San Leandro High Students Rail Against Plutocracy

About 75 students chanted in front of the school Friday afternoon in a demonstration inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests and aimed at what organizers called an increasing concentration of wealth.

"We're supposed to be a democracy but we're a plutocracy because everything is all run by the 1 percent at the top," said senior Stephanie Olague, a demonstration organizer.

The wealth held by the top 1 percent of Americans has been a central theme in recent Wall Street protests that have spawned similar demonstrations in San Francisco and hundreds of other cities linked online though the Occupy Together network.

"We are all the 99 percent that are getting abused by the corporations," said senior Veronica Mandujano, another demonstration organizer.

The rally's organizers and most of the attendees were part of the school's Social Justice Academy, a group of about 90 students who study history, English and electives that focus on community involvement and activism.

"The students have been hearing about the Occupy Together movement in the nation and they felt that youth were underrepresented," said Erica Viray-Santos, one of the teachers in the Academy.

Before the demonstration during lunch on Friday, the Social Justice Academy set up booths in the middle of the school courtyard and asked fellow students to fill out surveys about their lives outside of school.

“So many people fresh out of high school are out of jobs,” said student demonstrator Izzy Zamora. “They go to the mall and older people already have the jobs.”

After school students lined the curb along Bancroft Avenue urging passing cars to honk in support while chanting slogans like, "What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now."

Over the din of the protest Olague said the demonstration was not merely academic to her.

“I’m out here because my dad lost his job a couple years ago and we lost our house," she said. "I’ve seen my family struggle to make a living.”

She talked about her grandmother, who has diabetes, not being able to afford health care.

“I’m running the risk of not being able to go to college,” Olague said.