Around 100 demonstrators marched around the Plumas County Courthouse to Dame Shirley Plaza Jan. 20 carrying signs opposing recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and the Trump government. The Plumas protest was co-organized by the Plumas-Sierra Political Coalition and included members of Quincy Area Indivisible, Indian Valley Indivisible and Plumas County Democrats.
The political action was organized in less than a week, said Karen Kleven, a representative of Quincy Area Indivisible. “People are outraged and they need a place to vent,” she said.
Faith Strailey, representing Plumas County Democrats, said it’s important for Americans to make their views known. “We encourage people to speak out and take a stand,” she said.
Kleven identified several key issues, including “ICE terrorizing communities” and the “untruths being spouted about Minnesota” without any “real investigation.”
Also of concern is the United States’ activity in Venezuela, she said. The country needs to stop spending tax dollars on “wars where we don’t need wars,” said Kleven. “If we want to support someone, let’s support Ukraine.”
Ken Bailey, of Genesee, said, “I think we are going the wrong direction in the country in a lot of different ways. It takes all kinds of points of view and right now we are only getting one point of view from the Trump administration.” Bailey would like to see the people of the United States come together to solve the problems we are facing. At the top of his list is the climate. “We have a finite resource in our planet that is not being taken care of,” he said.
For Micaela Rubalcava, a Quincy resident and co-leader of Quincy Area Indivisible, ICE activity is a top concern. “I’m just grateful that we don’t have the same ICE situation that Minnesota has right now,” she said.
Her other goal is getting younger generations active in democracy — something she does through teach-ins and other outreach. Rubalcava herself has a long history of political activism, having participated in democratic protests since her childhood growing up in Oakland. Now, as an education professor at Truckee Meadows Community College for the past 25 years, engaging with young people is both her profession and her passion.
Today’s march was the first protest for Sara Shafer and her daughter Abby Koskinen, of Quincy. “We believe that human rights matter and they are being violated in our country,” Shafer said.
“I don’t like where things are headed, and the lack of care for other people,” said Koskinen.
They hope that “all people would be treated with dignity and respect,” Shafer said.
