Thread: Oceanside California Students Erupt in Protest Today

http://nctimes.com/articles/2006/03/...1906125114.txt

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 Contact Us Archive

Oceanside High erupting in protest

By: North County Times

A mob scene unfolded at Oceanside High School on Mission Avenue this morning when about 400 students tried to leave campus, only to be blocked by police officers in riot gear.

Officers shot pepper-spray-filled pellets at the ground as student shook a locked fence surrounding the school, presumably trying to walk off campus as part of ongoing immigration protests. The students were chanting, "One people united will never be divided."

Mission Ave. west of I-5 was blocked by police. No appeared to have been hurt as of 1 p.m.. One young man was seen in the back of a police car, and a school official on a bullhorn told students they should step away from the school's gate if they did not want to be pepper-sprayed.


A group of students in the parking lot inside the schools locked gate said be cell phone at 1 p.m. that the school was locked down and surrounded. There were reports that officers were letting the students walk to the beach.

Students calling the newspaper from inside the gates said they were not being allowed to leave.

"We are surrounded," said 15-year-old Ivan Leal over screams from a cell phone. "We are trying to get out but they won't let us."

Another student on the same phone said the teens were protesting a proposed immigration crackdown.

"Our point is that we want to show how we feel. If they're going to put our parents in jail because they are illegal, we are going to protest."




webmaster@nctimes.com © 1997-2006 North County Times – Lee Enterprises editor@nctimes.com

Concernedmother:
Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of a new 'civil war'. These kids are unruly truants, who go through life unsupervised, because thats the way it is in MEXICO and other run-down 3rd World Countries. Our lawmakers need to be looking at America's interest, not illegal alien intruders. They need to stop trying to 'make a buck' at the expense of American citizens, and start telling illegal aliens, this is NOT THE WAY TO LIVE THE 'AMERICAN DREAM'.

Since they had them contained they should have demanded proof of legal status before allowing each and every student to leave. those parents that could deliver the proof could have thier child back. Those that could not then also would have to Prove thier own legal status. If not then when through with the identification process then they could and should just form them up and march them to the border and then kick there butts out of OUR country. Come Back and spend life in prison for entering the country Illegally... Hell I'd help march them down to the border.

added to the homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article-1127-thread-1-0.html

Originally Posted by concernedmother

FYI--This is about a mile from my home!!

http://nctimes.com/articles/2006/03/...1906125114.txt

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 Contact Us Archive

Oceanside High erupting in protest

By: North County Times

A mob scene unfolded at Oceanside High School on Mission Avenue this morning when about 400 students tried to leave campus, only to be blocked by police officers in riot gear.

Officers shot pepper-spray-filled pellets at the ground as student shook a locked fence surrounding the school, presumably trying to walk off campus as part of ongoing immigration protests. The students were chanting, "One people united will never be divided."

Mission Ave. west of I-5 was blocked by police. No appeared to have been hurt as of 1 p.m.. One young man was seen in the back of a police car, and a school official on a bullhorn told students they should step away from the school's gate if they did not want to be pepper-sprayed.


A group of students in the parking lot inside the schools locked gate said be cell phone at 1 p.m. that the school was locked down and surrounded. There were reports that officers were letting the students walk to the beach.

Students calling the newspaper from inside the gates said they were not being allowed to leave.

"We are surrounded," said 15-year-old Ivan Leal over screams from a cell phone. "We are trying to get out but they won't let us."

Another student on the same phone said the teens were protesting a proposed immigration crackdown.

"Our point is that we want to show how we feel. If they're going to put our parents in jail because they are illegal, we are going to protest."




webmaster@nctimes.com © 1997-2006 North County Times – Lee Enterprises editor@nctimes.com

Illegal=Crime=Jail...What are these schools teaching these kids? and as far as I know schools are allowed to say that students can't leave unless their parent/guardian is picking them up (mostly for liability reasons)

Those students should have been subdued, carted off to the detention center and parents called. When the parents arrived, have and INS person there demanding ID's

Once student return to school, they should be IMMEDIATELY expelled.

