The Co-operative news. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1917-1918, 1917-10-25
N. Y. POLICE
CLUB MOTHERS
$4,000 School Children On Strike
Against Long Hours and
Militarism

The strike which started last week
children has spread like wild-fire. In
the high schools it takes the form
of protest against military drill;
in the grade schools the long school
day, brought in by the Gary system
is the object of attack. In some
sections of the city economic fea
lures are prominent.
Fifteen thousand children from
a dozen schools accompanied by
a large crowd of mothers, while
marching down Pitkin avenue
carrying signs voicing their pro-
test against the Gary system as
put in practice, were scattered by
the reserves from five stations, with
Capt. Issac Frank at the head.
Mrs. Yetta Ray, of 1886 Bedford
street, Brooklyn, was knocked sense
less by policeman's club, and, DR..
Burke, of St. Mary's hospital, who
took her away in an ambulance said
she may not live. Another woman
was knocked unconscious, but friends
carried her away
Mothers Attack Reserves
Maddened by the brutality of the
police, the swarms of children, led
by the mothers, attacked the re-
serves and injured four policemen so
badly that they reported sick and
went home. At the 65th precinct
station Patrolmen Alnet, Heinz,
Ward and Springer were sent home
to recover from their bruises. Heinz's
leg was found to have been broken
below the knee.
Later in the afternoon the chill
dren attacked the various school
buildings with stones and broke
many windows. Teachers were
pelted with missiles when they APP
peared, and many of them tele-
phoned home for their fathers to
take them through the crowds.
Many Of them said that the chill
dren had just grievance, and de-
clared that, as teachers, they felt
indignant, also, since under the new
rules they had to work nearly two
hours longer each day without any
recompensa for n
The revolutionary spirit of the
children was remarkable. The re-
volt began with considerable prepar-
alton and without disorder. At
$3.50 o'clock in the morning the chill
dren massed themselves around pub
lie school 165, on the outskirts of
Brownsville, George Bergen, IA years
old and Abraham Klutch, also ID,
addressed them, and they decided to
march to the other schools They
soon had most of the boys and
girls out from the other schools.
Held Open-Air Meeting
The children then met on lot
near the site of the proposed Browns
vile and East New York Jewish hos
pital, at CT lrch avenue and East
92d street and held meeting. They
were addressed by the two boy lead
ers from public school 1913 and
George Cooperman, 10 years of age,
a pupil of this school. Accompanied
by their mothers, they marched to
Pitkin avenue where the police await
ed them. Three patrol wagons full
of children were taken away. This
maddened the mothers, and they at
tackled the police like furies. The
children were released after five
minutes detention in the 165th pre-
cinct station.
Mitchell Picture Torn Down
AT public school 1875 the stoops
of the annex were torn down and
the bricks went crashing through the
school windows. A picture of Mayor
Mitchell was torn down from a store
window nearby and trampled under
by hundreds of childrren's feet until
it was destroyed
The doors of the school were
locked on the inside to keep in the
pupils not on strike and resentful
mothers, clamoring outside, were
frantic for the safety of their little
ones.
In Williamsburg, at P. S. so, ev-
cry window was taken out by vol
leys of bricks showered upon them
during the night by boys. The pu-
pills went on strike in the early
afternoon and held a meeting on the
Williamsburg bridge plaza, under the
statue of George Washington.
1t was in this neighborhood that
the automobiles containing the Will
llamsburg quota of drafted men was
beseiged by furious mothers who
saw their boys leaving for camps
several weeks ago
The children attempted to hold a
meeting IN Independence hail. on Pit
kin avenue, Brownsville, in the after
noon after they had obtained rent for
the hall by public subscription, but