One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
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.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
