Hundreds of Ann Arbor high school students walk out in protest of latest ICE activities
A couple of hundred Community High School students in Ann Arbor made a half-mile march through the downtown area to the city's federal building to protest ICE operations in their community and across the country.
Student organizers who've been planning this since Friday also inspired several other schools in Ann Arbor to do the same.
"It's not an issue of politics, it's an issue of humanity and love for each other," said Community High School student organizer Rosie Meisler.
Inspired to speak out after the deadly shootings involving federal agents in Minneapolis, Meisler says she not only rallied her classmates at Community High but also her peers at Pioneer, Skyline, and Huron high schools.
"If we band together as a community and support each other, we can make stuff happen," she said.
Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jazz Parks issued a full statement upon learning about this walkout on Friday. It reads in part, "We support student voice and civic expression while also remaining focused on maintaining their safety."
"The news of this country seems hopeless, but we've put together a community that's giving me hope," Meisler told a crowd of students after gathering at the Ann Arbor federal building..
Another student says using their voices now is good practice for when it's time to use them at the voting booths for the first time, after they turn 18.
"Young people are the future. We have to say something now because God forbid there's a day when we can't say what we believe and what we want to be changed," said CHS student organizer Milly Sandstrom.
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools students also held a similar walkout earlier in the day.
The district sent us their response to the activity saying:
"Plymouth-Canton Community Schools can confirm that some high school students at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park walked out of class today at 9:49 a.m. without permission to protest ICE actions. Once administrators became aware of the planned activity, they met with student organizers to review applicable Board policies and to communicate the potential consequences of leaving class during instructional time.
The event lasted approximately one hour on campus without incident, and students who missed class time received an unexcused absence in accordance with district attendance procedures.
The Plymouth-Canton Educational Park campus remained closed to the public during school hours, and the safety of students and staff was maintained throughout the day," Frank Ruggirello, Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
The Plymouth-Canton school walk out happened as Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced her new Federal Agents Tracker, encouraging residents to report ICE and Border Patrol activity to help the state gather information in an effort to hold agents accountable.