Valley faculty and students find their voice as part of Studio City Rising

The local organization brings together several professors and pupils to protest the Trump administration every Saturday.

By: Daimler Koch, Editor-in-Chief

Valley College Professor Zachary Knorr and his wife, Lauren Johnson, demonstrating at the Studio City “No Kings” protest on March 28. The professor and his wife are members of the activist group, Studio City Rising, which plan weekly protest events speaking out against the Trump Administration. (Lea Pfau for the Valley Star)

At the corner of Laurel Canyon and Ventura Boulevard, amidst a throng of cardboard signs and chanting people, stood Valley College student Lauren Johnson, alongside her husband, Valley philosophy professor Zachary Knorr. Knorr was dressed in shades, gray shorts and a green shirt from Valley. Johnson, on the other hand, was dressed in an inflatable costume resembling the bear on the California flag. Both were part of the larger “No Kings” protests that took place on March 28. 

When the “walk” sign appeared at the other end of the street, Johnson stepped out onto the crosswalk and danced across it. She shuffled in front of the honking cars, waving her arms with a big smile on her face. 

“No Kings Day definitely brings out the best of us, and sometimes the worst of us, unfortunately,” she said. “But a lot of people showed up, wanting their democracy, and it’s good to see other people out here protesting.”

Knorr and Johnson are part of Studio City Rising, a local organization that plans weekly protests at the corner of Laurel Canyon and Ventura Boulevard. They were some of the 8 million people who attended the third No Kings protest that day.

Cheryl Bianchi and Olivia Negron cocreated the organization a year ago to gather protestors who didn’t want to, or couldn’t travel to, Downtown LA, where many of the larger protests happen. 

“I had to make a public declaration that what is going on with this administration, that it cannot stand,”  Bianchi said. “I had to declare that this was not right.”

Negron said that Studio City Rising was founded after Rumeysa Ostark and Mahmoud Khalil were detained by ICE last year, which fueled Negron and Bianchi to start protesting on Saturday mornings. These demonstrations are mostly attended by baby boomers well into their 60s, 70s and 80s.

“I was raised in the ‘50s, and we had just come off of saving the world from fascism,“ Negron said. “And so we have a lot of pride in the United States. And this administration is destroying that pride, along with the country, and we just have to do something about it.”

Three weeks later, Studio City Rising hosted one of these weekly Saturday protests. These are usually smaller affairs, with about 50 people attending at its peak. Still, the protest attracted attention; many drivers honked their horns in solidarity as they rolled through the intersection.

Professor Renee Berg, who teaches child development at Valley, showed up to the protest. She had been protesting since she attended Berkeley at 16 in the ‘60s, and still sees the value in protesting 60 years later.

“Political engagement seems like it’s superfluous, but it’s not,” Berg said. “It’s the structure of our society.”

Professor Knorr also attended the smaller protest, holding up a sign saying “Books not bombs” on one side and “End this illegal war” on the other. 

When asked what motivated him to attend these weekly protests, Knorr said he did not have one single reason. He protests for the abolishment of ICE, against the war in Iran and against the gutting of the Department of Education.

“I think it’s important for people to stand up and talk about what they believe in,” Knorr said. “I think it’s important for people to come together in a community and stand up for their values. And you know, I think as educators, it’s important for us to stand up for students, to stand up for education.”