BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 Dubbed the \u201cNational Shutdown Day,\u201d protesters are calling for a boycott of businesses to protest right-wing policies and immigration enforcement in America. Hundreds of people \u2014 most of them high school students \u2014 gathered at the Kern County Liberty Bell for their voices to be heard.<\/p>\n
Students were demanding President Donald Trump to leave the United States and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished.<\/p>\n
Bakersfield Vice Mayor Manpreet Kaur files paperwork with intent to run for state Senate seat <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAs much as I\u2019m involved and active in school, nothing is ever too much in school for me to not stand up for human rights,\u201d said Joseph Frank, the senior class president at Bakersfield High School.<\/p>\n The National Shutdown Day calls for supporters to not go to school, not go to work and not to shop at large companies.<\/p>\n Frank said he will gladly miss school for this cause.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many of y\u2019all can vote? None of y\u2019all can vote. The fact that none of us here can vote and make a change but the adults can and they\u2019re not here is absolutely not okay,\u201d said Frank.<\/p>\n The students were upset at the lack of adult support at the protest.<\/p>\n The messages were mostly aimed at ICE for its operations in large cities across the country and the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re calling us aliens that means they are because they are abducting people\u2019s families, tearing them apart and that\u2019s not right,\u201d said Serenity Lopez.<\/p>\n \u201cMy family who was born in Mexico came here for a better life. I believe everyone should be entitled to that,\u201d said Darell Fercano.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of my mom\u2019s friends and my family members\u2019 friends have gotten taken away and I know how hurt their families were,\u201d said Jose Zambrano.<\/p>\n Many of the students had the county workers union protest signs because the union was protesting right next to them.<\/p>\n