California Prioritizes Protest Suppression Over Wildfire Preparedness
California colleges, including Cal Poly Humboldt, reportedly dipped into state natural disaster preparedness funds to deal with pro-Palestine student encampments. While residents face escalating wildfire risks, the state found it more urgent to deploy extensive law enforcement, deploying over 100 officers to disperse student protests (The Intercept, 2024). One might wonder if climate catastrophe
now includes dissenting undergraduates. This isn't about safety, it's about optics and control. The same state that struggles to fund adequate housing and mental health services for its students, and often cries poor when natural disasters strike, suddenly finds unlimited budget for militarized police action against students demanding divestment from a foreign power's military occupation. Funny
how the 'threat' of peaceful protest supersedes the very real threat of actual blazes consuming homes.