Commentary: A Closer Look at the School Board Race

Apparently Valley Oak is going to be closed for lack of funds. One thing I never notice in the discussion of Davis schools is the building program. The school board has got its priorities in the wrong place to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on revamping Valley Oak’s physical plant while neglecting to address the economic challenges to the school’s educational mission.
And then the school board found thousands more to tear down and rebuild MLK High School.
The school board needs to take a hard look at its priorities, scale the building program way back and reallocate funds to retaining teachers and educational programs.

Apparently Valley Oak is going to be closed for lack of funds. One thing I never notice in the discussion of Davis schools is the building program. The school board has got its priorities in the wrong place to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on revamping Valley Oak’s physical plant while neglecting to address the economic challenges to the school’s educational mission.
And then the school board found thousands more to tear down and rebuild MLK High School.
The school board needs to take a hard look at its priorities, scale the building program way back and reallocate funds to retaining teachers and educational programs.

Anonymous 9:37 AM – retaining teachers and educational programs are very important, of course. However, if the buildings are not up to par and we don’t have enough schools (good school buildings) then we have a problem.

I don’t think it’s an either or issue. Both have to be looked at as being important.

Anonymous 9:37 AM – retaining teachers and educational programs are very important, of course. However, if the buildings are not up to par and we don’t have enough schools (good school buildings) then we have a problem.

I don’t think it’s an either or issue. Both have to be looked at as being important.

It’s not a matter of priorities, because it’s not the same pile of money. Money to build and renovate schools is bond money and state funds that can only be used for those purposes. If you want the district to be able to fund educational programs (and not have to make further difficult program cuts, staff cuts, or school closures), support Measure Q.

It’s not a matter of priorities, because it’s not the same pile of money. Money to build and renovate schools is bond money and state funds that can only be used for those purposes. If you want the district to be able to fund educational programs (and not have to make further difficult program cuts, staff cuts, or school closures), support Measure Q.

As far as I know, neither Susan Lovenburg nor Joe Spector is a teacher. Susan is a parent volunteer. Joe is a school psychologist.

As far as I know, neither Susan Lovenburg nor Joe Spector is a teacher. Susan is a parent volunteer. Joe is a school psychologist.

right or wrong, races for school board are about as exciting as a 3-hour lecture on, well, just about anyting.
No matter how important the job, it just doesn’t get people motivated like City Council or Board of Supervisor’s races.
Nice of you to report on, though. I doubt it will get as passionate as council or Yolo races.

right or wrong, races for school board are about as exciting as a 3-hour lecture on, well, just about anyting.
No matter how important the job, it just doesn’t get people motivated like City Council or Board of Supervisor’s races.
Nice of you to report on, though. I doubt it will get as passionate as council or Yolo races.

Anonymous 9:37 AM – Martin Luther King High had waited decades for better facilities. They were still in the same portable classrooms that were in use back in the 1970’s when I had friends attending there. They were promised during the last bond go around that their completely decrepit and inadequate facilities would be addressed. They have waited until the High School’s performing arts building, the gym, the classroom building were built, Montgomery Elementary was built, Korematsu was built, Harper was built. Renovations at Cesar Chavez, North Davis, Pioneer, Valley Oak, and Holmes Jr. High were completed.

During all that time they patiently waited, so to begrudge them their new safe and adequate facilities now, where math classes don’t have to be held in a hallway, etc., is just wrong and misguided. Replace “MLK High School” with the IPAC building in your argument and you’ll see how wrong this is.

Valley Oak did not close because MLK is being fixed. Not fixing MLK would not have helped Valley Oak to stay open.

Anonymous 9:37 AM – Martin Luther King High had waited decades for better facilities. They were still in the same portable classrooms that were in use back in the 1970’s when I had friends attending there. They were promised during the last bond go around that their completely decrepit and inadequate facilities would be addressed. They have waited until the High School’s performing arts building, the gym, the classroom building were built, Montgomery Elementary was built, Korematsu was built, Harper was built. Renovations at Cesar Chavez, North Davis, Pioneer, Valley Oak, and Holmes Jr. High were completed.

