ICE Protest During School On January 30th

On Friday, Jan. 30, there was an ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) Out nationwide shutdown. This meant no one was supposed to go to work, school, or go shopping, in order to protest against ICE. Many students did not attend school on the 30th. Many of the students who did attend school that day still wanted to protest. Students who stayed at school held a protest during the 3rd period. Some students made signs, and they met out in the school quad around 11 am. Emersen Rae, a freshman at Morro Bay High School, said, “We left at 11 am and walked to the quad.” A lot of students joined the protest. Freshman Eden Rea said, “It was like half of my class.” After students gathered in the quad, they formed a group and walked together through the halls. They walked around the school holding their posters. Rea said, “I got a poster from a friend of mine.” Many students made their own posters at home and brought them to school to hand out. The students walked from the quad to the office, and then walked out of the office to the pool entrance and circled back to the quad. After the protest, the bell rang, and the students resumed their day as normal.

There was also a group of about five students who brought posters that said, “We love ICE, We love Jesus, and We stand with ICE,” according to Rae. Some of the ICE protestors got angry at the small group, and according to Rae, “one of the girls took their sign and crumpled it up.” The assistant principals stood between the two groups, trying to calm down the opposing groups. Some of the students thought about doing another protest during lunch, but decided not to. The local news channel, KSBY, came to the school to report on the ICE Out protest. A group of freshman boys were interviewed by the local reporter as they were walking to the gas station. 

Students at San Luis Obispo High School also participated in the ICE Out protest. Students left their class at 10:30 am and started their school protest. Lucy Beck, a student at San Luis Obispo High school, told KSBY that, “The thought of all of these children that I grew up with and know so well targeted or of anything happening to them is just a hard thing to think about.” Eric Prater, the San Luis Coastal Unified School District Superintendent, sent a letter on Thursday to all the parents about the anticipated events on Friday. This letter reinforced that the schools would be open on Friday. “…we want families to know that schools will be open and staffed, and we strongly encourage students to attend school whenever possible. For many students, school provides not only learning opportunities, but also meals, social connections, emotional support, and a sense of routine that is essential to their well-being,” said Prater.