There was a slightly bigger crowd, about 100, at the second demonstration by United Citizens of American Samoa this morning.
Like Tuesday’s protest, Samoana High School had more than 50 students holding signs, calling out slogans and waving and cheering to passing vehicles.
Some Leone and Tafuna high school students were also in the crowd.
A Kananafou-fou elementary student was there with her mother.
Two employees of the Governor’s Office were seen among the group.
There were also students and teachers from the American Samoa Community College, and outspoken members of the community like Tuika Tuika, Tisa Faamuli, Fatu Al Shehri and Lucia Bartley.
The signs and posters that the protestors held were more expressive: Fono stands for Forgetting our Needs Often; Lawmakers are debtmakers; Fai ma se alofa, help our schools, hospital and people; Put your people first; My Dad and Mom need a raise; Le eleele ua le malie I vai and Soia le ai afu le atunuu .
While people were lining up to sign the group’s petition two young cops approached a member of the Group Lucia Bartley.
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The officers were sent by the Commissioner to tell the students to go to school and to turn the volume down.
The Samoana students had already been dispersed to return to class, but there were other students from other high schools there.
Bartley said that the students had been cleared by their principals to attend the demonstration.
She made a call to the Commissioner’s Office to inform him that they were exercising their right to assembly and they were loud so that their messages could be heard.
At one point a Fono male employee who was passing by said in Samoan no one cares about what you are doing.
There were no early morning hearings for the House and Senate today, and by the time the session started at 10 am the crowd had dispersed.
KHJ News asked the spokesperson for United Citizens of American Samoa Laurenthia Pouesi for her reaction to statements by some lawmakers that the executive branch not the Fono is responsible for many of the problems that they have raised.
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Pouesi, also had this to say about comments by the Senate President disputing that there are not enough desks and chairs in public schools.
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United Citizens of American Samoa invites supporters to sign their petition against the Fono payraises on change.org or contact them on their FaceBook page.