During all that time they patiently waited, so to begrudge them their new safe and adequate facilities now, where math classes don’t have to be held in a hallway, etc., is just wrong and misguided. Replace “MLK High School” with the IPAC building in your argument and you’ll see how wrong this is.

Valley Oak did not close because MLK is being fixed. Not fixing MLK would not have helped Valley Oak to stay open.

“He also has a strong focus on vocational education for kids who are not on a college track, a commitment I am pleased to see from the school district recently as well.”

The school board really needs someone committed to voc ed. We don’t just need some money here and there for metal shop, graphic arts, or the auto shop. (We do need all that.) But mostly we need a certificated program, one which really trains a student from the 7th to 12th grade (including apprentice work programs in the community), so that he/she is prepared for a job when he graduates high school. I would hope that Bob Schelen will be that kind of Trustee, if elected.

“The most important issue that I view our school district facing is that of minority hires and the achievement gap task force.”

While I agree that we need to do a better job of recruiting black teachers (and perhaps teachers from other underrepresented groups), I don’t think the so-called “achievement gap” should be a priority for our district. The gap here mirrors the gap in our region, our state and the country at large. In other words, it is not due to factors unique to our district.

My own view is that our priority should be to identify the talents that all individual kids have and help all kids make the best of their talents. What I think we do too often — and so do most other schools — is we measure a certain type of talent (captured by the STAR tests) and consider those kids who don’t have that particular strength “underachievers.” And because they are labled underachievers or failures of some sort, we spend our energies trying to bring them up to a higher level in an area where they don’t necessarily want to be.

It would be a much better use of resources and much better for the children whose own talents are in other areas to focus on what they do well (at least once they reached the higher grade levels). If a kid is not academically inclined but loves to cook, we should have a cooking program (which we actually do have to some extent at Davis High) which encourages him to pursue his passion and exploit his natural gift.

My 43 years in life have taught me that all people have a gift in some area or another, and even the so-called smartest folks are lacking in some ways. But we often try to shoehorn people with differnet talents into one area which is an uncomfortable fit for them, and no wonder they don’t end up succeeding.

“He also has a strong focus on vocational education for kids who are not on a college track, a commitment I am pleased to see from the school district recently as well.”

The school board really needs someone committed to voc ed. We don’t just need some money here and there for metal shop, graphic arts, or the auto shop. (We do need all that.) But mostly we need a certificated program, one which really trains a student from the 7th to 12th grade (including apprentice work programs in the community), so that he/she is prepared for a job when he graduates high school. I would hope that Bob Schelen will be that kind of Trustee, if elected.

“The most important issue that I view our school district facing is that of minority hires and the achievement gap task force.”

While I agree that we need to do a better job of recruiting black teachers (and perhaps teachers from other underrepresented groups), I don’t think the so-called “achievement gap” should be a priority for our district. The gap here mirrors the gap in our region, our state and the country at large. In other words, it is not due to factors unique to our district.

My own view is that our priority should be to identify the talents that all individual kids have and help all kids make the best of their talents. What I think we do too often — and so do most other schools — is we measure a certain type of talent (captured by the STAR tests) and consider those kids who don’t have that particular strength “underachievers.” And because they are labled underachievers or failures of some sort, we spend our energies trying to bring them up to a higher level in an area where they don’t necessarily want to be.

It would be a much better use of resources and much better for the children whose own talents are in other areas to focus on what they do well (at least once they reached the higher grade levels). If a kid is not academically inclined but loves to cook, we should have a cooking program (which we actually do have to some extent at Davis High) which encourages him to pursue his passion and exploit his natural gift.

My 43 years in life have taught me that all people have a gift in some area or another, and even the so-called smartest folks are lacking in some ways. But we often try to shoehorn people with differnet talents into one area which is an uncomfortable fit for them, and no wonder they don’t end up succeeding.

