondent, Final Call

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_103058.shtml

April 25, 2016

In this June 2, 2014, file photo, U.S. pop singer Prince watches the fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament between Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris. Prince announced on, Aug. 25, 2014, that he would release a new album entitled, “Art Official Age” on Warner Bros. Records, the label Prince was signed to from 1978 to the mid-1990s, but later battled for the rights of his music. Photos: AP/ Wide World photos

Vigils, block parties, and celebrations of his life continued across the world for music artist and global icon Prince, who passed away at age 57 on April 21.

Prince was an incredible musician, culture watchers and analysts told The Final Call. Just look at the outpouring of love by fans touched by his music, they said.

But, they added, Prince is also loved because he was principled. He fought for artists’ rights and for justice. He fought for people who could not fight for themselves, not just through his music, but with his clout and his finances.

“I like you will miss Prince. I like you saw the Greatness in his Struggle just to gain ownership of his own name. I saw the Greatness of his Being, the courage that he had to fight for, not only his own image, his own likeness, and his own music masters but to fight for others who were not as blessed with the depth of love and the breadth of courage that he demonstrated,” wrote the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam in a tribute published in The Final Call. He also highlighted the “beauty” of the “essence” of Prince in his music, his gifts and his service to others. The musician tried to visit the Minister during a serious illness in the 1990s and donated $50,000 to the Million Family March in 2000.

A memorial fence in memory of pop star Prince is lined with flowers and signs at Paisley Park Studios, April 22, in Chanhassen, Minn. Prince died April 21 at Paisley Park at the age of 57.

“Though I am saddened over the fact that I will never physically meet him, we will always have him with us through the music that he gave us, the struggle that he made that taught us how we must stand up, fearless against that which is ugly in its injustice, its unrighteousness and its wickedness,” said Minister Farrakhan. For Minister Farrakhan’s full statement, see link at end of story.

“He had a mystique, this whole thing about not being accessible, but from what I understood and from what I’ve seen, he was a lot more accessible than people realized,” said Davey D, a national hip hop journalist and historian.

“Here’s a guy that, when you talked to folks, they’d be like, ‘Oh yeah! He was showing up at the back of my poetry show in the middle of nowhere, and he’d be sitting there in the back, checking you out,” Davey D stated.

A fan cries at a makeshift memorial created in remembrance of singer Prince outside Apollo Theatre in New York , April 22.

He recalled Prince was so impressed with Bay Area DJ Pam the Funktress’ work at after parties that he put her on tour with him.

Whether discussing environmental pollution with journalist and author Tavis Smiley, funding songs and videos about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or holding a concert and focusing on the problem of police violence, Prince’s fight for justice was as pure as his music, said Davey D, artists and analysts.

“He was one of those folks that gave and was committed, and pushed back fully, all at the same time of being a consummate artist and playing that game very well, meaning that he kept a certain type of mystique about him, a certain type of sex appeal, if you will, and he knew how to play to people’s emotions,” Davey D said.

Prince’s art and intelligence earned many accolades, including seven Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

The artist formally known as Prince, with the word “Slave” written across his face, belts out a tune from not only a revolutionary artist, but as a business his new CD, “Chaos and Disorder,” outside the studio of NBC-TV’s “Today” show in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza, July 9, 1996. Photos: AP/Wide World photos

Prince had just returned to Warner Bros. Records after an 18-year feud. He regained ownership of his catalog in an agreement that also meant a new album. During the fight, in which he was unable to use his birth name, the musician created a symbol that was used to represent him and re-named himself, “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” in 1993. Three years later he would sever ties with Warner Bros.

In a music video and in public performances, the word “slave” was written on his cheek. “People think I’m a crazy fool for writing ‘slave’ on my face,” he said in a 1996 interview with Rolling Stone magazine. “But if I can’t do what I want to do, what am I? When you stop a man from dreaming, he becomes a slave. That’s where I was. I don’t own Prince’s music. If you don’t own your masters, your master owns you.”

Prince stood up to the corporations and won, said Davey D.  “Not only did he stand up, but he stood on principles, like, ‘I will not put my name next to a product.’ That’s a pretty bold move.”

Many have used the “if I don’t do it, somebody else will do it. I gotta get it now” excuse, said the internationally known chronicler of hip hop and music. “Prince was like to hell with that! ‘You ain’t getting paid, and I’m not gonna get paid, but that’s alright.’ He found other ways to get paid, because he understood that his talent was transferrable. His talent wasn’t dependent upon Warner Bros. or anything like that,” Davey D said.

