Whether he’s reciting one of his impassioned poems or standing up for his beliefs, Clayton Peters always speaks his mind.

Peters, an English literature major at Cerritos College, is a co-founder and the current leader of the Writers Block, a free-formed open mic at 10 p.m. every Wednesday.

“We want to show how it can benefit the city and how it can benefit people.”

Peters explained that he’s always possessed his zeal.

“I’ve always been an outspoken kid; I’ve always been really loud.  I’m stubborn in what I believe in,” he said.

“My family was my greatest inspiration.  They just gave me the power that what I believe is right.

“I think my family is what really gave me my voice.”

He and Alex Black, his friend who now contributes from San Francisco, were inspired by other open mic events around the area and began the Writers Block in summer 2010.

Peters said, “The Writers Block is about giving everyone who has a voice a forum to share what [he] has to say without being judged, and without being looked down upon, because that’s not what we’re about.

“Everybody can connect on some kind of level, and I think that’s what it’s about.  It’s creating that community and that connection between people.”

Usually, the event is held on a platform overlooking the shoreline across Ocean Boulevard, between Cherry Avenue and Junipero Avenue in Long Beach.

Recently, the Long Beach Police Department has been breaking the group up for being on the beach after 10 p.m., warning members of the dangers of staying out that late at night.

One Writers Block member, Jorge Orozco, said, “There’s no reason to kick us off the beach because we’re not doing anything wrong.  We’re just reading poems and playing music.”

Peters said of the police interference, “It just kind of hurts my feelings that that’s where we’re at as a society.”

To prevent future police intervention, he plans to bring the issue to a future Long Beach city council meeting.

“I want to go in front of the city council with [supporters] of the Writers Block behind me so we can go up and give the statements of why we think the Writers Block is relevant to our current society,” Peters said.

Peters’ girlfriend Winter Lorenz, who has been involved with the Writers Block since its inception, has consistently supported his actions.

“I think he’s an amazing person; he really has his head set on straight.  He sees things so different than most people,” she said.

“He’s so smart, and really poetic, and I’m lucky to know him.”