LETTER: Student protesters leave behind a mess

I watched the front-end loaders pile trash into big dumpsters at the UCLA campus after those peaceful protesters vacated the campus with a little help from the police. The conversation that followed was whether the college or the state would be responsible for the cleanup.

I grew up knowing that if I made a mess — either in my kitchen or my life — I was responsible to clean it up. Those arrested on campus for breaking the law should be given a choice: Thirty days in jail and a criminal record or a garbage bag and gloves to be used as part of the cleaning.