The skilled, protective Prince licensed his music to stream only on Tidal, the popular music service owned by rap mogul Jay Z.

Musicians staHHr. Davey D and Jasiri X

“Even though as somebody who would like easy access to his music, I can respect the fact that it’s scrubbed from the internet and all those places where money was made off his product. He did that. … That’s pretty big,” Davey D added.

For rap activist Jasiri X, Prince’s activism around artist independence and justice are a big part of the Prince legacy, and are very influential on his own life and art.

“He didn’t just exist as a musical genius,” the rapper said. In Prince’s tradition, he too feels strongly that as a young, Black man in America, he has no luxury to do art for art’s sake. He feels a duty to speak on what is happening with his people and his community.

“It’s interesting how we saw that play out with Prince. We saw it play out first with his stance on artists’ ownership and standing up to the record company. … He and both Michael Jackson did the same thing,” Jasiri X noted.

Muhammad Ali and The Artist Formerly Known As Prince are photographed at a press conference in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 1997 detailing plans for the World Healing Honors, a benefit concert headlined by the Artist to promote international harmony and tolerance. All proceeds from the October concert in Los Angeles went towards Ali’s World Healing Project.

They stood up to record companies and against the exploitation of artists, and Prince took it a step further, he continued. “They took ownership of his given name, and he decided to take on a symbol and market that, which was really powerful.”

But Prince wasn’t through, said Jasiri X. In 1985, he started his own label Paisley Park Records with Warner Bros.

Prince became one of the leading artists to begin to utilize the internet and distribute his music online early on, but he did not allow YouTube to get paid off his music without paying him.

“I think about his Musicology tour, where he included his album in the price of the ticket. … It became the highest selling album in the country because of that tactic, and Billboard or the artist registry basically said they would not count that as record sales anymore after Prince did it,” Jasiri X recalled.

“You’re talking about somebody that was not only a revolutionary artist, but as a business person, and thinking about how—which is a struggle that many artists have—do you monetize your music, being at the forefront of doing different things and looking at different ways to monetize music.”

“Music is nothing without the product behind it,” said Che “Rhymefest” Smith, Grammy Award-winning rapper and songwriter. “The music is just the commercial for who you are as a person, and for what you provide, the services you provide as a human being, like how do you serve. And then your music is your journal to that journey.”

Prince exhibited significant attributes in different ways, from giving money to the family of slain teen Trayvon Martin in Florida, to giving money and showing up and performing at a school for the deaf, he said. “I mean, he performed seven concerts and still had time in the 80s, at the height of Purple Rain, to perform and raise money for deaf children through concerts for them … saying that you may not hear the tonality of my music, but you’re going to feel the spiritual vibration of it,” Rhymefest told The Final Call.

Rhymefest

Prince could have left it at just being a great guitarist, an artist, but Prince learned to play 27 instruments and with them, gave the world the gift of 28, including his voice, Rhymefest continued.

The world is coming to know just how he manifested the word of God through his actions, Rhymefest said.

“I think it’s very important when we as Muslims think about what it is our prayers say, what it is that the Qur’an says and the Hadith says, to be a servant of Allah. Prince, no matter what religion he called himself, as a human being, he was a servant of Allah. He was the manifestation of what a Muslim is, and you see that not only in his music, but in his service of mankind,” he added.

Mother Tynnetta Muhammad, the late wife of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, reflected on Prince’s creating Love 4 One Another, a non-profit dedicated to relieving poverty by communal action and self-help programs.

A crowd pays tribute to Prince inside First Ave where “Purple Rain” was filmed late, April 21,in Minneapolis. Photo: AP/Wide World photos

It was to, “eliminate ‘lack’ from the global vocabulary,” Mother Tynnetta wrote in a column, “The awakening of Sleeping Beauty—The Golden Age of the New Cultural Revolution Begins A Seven Day Celebration with Prince—A Tribute to Paul Robeson and Mei Lanfang” which appeared in 2000 in The Final Call newspaper. In the column, she shared her experience touring Paisley Park.

“The Honorable Elijah Muhammad desired that our entertainers and performers would become spiritually awakened to the knowledge of themselves by placing God in the forefront of their creative gifts and influences,” she wrote.