They have waited until the High School’s performing arts building, the gym, the classroom building were built, Montgomery Elementary was built, Korematsu was built, Harper was built. Renovations at Cesar Chavez, North Davis, Pioneer, Valley Oak, and Holmes Jr. High were completed.
———
Yes, and that’s a sad commentary on the Davis Joint Unified School District’s priorities…if all the money that had gone into revamping Valley Oak could have been put toward the Valley Oak and MLK teachers’ salaries, and the purchase of teaching materials … then the state of the school building would not be so important. It is the teaching and the learning that does trump [pun intended] building– however profitable it may be to architects and contractors–that is so very incredibly important.
That is what matters in students’ lives and the lives they will live!
Every time I drive down 8th street and see the now totally useless “improvement” to the campus (keeping in mind the mission of educational enterprises)
I shake my head: What a waste! A middle school campus “beautified” but emptied of the learning experience that matters infinitely more than bricks, mortar and cement…
All that money went toward improving a campus now to be closed.
The mission of Valley Oak was going very well, an expansive human experience, and if the teachers and students could have been left alone the educational mission of the school would have continued advancing the lives of the students to do as well as they could based on their own abilities as encouraged by the dedicated teachers.
There is way too much emphasis on building. I’ve been to a few MLK commencement (a meaningful word, considering that graduation is only a beginning…education never ends) ceremonies where students expressed their graditude to teachers, not the stupid building, toward helping get their lives on track.
Power to the teachers!

They have waited until the High School’s performing arts building, the gym, the classroom building were built, Montgomery Elementary was built, Korematsu was built, Harper was built. Renovations at Cesar Chavez, North Davis, Pioneer, Valley Oak, and Holmes Jr. High were completed.
———
Yes, and that’s a sad commentary on the Davis Joint Unified School District’s priorities…if all the money that had gone into revamping Valley Oak could have been put toward the Valley Oak and MLK teachers’ salaries, and the purchase of teaching materials … then the state of the school building would not be so important. It is the teaching and the learning that does trump [pun intended] building– however profitable it may be to architects and contractors–that is so very incredibly important.
That is what matters in students’ lives and the lives they will live!
Every time I drive down 8th street and see the now totally useless “improvement” to the campus (keeping in mind the mission of educational enterprises)
I shake my head: What a waste! A middle school campus “beautified” but emptied of the learning experience that matters infinitely more than bricks, mortar and cement…
All that money went toward improving a campus now to be closed.
The mission of Valley Oak was going very well, an expansive human experience, and if the teachers and students could have been left alone the educational mission of the school would have continued advancing the lives of the students to do as well as they could based on their own abilities as encouraged by the dedicated teachers.
There is way too much emphasis on building. I’ve been to a few MLK commencement (a meaningful word, considering that graduation is only a beginning…education never ends) ceremonies where students expressed their graditude to teachers, not the stupid building, toward helping get their lives on track.
Power to the teachers!

Nice, very heartfelt comment.
You must not be a Davis teacher, though, a teacher though from the heartfelt comment, but make that
Valley Oak Elementary School.

Nice, very heartfelt comment.
You must not be a Davis teacher, though, a teacher though from the heartfelt comment, but make that
Valley Oak Elementary School.

Yes, power to the teachers, but you still don’t seem to understand that buildings, teacher salaries, and funding for programs all come from different sources.

Also, if kids are taught in a rotted building that leaks, while others have a better classroom environment, then that too will have a negative effect on their learning experience.

Yes, power to the teachers, but you still don’t seem to understand that buildings, teacher salaries, and funding for programs all come from different sources.

Also, if kids are taught in a rotted building that leaks, while others have a better classroom environment, then that too will have a negative effect on their learning experience.

Yes, power to the teachers, but you still don’t seem to understand that buildings, teacher salaries, and funding for programs all come from different sources.

Also, if kids are taught in a rotted building that leaks, while others have a better classroom environment, then that too will have a negative effect on their learning experience.

