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Thursday, April 29, 2010

NorthJersey.com: Police take six Eastside High School into custody during protest against education budget cuts

NorthJersey.com: Police take six Eastside High School into custody during protest against education budget cuts

Police take six Eastside High School into custody during protest against education budget cuts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY APRIL 29, 2010, 1:17 PM
NORTHJERSEY.COM
STAFF WRITERS
PATERSON — A protest involving hundreds of students ended about an hour after it began, but not before six students were taken to police headquarters for allegedly damaging property, police said.
eastside High School students protest budget cuts.
TARIQ ZEHAWI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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eastside High School students protest budget cuts.
About 200 Eastside High School students left the building in an apparent protest of budget cuts about 10 a.m., police said. The protest took place in two waves, the first a peaceful gathering that went back into the school while the second wave appeared larger, said Lt. Richard Reyes.
During the second wave, students began blocking traffic, and the school called the police department, Reyes said. The majority of the students were roaming around the campus, and a large group went into the football field where police closed some gates, penning them in.
Many of the students began climbing the fence, which is about 8 feet tall. Some reported getting scraped up on the way down. Police reopened the gates, but not before about 50 students climbed over.
Some students walking down Rosa Parks Boulevard threw empty trash cans around, at houses and into the street. Students also threw rocks and bricks at vehicles, damaging property, Reyes said.
The police brought six students into the police department’s juvenile division. It is unclear whether they