“The man named Prince appears to be sincerely motivated and guided by a genuine spirit of godliness seeking to escape the entrapments of a dying world,” Mother Tynnetta Muhammad continued.

Prince has empowered many young adults through Yes We Code, a national initiative to connect 100,000 men and women from low opportunity backgrounds to high-paying careers in technology.

“Prince’s struggle as a gifted artist to reclaim his own name on the basis of Freedom, Justice and Equality, pitted in a legal battle with Warner Brothers Records, has placed him in a vanguard position as an example for others,” she observed.

Prince was one of the last few great artists who had a chance to make a lot of money but did not really care a whole lot about money, said Dr. Boyce Watkins, entrepreneur, writer and analyst.

“He seemed to have value systems that went beyond money, which to me, it kind of propels him ahead of most other entertainers, because since Prince died, people have talked about what kind of philanthropist he was and how much he cared about his community, and also how much he cared about making good, independent music,” Dr. Watkins said.

He was a good artist, and he defended his right to be an artist, even in the face of corporate control and manipulation, Dr. Watkins said.

Dr. Boyce Watkins, the “People’s Scholar.”

“A lot of people think that freedom of speech or creative freedom comes in the form of music where they’re calling women all kinds of derogatory names and rapping about Black men killing each other, but that’s not creative freedom. That’s corporate speech, what corporations tell you to say,” he argued.

“Prince stood up to corporations and said, ‘You’re not going to control me,’ and a lot of people admired him for that,” Dr. Watkins said.

Many also admired Prince because he understood he was more than an artist, Dr. Watkins said. “He understood that you can’t be a ‘successful’ Black man if you’re not doing anything for other Black people,” he said.

Dr. Watkins believes Prince set the tone for the next 30 years with what he did with the film “Purple Rain” in 1984.

“That’s what most people know him for, even though he’s made a lot of music since then. He’s put out 39 studio albums, and they say that 70 percent of his music has not been released, which is really amazing,” Dr. Watkins said.

“What we’re looking at is somebody who is really committed to the craft. He studies. He rehearses. He practices. He does due diligence in terms of making sure that his performance and skill level is up there, and he takes his time, and he is very particular about what he was going to let out, what he wasn’t,” said Davey D.

“That sort of work ethic I think we take for granted but it’s not seen in a lot of people,” he said. Some artists turn out projects quickly so they can be consumed versus taking time and getting it right. “They’re just like, Hey. We just want you to get this out, and don’t worry about yo’ur audience. They’re not smart enough. They’re not worthy enough. They’re not insightful enough to know the difference between you taking your time and getting all the right equipment, and right notes, and players or musicians to do your thing versus just doing any old thing,” he said.

Prince was in a class of musicians and singers that set a high bar in the entertainment industry. He was in the company of Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Rick James, Barry White and others that were always on point, Davey D added.

Prince of the 1980s is largely remembered and celebrated, but there was so much more than that that he wanted to do, a tearful Van Jones, Prince’s friend and one of his attorneys, said in various TV interviews.

Logo for Prince’s charity known as “Love 4 One Another”.

According to Mr. Jones, it was Phaedra Ellis Lamkins, a young, Black woman in the labor movement, Prince’s manager, who went to war to get his catalogue back.

Prince wanted to make children’s cartoons, control his own music, and help children, he said. Prince cared so much just about ordinary people, Mr. Jones stated during the Dr. Drew show on the cable Headline News channel.

Prince has empowered many young adults through Yes We Code, a national initiative to connect 100,000 men and women from low-opportunity backgrounds to high-paying careers in technology. Prince helped launch the initiative at the 20th Anniversary Essence Music Festival, July 4th, 2014.

“It’s so hard to talk about your friend in the past tense,” Mr. Jones said.

Family and friends had an intimate ceremony April 23 after Prince’s remains were cremated.

Publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said the celebration of his life included his “most beloved” family, friends and musicians. She said a musical celebration will be held at a future date.

The list of people who attended was not announced, but Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson and brother-in-law Maurice Phillips were seen on the grounds of Prince’s estate Paisley Park, as well as friends such as percussionist Sheila E. and bassist Larry Graham.

Prince’s Paisley Park Studios

Prince was found unresponsive April 21 in an elevator at Paisley Park, and an autopsy was done. Authorities have not declared a cause of death and said results could take days or weeks.

His sudden death brought different stories and concerns about whether it was from natural causes or some other nefarious means. Prince was known for clean living.

