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Michael Yanow Corsair Nnaemeka Alozie gets hosed off after being pepper-sprayed outside the SMC Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 in Santa Monica, Calif.
STUDENTS PEPPER-SPRAYED AFTER PROTEST ESCALATES Andy Riesmeyer, Nathan Gawronsky, and Fatou Samb Staff Writers
Michael Yanow Corsair Santa Monica College Police Officer Williams raises his baton to push back students who were trying to rush into the SMC Board of Trustees meeting.
Michael Price Corsair Jasmine Delgado, Associated Students vice president, is restrained by SMC police in the Board Meeting of the Trustees at Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. on April 3, 2012. Students were demonstrating against the Board’s implementation of contract education.
Campus protests turned ugly Tuesday night as students and the Santa Monica Police clashed in front of a Board of Trustees meeting over contract education. Thirty protesters were peppersprayed, and two were transported to local hospitals after the group of students tried to storm the boardroom without authorization. No arrests were made, according to the Santa Monica College Police Department. About 70 students marched from the main campus library to the boardroom at the business building. There were chants of “No cuts, no fees, education should be free!” Contract Ed, a measure that was passed last month by the Board of Trustees, has since gained nationwide attention. The measure involves tuition costs rising to $180 per unit for certain high-demand classes. In the hallway outside of the boardroom, students were given numbers to gain entry to the boardroom. Upon opening the doors, tensions escalated, and the throng of students attempted to push their way into the small room that could not contain the size of the crowd. The police resorted to force to regain control. With retractable clubs and pepperspray, the officers worked to control the chaos. Within the melee, 30 students were pepper-sprayed, including a 4-year-old girl. “It’s a shame this happened at a public meeting with our children
in sight,” said the mother of the child who was pepper-sprayed (she declined to provide her name). “The cops brutalized students for fighting for their rights.” “Students protest and demonstrate to express themselves and their emotions and that’s part of college, so we understand that,” Superintendent and President Dr. Chui L. Tsang told the Corsair on Monday. From within the boardroom, the business-as-usual meeting became decidedly tense over the sounds of screaming and banging at the doors of the boardroom. As protestors yelled “Let us in! Let us in!” from outside of the boardroom, Trustee Louise Jaffe said “We’d like to let you into classes.” Two girls rushed into the boardroom screaming with tears in their eyes. Security from within the room decided to quickly relocate trustees and guests into a separate room. The police were trying to clear the area because of the potential fire hazard presented by the crowd, but the disgruntled crowd pushed forward, and police drew their clubs and pepper-sprayed protesters. Twenty-seven firefighters were dispatched to the campus after there were reports of students who had been maced, Santa Monica firefighter Judah Mitchell said. The crowd was dispersed as a result of the pepper-spraying, and continued their protest in direction [SEE STUDENTS PG.12]
SILENT MARCH PG. 3 POLICE DISRUPT CONTRACT ED PROTEST PG. 4 PROTEST ENDS IN CHAOS PG. 6-7
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