Wow. It's been a while since we've heard of anyone doing this, right? (Jokes! This happened at the same school a few months ago.) But this morning, sixty-five students at New School in downtown New York took over a school building to pressure the president-the expertly stylish former governor Bob Kerrey-and his VP to resign. Some students wielding a black and red flag and black face masks have started shouting from the rooftops (literally). The protesters on the street have been disbanded by cops.The controversy over Kerrey isn't new. In December, senior faculty produced an overwhelming vote of no-confidence (74: no confidence; 72: confidence). The vote didn't have the power to unseat Kerrey, but, they hoped, it would add pressure on the Board to persuade him and his VP to step down. Well, it didn't work.It'll be interesting to see what happens next, especially since this isn't the first time in recent memory that New School students have taken over buildings. Will this produce a few arrests then business as usual? Or will the students have the impact they hope for and see major change?Finally, do you think civil disobedience, picketing, and protests are an effective way to be heard and produce real change in 2009?Image (from an earlier student occupation at New School) via
Wow. It's been a while since we've heard of anyone doing this, right? (Jokes! This happened at the same school a few months ago.) But this morning, sixty-five students at New School in downtown New York took over a school building to pressure the president-the expertly stylish former governor Bob Kerrey-and his VP to resign. Some students wielding a black and red flag and black face masks have started shouting from the rooftops (literally). The protesters on the street have been disbanded by cops.The controversy over Kerrey isn't new. In December, senior faculty produced an overwhelming vote of no-confidence (74: no confidence; 72: confidence). The vote didn't have the power to unseat Kerrey, but, they hoped, it would add pressure on the Board to persuade him and his VP to step down. Well, it didn't work.It'll be interesting to see what happens next, especially since this isn't the first time in recent memory that New School students have taken over buildings. Will this produce a few arrests then business as usual? Or will the students have the impact they hope for and see major change?Finally, do you think civil disobedience, picketing, and protests are an effective way to be heard and produce real change in 2009?Image (from an earlier student occupation at New School) via