\t\t\t\t\tOverview:<\/p>\n
Cy Falls High School students are the latest to stage mass protests against ICE in a walkout.<\/p>\n
On Friday, hundreds of students at Cypress Falls High School in northwest Houston walked out of class to protest ICE and the actions of the Trump Administration. <\/p>\n
\u201cICE sucks, brah,\u201d said Leo, a junior, who was among the crowd. \u201cI was worried a little about getting in trouble, but this is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
The day before, Cy-Fair ISD leaders sent an announcement that any student who walked out would be treated as if they were skipping school. Governor Greg Abbott threatened schools where walkouts occurred with arrests and loss of funding throughout the week.<\/p>\n
However, minutes after the walkout started at 12:40, the school\u2019s fire alarm went off. Principal Kyle Parsons announced over the intercom that regular evacuation protocols would be followed, which led to a massive swell in the number of kids who exited the school to protest. An email from the school later that afternoon blamed the fire alarm on a student vaping.<\/p>\n
Many students came prepared with signs, T-shirts, and flags. One read \u201cArrest without due process is just a concentration camp.\u201d Another said \u201cI am skipping a lesson to teach you one.\u201d Protesters chanted \u201cTrump is a fascist\u201d and \u201cFuck ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n
The walkout turned into an improvised march as students made their way down Huffmeister, Highway 6, West Road, Telge, and then ultimately back to the school roughly an hour later. Many parents, residents, and students with cars formed an impromptu guard and escort along the roadside, slowly riding along the march and protecting the protestors from traffic or possible attack.<\/p>\n
This is the latest in a long string of protests that hit high gear following the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent in January. Weeks later, another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, was also killed. ICE activity has swelled in the Second Trump Administration, leading to backlash from both activist groups and elected leaders. The Harris County Commissioners Court voted 4-1 last month to condemn ICE deployment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need people to understand that not everybody has safety,\u201d said Yuki, a senior. \u201cSchools aren\u2019t safe; public areas aren\u2019t safe. ICE shows up without ID, with masks on, and they can go anywhere they want.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the most part, drivers that encountered the protestors honked in support. Near the end of the march, a white man in a white truck jumped the esplanade ahead of the crowd, put his car in neutral to spin his wheels and make a burning rubber cloud, then sped off, followed by widespread laughter from the crowd. <\/p>\n