26,000 LAUSD STUDENTS PROTESTS.

Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - Waving Mexican flags and handmade signs and chanting slogans straight out of the '60s, thousands of high school students from across the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere in Los Angeles cut class Monday and marched through the streets, demanding rights for illegal immigrants.

An estimated 26,000 students from Los Angeles Unified and thousands of others from throughout California participated in marches and rallies to demonstrate against legislation approved by the House that would crack down on illegal immigrants.

``Immigrants are what this country was built on,'' said Antonio Santiago, a sophomore at Van Nuys High School. ``I have family that are illegal immigrants, but the Mayflower was full of immigrants.

``We're speaking out because it's not just parents and adults that are affected by this. Kids have to say something, too. We want to be heard.''

While most of the protests were peaceful, some students pelted police cars with rocks and bottles and threw eggs at police lines, leading to five arrests at the Van Nuys government center and 21 arrests in the north San Diego County community of Escondido.

Arrests were also reported in Santa Ana and Riverside and a number of students made dangerous forays onto freeways in downtown Los Angeles, snarling traffic and tying up police resources for hours.

At Van Nuys High, Santiago and a small group of students left campus at 8 a.m. to make their way toward the Van Nuys government center. By the time they arrived, they'd been joined by as many as 2,000 others from North Hollywood, Sylmar, San Fernando, Birmingham and Taft high schools.

In both English and Spanish, the teens chanted for justice, freedom and equality.

``Si se puede'' - Yes, we can - the students chanted as passing motorists honked their horns and yelled their support. People stood outside apartment buildings and businesses to encourage the students. At a McDonald's on Victory Boulevard, three employees leaned out the drive-through window, cheering.

Deyanira Gonzalez, a 30-year-old bartender, was at a Van Nuys bus stop on her way to work when the procession passed by. She called her boss to say she wouldn't make it to work, and then joined the march.

``This is historic,'' Gonzalez said. ``I'm so proud to be a part of it, regardless of the outcome. Our people are the only people who don't have a voice, because people are scared that if they speak out, they'll be deported. That's changing. This is a triumph.''

More than 1,000 students rallied at Los Angeles City Hall. Six students were chosen to meet with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who then stepped outside and addressed the crowd.

``I want you to know that there are people right now all across the country that agree with you that we need immigration reform that rewards work, that gives people a pathway to citizenship, that allows families to stay together,'' Villaraigosa told the crowd.

He drew jeers, however, when he added: ``Now that you've come, it's important that you go back to school.''

City Councilman Ed Reyes told the protesters to work within the system to achieve their goals.

``Go back and convince your neighbors to register to vote,'' Reyes said. ``Write a letter to your Congress members ... Let them know what this will do to your family, your neighborhood, your city.''

At an early evening news conference with police and school officials, Villaraigosa appealed to parents to make sure their children return to school.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief William Bratton echoed the mayor's call, adding that the walkout of 36,000 students countywide, including 26,000 from Los Angeles Unified schools, put a serious strain on police resources.

``The effort today consumed the full-day services of hundreds of police officers who would have better spent their time policing the city,'' Bratton said.

Students who walked out of class could face disciplinary action at the discretion of their principals, LAUSD spokeswoman Olga Quinones said. Still, the district plans to use the protests as a teaching tool.

``The district has some classroom assignments that are already set in place to have group discussions on the issue,'' Quinones said. ``And we're not going to just discuss the walkouts, but the genesis of the issue, the (immigration bill).

``We wholeheartedly respect the students' right for freedom of speech, but we are concerned about student safety. That's our top priority.''

The protests created a traffic nightmare in many parts of the city, as police closed down freeways and surface streets to protect demonstrators.

Bob Levine said students from San Fernando High stole an American flag from the porch of a Pacoima business. Levine said he hung the flag after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

``I feel just awful,'' Levine said. ``I took care of that flag every day since 9-11.

``Their protest, obviously, is for a positive thing, but then they go and rip off an American flag. That's a very negative thing.''

Students spread word of the demonstration over the weekend by word of mouth and on Internet Web sites. On Monday, they communicated by cell phone, passing along word of where they were heading and where they could meet up with larger groups.

``We want to let everyone know that we do not want immigrants we know to be put in jail,'' said Steven Garcia, a freshman at North Hollywood High School who helped organize the walkout at his school. ``We are like a big family. It doesn't matter if you are Mexican, Salvadoran.

``We take pride knowing that we're doing what's right.''

In Van Nuys, state Sen. Richard Alarcon and his staff mingled with the students, listening to their concerns and helping ensure that they protested peacefully.

``Normally, in protests that I've seen, you can see a centralized core of leaders,'' said Alarcon, D-Van Nuys. ``This, clearly, there's no organized center. But they are all acting with respect. They are listening to each other. They are expressing themselves.

``They may be walking from school, but they're fighting for education. Yes, there may be a little civil disobedience in that they walked out of school, but they are nonviolent and expressing themselves. As a teacher, you have to recognize that they can learn a lot outside the classroom. They've learned a lot today.''

But Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, a former teacher who supports the tough federal immigration bill that won House approval, took issue with officials who condoned the protests.

``I can't believe the irresponsibility of public-school teachers who are responsible for encouraging students to demonstrate and walk on the freeway, creating a danger to the students and the community,'' Antonovich said.

``Teachers are paid to be in the classroom, not encouraging their students to demonstrate, block traffic on the freeway, which could lead to injuries and deaths.''

Staff Writers Dan Laidman, Brad Greenberg and Troy Anderson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Josh Kleinbaum, [phone]

josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com

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4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Students from John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills chant as they march to a rally at the Van Nuys government center.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(2) Thousands of LAUSD students converge at the Van Nuys government center to protest the bill on illegal immigration.

(3 -- 4) A student at Poly High in Van Nuys lies near a pool of blood Monday after being injured at the start of a protest march, right, while students, above, run to join a rally.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer