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LAUSD Hunger Strike Enters Second Week, Camp-Outs Continue
One of the handmade signs hung on the campus of Liechty Middle School during this week's community camp-out. (Photo by David Rapkin)
Today marks Day 8 of the Hunger Strike initiated by several LAUSD teachers and community members. In addition to the hunger strike, protesters have held, and will continue to hold, "camp-out" events, bringing supporters and community members together to "celebrate and protect the culture" of area schools; one such evening is planned for tomorrow from 6-8:30 p.m. at Miguel Contreras Learning Center. In response to the protests and hunger strike, LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines has said that he thinks their time would be better spent gaining the attention of Sacramento rather than starving themselves (video report).
A few of the strikers have embraced Twitter as a means to express their thoughts on their civil disobedience, and amidst the frequent updates about their health lies the dominant theme of the will to not give up the fight for a better education for the children of Los Angeles. Using a collective webspace as a portal for updates and information, the strike movement is asking for more support; one way to do so is to use Twitter to send a message of encouragement using the hashtag: #LAhungry4ED.
For individual updates, follow hunger strike teachers JoseDelBarrio, gmazariego, MartinTerrones, and Kait_Leonard, and for ongoing coverage of the grassroots movement to combat LAUSD budget cuts, follow CutsHurtKids.