About 100 Penfield High School students walked out of class March 6 to protest federal immigration enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The walkout followed several other demonstrations at schools across Monroe County in recent weeks. School officials have had to decide whether they will allow the protests ― and in what form.
In Penfield, administrators steered students around a bus loop far from the view of public roads and blocked media from attending. School officials said they worked with students to keep the demonstration safe and respectful. Some students, however, said they felt stifled by the rules.
“They’re trying to contain it to the school property,” senior Allison Vaisey said after. She and about a dozen friends walked to Five Mile Line Road instead. “The whole point of this is to create disruption and bring awareness. That does not do that. There’s a bigger issue than skipping school here. I care more about the greater population of Rochester and all the people that ICE have detained unfairly.”
Vaisey said she was protesting the treatment of immigrants under the Trump administration. She said it was scary to think classmates could be picked up by ICE and said stories of racial profiling indicate even lawful residents are at risk of being detained or questioned.
“People are dying. People are being taken and split from their families,” she said. “It’s the new Gestapo.”
Dueling ICE protests at Penfield High School
Five students held a counter demonstration in support of ICE earlier in the morning, holding signs and an American flag at the entrance of the high school as students arrived. At the second protest, a truck with a thin blue line flag ― typically seen as a pro-police symbol ― circled the parking lot.
Allora Stephanides, a senior, said seeing the truck was frustrating when anti-ICE students were made to protest quietly.
“You’re not allowed to bring politics into school, but I think that the ICE administration is not politics,” she said. “These are lives and people that are losing their lives. It’s not political. It is people dying. We shouldn’t have to whisper it in secret.”
Madelyn Powell, a junior, said a security guard confiscated and destroyed her poster because it had profanity on it. She tried to ask if she could cross out the foul language with a marker, but the security guard wouldn’t reason with her.
“I’m still going to participate no matter what because they can’t shut down my voice,” Powell said.
Superintendent Tasha Potter said a small number of students had posters that “did not align with our expectations for the demonstration,” but most followed the guidance of administrators.
“I want to reiterate that we support students and their right to peacefully assemble,” Potter said in a letter to families. “We value student voices, we value student perspectives, and we value students as individuals who have thoughts on societal issues.”
— Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Penfield students walk out over immigration enforcement
Reporting by Kayla Canne, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