For 25 years Jaye Delai has entertained audiences around the world on the radio. The announcer’s distinctive voice has been heard on radio stations in large cities such as Charlotte and small towns playing the music of Black America for decades. 

“Prince Rogers Nelson was one of the most incredible talents this world has ever seen,” he said. “However it is his creative genius, his business mind, and humanitarian efforts that set him apart.”

“Prince was one of the most vocal artists as well when it came to the fair and equitable treatment of artists. He fought Warner Brothers over the rights for his catalog of music, his name and more. When he wrote slave on his face he also said that these industry contracts make slaves out of performers,” he said.

(Nisa Islam Muhammad and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Minister Farrakhan’s statement on Prince’s passing:

http://finalcalldigital.com/publication/?i=299843&p=2.

Mother Tynetta Muhammad’s column on Prince:

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/Columns_4/article_103060.shtml

BELOW: THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE PERFORMS “PURPLE RAIN” IN THE POURING RAIN AT THE 2007 NFL SUPERBOWL

Prince – Purple Rain (Live 2007)

Chicago teachers rally, march through Loop after walkout

VOD editor: What is WRONG with our unions, politicians, preachers and others in Detroit and Michigan? Here, teachers unions support the final dismantling of the Detroit Public Schools, while Chicago Teachers demand the banks repay billions in interest swap deals and funds for Chicago Public Schools instead! (See link to VOD related story #1 on Chicago pensions below this story.)

ABC 7 Team Coverage

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Teachers Union took their battle against Chicago Public Schools to the streets Friday with a one-day strike at schools across the city before rallying downtown during the evening rush hour. Following the rally, thousands of teachers and their supporters left the Thompson Center to march through downtown. The group marched north on Clark, east on Wacker, south on Michigan Avenue and east on Monroe towards Grant Park. Teachers and their supporters descended on the Thompson Center to rally after a day of picketing that began early Friday morning. CTU members were joined by a number of labor organizations, students and activists who share the goal of mobilizing people to force Illinois lawmakers to fund public education.

TEACHERS PICKET OUTSIDE SCHOOLS ACROSS CITY

Chicago teachers on the move April 1, 2016.

Returning to the high school where she taught for several years, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis began her day visiting a vocal picket line Friday morning at King High School. Lewis hopes shutting down the nation’s third largest school district will wake up Springfield to provide more revenue.

With several unions supporting the one-day strike, the action is also an attack on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s anti-union positions.

“We have had a dormant labor union for many, many years and it will not get better if the labor movement doesn’t move,” Lewis said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel was also a target in several school pickets, with many blaming him for the lack of funding and failed CTU contract negotiations – even though teachers rejected what Lewis called a “serious offer” back in January.

Teachers target Rahm Emanuel during earlier protest where they occupied the Bank of America and withdrew CTU funds from the bank.

“I hope they can come to the table and we can work something out and everybody work together instead of fighting against each other,” CPS teacher Marlene McGowan said. Emanuel visited students at one of CPS’ 200 contingency sites, where he criticized the strike but defended last Friday’s furlough.

“I don’t think the kids should pay a price for a political message. And there’s a difference between the economic hardships the city’s school district faces versus taking a political action and our kids paying a consequence,” Emanuel said. In response to what he called an “illegal” strike, Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool said Friday afternoon he has taken legal action against the teachers union by filing a complaint with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“We think it’s important that it be clearly established that whether children are in school and being educated is not subject to the whims of the Chicago Teachers Union leadership,” Claypool said.

Claypool said he is seeking a preemptive injunction against the teachers union for any similar strikes going forward, and is also asking that the union reimburse CPS and their partners for expenses incurred during the one-day strike. Calling the complaint “bogus”, a CTU spokesperson said in a written statement: “This was a one day job action. Their charges were filed after the fact and they seek to enjoin us from doing something [we] have no intention of doing again. We call on CPS to join us in fighting for more revenue for schools.”

CPS STUDENTS MARCH IN SUPPORT OF TEACHERS

Wendell Phillips High Senior Cameron Miller led dozens of CPS students who support Chicago teachers and are fed up with Mayor Emanuel, Gov. Rauner, and CPS leaders.

“It seems like the adults are actually acting like children and we’re the only ones mature enough to try and find a solution to our issues,” Miller said.

Teachers protest state attack on public schools.

With no state budget and no teachers’ contract, these CPS students said leaders are failing to lead on all levels.

