Paying the Price for Protest

"It makes us feel like we're in jail. We're not criminals, we're just students and they should treat us as such."

By Jennifer Obakhume

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Young people have been playing a major role in the recent activism around immigrant rights. Los Angeles saw record numbers of protesters marching against House bill 4437 in March. L.A. was also the first city where masses of students organized walkouts from school. This Monday, May 1st, another large protest is expected across the country. Various student and immigrant rights groups are organizing boycotts of work and school. The movement is dubbed “A Day Without an Immigrant.” Youth Radio’s Jennifer Obakhume says students are suffering the consequences of having spoken out last time. Some are now facing punishments of detention and worse... (April 28 on NPR's Day to Day)

At my school, Inglewood High, plenty of students took advantage of the first day of protests and walked off campus saying: “Oooo, a day off!” But a few of them did organize to go to Los Angeles City Hall. As soon as they stepped foot outside school, the doors were shut, and Inglewood High was on lockdown.

INTERCOM (on tape)
We are having a tardy sweep. Students, let's make sure we get to class on time. Teachers, at the sound of the tardy bell please make sure your doors are locked.

JENNIFER
Believe me: No one was going anywhere for any reason. The students who did leave campus were caught on cameras planted around the school. They were given detention or even expelled. Since then, we’ve had many days of lockdowns, which tortures everyone...including my friend Ilse Silva.

ILSE (on tape)
It makes us feel like we're in jail. We're not criminals, we're just students and they should treat us as such.

JENNIFER
Senior Rosina Castellón says students did participate on the first day of the walk-outs.

ROSINA (on tape)
But after that, we kinda like settled down and we followed school regulations, and they still had us on lockdown, so I think that was a little unfair for us.
Jennifer: So, but why do you think that even though there was just that one day, they still had us on lockdown since?
Rosina: I just think that they were concerned about students leaving school and accidents that could happen outside of school.

JENNIFER
Safety concerns made even sympathetic teachers play law enforcers. Animo Leadership High Teacher Mr. Viramontes was once a young activist himself.

VIRAMONTES (on tape)
So there’s that part of me like, “Yeah! I remember what it’s like to be young. I walked out too. I staged protests too when I was young. I know what it's like." But at the same time, I am responsible for their safety, for their security, for their well-being, and so is the principal and so is the school at large. Are there consequences? Yeah, there's consequences. You can stage a peaceful demonstration, you can block traffic...and be arrested. That's the consequence, that is the price you pay sometimes. In this case, it’s Saturday School, and in my opinion, Saturday School, it’s a small price to pay, a very small price to pay.

JENNIFER
But at my high school, our price for protest was a lot higher. Why lockdown? Here’s what my pre-calculus teacher Mr. Payne thinks.

MR. PAYNE (on tape)
Well, was it absolutely necessary? Probably not. But you go back to the old saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

JENNIFER
My government teacher Ms. Zollar, who encourages activism, still says true change begins in the classroom.

MS. ZOLLAR (on tape)
As far as the students walking out, the only way to liberation is through education. And if they’re here, if their parents brought them here, or had them here, obviously they wanted better for them, and not getting your education is not going to be a betterment of the lifestyle that their parents brought them here for.

JENNIFER
That all makes sense, but it’s still funny to hear adults who walked out of school in their day – like the mayor of Los Angeles – trying to convince students not to protest. I have to admit, a lot of the students at my school don’t have a firm grasp of the issues. But that doesn’t discourage them from wanting to be active and to learn.