By Khalida Sarwari
Dozens of University of California at Santa Cruz students and other community members are protesting tonight in downtown Santa Cruz, a protester said.
The protest began this afternoon at the UCSC campus and then moved to the clock tower in downtown Santa Cruz.
From there, the demonstrators joined with some protesters from the “Occupy Santa Cruz” movement and marched to the Wells Fargo at 74 River St., according to Michael Donehoo, who is with the “Occupy” group.
The students are protesting funding cuts in the UC system and rising tuition costs, Donehoo said.
He said protesters with the “Occupy Santa Cruz” movement are supporting the students “because of the fact that banks target them and make money off of them when they don’t pay back their loans.”
Donehoo said Wells Fargo officials briefly locked him and a dozen others inside the bank because of “safety protocols” due to the large crowd outside.
Following the rally, the protesters were expected to participate in a 6 p.m. general assembly outside the Santa Cruz County Superior Court at 701 Ocean St.
