Outraged by tuition increases and education budgetary cuts, thousands of students, parents and teachers across California protested at elementary schools, colleges and universities last Thursday.

• Called a “strike and day of action to defend public education” by organizers, the protests were (for the most part) peaceful.
• At UC Santa Cruz, protesters shut down access to the campus by obstructing entrances.
• Tuition protests occurred in other states as well, with at least 16 people arrested at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Facts & Figures

• 150 people were arrested throughout the state.
• California is currently facing a $20 billion budget deficit.
• 1,000 people gathered to demonstrate on the steps of the capital building in Sacramento.

Best Quote

“Kids come to school hungry; some are homeless. How can we deal with problems like that with as many as 38, 40 kids in a class?”  – Mary Flanagan, third grade teacher from Richmond, California