BROOKLYN, May 1 — At noon today, a handful of students exited Brooklyn Technical High School and gathered at a local café. Although their numbers were smaller than they’d hoped, the students decided to go through with their planned course of action. Lined up in two rows, they began marching and chanting around the school. Soon other students from the school joined them. A march of 15 grew into a march of 50.
Chants were led by a few young people who have been in or around Progressive Labor Party. Instead of limiting the protest to racist cutbacks on education, the chants tied together a number of ills that students face under capitalism.
There was outrage against recent acts of police brutality, particularly last month’s murder of Tamon Robinson, a popular employee at a local café.
In addition, the students marched in solidarity with workers all around the city, the country and the world. Chants of “Whose day? Our Day! What day? May Day!” and “Racist Cops Mean, We Got to Fight Back!” rang throughout the block.
Although the march was somewhat small, the participants’ enthusiasm was unmatched. For over two hours, the Tech students yelled at the top of their lungs. Many displayed a newfound passion for protest and broke out in spontaneous chants when a moment of silence fell over the march. For many participants, this was their first rally. They were clearly glad to be part of it.
Their enthusiasm only ballooned after the Tech group made contact with other students from Paul Robeson High School in Fort Greene. A contingent of Robeson and Tech students continued to chant and cheer at the base of the steps at Fort Greene Park, drawing attention from neighborhood workers and residents. At one point a car drove by and the driver violently honked in support of the march.
Later, the students gathered at a larger rally at the Sailor’s Monument at the top of Ft. Greene. More than 120 students heard speeches and poems and to participate in teach-ins with progressive teachers.