How do people feel about SDS chapters organizing to support the new immigrant rights mobilizations on April 10 and during the “Great American Boycott” on May Day. SDS chapters could organize forums or teach ins on campus for the 10th and organize students for walkouts and strikes on May Day and the following week. SDS chapters in LA and NYC have participated in immigrant rights demos in recent days. 14,000 high school students walked out in LA following the huge Saturday demo.
SDS chapters are located in many of the places that are going to have alot of participation on May Day. It would be a great opportunity to spread the word about Harass the Brass, SDS in general and show militant solidarity with the immigrant communities.
This could take the form of a statement endorsed by SDS chapters that calls for campus and high school strikes across the nation beginning on May 1st and continuing afterward. Tactics could include walk outs, sit ins and nonviolent occupations of schools if they are locked down by administrators and the police. This statement could be sent to the main organizing groups of the boycott. www.nohr4437.org is the main site I believe.
We could take a page from the French students by having really big mass direct actions blocking trains and transport routes as well as at stock exchanges and anti-immigrant congressional offices. Like the french slogan “No CPE” simple slogans like “No HR4437″ and “No One is Illegal” would be easy to get across to the public.
Another possibility of linking this mobilization with the MacDonalds boycott being launched by the CIW - Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida. Groups like United Students Against Sweatshops are already organizing behind that effort.
If people are down with this idea we have to act on it soon.
solidarity
Doug V - NJ/NYC SDS
I am organizing May Day Actions throughout the “Triangle” in North Carolina (Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh) with community groups and UNC-CH’s SDS chapter. Focus will be on immigration, free trade, and unionization. Although there is no collective SDS, several friends and I are creating graphics for the upcoming day of action. I would be happy to pass them on. I think that “teach-ins” are a wonderful idea.
Doug,
Hey, I’m game for organizing something on May Day. We should spread the word to other locals.
CCLeft SDS will culminate its Anti-Recruitment Activities on May 1st. Certainly anyone is welcome to come own to New London CT (70 Howard St.) to participate in it.
Pace SDS is planning a “Haymarket Week” beginning on May 1st through the 4th with various events, the major ones being on the 1st and the 4th.
We’ll have more info on that soon.
In general, I think the immigrant rights actions should be supported.
Hope to see a lot of NY area folks at tomorrow’s anti-war demonstration (It’s hard for me to realize that it has been 35 years since the Dewey Canyon III/April 24th/Mayday actions!)
Kurt Hill
SDS member at Bard College in late 60’s