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Thousands Of California Students Stage Walkouts, Chanting 'Not Our President'
The high school students of L.A.'s Robert F. Kennedy Community School staged a walkout today in protest of the new overlord their elders who should know better voted into office.
The students marched on 6th Street and Shatto Place, ABC7 reports, possibly towards the Mexican Consulate, according to the LAPD.
We reached out to Superintendent Michelle King who had no comment beyond this statement:
We teach our students that they have a right to freedom of speech. They are also allowed to participate in peaceful demonstrations on campus during non-instructional times, within parameters set by administrators. They are not permitted to leave school. Because fears and emotions may be running high after the election results, we directed school-based staff to talk with students, and if necessary, identify those who may need support. In an abundance of caution, District staff also has initiated conversations about student rights. At L.A. Unified, the safety of students and staff remains our highest priority.
LAPD Officer Aareon Jefferson told us that all students had returned to school by 3:22 p.m.
This walkout in Koreatown wasn't the only one California schools saw today, Reuters reports that "1,500 students and teachers rallied in the courtyard of Berkeley High School... [and] a mostly Latino group of about 300 high school students, mostly from the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, walked out of classes and marched to the steps of City Hall." The latter group was reportedly chanting, "The people united will never be defeated," and carried signs reading: "Not My President," and "Immigrants Make America Great."
Student organizer Stephanie Hipolit told Reuters, "A child should not live in fear that they will be deported. They should not live in fear that they themselves will be deported."
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Anti-Trump rallies will be seen in many cities tonight—with a large one already taking place in New York. In L.A., a protest is scheduled for City Hall, starting at 8 p.m.
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