Fresno teacher at Trump insurrection called rally ‘patriotic.’ Some parents now concerned
Parents have raised concerns about a Fresno Unified School District teacher who traveled in January to Washington, D.C., to attend the pro-Trump rally where a mob wound up storming the Capitol.
A Manchester GATE Elementary teacher, Julie Rocha, posted to her personal Facebook page on Jan. 7 and 8 about her experience at what turned into an insurrection, describing it as “patriotic” and non-violent. She also posted some pictures from that day.
When Rocha arrived home from D.C she said she felt “exhausted” and “broke down in tears” after watching local news coverage of the riot that wound up taking place Jan. 6, according to the Facebook posts obtained by The Bee’s Education Lab. Rocha’s profile is now private.
“I had learned that because I had attended a peaceful rally with many, many others on January 6, I was being called a domestic terrorist and what I had done was going to scar the children of my community,” the post says. “Let me be clear!!!!! I did not witness any of this behavior, nor did I get a feeling that people were there to be destructive or violent.”
However, Farin Jacobsen, a parent who has a child at Manchester GATE, told the Ed Lab it’s concerning to hear that a teacher at her kid’s school attended. Others are said to have expressed concerns to Fresno City Council Member Nelson Esparza.
“Knowing that Mrs. Rocha posted about her experience at the insurrection, where she was clearly in support of Trump, makes me uneasy and leaves me with a lot of questions,” she said in an email. “I have to question her judgment since she flew across the country in support of an attempt to overthrow the government.”
Rocha and FUSD officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trustee Veva Islas, who represents the area Manchester GATE is in, also did not respond to requests for comment.
A day of ‘pride’
“We held our flags up with pride,” Rocha’s post says. “I took tons of videos and observed an energy like no other. It was so patriotic and true.”
Rocha insists in her post that the media is lying about what happened that day at the Capitol. She also said she had no prior knowledge that people wanted to breach the building.
“We all gathered at the Capitol building in hopes that the legislature would know we were not happy with the election process,” Rocha’s post said. “Our voices needed to be heard. So we marched to the Capitol to gather as one collective and cheer on those in the House that were on our side.”
The people who participated in “violence or destruction” should go to jail, Rocha said in the post, and “99.9%” of the hundreds that attended were not involved in any “destruction.”
On Jan. 6, Trump supporters gathered at the Capitol while Congress began certifying the Electoral College vote. After the president spoke to a crowd — including some that were part of the far-right group Proud Boys — he encouraged them to take their protest of the election results down the street to where senators and representatives were meeting.
Gunshots were heard inside the building, rioters engaged in violent altercations with police officers, and the National Guard was called for assistance. Dozens of people have been arrested, several officers were severely injured, and five people died in the attack.
On Jan. 13, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol, making him the first U.S. president to be impeached twice.
Could students’ lessons be impacted?
Jacobsen said she worries Rocha will pass on false information to her students.
“Did she really believe the propaganda about the election having been stolen? Did she buy into these QAnon conspiracy theories? Manchester GATE is all about critical thinking,” Jacobsen said. “How can the students learn this skill from someone who perhaps isn’t exercising it herself?”
Rocha described being “very close” to the Capitol building and said she noticed “a few dummies trying to climb the rafters of the inaugural seating area, but most people were respectful and chanting along with the crowd.”
She saw tear gas a few times, according to the Facebook post, and about 3:30 p.m., she heard a man with a megaphone announce they had breached the Capitol.
“Again, this guy was very militant in his behavior and did not seem to be part of the protesters,” the post says. “He gave me a bad feeling. There was never mention of breaching the Capitol in any of our organized groups post or texts.”
Others from Fresno area on scene
Rocha wasn’t the only person tied to education in the Fresno-area to attend the pro-Trump rally.
James Hoak, a Sierra Unified School District trustee, was also there.
He posted Facebook Live videos and wore a Joe Biden mask and prisoner’s costume as a joke because he believes Biden deserves to be incarcerated for “doing dirty business for China,” he told The Bee in January.
More than 2,500 people signed a petition calling for the recall of Hoak if he did not resign. Hoak has refused and remains on the board.
Hoak attended the rally with a group of other men who live in and around the Fresno-area who were also part of the group that confronted Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias at his home over business closures early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.
This story was originally published March 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.