Police Use Jackhammers To Break Up Chained Student Protesters Blocking Highway 1
SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) -- Police arrested six protesters from the University of California, Santa Cruz, who shut down State Route 1 for several hours by chaining themselves to bins filled with concrete placed in lanes.
The Sentinel newspaper reports the California Highway Patrol used jackhammers, saws and crowbars to unwind the tangle of chains and 700 pounds of concrete Tuesday. Students were covered in protective blankets while officers chiseled away.
Witnesses said a small group protesters first unloaded garbage cans from a U-Haul around 9 a.m. on Highway 1 near the Fishhook then formed a single line across the road with the metal garbage cans in between them.
UC Santa Cruz students chain themselves to trash cans and block Highway 17 in Santa Cruz protesting tuition hikes. pic.twitter.com/SNzFwPur9g
— Dan Coyro (@dancoyro) March 3, 2015
Just after 11 a.m., a couple dozen more students marched to join them while chanting protests to tuition hikes and police brutality.
Police warned if the students didn't disperse, they would be arrested for being arrested on the highway.
Police use a jackhammer to break up concrete surrounding metal tubes around chained students blocking Highway 17. pic.twitter.com/KzDP4R9Mh7
— Dan Coyro (@dancoyro) March 3, 2015
"Authorities only pay attention to us when we disrupt business as usual," said Ben Mabie, a UCSC undergraduate told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "We are making our presence felt because the issues of tuition and violent policing are too important to ignore."
Officers made six arrests after protesters moved onto the highway. The newspaper says lanes were closed for about five hours.
The suspects face charges including creating a public nuisance, failure to obey an officer and conspiracy.
It wasn't immediately known if the students have lawyers.
There are more planned protests throughout the week at Santa Cruz, Davis, and Berkeley campuses.
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