Berkeley Building Ledge Protest Ends, Education Cuts Trigger Drama

University of California, Berkeley students ended a potentially dangerous protest atop the fourth story ledge of one of the buildings on campus on Thursday, as they demanded a halt to cuts in the school's budget.

A list of demands included ending cost-cutting efforts at the university and cutting university fees, according to the Mercury News.

The students were bounded together by PCV pipes and duct tape. There appeared to be a rope running through the pipes that was attached to urns on the side of the building.

Police called the protest - which lasted from 2 p.m. until 9:25 p.m. - an unlawful assembly.

Early in the protest, riot police cleared a portion of the entrance, resulting in some shoving, according to reports.

None of the eight protesters remaining at the end were arrested, but they were cited for trespassing, police said, according to the report. A ninth student was arrested earlier in the day when trying to come off the ledge.

Hanging from the ledge was a large bright red vertical banner with the words Our University. Stop the Cuts. Fight Back.

University Chancellor Robert Birgeneau ordered that Wheeler Hall, the building in question, be closed at 4 p.m. as 26 classes were canceled, impacting 1,000 students, according to the UC Berkeley NewsCenter.

In the midst of the protest Birgeneau issued a letter urging them to end the protest, saying he too, like them was dismayed at the staggering size of a $1.4 billion cut to all sectors of public higher education.

While being fully sympathetic, he said he could not support the students method of protest.

He said he was concerned for their health and safety and urged them to consider your fellow-students' right to attend classes.