“They belittle us. They slash our budget, they close our schools, they tell us we’re not good enough by their actions – and that’s why we’re here,” said Nidalis Burgos, a senior at Lincoln Park High School.

They marched downtown from the Thompson Center, to CPS Headquarters, to City Hall, where they delivered a symbolical pink slip to the mayor.

“The Board of Ed, the CEO of CPS, they only answer to Rahm Emanuel because they’re appointed by him, so they don’t care about us. They don’t value our voice. That’s how we feel, how teachers feel,” said Charles Kotrba, a senior at Whitney Young High School. 

CALL FOR EDUCATION FUNDING HEARD ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

Supporters of the teachers’ one-day strike also gathered on two Chicago college campuses Friday to call attention to the education funding problems.

After marching at Roosevelt High School on Chicago’s Northwest Side, teachers held a rally at Northeastern Illinois University where they held a symbolic outdoor funeral to “mourn the death of public education.”

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner–taking a cue from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder?

The teachers then joined hundreds of others for a rally at Chicago State University, which may have to close its doors because of major budget cuts. CSU counts on money from the state, but the state is still without a budget, so their future is unknown.

“We have been dealing with this since last July, it’s getting out of control and it’s very stressful on the students,” said Jack Ferguson, a CSU senior. The groups are determined to fight for change: more funding with less cuts to schools and teachers. Service and fast food workers also joined in, saying they want the minimum wage raised to $15 an hour. At virtually every rally, teachers and their supporters named Gov. Rauner as the principal villain withholding state education funding from public schools and colleges.

“This governor has abdicated his responsibility to the people of Illinois,” said Randi Weingarten, of the American Federation of Teachers. “We have a governor who is trying to take down the state of Illinois and all of its people with him,” said Roberta Lynch of AFSCME.

The Republican governor, who took office 14 months ago, appeared unimpressed. In a statement, he described the strike as “shameful” and “breaking the law,” adding “it’s the height of arrogance from those we’ve entrusted with our children’s futures.”

“Governor’s been there for a year now? And the governor is somehow responsible because CPS is on the verge of bankruptcy? I don’t think that makes sense,” said Michael Lucci of the Illinois Policy Institute. The Illinois General Assembly resumes its regular session next week. There’s no word whether the House or Senate will consider any bills related to CPS.

STRIKE IMPACT ON CPS FAMILIES

More than 340,000 children were out of the classroom Friday as a result of the walkout. The district opened more than 200 contingency sites for students during the one-day strike, including 107 schools, city libraries and park facilities, which offered free activities and lunch to CPS students. Many families in Chicago rely on CPS not only to teach their children, but also to keep them safe during the day.

At By the Hand Club for Kids in the city’s Austin neighborhood, an after school program became an alternative for CPS families during the strike.

By the Hand Club for Kids was alternate site during one day teachers’ walk-out.

“It’s critical that they have somewhere safe to go, and also a lot of parents have to go to work. So they need somewhere where they know their kids are safe,” said Bethany Arvan, By The Hand Club for Kids. Many students at Kennicott Park, one of the CPS contingency sites in North Kenwood, said they support their teachers. Some even planned to rally with the teachers on Friday afternoon.

“I think we should all fight for what we believe in. If something isn’t fair, we should all fight for something that is fair,” said Gayun Cannon, an 8th grader. “It’s kind of a lesson for me because the teachers are standing up for themselves and fighting for what they believe in,” said Emily Biggs, an 8th grader. “We have school for a whole year, I think one day won’t hurt that much, right?” said Sydney Thach, a 7th grader. Despite the one-day strike, teachers and students were in class Friday at more than 100 CPS-funded charter schools across the city. Charter school teachers are not a part of the Chicago Teachers Union and therefore, they did not take part in the strike. About 60,000 Chicago students are enrolled at charter schools.

Related from VOD:

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2016/03/30/illinois-sc-rules-chicago-pension-attack-unconstitutional-as-it-did-on-state-pensions/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2016/03/29/detroit-kids-in-danger-bills-end-dps-pay-off-banks-with-state-control-tax-levies-closings-charters/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2016/03/23/detroit-retirees-demand-city-council-oppose-em-law-dps-re-structuring-support-rebuilding-flint/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2016/03/21/thousands-of-boston-public-school-students-walk-out/

#education #cps #chicago teachers union #strike #union contract #school funding #general assembly #Chicago – Downtown