Napa students flood streets in protest of Trump, ICE tactics
Napa high school students took to the streets on Friday afternoon to make their voices heard, joining in on-going protests against Trump administration actions.
The student-led protest began at 12:45 p.m. and continued to grow throughout the next hour. At its height, it appeared to have gathered more than 500 students from Napa, Vintage, Justin-Siena and New Tech high schools, who filled both sides of Jefferson near the Trancas Street intersection, carrying signs and waving to passing cars. As drivers slowed to honk and wave in support, the Napa Police issued an alert advising drivers to avoid the street because of the congestion due to “a large protest.”
Last Friday, students from American Canyon High School and Calistoga High School staged similar protests.
The Napa Valley Unified School District had issued a message to parents and staff, alerting them of the planned protest and noting that, “California law allows students one excused absence per year to participate in a political or civic event and that school staff would remain on the campuses to supervise students who chose not to participate.
The driving force behind Friday’s protest was the tactics of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the treatment of immigrants and their supporters in the ICE round-ups. Students’ signs ranged from “Families belong together” to reminders of the victims of violence in ICE round-ups.
“Yes, I’m white, but this ain’t right,” one sign read.
ICE protests, however, were not the only inspiration for the action.
Amongst the many anti-ICE signs, were others that read, “The Constitutions is not a suggestion,” “Prison without habeas corpus is a concentration camp,” and “If this were really about removing criminals, there would not be a felon in the White House.”
“It’s families being torn apart, and people being frightened,” one Vintage High School said. “But really, it’s everything.”
Many of the students said this was their first protest. “But it won’t be my last,” one Napa High student added.
While students dominated this protest, a several of the white-haired generation showed up to support them, including one woman whose sign read: “We are officially living out the part of history that makes school kids ask, “Why didn’t anyone do anything to stop them?”
Editor’s note: The Napa County Times made an editorial decision not to identify the protestors by name.
Submitted photos