9/1/07 9:08 PM
Leaks? Man, oh, man: You are missing the point. It doesnt’ take hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fix leaks and make for a proper learning environment!
The teachers and students are already making the environment happen.
All the money comes from different sources? Why? Where’s the political will to move that money to where it needs to be educationally? I’d vote for a guy or gal who had the political character to stand up to these “good ol’ boy” architects/contractors/bureaucrats.If teaching were the top priority, then you wouldn’t have these profiteering so-and-sos taking their unconsciounably too-big share of the educational pie.
I mean look at the Valley Oak Elementary School: the life has been improved right out of it: it is going to be a monument to profiteering.
I think these architects/contractors ought to get out of the education business, buncha greedheads anyway. Who are in the way of the true priority: if education were the top, as it should be, priority, proper space would be found in which to teach as
Davis teachers already do so well. You don’t need a brand-new MLK building, just fix the old one, oh, too late, the pigs have already slurped up the their unfair share of the educational budget from what they see as the trough…
I think the priorities of allowing developers/contractors/bureaucrats to make money are getting in the way of education!
Buncha parasites. Who ought to know their place: providing a reasonably financed no frills space in which education could effectively take place. It ain’t the pretty buildings that educate, it is the teachers and students who make it happen!
This town has been the lackey of self-promoting greedhead profiteers for way too long.

Yes, power to the teachers, but you still don’t seem to understand that buildings, teacher salaries, and funding for programs all come from different sources.

Also, if kids are taught in a rotted building that leaks, while others have a better classroom environment, then that too will have a negative effect on their learning experience.

9/1/07 9:08 PM
Leaks? Man, oh, man: You are missing the point. It doesnt’ take hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fix leaks and make for a proper learning environment!
The teachers and students are already making the environment happen.
All the money comes from different sources? Why? Where’s the political will to move that money to where it needs to be educationally? I’d vote for a guy or gal who had the political character to stand up to these “good ol’ boy” architects/contractors/bureaucrats.If teaching were the top priority, then you wouldn’t have these profiteering so-and-sos taking their unconsciounably too-big share of the educational pie.
I mean look at the Valley Oak Elementary School: the life has been improved right out of it: it is going to be a monument to profiteering.
I think these architects/contractors ought to get out of the education business, buncha greedheads anyway. Who are in the way of the true priority: if education were the top, as it should be, priority, proper space would be found in which to teach as
Davis teachers already do so well. You don’t need a brand-new MLK building, just fix the old one, oh, too late, the pigs have already slurped up the their unfair share of the educational budget from what they see as the trough…
I think the priorities of allowing developers/contractors/bureaucrats to make money are getting in the way of education!
Buncha parasites. Who ought to know their place: providing a reasonably financed no frills space in which education could effectively take place. It ain’t the pretty buildings that educate, it is the teachers and students who make it happen!
This town has been the lackey of self-promoting greedhead profiteers for way too long.

Yes, the teachers deserve a bigger cut of the pie, without them there’d be no Davis Joint Unified Schools, no matter who ran it.

Yes, the teachers deserve a bigger cut of the pie, without them there’d be no Davis Joint Unified Schools, no matter who ran it.

Both England and France have an educational system that puts young people on either a university or vocational track in their mid-teens. Living there at the time in the climate of the 60’s,this seemed an outgrowth of their historically class-structured society,especially in England’s case; I thought that this could never “fly” in our classless society but it seems… times they are a-changin”.

9/2/07 9:47 AM

Both England and France have an educational system that puts young people on either a university or vocational track in their mid-teens. Living there at the time in the climate of the 60’s,this seemed an outgrowth of their historically class-structured society,especially in England’s case; I thought that this could never “fly” in our classless society but it seems… times they are a-changin”.

9/2/07 9:47 AM

“Both England and France have an educational system that puts young people on either a university or vocational track in their mid-teens.”

Germany has it, too. (So do most Asian countries). The German system is the one I am most familiar with. It is a great success and great for the students. The big beneficiary of the German program is that it is well integrated with German industry. As such, when a 9th grader, for example, begins learning about machine tools, he will be trained to learn the skills specifically needed by one or more top machine tool companies. When he graduates, he will have the skills that German industry needs. He will immediately be hired as an apprentice machinist (in this case) and (making very good wages) he will be an asset to his company. Whereas American companies are constantly bemoaning the fact that we don’t have enough qualified people for jobs such as these, German companies never are. And Germany tends to dominate in these areas of manufacturing because of the constant pipeline of well trained kids coming out of their schools.

Our model is much more bottom up. We let the kid pick what he wants to do after he graduates high school. We make him pay for his own trade school education. We have almost no coordination with industry. And our kids are trained by teachers who don’t work for our best companies, so they often teach things that kids won’t need to learn. Our companies then go wanting for good employees, and they often find them overseas.