Seriously, when I was a kid, if I broke rules that would have neccesitated the police being brought in, my school would have BEEN OVER.

Pinto Bean

This is just about 15 miles away from me...saw it on our local news but as ususal, it was played down. The media sucks! I worte a letter yesterday to the North County Times explaining that they only take one side and did not report all the facts. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THE SAME...CALL THE NORTH COUNTY TIMES AND ANY OTHER PAPER!

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006...0617_22_58.txt

Letters to the Editor - 3/30/2006

By: Readers of the North County Times and Californian

Proud of student walkout


I was proud to witness so many students organize in a true display of how much they love and respect America. Obviously they and their families value the freedoms and opportunities here, and would do anything to preserve being here.

Their patriotism is evident in the courage it took to walk out in the face of intimidating authority figures and assemble peacefully to protest a bill that would make millions of honest people felons, and penalize anybody or any church who tried to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need. To those who assume that all immigrants are criminals, please remember that it is poverty, not race, that breeds crime, and desperation that drives people to risk their lives to provide for their families.


Incarcerating and deporting millions who contribute to our economy in so many ways will cost us more and jam up our already crowded prisons than we can afford. Fencing ourselves in won't stop immigration, and is a huge expense. Enforcing worker's rights for everyone will reduce the jobs available to illegal immigrants. Support more affordable and beneficial ways to control illegal immigration and workers' rights with guest worker programs and legal rights for workers.

JAICE MARCUS

Vista

Students believe left-wing lie


I have seen the reports about protests over the new immigration law. The students are claiming that the bill is anti-immigrant. That is a lie that the left-wing is telling them.

The law is against illegal immigration, which hurts their chances to get jobs, and which crowds their schools. The students need to research this more and don't believe what the left-wing tells them.

DANIEL OFFERMAN

Vista

Let's have a counterprotest


On anarchy day, March 25, 500,000 anarchists marched in protest, like they do in most socialist and Latino countries. They want open borders and free services, like they have now.

Well I suggest that we, all 280 million of us citizens, have a sit-in to protest their protest. We just go to our favorite chair and show our apathy by doing nothing, you know, just like our government does.

FRED SCHUSTER

Vista

Serious immigration reform needed


If the protests by Latinos across the country hasn't awakened every American citizen's outrage, then we are indeed a doomed country. We have reached the crossroads and either we take action to protect our American culture or we become an annex of Mexico.

Our politicians are currently debating what to do about illegal immigration. During this debate a lot of misinformation will be thrown around from all sides. The biggest intentional deception will be the use of the terms "immigrant" and "immigration" in place of "illegal immigrant" and "illegal immigration."

As the political clout of Mexicans in this country grows we must put an end to the undermining of our country now. We can't be complacent on this issue. We can no longer listen to the sanctimonious pundits saying we are racists for wanting to control this insane migration from Mexico. You must contact your representatives in Washington now and tell them how you feel.

We are not racists. We're Americans. We want legal immigrants to come here that will love this country and obey its laws. We don't want lawbreakers who pilfer our communities, overrun our institutions and then pledge allegiance to the Mexican flag.

JOHN CUSUMANO

Escondido

Make Mexico part of the U.S.A.


Why doesn't Mexico just join the U.S.A.?

CARLO MAZZURRA

Oceanside

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/n...30protest.html

Most demonstrations are peaceful, some not, over immigration
By Sherry Saavedra and
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

9:10 a.m. March 30, 2006



HOWARD LIPIN / Union-Tribune
San Diego County Sheriff's deputies kept a high profile outside the main entrance of Mar Vista High School yesterday after 137 students were arrested at a protest at a park.

