Students pepper-sprayed at Santa Monica College protest [Updated]
About 100 students protesting a plan to offer high-priced courses at Santa Monica College this summer tried to storm into a meeting of the college's Board of Trustees on Tuesday evening.
A handful of protesters suffered minor injuries as campus police tried to prevent dozens of students chanting, "Let us in, let us in" and "No cuts, no fees, education should be free," from disrupting the meeting during a public comment period.
[Updated, 10:06 p.m.: Campus police confirmed late Tuesday that two people suffering the effects of pepper spray were taken to a hospital. It was unclear if they were students.]
Several were also overcome when pepper spray was released just outside the meeting room as officers tried to break up the crowd. Police are investigating the circumstances of when the pepper spray was used and by whom.
Cameron Espinoza was outside the board meeting in the back of the crowd when she heard screams. "I saw all these students rushing and they were crying," said Espinoza, 19, who is director of outreach for the student government. "I couldn't stop coughing."
No arrests were made.
The meeting room was cleared and trustees adjourned to another room. Santa Monica police were called in to secure the perimeter of the building.
President Chui Tsang said the small boardroom wasn't able to accommodate all of the students who wanted to speak and that an adjacent room had been provided for the overflow.
"We expected some students, but we didn't expect that big of a crowd with such enthusiasm," Tsang said.
[Updated, 10:06 p.m.: When the meeting resumed, most of the students were allowed to address trustees from an adjoining room. Many urged the board to find other solutions to maintain access.
"This is a Band-Aid on a gushing wound and will not be a sustainable solution," said Parker Jean, 19, a political science major.
Board Chair Margaret Quinones-Perez announced at the end of the comment period that the college would pay medical bills for any students who suffered injuries during the disturbance.]
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-- Carla Rivera in Santa Monica
Photo: Nnaemeka Alozie gets hosed off after being pepper-sprayed outside the Santa Monia College Board of Trustees meeting. Credit: Michael Yanow