“Both England and France have an educational system that puts young people on either a university or vocational track in their mid-teens.”

Germany has it, too. (So do most Asian countries). The German system is the one I am most familiar with. It is a great success and great for the students. The big beneficiary of the German program is that it is well integrated with German industry. As such, when a 9th grader, for example, begins learning about machine tools, he will be trained to learn the skills specifically needed by one or more top machine tool companies. When he graduates, he will have the skills that German industry needs. He will immediately be hired as an apprentice machinist (in this case) and (making very good wages) he will be an asset to his company. Whereas American companies are constantly bemoaning the fact that we don’t have enough qualified people for jobs such as these, German companies never are. And Germany tends to dominate in these areas of manufacturing because of the constant pipeline of well trained kids coming out of their schools.

Our model is much more bottom up. We let the kid pick what he wants to do after he graduates high school. We make him pay for his own trade school education. We have almost no coordination with industry. And our kids are trained by teachers who don’t work for our best companies, so they often teach things that kids won’t need to learn. Our companies then go wanting for good employees, and they often find them overseas.

Regarding Germany, England and France and their school tracking system why do they need all of those immigrants workers there that they now are so fearful about? All plans have flaws don’t they?

Regarding Germany, England and France and their school tracking system why do they need all of those immigrants workers there that they now are so fearful about? All plans have flaws don’t they?

France’s unemployment rate hovers at 10% for whites, and at 40% for Arab/Muslims. Somethin’ to burn a few cars over, eh?

France’s unemployment rate hovers at 10% for whites, and at 40% for Arab/Muslims. Somethin’ to burn a few cars over, eh?

Note that European unemployment rates, while still higher than ours, are calculated in a more honest way than ours are. As such, our real unemployment rate is far closer to those we see reported from Europe than the artificially low numbers we report.

Secondly, with regard to immigrants to countries like France and Germany, it is true that those minority groups have significantly higher unemployment rates than do the native born. However, it remains the case that a lot of North Africans in France (and Turks in Germany) work in the black market economy, there, and hence they appear to be unemployed, but they’re not. An immigrant from Morrocco, for example, may (unlawfully) hire himself out as a day laborer and at the same time collect unemployment benefits. (Until our welfare reform of a decade ago, many immigrants and some native born Americans did the same thing.)

Note that European unemployment rates, while still higher than ours, are calculated in a more honest way than ours are. As such, our real unemployment rate is far closer to those we see reported from Europe than the artificially low numbers we report.

Secondly, with regard to immigrants to countries like France and Germany, it is true that those minority groups have significantly higher unemployment rates than do the native born. However, it remains the case that a lot of North Africans in France (and Turks in Germany) work in the black market economy, there, and hence they appear to be unemployed, but they’re not. An immigrant from Morrocco, for example, may (unlawfully) hire himself out as a day laborer and at the same time collect unemployment benefits. (Until our welfare reform of a decade ago, many immigrants and some native born Americans did the same thing.)

I agree with all of the comments about profiteering in school construction, that priorities should be on quality teachers and programs instead of buildings, and that more voc training and certificate programs should be offered. But very little of this is within the control of the School Board or the district administration.

Much/most of the facilities money comes from the State, while the State cuts operating money (used for salaries and materials) to school districts. The State also sets the minimal requirements to get a high school diploma (which include all of those tests and academic courses that seem irrelevant for a portion of the students).

All we can ask of our School Board members is that they be diligent in staying on top of things, and that they have their priorities in the right place when they make decisions about spending OPERATING funds and make choices as to what kinds of elective programs/courses to offer.

I agree with all of the comments about profiteering in school construction, that priorities should be on quality teachers and programs instead of buildings, and that more voc training and certificate programs should be offered. But very little of this is within the control of the School Board or the district administration.

Much/most of the facilities money comes from the State, while the State cuts operating money (used for salaries and materials) to school districts. The State also sets the minimal requirements to get a high school diploma (which include all of those tests and academic courses that seem irrelevant for a portion of the students).

