We are happy to announce that the charge of disobeying an officer has been dropped for SKUUC church member Rene Castle. Rene was arrested at the Poor People’s Campaign in May 2018. His crime? Hanging an “Honor the Treaties” banner on the statue of Christopher Columbus that is still in place in our state capitol’s rotunda.

Rene proposes that a statue of Reverend Thomas Starr King, the Unitarian minister who played a key role in keeping California in the Union during the Civil War, would be a fitting replacement. At Starr King Unitarian Universalist church, it’s hard for us to disagree with that!

Rene Castle, Beth Ogilvie, and other campaigners – May 2018

We thank Rene Castle for his service and commitment to social justice. If you’d like to learn more about the campaign and protest, read on!

Further Reading:

• The Poor People’s Campaign website
• Davis Vanguard news story, recommended by Rene
• Unitarian Universalist celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day
• Rene is now promoting a petition that calls for the removal of the statue of Columbus. The statue, the petition states, is a reminder of “imperialism, colonialism, genocide and enslavement of our Indigenous ancestors.”