On March 8th, several hundred Modesto Junior College students responded to a call for a walkout against budget cuts that would result in the gutting of various departments and the laying off of faculty. Students rallied and gave impromptu speeches on how the cuts and layoffs would affect them. Also speaking at the rally were several faculty members who expressed solidarity with the students for standing with them. After rallying, students marched around campus, drawing in more students, with staff voicing their support.

The students then decided to move downtown. Unknown to the students, the mayor of Modesto was also hosting a 'protest' at the time, attended by various city bureaucrats, head police, and area mayors, to protest Governor Brown's taking away of funds for city redevelopment. On the very same day, it was announced that Modesto City School would lay-off 32 teachers, while administrators continue to make salaries in the hundreds of thousands. The few people speaking at the event and in the audience wrapped up their event (not being able to be heard over the large group of students) and disappeared.

Read More | Walkouts: A Tool of Students in Struggle | Modesto Junior College Students at Breaking Point