COTTAGE GROVE – On Feb. 4, students from Cottage Grove High School took to the streets to protest federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
An organized walkout was scheduled for the last class of a short day, something freshman Kimberly Trueax said was intentional to minimize disruptions to the curriculum. At its peak, around 100 students and members of the community made their way from the high school at 1375 S. River Road, onto Main Street, and ultimately congregated at Coiner Park near the city’s peace pole.
“We want to protect our peers because we don’t want ICE coming to our school,” CGHS junior Minerva Corley said.
Economic discontent, political polarization, and systemic issues, including government actions that infringe on civil liberties and human rights, have caused a recent uptick in protests across the nation.
“America’s whole motto has been ‘Come to America, make your life great,’ and whenever people try to do that, they just get beaten and killed for it,” said freshman Dawn Langley.
Flyers about the walkout were distributed to students. “We stand with immigrant communities and oppose the ICE detainment of the students in Lane County,” read one flyer.
“We all just came together as a whole and decided that we wanted to do this,” Trueax said. “Word started getting around fast, and we did not expect as many people to show up as they did.”
Students chanted on their walk to the park and exercised their First Amendment right to protest. When they arrived at the park, students took turns giving impromptu speeches about their feelings of ICE.
“We are out here because we think it is ridiculous how far ICE is going, and we want to make a statement about how it is not fair, and how this land is originally from immigrants, and we just want to have our voices heard to try to make a change,” Trueax said.
Opposing sides wanted to get their word in, too. At least one man at the park yelled at the group of students about his own feelings of ICE and immigration as a whole. Adults de-escalated the situation and made space for the children.
On the walks to and from the school, some cars honked their horns in admiration, others flipped the kids the middle finger. At least one truck drove by and blew black exhaust smoke at the protestors.
“This is not a school-sponsored event and our expectation is always that students prioritize instructional time and attendance,” Tonya Kerns, executive assistant for South Lane School District said in an email to parents the night before the protest.
“Students do retain First Amendment rights, including the right to peacefully express their views. At the same time, schools are required to maintain instructional time and attendance expectations. Students who leave class to participate in this, or any protest, will be marked absent and unexcused, in accordance with attendance policy,” she said. “We do not endorse protests, but we also cannot stop free expression.”
