Protesters imply SRC is bulldozing schools
Inside City Hall right now, a small group of protesters are staging a sit-in, a criticism of the mayor's support for the District's mass school-closings plan. Outside City Hall, the rally to Occupy Nutter is also in full swing. Here's a great photo from the protest, tweeted by the PFT.
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Protesters sit in outside the mayor's office
by Paul Socolar on Mar 05 2013 Posted in Latest news
A crowd of about 20 opponents of the School District's closings plan is staging a sit-in outside the mayor's office on the second floor of City Hall this afternoon, following a meeting with Mayor Nutter.
The protest includes members of Action United, the NAACP, Parents United for Public Education, and PCAPS (Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools). The groups are criticizing the mayor's support for the District's plan to close 29 schools. Action United has set up a livestream of the sit-in.
City police have blocked off the corridor where the protest is taking place. Craig Robbins, director of Action United, who is part of the sit-in, was reached by phone. He reported that a group met with the mayor at 2:15 p.m, including these groups and two members of a clergy coalition, and laid out the argument for a one-year moratorium on school closings. "We also asked him to be more aggressive in fighting for more funding for the schools," Robbins said.
According to Robbins, "We didn't get very far. ... The mayor said parents are voting with their feet and leaving schools, and this is what we have to do." Robbins said that after the 45-minute meeting, the group left the office, met with supporters, and the sit-in began.
Robbins added, "We're going to stay a while."