On Friday, hundreds of students at San Luis Obispo High School walked out in the middle of their classes to protest federal immigration enforcement, waving signs and chanting “ICE out!”
The student protestors walked through downtown San Luis Obispo and met up with another group of demonstrators, culminating at the intersection of Madonna and Higuera.
SLO High School student Grace Fields says she joined a big group that made their way downtown, together.
“We're out here today to protest, to get ICE off of the streets in SLO,” Fields said. “They've been spotted near multiple schools in our district.”
The Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeted San Luis Obispo County last month for a week-long surge operation.
“They're doing some crazy stuff, like killing people, like deporting innocent people that did nothing wrong,” sophomore Milla Watts told KCBX.
The walkout was part of a larger day of nationwide protests, including a general strike partly inspired by demonstrations in Minneapolis, where a federal border agent shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti last week.
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported that SLO High School received threats Thursday night ahead of the protest.
Principal Rollin Dickinson wrote in a memo, [quote] “At this time, there is no information to suggest that this was a real or credible threat.”
Students at the Cal Poly SLO campus also participated in a walkout to protest ICE.
Many SLO businesses stayed closed Friday as part of the general strike. SLO Cider posted on Facebook that the closure was “a small way for us to stand in solidarity….” Linnea’s Cafe said they would be closed except for a pre-planned evening concert.
