Statement Read by Lori Nixon at the Highway Six Sentencing Hearing

Statement from Lori Nixon read in court at sentencing:

"I would like to thank the court for allowing me this opportunity to express the deep empathy I have for the people affected by our act of civil disobedience. I am a working-class person who has done countless hours of volunteer and paid work with the youth of SD, LA, and Santa Cruz. I can empathize greatly with the unintended consequences of our protest, as a person with an ill parent and As someone who has suffered greatly from state budget cuts. I was laid off from my job with the San Diego Unified School District in 2011, my house was foreclosed upon, and my healthcare has now been taken away from me twice in past 4 years. In no way did I intend to physically harm anyone, and I have endured an enormous amount of personal sacrifice to bring much needed attention to the struggles of public education and state violence, 2 issues which every single person here is connected to and responsible for.

"As I watched hundreds of cars stream past us that day, I was in awe of our shared history of civil disobedience. From the Boston Tea Party, to the 92-year old great-grandma in Seattle who chained herself in front of the Shell Oil Rig, to Bree Newsome's shimmy up a flagpole to remove the confederate flag, everything we hold dear has been given to us through civil disobedience, struggle, and great inconvenience to the majority of people. Although we look back fondly on the labor movement that won us child labor laws, 40-hour work weeks, and sick time; the suffrage movement which gave women the right to vote; the abolition movement against slavery; the civil rights movement, and countless other brave acts, these historical moments were met with violence and hatred as we are now, especially against the inconveniences they caused.

"I hope now that we have finally been sentenced, the citizens of Santa Cruz can focus on the issues at hand: funding the homeless services center, fighting the UC Regents against campus expansion, ending police brutality and over-incarceration, and keeping our public school system fully funded. As Americans, we have a duty to stand up (or sit down as in our case) for truth and justice. I take full responsibility for my actions, and am thankful for the opportunity and privilege to use my voice and body for those who cannot."


The students will return to court tomorrow for a restitution hearing.


More information about the Highway Six:
http://www.facebook.com/ucscHWY6