All we can ask of our School Board members is that they be diligent in staying on top of things, and that they have their priorities in the right place when they make decisions about spending OPERATING funds and make choices as to what kinds of elective programs/courses to offer.

The Valley Oak Charter folks made a great presentation to the brd of ed two weeks ago. Compliments all around for their knowledgable, well-organized, clear presentation from the three members present and the member on the phone.
The board’s first question: Would the charter group be amenable to accommodating the Early Intervention Preschool Program on the campus?
Question: If the Best Uses Task Force and the Board found Valley Oak as a facility SO decrepit, and the traffic situation in the front of the school SO dangerous, that the place has to be closed to perfectly abled and even GATE students, why is it a good site for our least abled children of the district?

The Valley Oak Charter folks made a great presentation to the brd of ed two weeks ago. Compliments all around for their knowledgable, well-organized, clear presentation from the three members present and the member on the phone.
The board’s first question: Would the charter group be amenable to accommodating the Early Intervention Preschool Program on the campus?
Question: If the Best Uses Task Force and the Board found Valley Oak as a facility SO decrepit, and the traffic situation in the front of the school SO dangerous, that the place has to be closed to perfectly abled and even GATE students, why is it a good site for our least abled children of the district?

Germany has pursued a regressive social policy of “Children, Church, and Kitchen” for its female citizens and actively discouraged mothers from working outside the home. Women, faced with the choice of a career or motherhood, postponed child bearing or forewent it altogether. The rate of chil birth/replacement in Germany is 1.2. Germany needs its foreign workers as it hasn’t the native population to fill the need.

Germany has pursued a regressive social policy of “Children, Church, and Kitchen” for its female citizens and actively discouraged mothers from working outside the home. Women, faced with the choice of a career or motherhood, postponed child bearing or forewent it altogether. The rate of chil birth/replacement in Germany is 1.2. Germany needs its foreign workers as it hasn’t the native population to fill the need.

“Germany has pursued a regressive social policy of “Children, Church, and Kitchen” for its female citizens and actively discouraged mothers from working outside the home.”

Hopefully, this stark choice will never confront Davis. Actually, this thread has gotten very far away from the matter at hand, namely whether candidates for the Davis School Board will have the will to put priorities right: i.e., teachers and students first and let the builders take an unaccustomed back seat, relinquishing a bit of their massive slice of the budgetary pie to make the basic mission of education as viable as it needs to be.
Did Annie Sullivan need a fancy, architecturally-correct (i.e., expensive) building to teach Helen Keller the miracle of communication? No, all she needed was a hand-pumped well gushing water over Helen’s hand.
When if, may it be so, the bureaucrats are educated to understand the true value and meaning of education, they, thus enlightened, hopefully might realize the unnecessary triviality of their profiteering turf wars.
The money is there, it just needs to be allocated in the interests of the true mission of education.

“Germany has pursued a regressive social policy of “Children, Church, and Kitchen” for its female citizens and actively discouraged mothers from working outside the home.”

Hopefully, this stark choice will never confront Davis. Actually, this thread has gotten very far away from the matter at hand, namely whether candidates for the Davis School Board will have the will to put priorities right: i.e., teachers and students first and let the builders take an unaccustomed back seat, relinquishing a bit of their massive slice of the budgetary pie to make the basic mission of education as viable as it needs to be.
Did Annie Sullivan need a fancy, architecturally-correct (i.e., expensive) building to teach Helen Keller the miracle of communication? No, all she needed was a hand-pumped well gushing water over Helen’s hand.
When if, may it be so, the bureaucrats are educated to understand the true value and meaning of education, they, thus enlightened, hopefully might realize the unnecessary triviality of their profiteering turf wars.
The money is there, it just needs to be allocated in the interests of the true mission of education.

Maybe the reason minority hires do not stay in Davis is that there aren’t enough other minorities to create a comfortable culture in which they’d like to live.

Maybe the reason minority hires do not stay in Davis is that there aren’t enough other minorities to create a comfortable culture in which they’d like to live.

