Christina Villalobos, Special Assistant to the Chief of Police & Public Information Officer said Reseda Boulevard was blocked off because the protesters moved back into the area to rally, during Thursday’s walkouts.
5:36 p.m. On the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Prairie Street students are having a sit in while they chant “Student. Power.” and “We won’t go. Hell no!”
Students need to reclaim their voice, said Lilia Tejeda, 20, psychology major.
“[Tuition increase of] 10 percent, 30 percent, 32 percent? That is not right. What’s going to happen next year?” said Tejeda.
5:58 p.m. Police and protesters telling people to get off the intersection and onto the sidewalk. Protesters chanting, “Everywhere we go, everywhere we go, people want to know, people want to know, who we are, who we are, so we tell them, so we tell them, we are the students, we are the students, the mighty mighty students,” (song from the movie “Remember the Titans”).
6:05 p.m. Slowly the protesters leave the street. The SWAT team arrives. When protesters see the SWAT team they come back to rallying on the street.
6:08 p.m. SWAT intervenes by telling protesters to get off the street.
Amber Tondreau, 25, music education major said that the march is a good thing and that so far the rally has been peaceful.
6:11 p.m. “No more budget cuts,” protesters chant.
6:13 p.m. Protesters start heading back to CSUN. Captain Alfredo Fernandez from the CSUN police department announces to the crowd they have 10 minutes to disperse from the area. When protesters hear the message they come back to rally.
“We have a right to pass! We pay taxes,” said Nancy Menjivar, 24, graduating senior double majoring in psychology and Central America studies.
6:19 p.m. “Hey hey ho ho, budget cuts have got to go,” protesters chant. Some are on the intersection (Reseda Boulevard and Prairie Street) telling others to do a sit down.
6:20 p.m. People shout to go back to campus.
6:24 p.m. Protesters are still on the street. Some stand and others are doing the sit down. SWAT and police stand all around the intersection to make sure people do not get across. The street is blocked for cars and passing pedestrians.
6:29 p.m. Crowd tries to break through the line of where the SWAT and police are standing. They shove back. People shout “Police brutality.”
6:31 p.m. Word gets around the crowd that people are getting arrested. Police will not comment.
Leticia Moro came out to the rally in protesting against the budget cuts in LAUSD. She has four children in the LAUSD and said that she is tired of seeing her kids suffering.
“Losing teachers, losing programs, classes, coaches. Students are currently suffering. No more assistant principals and no after school programs,” said Moro.
6:36 p.m. One protester is playing the bongo drums while other protesters dance in the street.
6:43 p.m. SWAT start moving people to get off the streets.
6:46 p.m. Protesters chant “We support them” when they see one of the protesters (unknown male) in flex-cuff restraints.
6:48 p.m. People are off the street with the SWAT team moving the protesters onto Prairie street in front of the A&W Seafood Restaurant.
6:52 p.m. “No more cuts” protesters chant.
6:54 p.m. Protesters hold up their lighters while singing WAR’s “Why can’t we be friends?”
6:57 p.m. ABC 7 news crew arrives. Protesters run to the news camera.
6:58 p.m. Captain Alfredo Fernandez repeats his message for protesters to disperse the area in 10 minutes or they will start arresting people for trespassing. Protestors chant “Peaceful protest.”
7:04 p.m. Sit down occurs on the east side of Reseda Boulevard and Prairie Street. More SWAT members are seen arriving.
7:12 p.m. Protesters telling everyone to get on the sidewalk.
7:17 p.m. Telling people to go back to CSUN.
7:20 p.m. Captain Fernandez says that as of now 3 people have been arrested. Unknown if they are CSUN students.
As of Friday, March 5, 2010 It is known that five students and one professor were arrested during yesterday’s protest. They have since been released.
