Newport High School senior Melody Adendanal stands in front of Newport City Hall with a sign that says “No one is illegal on stolen land”. Adendanal and about 150 other Newport high middle school students walked out Friday afternoon to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions across the country. (Shayla Escudero/Lincoln Chronicle)About 150 Newport high and middle school students stood in the rain Friday, their cardboard signs soaked and ink-written messages running after they walked out of school during their lunch period in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement violence.
Students joined the “ICE Out” strike across the United States. Since the start of the year at least eight people died in connection to ICE, including the high profile killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Activists are calling on the removal of ICE from towns and cities across the United States.
Newport High School students Keegan Small, center, and Cattaleya Cline, right, were the main organizers of a walk from the high and middle school Friday to Newport city hall. (Shayla Escudero/Lincoln Chronicle)“This is a great opportunity to voice our political matters, which we don’t normally get to do,” said sophomore Chloe Postma.
Most of the students were not 18 during the last election, so they didn’t get to cast a vote, Postma said, and there are few opportunities for youth to have their voices heard about politics.
“As we see our neighbors taken and dragged out of schools, we should look inside to the power of the community to stand up against racial injustice,” said sophomore Cattaleya Cline, one of the walkout organizers. In her right hand she carried a megaphone.
Senior Melody Adendanal is a U.S. citizen with Hispanic parents but fears deportation since ICE has not just targeted those with undocumented status. Adendanal stood high on top of the concrete entrance to Newport city hall holding a sign that read “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
“I am scared but I have to be here and stand up,” Adendanal said. “Everyone is scared, but we can’t let them keep us afraid. We can’t let them keep us afraid.”
— Shayla Escudero/Lincoln Chronicle
Newport High School freshman, Rowan Pettett, center, walked out of school with friends during the school lunch period Friday to protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. (Shayla Escudero/LincolnChronicle)Have a photo and short story to share? Send it here.
So proud of these students. Congratulations to them all for standing up for their rights. We adults will do our part to protest and keep pressuring Congress to stop funding ICE/DHS. We need to keep these and all our kids safe from ICE. See everyone the streets of America on March 28 all along our coast. Time to raise our voices and make some noise.
So grateful to the reporters who came and helped spread our message. <3
Obama was coined the “Deporter in Chief”, Biden and Barry both built the cages AOC cried at while wearing white and not staging that photo op. This is America. We need to secure and protect citizens of the U.S. That is who is owed.
Thank you, America needs borders to protect the country and it’s people. Don’t make signs that say we teach you. You are reading the wrong news.
I stand with you!
Thanks Newport HS students. Setting a good example for us adults.
Although I can agree that we need secure borders and I can not agree on the way ICE/Federal Agents/Border Patrol is handling the process. They are acting like a bunch of vigilante thugs. Not OK. You can’t just hand over guns to anybody. Geesh. Why not just supply them with tazers??