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Dyett Hunger Strikers Reject CPS Plan to Reopen Dyett

By Sam Cholke | September 4, 2015 3:54pm
 Dyett activists  said a 19-day hunger strike would go on until CPS opened to ongoing input from communtity groups
Dyett activists said a 19-day hunger strike would go on until CPS opened to ongoing input from communtity groups
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DNAinfo/Sam Cholke

GRAND BOULEVARD — Dyett activists said they won’t give up their 19-day hunger strike, despite a proposal from Chicago Public Schools to reopen Dyett High School.

The group rejected a plan presented by CPS CEO Forrest Claypool on Thursday that would reopen the school as an arts and technology based open-enrollment high school.

“We are open to negotiation, we are open to talking,” said Jitu Brown, one of the hunger strikers on Friday in front of the school at 555 E. 51st St.

He said Claypool did call him before presenting the CPS’ plan publicly on Friday.

“I told him ‘You should be prepared to negotiate because we’re on this hunger strike,’” Brown said of the conversation. “He said, ‘There will be no negotiation.’”

Brown said because CPS broke its promise to allow three proposals compete for the school and then cut out input from the coalition that includes the hunger strikers in the new plan announced Thursday the hunger strike would continue.

“They’re moving forward, so we are too,” Brown said. “There will be no end to the hunger strike.”

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