Courier

Media Credit: Steven Valdez PCC students march through the quad to protest education budget cuts on Thursday.

At noon today, PCC students and workers plan to rally together at PCC's mirror pools on the north side of campus to kick off a day of protest in downtown L.A. against public education budget cuts. At 1:30 p.m., they plan to march to the Metro Gold Line's Lake Station and take the train downtown to join a planned mass rally at 3 p.m. at Pershing Square. The march will begin at 4 p.m.

"The teachers union at PCC will be supplying $5 Metro day passes to all students who participate as a gesture of their support of the movement," said Victor Interiano, an organizer for the No Cuts For Pasadena City College Coalition and intern for the PCC Faculty Association.

Members of the NCPCCC met with PCC students, faculty and staff on Feb. 25 in room C351 to encourage participation in the rally and march in downtown Los Angeles, as part of the statewide "March 4 Strike and Day of Action To Defend Public Education."

"In a nutshell, the purpose of the march in democracy is action," Interiano said.

"When our elected representatives are no longer representing us or our interests, it's up to us, the people, to take our college to them and [tell them] it's unfair that all these cuts are happening and a lot of students are actually left without classes."

Interiano acknowledged that the issue will not immediately be resolved, but he hopes that a show of solidarity among campuses will result in momentum.

"After that day, each group from each campus has the responsibility to go back to their campuses and fight for what's necessary," Interiano said.

"It's a way of pumping up and energizing the movement - getting people really excited and committed."

According to Interiano, the NCPCCC is the merging of PCC's Students for Social Justice club and M.E.Ch.A (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) with students not affiliated with either club and is open to all PCC students. NCPCCC works with the larger March 4 Los Angeles County Coalition, which is linked to all regional coalitions representing public funded schools throughout California.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools