UPDATED: 11 arrested during march against budget cuts on Wilshire Boulevard
Protesters participating in the ReFund California Coalition march sit in the middle of the intersection between Westwood and Wilshire Boulevards. The protesters have shut down traffic from both directions on Wilshire.
[Updated at 3:54 p.m.: Police arrested 11 people at the intersection of Westwood and Wilshire boulevards today during a march to protest cuts to higher education funding.
Police have not confirmed whether any of the arrested protesters were UCLA students.
The march had begun in Bruin Plaza starting around 1 p.m. and ended at the intersection on Wilshire. At 1:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department declared the occupation an unlawful act and warned that arrests would take place.
Despite the warning, 11 protesters refused to move, saying they were willing to be arrested.
All of the protesters in the intersection were taken into custody. LAPD also detained a woman who tried to rush into the circle of protesters.]
The march was organized by ReFund California Coalition, which was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and is focusing its efforts specifically on restoring higher education funding.
The first stop was the Bank of America in Westwood. Representatives from the ReFund California Coalition posted the group’s pledge on the door of the bank.
The pledge can be read below:
To the people of California,
As an education leader, I pledge to do everything in my power to make Wall Street corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share for essential services and affordable, equitable public education from pre-K through post doctoral. I pledge to support:
Increasing income taxes on California’s wealthiest.
Closing Proposition 13’s corporate property tax loophole.
Implementing a federal sales tax on Wall Street financial transactions.
Reducing underwater mortgage debt to Wall Street to improve the economy.
Reversing tuition increases, layoffs, and cuts to public education and essential services ““ ensuring good jobs that provide healthcare and a dignified retirement.
Union workers, members of the Occupy movement and UCLA community participated in the march. Today’s march marked the first day of a week of action through Nov. 16.
Compiled by Devin Kelly, Bruin senior staff. With reports by James Barragan and Kunal Patel, Bruin senior staff.
