Hundreds of students from Flagstaff High and other schools cut their classes short Wednesday and marched to Flagstaff City Hall. They lined Route 66 chanting and waving signs blasting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration’s growing immigration crackdowns.
Many say they were motivated by the intensifying clashes between federal agents and demonstrators in Minneapolis and the killings of two U.S. citizens this month.
“I think taking families away, separating them—there's no immigrants on stolen land, and that is my final opinion, and it will always stay that way,” said Flag High senior Kelty Bartholomew. “So, I think just murders, families being broken up, all that has pushed me to be here today, really.”
The high-energy gathering was met by supportive honks by passing midday drivers. There were no apparent counter-protestors.
“I see the injustices happening and I want to do something to stop it,” said Flag High student Gabriel Trilling, who led the crowd in protest chants on a bullhorn. “And being a senior in high school here in Flagstaff, Arizona, this is how I see I can help. The fact that we’re all here cheering for the same thing and trying to accomplish the same goal, it makes me happy.”
Other Flagstaff students walked out and demonstrated along Cedar Avenue and 4th Street.
"Attendance was taken during each class period yesterday, and standard attendance procedures were applied if a student was not present in class," said Flagstaff Unified School District in an emailed statement.
According to FUSD, an estimated 700 to 800 students took part in Wednesday's walkout from Coconino High, Flagstaff High, Mount Elden Middle School and Sinagua Middle School. Students from some charter schools also walked out.
The Flagstaff walkouts were one of several demonstrations in the state. The Arizona Republic reports, metro Phoenix students from Arcadia High, Mesa High and Gilbert High, among other schools also walked out. Students from Camelback High School marched to Sen. Mark Kelly’s Phoenix office. Social media posts showed students from roughly 20 other high schools in the valley planned walkouts with some making their way to the Arizona Capitol.
At the Flagstaff protest, Eleni Owens, a junior at Flag High, held a sign that read “So bad I’m missing AP English.”
“It feels awesome. I’ve never seen this many people my age come together in this sort of fashion,” Owens said. “I’ve always been fired up since the very beginning, but I think the murdering of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti really moved that up a little bit, and I think that’s what made a lot of people come out here today, too.”
