BY ANDREA MORELL AND ALEX PAPALI
BOSTON-Students at Roxbury Community College emerged victorious May 7 after a 24-hour sit-in at administration offices demanding decent educational conditions and the right to student activities free from the heavy hand of school authorities. Student organizers explained that school administrators had previously dismissed their concerns, forcing them to take action.

At a rally last November 6, two days after the administration suspended the Student Government Association, students protested an increase in violations of their rights by school officials.

"The administration began to disrespect the students a long time ago," said sophomore student organizer Terry Marshall.

The action began at noon May 6 as a presentation of demands to school president Grace Brown, and an airing of further complaints from students and faculty. Students and teachers cited a chronic shortage of basic supplies, such as copy paper, chalk, and even toilet paper.

One student, Frantz Boneau, explained he had to take a delayed grade in one course because no paper was available at the school to write his term paper. Akura Miyazaki said her professor had told her, "Chalk is like gold here now."

Another complaint was the continuing lack of student access to the Internet, which had been promised by the administration and for which the school had received funds for earlier this year. Students also protested the installation of a sophisticated surveillance system; a picket sign read, "We demand new books, not surveillance cameras."

When the students insisted Brown sign a statement committing the school to change, she refused, citing a lack of control over funding. She then abruptly broke off talks and left, but returned at 11:00 p.m., saying she was willing to negotiate. The students declined, saying no community or faculty witnesses were present; and that they had believed the negotiations would continue in the morning. Backed up by 27 state police cruisers, including an antiriot SWAT team and two K-9 dog squads, Brown ordered the protesters to evacuate or face arrest. The students locked arms and began humming, We Shall Overcome.

Fresh negotiations commenced, mediated by the state representatives and Melvin King, a former state legislator and head of the Massachusetts Rainbow Coalition. Eventually school authorities signed onto 15 of the 18 demands.

The demonstration received constant media attention and solidarity from fellow students and others. At one point, supporters three stories below filled a basket at the end of a makeshift rope lowered by the student occupiers with sandwiches and supplies, in defiance of a police blockade.

Andrea Morell, Socialist Workers candidate for U.S. Congress, and her supporters, participated in the events. In a statement she said, "The crisis these youth are addressing is part of the larger crisis of capitalism which has resulted in the disastrous defunding of public education.... And like the young people who staged a job action against McDonald's in Ohio for better working conditions or Indonesian students who are protesting the effects of the currency crisis, they are showing that working people and youth will fight."

Alex Papali was one of the participants in the sit-in at the administration offices.  
 
 
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