County Wide Walkouts to Resist Fascism in Nevada County

On January 20th students across Nevada County walked out to protest the fascist federal government, and its supporters in the school board. Building on the moment of the walkouts from last year, students self organized walkouts from at least 6 schools in Nevada County, convening in downtown Grass Valley.

At 2:00 on January 20th, the first anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, hundreds of students walked out of Nevada Union High School, meeting at the theater parking lot to a crowd of supporters. Soon after several dozen students from the next door, much smaller, Ghidotti High School, joined them. Together they departed the school under the watch of several surveilling police cars amid chants of “Chinga la Migra”. The group marched down the street and were quickly faced by enraged drives who sped by and shouted profanities at the students.

In response to these threats to student saftey a driver slowed down and flashed their hazards to slow down traffic behind the march to prevent vehicular attack. In response to this several GVPD cars arrived and pulled over then arrested the driver at gun point for “obstruction of traffic”. Despite the blatant attack on someone attempting to keep students safe, the march continued towards downtown.

Upon arriving at Mill St the march joined several hundred other protesters who’d already gathered. Among them were students from Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning, Bear River High School, Bitney Prep High School, Yuba River Charter School, and Lyman Gilmore Middle School. As the students arrived they carried banners and signs reflecting their radical intentions, including “Fuck ICE, Fuck GVPD” “Fight Back, Resist ICE” “Intifada Revolution” and “All Power to the Students”.

Once they joined the rally in downtown, students took to the mic to speak against the state and school board. Students spoke about their own feelings of being unsafe in the schools, the fascist school board that opposed diversity and supports bullying, and the need to abandon the democratic party. Speeches began to grow more and more radical and students called for revolution and a general strike. Quickly chants of “there is only one solution, revolution” broke out, and when cop cars rolled by impromptu change of “All Cops are Bastards” and “Fuck 12” broke out.

Despite attempts by liberal elements to co-opt the movement, the students stood fast in their revolutionary intent. Among the liberal detractors was Heidi Hall, Nevada County District 1 supervisor and candidate for CD-3 in congress, who voted to fund a $15,000,000 cop city in Nevada City. Alongside her were members of be democratic party and Indivisible who urged “calm” and insisted that we merely need to vote out problems away. The students rejected this notion and proudly shouted their rage and called for revolt and wide-spread systemic chance. All the while they flew the Palestinian flag and proudly stood against the imperialist interests of the US and Israel.

It’s clear that the student movement in Nevada County has embraced its revolutionary potential, and this is only the beginning.

Ice will burn, the empire will fall, and the students will stand victorious.