Los Angeles High School Walkouts Protest Trump Election

November 16, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

From the Revolution Club, Los Angeles

On Monday, November 15 thousands of students from high schools all over Los Angeles walked out to protest the election of Donald Trump.  In some schools, they did this in real defiance against school administrators trying to prevent students from walking out.  In one school, they had a large sign in front of the school that said, “Don’t Walk Out, WALK IN.”  Other schools sent home letters to parents so that the parents could stop the youth who wanted to walk out.  One school in particular made an announcement that said, “Students should remain on campus where they’re safe. Ignorance can often lead to violence: please understand that the greatest way to overcome ignorance is through education.”  Despite these efforts of the administrators in different schools, over 4,000 students from different high schools walked out and marched to City Hall.

The Revolution Club went out to unite with students and get out the statement “In The Name Of Humanity, WE REFUSE To Accept A Fascist America.”  We talked to some students and many took posters with the title of the statement. We got out hundreds of statements. LAUSD (the official school district) arranged to have school buses pick students up and take them back to the area of the school where they came from.  Many students got on the buses but some stayed behind to continue the protest.  A group of 10 students marched up as people were leaving and were calling on people to march with them. We went over and talked to them and joined their march. Another nearby school of 15 students marched up to where we were gathering and stood around until one of the young students got on the bullhorn and called on them to join us.  This second group of students were kind of shy so they stayed aside.

As this scene was developing, one guy came up to speak on the bullhorn.  He started telling the youth that what they needed to work on was planting trees and getting an education. The young students—who didn’t want to hear this—took the mic from him and he got upset and started yelling at the revolutionary who was holding the bullhorn.  That second group of students who had been hesitant ran over and got in between this guy and the revolutionary. This was very important.

A member of the Revolution Club then got on the bullhorn and said, “Tell me how planting a tree is going to stop Donald Trump from deporting three million people! Tell me how planting a tree is going to stop these PIGS from running loose in the neighborhoods, harassing, and brutalizing, incarcerating, and murdering people! NO! We need to be in the streets!” and the students cheered and started a chant against trump, “NO TRUMP-NO KKK-NO FASCIST USA!”  We then led the students in a march through downtown LA, including through a popular tourist place in Downtown LA. We led the students in a pledge, “WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT A FASCIST AMERICA. WE WILL NOT CONCILIATE. WE WILL NOT ACCOMMODATE. WE WILL NOT COLLABORATE. WE WILL RISE UP! WE WILL STAY IN THE STREETS! WE WILL UNITE WITH PEOPLE EVERYWHERE TO BUILD UP RESISTANCE IN EVERYWAY WE CAN!” A lot of students told us they felt scared that their families will be separated because of the deportations and they wanted to act, to do something because they don’t want this to happen to anyone.

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