Police clear out SENAME protestors at correctional facility

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SANTIAGO.- After three hours and 20 minutes, police were able to clear out workers from inside the SENAME (National Service for Minors) center, "Tiempo Joven" in San Bernardo after a strike began this morning at the facility in demand of improved security measures.

Police cleared the area out at 10:20am, after a squad of officers who, after issuing a memo to leaders, began to arrest at least 50 workers outside of the facility.

According to Jorge Rebeco, the national leader of the Association of SENAME Workers, the measure was ordered by the regional director, Rodrigo Orellana, and authorized by the governor of the Maipo Province, Leonel Cádiz.

The strike was commenced at 7:00am in hopes of demanding that the government apply a high level of urgency to the bill presented to modify the decision that prison guards only work along the perimeters of correctional facilities and not inside of them.

The demonstration is scheduled to be of an undetermined length, lasting until the Executive Branch promises to accelerate the processing of the bill.