OCEANSIDE – Oceanside middle and high schools were ordered closed for the rest of the week and other campuses around the region were bracing for a fourth day of student protests over proposed revisions to federal immigration laws.
The Oceanside district made the decision to close schools after 250 student protesters faced off with police officers in a melee Wednesday at Oceanside High. The closure will affect around 10,000 students.

Some students hurled food, milk cartons and plastic bottles at officers, prompting law enforcement to shoot pellets filled with pepper spray at the crowd's feet, police said.

Three boys threw chunks of concrete at officers and were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Oceanside Sgt. Leonard Mata said.

The fracas drew 80 officers from four law enforcement agencies.


Students across the county have demonstrated for the past three days over protested revisions to immigration laws, with about 2,800 students involved in protests Wednesday.

In San Diego, law enforcement and school district leaders were urging parents to tell their children to stay in school and skip the walkouts.

About 2,000 San Diego students engaged in marches and demonstrations over proposed immigration reforms from about a dozen San Diego schools on Wednesday, an increase from around 1,200 on Tuesday, San Diego Police Assistant Chief Bill Maheu said.

Maheu warned that police may arrest more students if the protests continue. He said police have seen several instances of minor rock throwing and vandalism.

“If we need to take a more aggressive role, we will have to do that,” Maheu said. “But we don't want to do that. We want the students to heed the message and the parents to heed the message to be safe and stay in the classroom.”

Mayor Jerry Sanders issued a statement on Wednesday warning that protests come with consequences.

“I urge all San Diegans to exercise their freedom of speech and assembly on this all and all other issues, but families must be aware that the willful violation of truancy laws by school age children comes with consequences that could include suspension from school,” the mayor said.

The protests – which are happening all around California and in other states – were sparked by a sweeping immigration bill passed by the House of Representatives in December. A less restrictive bill is being considered by the U.S. Senate.

Maheu said the repeated days of protests and marches are depleting police resources as officers monitor the students actions and provide traffic control. He also expressed concern about student safety.

In Imperial Beach on Wednesday, about 130 students who walked out of Mar Vista High School were arrested and issued citations for daytime loitering before being transported by school buses back to school, sheriff's Lt. Margaret Sanfilippo said. Maheu said 17 of those were arrested by San Diego police.

Police said some Mar Vista protesters tried to get students from nearby Southwest High School to join them.

Sanfilippo said the decision was made to cite the protesters after the group became “more rambunctious” and began blocking streets and businesses near South Bay Community Park.

“With all protesters, it is the behavior of protesters that generates what type of response we have toward them,” she said.

Oceanside Superintendent Ken Noonan decided to close all middle and high schools on Thursday and Friday because of concerns about safety.

“We have received information that violence and racial tension could escalate throughout the community during the remainder of the week,” Noonan said in a statement explaining his decision to close schools.

Protest crowds elsewhere in California dwindled yesterday because of enforcement of truancy laws.

The number of students protesting in San Diego County yesterday also appeared to be smaller than on Tuesday, but a Chicano Park gathering appeared to have grown.

Police estimated that there were 2,000 students in the park Wednesday, up from 1,500 to 1,800 the day before.

The demonstrations sweeping through the state are taking place at a time when Congress is debating immigration policy changes. One bill passed by the House in December would make it a felony to be in this country illegally.

“I don't think that immigrants are felons. They're just trying to make a better life,” said Castle Park High School freshman Rebecca Ortiz, who was among those cited yesterday for loitering.

Rebecca, 14, said her grandfather immigrated illegally and was bitten by snakes as he made the arduous journey.

The San Diego Unified School District, which serves a large number of Latino immigrants, is providing its schools with materials so they can capitalize on current events as a “teachable moment.” Students are being encouraged to express their views through letters and e-mails to elected representatives, instead of walking out of class.

San Diego Unified estimated that about 1,000 students skipped school yesterday.

The district has asked principals to defuse walkouts with letters and phone calls to parents at home. It's also suggested that students hold protests before- and after-school or during lunch.

