Details are still sketchy, but it appears that the Orange County Treasurer/Tax Collector's office and a number of other government agencies were shut down yesterday when Santa Ana high school students flooded them in protest of anti-immigration legislation being pushed in the U.S. Congress.
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN ORANGE COUNTY SHUT DOWN BY
MASSIVE WALKOUTS
Columnist reports high school students tried to
seize Treasurer/Tax Collector's office
By DUANE J. ROBERTS
duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com
SANTA ANA, CA -- Details are still sketchy, but it
appears that the Orange County Treasurer/Tax
Collector's office and a number of other government
agencies were shut down yesterday when Santa Ana high
school students flooded them in protest of
anti-immigration legislation being pushed in the U.S.
Congress.
According to Norberto Santana Jr., a columnist for The
Orange County Register, he received a "frazzled" call
yesterday from a person at the Treasurer/Tax
Collector's office who said the building was being
"stormed" by "hundreds" of students who were
"apparently trying to take it over":
One employee trying to
keep the horde out gets
a Mexican flag pole
jabbed into his arm.
Apparently, the entire
crowd then made their way
through the Civic Center
Plaza. In the main Hall
of Administration, the
Sheriff’s Deputies
guarding the hall kept
closed the doors for
the rest of the day {1}
John Moorlach, the Treasurer/Tax Collector, is quoted
as telling Norberto that "his entire staff, mainly
female, [was] totally freaked out from the scare. They
end up heading home at 1 p.m."
Moorlach, a Republican, is not only reputed to be a
close friend of Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor, but is
also running for a seat on the Orange County Board of
Supervisors. He is favored to win over his opponent, a
fairly unknown member of the Stanton City Council.
Although this reporter was not in Santa Ana at the
times these massive walkouts occured, some major roads
that lead toward buildings that house City, State,
County and Federal government agencies were blocked
off as late as 7:00 pm in the evening.
At the Bristol and Civic Street intersection, units
from both the Santa Ana Police Department and
Federal Protective Services (the U.S. government
agency that protects federal property) prevented any
traffic from heading west into the downtown area.
An unconfirmed report alleges upwards of ten law
enforcement agencies deployed personnel to protect
government buildings from protesters. A patrol car
bearing what appeared to be the insignia of the Tustin
police was spotted parked on Bristol Street.
Although the mainstream media has offered some
accurate information about the Orange County walkouts,
they so far have completely downplayed or ignored the
massive amount of disruption these actions have caused
to business and government operations.
Nor has anything been reported so far about the
estimated two hundred cops who used armored cars and
horses to break up a peaceful and festive protest that
was taking place last night on a major street adjacent
to some of Santa Ana's poorest working class Mexican
neighborhoods.
#####
NOTES:
{1}
http://blogs.ocregister.com/buzz/2006/03/coffee_with_tom_3.html#more
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS FOR MORE INFO:
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/151994.php
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/151935.php
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/151940.php
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Original: Government agencies in Orange County shut down by massive walkouts