Quick Take
More than 1,000 students from local schools staged a walkout and marched through downtown Santa Cruz on Friday to protest against ICE and Trump administration policies before settling in outside the county courthouse.
Students from across Santa Cruz County gathered to march in protest of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and Trump administration policies Friday, as businesses and other groups closed their doors in solidarity with a national shutdown.
Students from schools including Santa Cruz High, Harbor High, Soquel High, Pacific Collegiate, Georgiana Bruce Kirby Prep, Mission Hill Middle and Spring Hill Elementary took to the streets. They marched down Pacific Avenue and stood at the downtown clock tower before making their way to the Santa Cruz County courthouse on Ocean Street.
In South County, Watsonville High and Pajaro Valley High also staged walkouts to join the national day of action.
In Santa Cruz, students chanted with signs against ICE and President Donald Trump, and in favor of civil rights and support for the local Latino community. Students danced in the street to Latin American music in front of the courthouse as the demonstration continued.
Two Kirby students, 16-year-old Ruby Muse-Lerner and 17-year-old Amara Clayton, organized the protest. They posted a notice online inviting everyone and asking them to share the invitation with anyone interested.
“We never, ever, ever expected this big of an outcome,” said Clayton. “It really shows what democracy can look like, what happens when a bunch of young people come together, and the power of protesting through social media.”
“I’ve seen my childhood friends, people I haven’t seen in 10 years, people I’ve never met in my life that now I’m going to be friends with because of today,” said Muse-Lerner. “It’s really incredible.”
Muse-Lerner said her grandmother lives in Minneapolis – where federal agents have killed two protesters this month – and was tear-gassed leaving a doctor’s appointment; she said she’s moved by the stories of parents and family members being deported.
“These things affect real people’s lives,” Muse-Lerner said. “People across the entire country and world should see that students are missing school, and people are missing work to stand in solidarity with the people.”
Julien Olsen, a 15-year-old Santa Cruz High student, succinctly summed up the overarching message of the protest.
“We’re here to fight against ICE, they have to stop what they’re doing,” she said. “F–k ICE again.”
More protests around California
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