Wyclef Jean Arrested At New York Education Protest

NEW YORK (Wyclef Jean Fans) - Wyclef Jean was one of 10 people arrested for disorderly conduct during a protest rally against proposed education budget cuts in New York on Tuesday (June 4), according to a spokesperson for the New York Police Department.

The rally, organized by the United Federation of Teachers, the Alliance for Quality Education, and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, gathered school children, teachers, and hip-hop/R&B musicians Jean, P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Erykah Badu, Foxy Brown, RZA, Noreaga, Raekwon, and Rah Digga, among others. Jean was arrested when he attempted to perform, as the permits obtained for the rally barred performances.

The protest was in defiance of recently elected Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed $1 billion in education cuts, expected to be announced on Wednesday (June 5), and his failure to negotiate a teacher's contract.
"We've united with the teachers," said P. Diddy to the estimated crowd of 20,000. "We need our books, we need our teachers, we need our education, and we're not going to settle for less. It's important that we're here for each other and make support for public education our priority," added Keys.

Jean was cited and released on his own recognizance. A court date was unavailable at press time.