Dear Friends,

Thanks for all the support during the camp-out!
At around 10 last night, an employee of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management service and Park Rangers gave students ten minutes to vacate War Memorial Plaza or face police destroying tents and arresting anyone remaining in the park.

Students representing the Hip Hop Congress, BUDL, Algebra Project, Safe and Sound Youth Ambassadors, Kids on the Hill, Wide Angle Youth Media, YOURS, Follow Your Dreams, Youth As Resources, ETU and other groups chose to end the camp-out for Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises at that point, and spent the night camping a block away at the Hollywood Diner, owned by Chesapeake Center for Youth Development (also a peer-to-peer enterprise coalition member).

Mayor Dixon came out on the City Hall steps to speak with students earlier yesterday. She continues to deny students a formal meeting, and seems poorly informed about the strategy to develop jobs for young people in the knowledge-based economy. For example, she tried to explain that students could get jobs at Target. Students responded that they are looking for knowledge-based jobs that challenge them and their peers to learn and grow.

Students will be planning the next steps in the campaign early next week.