Category: Special Projects

Chico joins nationwide “ICE Out for Good” protests

by Leslie Layton | Posted January 10, 2026
Alan and Diane Silver. Photo by Leslie Layton

Chico protesters showed up today — in concert with anti-ICE rallies underway across the nation — with cardboard and printed signs, with costumes and canes, with walkers and strollers, to express outrage, disgust and anguish over recent shootings.

In the wake of the shooting that killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, more than 1,000 people participated in the Chico protest that first swarmed the entrance to Children’s Park and then spread out to line the Esplanade down to East Washington Avenue. They carried signs denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Trump administration and fascism. read more

Vigil held for Minneapolis woman killed by ICE

by Leslie Layton | Posted January 7, 2026
Megan Windeler at the Jan. 7 vigil. Photo by Leslie Layton

About 35 Chico-area residents gathered at City Plaza this evening in a vigil for Renee Nicole Good, the woman who was killed earlier in the day by an immigration officer in Minneapolis.

The demonstrators gathered with candles and alternately sang and spoke about the need to organize and protest in the wake of the killing by an officer from Immigration, Customs & Enforcement (ICE). Good, who was 37, and according to reports was a U.S. citizen, was driving a maroon-colored SUV when she was approached by officers and then shot. read more

Chico man in detention seeks asylum, relief

Immigrant detention swells to record high
by Leslie Layton | Posted December 29, 2025
Paradise resident Virginia Hauer works relentlessly for Ozan’s release. Photo by Leslie Layton.

Chico criminal defense attorney Kevin Sears remembers that day in late July in Butte County Superior Court when he heard what he describes as “awful screaming” outside the courtroom.

The bailiff told him that agents from Immigration, Customs & Enforcement (ICE) were outside. “I just about fainted,” Sears said. “I just had no clue they were there. It was the first time they had come.”

Sears acts as public defender for Butte County DUI cases, so on any given day he may have up to 50 clients in court. When he learned what was happening outside the courtroom, he thought immediately of one client in particular who had been anxious about ICE courthouse arrests around the state. read more

Legal immigrants face threats, live with fear

As immigrants lose legal status, college officials promise to maintain programs that serve these students
by Natalie Hanson | Posted December 29, 2025
Hiroshi Motomura, co-director, UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy. Photo courtesy of American Community Media.

For students like Andrea who identify as Dreamers – young people who came to this country as children — the increasing pressure to self-deport has created an uncertain future. And like Andrea, hundreds of thousands of people now face uncertainty as the Trump administration takes steps that threaten their ability to remain in the country.

Andrea did not give her last name when she addressed a Dec. 5 panel convened by American Community Media (ACoM), but she said that she has lived in the United States since she was 5 years old. read more

Should Mental Health Diversion expand?

Fewer than a third of defendants seeking Mental Health Diversion were admitted in Butte County
by Yucheng Tang | Posted December 27, 2025
Deputy District Attorney Mark Murphy represents the DA’s office in the monthly Mental Health Diversion hearings. Photo by Yucheng Tang.

This story is second in a series on the Mental Health Diversion program and is supported by a USC fellowship.

Seven years ago, a 48-year-old Paradise area man was charged with misdemeanor assault with a vehicle. A medical report issued a few days after the incident stated that he was diagnosed with “bipolar disorder, mixed episode, with psychotic features.”

A year later, his attorney told him about the newly launched Mental Health Diversion program (MHD), which allows some mentally ill defendants to receive court-ordered mental health treatment instead of serving jail time. Successful completion of the program can lead to dismissal of charges. The man, who identified only as “John” in order to protect his privacy, applied. read more

Chico journalist sues DA over public records

Lawsuit claims law enforcement agencies withhold public documents
by Leslie Layton | Posted December 22, 2025
The lawsuit was filed Dec. 22, 2025.

ChicoSol contributor Dave Waddell today sued Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey — as well as the Chico Police Department, the City of Chico and the sheriff — over withheld public records related to officer-involved shootings.

The lawsuit filed in Butte County Superior Court states that it “arises from the repeated and ongoing failure of the leadership of the law enforcement community” to comply with the California Public Records Act. read more