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Pro-Life activists were arrested for trespassing on campus Thursday.
The activists were promoting their anti-abortion beliefs outside the free-speech zone. The zone is a designated area next to the pond. The group, Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, did not comply with orders to move.
Kortney Blythe, the Director of the group, said the area was not sufficient to promote their cause.
"It's more like a confining pen than a free-speech zone," Blythe said.
Cypress College President Michael Kassler said he received phone call complaints about the group. He also said the protesters were asked to move to the free-speech zone.
"We have a designated free-speech area and we have asked them to be in the free-speech zone," Kassler said.
He said the college has a right to regulate where the free-speech zones are.
Mark Posner, Public Information Officer at Cypress College, said the group was told the free speech policies three times by three different managers, including the college president.
Cypress College student Sean Sticht said he did not believe there should be a free-speech zone. He said the group's beliefs were irrelevant to his position and they should not have been arrested. "I don't care what they are preaching, it's the fact they were arrested for preaching it."
Student Joe Abarr said he believed the group should have been arrested. "It's a school man. I don't want to see that shit here."
Student Gary Simmons said that if it was peaceful demonstration they should not have been arrested, but if they resisted they should have.
James Conrad, member of Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, told a group of students as he was being led away in handcuffs, "This is an illegal arrest guys."
There were four police cars, a police van and a police truck at the scene to arrest the five protesters. Also, there were four campus security guards.
Blythe said the group was mainly getting a positive reaction from students during the day and there were no serious confrontations with students.
Blythe said she was arrested one year ago on the campus promoting the same cause. She said she has also been arrested six other times with the group. "This is the third or fourth time we've been arrested on this campus and every time we've been found innocent."
The five activists, three females and two males, who had been arrested were released after waiting in the back of the police car in handcuffs for approximately 30 minutes. They were issued citations and allowed to leave.
Sgt. M. Parker, of the Cypress Police Department, said he could not give any other information other than the group was arrested for trespassing.
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