Jenny O’Connell-Nowain was ready to go to jail.

She had been prepared to spend six months in the custody of the Shasta county sheriff’s office.

One of the top prosecutors in this part of far northern California had presented the evidence against her in a weeklong trial,
and a jury had delivered a guilty verdict.

A judge offered probation, but O’Connell-Nowain did not agree to the terms.

Her crime?

Sitting on the floor in front of the dais of the board of supervisors with a sign, silently protesting an official who had criticized the county elections office.

The case of a former preschool teacher with no criminal history
tried and convicted for a peaceful demonstration was shocking even for Shasta county,
which has drawn international attention for its rowdy and radical brand of conservative politics.

But what happened to O’Connell-Nowain is not just the story of one county’s crackdown on free speech
and the forces that have sown division in the community;

it is emblematic of the political turmoil that has become commonplace in this part of California
and the US more broadly.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/mar/09/fighting-extremism-redding-california?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other