Detroit Comite de Accion Comunitaria Statement for Rick Toledo
On March 6 in the middle of the night, police officers arrested Rick Toledo, a graduate student and activist with Students for a Democratic Society at University of Cal Poly Humboldt. He was taken into custody and held for two days without bail. He is facing four counts of felony charges: false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit a crime, assault, and battery. This adds up to almost 15 years worth of state prison. These charges came as a response to a one-day building occupation for Palestine done by the students on February 27th, 2026.
Students at Cal Poly Humboldt have a history of standing up for Palestine. In 2024, during the spring encampment movement for Gaza, students took Siemens Hall in the name of divestment and held it for 9 days. This encampment featured the viral “bonk” sound heard as students prevented police from entering the building on the first day of the occupation.
It is clear that the university administration intends to punish students for fighting back. From fighting against ICE on campus to fighting for divestment, protesting is not a crime and should be protected and fought for when threatened. These attacks on activists and organizers are a clear form of intimidation meant to scare us from protesting and fighting back.
Just like the pro-Palestine movement, the immigrants rights movement is no stranger to these types of attacks. Students and community organizers fighting against ICE have faced similar repression and intimidation. We have a duty to stand against these scare tactics and fight back when our rights are threatened. Detroit Comite de Accion Comunitaria stands firm in our support of Rick Toledo and student activists everywhere and we condemn the university’s charges.
