by Robert Stuart Lowden
Saturday, May. 16, 2009 at 3:48 PM
rlowden@earthlink.net
Educators Suffer Arrest and Possible Censure in Civil Disobedience
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In response to the Los Angeles Board of Educations layoff vote, 46 teachers subjected themselves to arrest in a nonviolent action at the districts downtown headquarters. The protest was undertaken despite a court order issued by Superior Court Judge James Chalfant which cited student health and safety as the reasons for issuing a restraining order against a one day strike that had been previously approved by the UTLA earlier in the month.
The action was started at ten a.m. with a group of 70 or so blocking the entrance to the district headquarters.
Police in riot gear moved in quietly, shortly afterwards.
After about fifteen minutes a group of about 50 educators walked to the middle of Beaudry Ave. and sat in a circle with hands held in a spiritual unison. Their blocking of traffic caused the L.A.P.D to start mass arrest procedures. Five minute warnings were issued and all non credentialed media were ushered away or threatened with arrest.
The protesters remained in the road. The police surrounded each teacher and led them off one one by one to various jails throughout the county of Los Angeles.
U.T.L.A president A.J. Duffy was led away with his fellow demonstrators.
The Los Angeles Board of Education voted to lay off as many as 5,400 teachers and staff due to a 596 million dollar budget shortfall for 2010. The protesters main points were against classroom overcrowding and the outright elimination of programs.
The teacher / demonstrators may face professional censure and or decertification for defying the court order as well as dealing with the difficulties that come with an arrest.
One wonders when in a city that suffers from so much violence, ignorance and lost dreams amongst our kids, how this much police power can be aimed at those who are only trying to save Los Angeles by nurturing and educating it's children.
One wonders if the cops see the irony.
They probably do.
They may be arresting those neglected minds 10 years from now.
Robert Stuart Lowden
2009
