13 arrested at UC Board of Regents meeting

SAN FRANCISCO “”mdash; UC police made 13 arrests and used pepper spray to subdue aggressive demonstrators outside of UC San Francisco’s Mission Bay facility this morning during the UC Board of Regents meeting. The regents were beginning to discuss a proposed 8 percent fee increase.

One police officer drew his gun after protesters rushed and battered him at a security post in a parking garage. The officer was later disarmed by a UC Merced student and injured by his own baton, UC San Francisco police Chief Pamela Roskowski said.

The student was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Of the 13 arrests, 11 were students.

No UCLA students were arrested or involved in the protest. The Undergraduate Students Association Council Director of Advocacy Todd Bowen said the UCLA students made peaceful protest a priority, skipping the picketing to listen to discussion in the meeting. A group of UCLA students, including USAC President Jasmine Hill, left Los Angeles on Tuesday night in a pair of vans to attend.

Bowen, a fourth-year international development studies student, wore a sticker across his mouth with the words “Stop Fees” as a symbolic gesture. He said that UCLA representatives could participate in more aggressive protests if student demands are not met.

“We’re hoping we don’t have to escalate it,” Bowen said.