Hundreds of Long Beach Unified students walked out of school and marched to City Hall on Friday, in protest of the federal government’s militant immigration crackdowns, including federal agents’ recent killing of two people in Minneapolis.
At Cabrillo High School, students began gathering in the quad just before 11 a.m., carting snacks and bottled water for protestors and practicing “ICE out” chants with bullhorns. Two alums who graduated last spring, Zay Gutierrez and Enrique Dominguez, helped organize the walkout and said adults from Safe Passage and the Party of Socialism and Liberation would join the march.
“As alumni, we want to be the best role models we can be,” supporting current students in their activism, said Gutierrez, who is currently a student at Long Beach City College.
Digital flyers circulated in the days prior, calling on all LBUSD students to walk out of class. By noon, students began pouring out of Cabrillo and congregating at picnic tables on the quad.
Gutierrez spoke to the crowd before they began to march: “Carry pride, not only with Cabrillo, but within yourself, your culture, your heritage, and the person you are today, and the reason why you’re here as a community.”
The action was part of a national campaign against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, as activists across the country demand “no work, no school and no shopping,” an effort to “stop ICE’s reign of terror,” according to the National Shutdown website, which is publicizing some of Friday’s boycotts, protests, closures and walkouts. In Long Beach, many small businesses also showed their support by closing for the day or donating portions of their sales to local immigrant rights groups.
The walkout comes one week after Minneapolis-St. Paul residents held a general strike, where thousands of protestors flooded the streets and local businesses shut down in solidarity, demanding federal agents leave their city.
Long Beach has joined many other U.S. cities, holding protests in solidarity with Minneapolis and demanding ICE pull out of their own communities. Federal agents conducted a raid in East Long Beach last week, seizing two men working as gardeners, one of whom told agents he was a U.S. citizen. DHS has not responded to the Long Beach Post’s request for information about these events.
For many students who joined the walkout, the issue of immigration enforcement is personal. “We see how much our families struggle, not having papers,” said Estrella, a Cabrillo junior who skipped her marine biology class to join the walkout. “It’s really unfair how they’re treating immigrants,” especially when they work so hard, often in grueling manual labor jobs, said Stephanie, also a junior at Cabrillo.
Some teachers joined the action as well. Chris Williams, who teaches forensics and chemistry at Cabrillo, took personal time to march with students. “I support what they’re here for,” he said of his students. “I want to make sure that my kids are safe.”
Students at Poly High School brought and made signs before class Friday morning, including “The only ICE I like is in my raspado” and “Migration is natural. Borders are not.” A Poly teacher reported significant student absences even before the walkout began; some chose to stay home as an alternative to walking out.
Hundreds ultimately converged in downtown Long Beach, where they rallied at the civic center.
Many schools participated, including Millikan, Wilson and Jordan. Police at times blocked off traffic on Ocean Boulevard. And students at times marched along other streets in the area and near The Pike.
After reports of items like water bottles being thrown at police, officers warned students that they were participating in an unlawful assembly and ordered them to disperse around 2 p.m.
In preparation for Friday’s actions, the district sent a message to families, acknowledging that students may choose to walk out and that the district upholds students’ right to free speech and peaceful protest. The message also raised concerns about students’ safety when they leave campus. “Remaining on campus allows students to stay connected to trusted adults, supervision, and support systems designed to keep them safe,” the message said, encouraging students to remain in school.
The message also addressed the fear and uncertainty students and families may be feeling in light of recent events in Minneapolis and Long Beach. “We continue our Standing in Solidarity: Empowering Our Immigrant Students and Families efforts, and our schools remain safe, welcoming spaces where every student belongs,” the message, invoking the district’s effort and policy to support immigrant students and families.
Rumors circulated that school officials threatened to suspend students who walked out, but LBUSD communications reviewed by the Long Beach Post contained no such warning. Teachers were told that elementary school students were not permitted to leave campus, but there was no mention of disciplinary action for students in middle school or high school.
Congressman Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, addressed the various actions on Friday, including student protests. “There are walkouts happening at schools and universities across the country. We are very supportive of any action that people are taking to stand up for their personal rights.”