For Immediate Release   September 4, 2007

What: Back to School Party and BBQ

“Opt Out Rally and BBQ�

            Photo Opportunities and interviews will be available upon request

Contact: Pam Phan at 503.705.8099 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Where: Glenhaven Park – Adjacent to Madison HS at 2735 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97220

When: Friday, September 14th from 3pm to 7pm

At 3pm there will be a stage of youth, hip hop artists, DJ’s, Graffiti artists, and Breakdancers who will entertain students, their families, and area neighbors for a back to school celebration at Glenhaven Park, adjacent on the north side of Madison High School. There will be a free BBQ and beverages for all. This is a family friendly event and all are welcome. Students will also be able to participate in hands on graffiti muraling and learn how make art and crafts that express their opinions about their community. 

Street teams will be performing live poetry and speaking with youth about the realities of the military and the dangers of military recruiting. Local MC’s Mic Crenshaw, Jefferson High School’s own USA La Familia, Optimus Duece, and Rocket One will host street teams that will go to local high schools using hip hop performance to encourage students not to allow their private information to be given to the US Military. 

Since the No Child Left Behind Act, Bush's education legislation passed May 2001 (seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_child_left_behind), all military recruiters have access to all students’ private information (address, phone number, sometimes even grades and SAT scores) for the purposes of recruitment and identifying potential enlistees. Parents are allowed to "opt out" their children from the military database so that the military will not have access to their child's information, but they can only do so the first month of the school year in September. Students themselves also have the power to sign the opt out form, informing their school to delete their names and contact information from the Pentagon’s Database.

Portland high school students have until the end of September to ‘opt out’ of the Pentagon database.  The American Friends Service Committee, Recruiter Watch PDX, Vets For Peace Ch. 72, and the PDX Peace Coalition are working together to engage students and parents to publicize this opportunity to avoid military recruiters receiving their personal and private information.