Washington (AFP – Agence France Press) – Suppression of Free Speech – National Park Service Police (NPSP)

Youtube video
Click this link to see a video of the police suppression
Police break up anti-war meeting in Washington(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EAfPgX7gs0, )

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6702

AFP Photo: Tina Richards of Grassroots America being arrested.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Mounted police charged in to break up an outdoor press conference and demonstration against the Iraq war in Washington on Thursday, arresting three people, organizers and an AFP reporter said.
“The police suppressed the press conference. In the middle of the speeches, they grabbed the podium” erected in a park in front of the White House for the small gathering, Brian Becker, national organizer of the ANSWER anti-war coalition, told AFP.
“Then, mounted police charged the media present to disperse them,” Becker said.
The charge caused a peaceful crowd of some 20 journalists and four or five protestors to scatter in terror, an AFP correspondent at the event in Lafayette Square said. No one appeared to have been hurt.
Three people — Tina Richards, the mother of a marine who did two tours of duty in Iraq; Adam Kokesh, a leader of the Iraq Veterans Against the War group; and lawyer Ian Thompson, who is an organizer for ANSWER in Los Angeles — were arrested, Becker said.
The ANSWER coalition is trying to rally support for an anti-war demonstration in Washington that is due to take place on September 15.
Last month, the movement was threatened with a fine of at least 10,000 dollars unless it removed posters in the city announcing the September 15 march.
Washington city authorities have said the posters had to come down because they were stuck on with adhesive that did not meet city regulations.
“At our demonstration today we were showing the media that the paste we use conforms to the rules,” Becker said.
“One of our activists was making a speech when the police barged in and grabbed the podium. At that point, Tina Richards started to put up a poster, so they arrested her and two others.”
“This strategy of suppression has not worked. We expect many tens of thousands of people” in Washington for the September 15 anti-war demonstration, he said.
The march has been timed to coincide with the release of a report by the US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and will be part of a week of protests led by veterans of the Iraq war.
A petition calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush, allegedly carrying one million signatures and endorsed by former US attorney general Ramsey Clark, will also be submitted to officials during the week’s activities, ANSWER has told AFP.

Washington (AFP – Agence France Press) – Suppression of Free Speech – National Park Service Police (NPSP)

Youtube video
Click this link to see a video of the police suppression
Police break up anti-war meeting in Washington(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EAfPgX7gs0, )

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6702

AFP Photo: Tina Richards of Grassroots America being arrested.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Mounted police charged in to break up an outdoor press conference and demonstration against the Iraq war in Washington on Thursday, arresting three people, organizers and an AFP reporter said.
“The police suppressed the press conference. In the middle of the speeches, they grabbed the podium” erected in a park in front of the White House for the small gathering, Brian Becker, national organizer of the ANSWER anti-war coalition, told AFP.
“Then, mounted police charged the media present to disperse them,” Becker said.
The charge caused a peaceful crowd of some 20 journalists and four or five protestors to scatter in terror, an AFP correspondent at the event in Lafayette Square said. No one appeared to have been hurt.
Three people — Tina Richards, the mother of a marine who did two tours of duty in Iraq; Adam Kokesh, a leader of the Iraq Veterans Against the War group; and lawyer Ian Thompson, who is an organizer for ANSWER in Los Angeles — were arrested, Becker said.
The ANSWER coalition is trying to rally support for an anti-war demonstration in Washington that is due to take place on September 15.
Last month, the movement was threatened with a fine of at least 10,000 dollars unless it removed posters in the city announcing the September 15 march.
Washington city authorities have said the posters had to come down because they were stuck on with adhesive that did not meet city regulations.
“At our demonstration today we were showing the media that the paste we use conforms to the rules,” Becker said.
“One of our activists was making a speech when the police barged in and grabbed the podium. At that point, Tina Richards started to put up a poster, so they arrested her and two others.”
“This strategy of suppression has not worked. We expect many tens of thousands of people” in Washington for the September 15 anti-war demonstration, he said.
The march has been timed to coincide with the release of a report by the US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and will be part of a week of protests led by veterans of the Iraq war.
A petition calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush, allegedly carrying one million signatures and endorsed by former US attorney general Ramsey Clark, will also be submitted to officials during the week’s activities, ANSWER has told AFP.