by Barley Lewis-McCabe

A crowd of about 300 Americans fed up with the state of their country packed the sidewalk like sardines. The out-of-season sun burned the back of my neck. My socks were soaked with sweat and my bag could’ve weighed as much as me. It was 1 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23,  where Cal Poly Humboldt students and community members alike participated in the walkout protest against Donald Trump and his administration — organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) — in a single file line snaking its way through Arcata. . 

The walkout was filled with music —  a chorus of car horns, kazoos and finger cymbals followed the beat of a drum at the front. The protestors marched with the cadence of a battle-ready platoon, sharing a similar creed and a hunger to engage their First Amendment rights in nonviolent opposition.

“Donald Trump has been re-elected, and in the past year, things have gone from zero to 15,000,” said AJ, safety team leader and political science student at College of the Redwoods.
“[Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] raids thousands of people a month, knocking on doors. We are [witnessing] fascism.”

The protest was organized as a walkout in solidarity with the Free America Walkout, a national protest that occurred on Jan. 20, and was endorsed by the Humboldt Anti-War Committee, Humboldt Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Centro de Pueblo. The protest was a part of the 5051 movement, a progressive community-driven activist movement holding anti-authoritaian principles.

 Protester Navi Lee was encouraged by the 5051 movement and wanted to see more students and community members get involved. 

“I’m here to support my neighbors. I want to see more people out here,” Lee said. “I’m ready to keep doing this. I know that 5051, my friend is the head of it, and they are really getting on top of involving students more.”

Senior SDS Organizer Rick Toledo expressed the importance of peaceful protest amidst government corruption.

 “Prototesting is really, really important, and especially at a time when you’ve got ICE in Minneapolis,” Toledo said. “They’re calling on people all around the country to protest, because if we are doing that at the same time, everywhere, it does send a strong message to the federal government. What we’re hoping for with this is actually one, we want to send a message to the admin right away, that we want them to divest fully from these military contracts.” 

According to an email sent from Communications Specialist Iridian Casarez in Oct. 2025, the university maintains that they are not directly involved in military contracts. 

“The University’s endowment, which is managed by the Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation, does not include any direct investment in defense companies or any securities issued by Israeli companies or organizations, or to defense firms,” Iridian Casarez said.

Eventually, the march reached the final destination: dead-center in the Arcata Plaza. Speakers from the endorsing organizations led sermons and called for a more peaceful world, including Executive Director of Centro del Pueblo Brenda Perez. 

“Today, we came with our voices when there is no words to call the atrocities and the horror we’re seeing. We still have our voices,” Perez said. “[Centro del Pueblo] is a dedicated group of people learning every day how to support the immigrant, helping every corner, learning the hotline and making awareness and I want you to sing with me.” 

Perez led the crowd in a call and response of ‘707-200-8091’. 

“And when a member calls this number and tells us that ICE sit out at their doors” Perez said. “We are all going to go and say, ‘Fuck ICE! Out of here!’”