“While we understand the right of children to have opinions about issues of national importance, it is our objective for them to take these issues as learning experiences,” said San Diego Unified's chief administrative officer, Jose Betancourt. “The learning experiences can be best had in the classroom.”

The biggest concern of district officials is that students could get hurt or damage property during protests.

In some cases, concerned San Diego school administrators and campus police officers stayed with student protesters to ensure their safety. Schools have sent buses to pick students up, because some have marched long distances from their schools. There have been reports of students walking as far as 10 miles.

Other protests in North County were peaceful. An orderly group of nearly 200 students marched through Vista yesterday afternoon. In Fallbrook, about 50 students held a demonstration across the street from Fallbrook High School.

In El Cajon, Granite Hills High School went into a lockdown in the morning to prevent students from coming into contact with marchers from nearby El Cajon Valley High School, who may have been trying to encourage Granite students to join them.

About 200 students walked out of El Cajon Valley High School at 9:40 a.m. and marched with signs and flags, according to the Grossmont Union High School District. El Cajon police also ordered a lockdown at Montgomery Middle School.

The Grossmont district has sent home an automated phone message to parents to urge them to keep their children at school. The message, delivered in English and Spanish, warned that students who are arrested could face a $250 fine.

On Wednesday night, Memorial Academy of Learning and Technology in Logan Heights held a parent meeting that drew nearly 200 to discuss the student walkouts. A large number of Memorial students have been skipping school in the past few days. Some of them walked to other schools in San Diego to rally students to leave class to join them.

The Memorial meeting, which started with an emphasis to keep students in school, turned into an emotional conversation about the politics of immigration in this country. Another walkout from Memorial was expected Thursday.

Geno Flores, deputy superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, said students can demonstrate before and after school and on weekends, so they do not have to miss school.

He said the protests also have an economic cost because the school district is losing daily attendance funding from the state. However, he said the cost has not yet been tallied.

Students who leave school without permission will be considered truant and face disciplinary action, such as detention, Saturday school and even expulsion depending on the circumstances.

“It has affected the operation of our schools,” he said. “We are very concerned about our student safety and about the No. 1 priority of educating our children.”

The only real trouble Wednesday came in Oceanside.

Laura Chalkley, spokeswoman for the Oceanside Unified School District, said Oceanside High School students were told they could protest at the football stadium, but they declined.

Following the confrontation between law enforcement and students during lunch, some teenagers ran to another school gate, where some left campus to begin protesting. Among them was senior Jhonn Gijon, who said he emigrated illegally from Mexico at age 3 with his parents.

“We wanted to protest outside the school where people could see us,” said Gijon, who carried a Mexican flag and the message “Viva los Mexicanos” painted on his shirt. He said his mother earned pennies cleaning houses in Mexico, so she moved to America.

“We think it's unfair that they think they can restrict immigration,” he said. Parent Leah Wilson searched frantically for her son outside Oceanside High as the last students were being dismissed. She had became alarmed when she found that parts of Mission Avenue were blocked off by police, and she drove to the campus to find out what was occurring.

“Nobody's told me anything,” she said. “Nobody's called me. I don't know where my son is.”

Chalkley said that after the melee the school went into lockdown, and then students were dismissed early building by building. Lincoln Middle School also went into lockdown, Chalkley said.

Anticipating student protests yesterday, Oceanside police had set up a command post near Oceanside High at 7 a.m., asking even plain-clothes detectives to show up in uniform for backup.

“The rest of the city is operating with a skeleton crew right now,” Mata said.

About 20 sheriff's deputies and several California Highway Patrol officers were called in to help.

“We support the students' right to demonstrate peacefully and express their opinions; however, it's important they're in school,” Chalkley said.

Ugggggh! Hey San Diego Union and NC Times - what about the GANG MEMBERS and how about a quote from someone who opposes what is going on? ...and how about those hateful signs?