Yesterday there was a massive event at the State Capitol in downtown Sacramento. Thousands rallied outside on the State Capitol grounds, protesting against California education cuts. The protest was a combination of Occupy Sacramento, students, teachers, angry parents, and concerned citizens. All gathered around a common goal of voicing their opposition to looming state budget cuts to education.
The rally comes on the heels of the latest news that thousands of Sacramento-area teachers will receive pink slips by March 15th. These teaching jobs are being eliminated because of budget cuts at the state and local level. But it is a cascading problem, for every time the state cuts funding for either education, or any other local service, the county governments must pick up the tab. And if the county governments can't pick up the tab, then they must cut their budgets as well. Cutting government spending is not the answer to the recession. Cutting government spending, especially in Sacramento, means layoffs, and more people out of work means less money being spent into the local economy. Government budget cuts shrink our local economy.
Roughly 200 individuals entered the Capitol building to occupy it, before police sealed off the Capitol. Many tried to find legislators to plead with them for better education funding. Others remained in the main rotunda leading chants and discussions about education cuts. 68 individuals refused to leave when the building closed at 6 pm, and were promptly arrested and removed by police.
The scene yesterday of people being arrested in the state Capitol was similar to activities simultaneously going on in the New York State Capitol, where students, teachers, parents, occupiers, and other concerned citizens also were protesting state budget cuts to education, and also tried to occupy their state capitol. Both actions are reminiscent of scenes in Wisconsin and Washington state last year. The growth of disruptive civil disobedience is a sign of the growing unease within the public. People are growing more and more dissatisfied with the actions of their government. Their unhappy with increasing austerity measures. Their unhappy with having their right to pursue happiness being curbed.
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