Decorah Community for Immigrant Rights Stands In Solidarity With Rick Toledo
Decorah Community for Immigrant Rights (DCIR) stands in unwavering solidarity with Rick Toledo, a graduate student at Cal Poly Humboldt and a member of Students for a Democratic Society, who has been unjustly arrested and targeted by the state of California for participating in peaceful protest on February 27.
Rick Toledo’s actions—calling for campus divestment from systems tied to Israeli apartheid and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people—are a legitimate exercise of free speech and a long-standing tradition of student activism for justice.
The criminalization of such protest is an attack not only on one individual, but on the fundamental rights of all who seek to speak out against oppression and demand accountability from institutions.
We reject the use of state power to silence dissent and intimidate organizers. Universities must be spaces where critical inquiry and moral courage are protected, not punished. Targeting students for their political beliefs sets a dangerous precedent that undermines academic freedom and democratic participation.
We call for all charges against Rick Toledo to be dropped immediately. We demand an end to the repression of student activists and insist that institutions uphold their responsibility to protect the rights of those advocating for human rights and justice.
In this moment, DCIR reaffirms our commitment to stand with those who resist injustice, on campus and beyond.
