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Protesters arrested after sit-in at school district HQ<br><br>
Six activists demand Ward's job, state control come to end<br><br>
By Alex Katz, STAFF WRITER<br>
<a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2592858" eudora="autourl">http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2592858<br>
</a>Inside Bay Area<br><br>
OAKLAND A group of six activists including the son of a school board
member and a City Council candidate were arrested Tuesday after staging
a sit-in and refusing to leave the office of Oakland schools State
Administrator Randolph Ward.<br><br>
The protesters demanded a meeting with Ward's boss in Sacramento, state
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, and said they would
not leave Ward's office until his staff set up the meeting. They told
Oakland police that they intended to get arrested if their demand was not
met.<br><br>
"We're determined we're going to get a meeting with Jack
O'Connell," said protester Kali Akuno, former director of the
now-defunct School of Social Justice. "At this point we're just
tired of the disrespect of the community."<br><br>
The activists, encouraged by chant-ing from about 50 students
demonstrating outside the building on Second Avenue, said they wanted to
meet O'Connell to demand an end to Ward's job and to state control of the
Oakland schools.<br><br>
Ward's chief of staff, Woodrow Carter, told protesters that Ward was at a
meeting in Piedmont on Tuesday afternoon and he pointed out that
O'Connell's office is in Sacramento.<br><br>
The activists said they had not tried to ask O'Connell's office for a
meeting.<br><br>
The state superintendent "has completely ignored our previous
attempts" to set up a meeting, said protester Michael Siegel, son of
school board member and mayoral candidate Dan Siegel.<br><br>
O'Connell could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.<br><br>
Ward has made dramatic and sometimes unpopular changes since he was
appointed to run the Oakland schools in 2003, when the state took over
the district after massive financial failures.<br><br>
Tuesday's sit-in happened a week after Ward announced he might drop the
district's adult education program. Activists also said they opposed
Ward'sArrests end<br><br>
sit-in at schools HQ<br><br>
move to convert low-performing campuses into charter schools to comply
with federal law.<br><br>
The sit-in also came in the middle of negotiations between the district
and teachers unions.<br><br>
Ward was reached on his cell phone just as police started arresting the
protesters.<br><br>
"I hope they turn their passion into helping us fix schools,"
Ward said.<br><br>
When asked if he wanted the protesters arrested, Ward said, "It
seems to me they want to get arrested."<br><br>
The protesters, including Oakland City Council candidate Pamela Drake,
were handcuffed without incident by police and led out of district
headquarters, where they were greeted by cheers from the several dozen
students demonstrating outside.<br><br>
A number of the students wore black bandanas across their faces or around
their necks. Students and teachers kept up chants for at least an
hour.<br><br>
Also arrested were activists Anne Weills, an attorney, Micah Clatterbaugh
and Linda Halpern, a longtime Oakland teacher. Oakland police said they
would be cited for trespassing on school property and released.<br><br>
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