Placer High student organizers believe ICE protest can lead to change

Amid horn blast after horn blast and responding cheers from perhaps 200 or so Placer High School students, junior Micala Falck and sophomore Echo Riddle were thrilled with the turnout for the ICE protest they organized for Friday, Feb. 13, at the Historic Courthouse in Auburn. Theirs was the latest in a nationwide flood of demonstrations opposing the appearance of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in various cities nationwide to carry out the deportation of illegal immigrants. The protestors have now trickled down in age to high school and even middle school students. Whitney and Twelve Bridges high schools held a joint march and protest on Feb. 2, which included middle school students, and Lincoln High School held a protest on Feb. 6. The creative messages painted on signs and spoken in chants, and the responses to honks and waves of approval from passing motorists – as well as a few one-finger salutes from those who disagree with the protests – have been reported thoroughly by the mainstream and local TV, radio and print media. But one question that's never asked is, do these protests actually do any good? Social media comments on the school protests typically accuse students of not knowing why they're protesting and just wanting an excuse to get out of class. The Auburn Journal asked Falck and Riddle for their thoughts. They responded through sometimes deafening multiple car horns and cheering from the vocal gathering of enthusiastic students. "It makes a small change," Falck said. "It makes that person (passing by in a vehicle) think for a moment hey, I believe in this and I also believe it's not right. It plants a seed and always is willing to grow after every exposure to this problem we're having. "If I saw this passing by, I would be super motivated to go out in my own town and do something like that or try and help in any way. I think people will be very inspired by this, and I am very inspired myself by all these people." Said Riddle, "Even if this doesn't change anything, I hope there's at least one person in our community who feels a bit safer after this protest, and I think that's all that matters." The chants included, "No ICE, No KKK, No Fascist USA," "No more ICE" and "End ICE." The signs were many, some no larger than 8½ by 11 inches, others requiring both hands. One sign hung out a passenger window of a vehicle as it turned a corner at the courthouse, reading, "ICE should be in my drink, not in my town." In organizing the protest, Riddle said she "hoped for anyone" to show up. Falck thought her friends might join in. They were thrilled to see students occupying all four corners of the intersection, with the biggest gathering on the corner at the courthouse and catty-corner. "We just want to unite and help this cause, so when I saw the numbers start coming in, I was like oh my God, this is actually something that's going to happen," Falck said. "But this is so amazing." "We are the people, and we are pissed off." Riddle said. "We have a privilege to do something about it, and that's what we're doing." The protest started just before 11:45 a.m. at Placer High School with students marching past Taco Tree on Oakwood Drive to Lincoln Way, where they turned left and continued past the Auburn Police Department and City Hall on their way to the courthouse intersection. Auburn PD officers watched over the protest from parking lots at every corner of the intersection. The Placer Union High School District shared in an email that Placer High School Administration and Auburn PD were made aware of the protest and noted it "was not a school-sponsored event." The email to students and families included PUHSD guidelines on student walkouts and protests. "We expect that students are at school participating in classroom instruction," the email stated. "If students choose to participate in a walkout, they will not be physically prevented from doing so; however, they will not be permitted to disrupt classes or other school activities on our campus. Staff will monitor student activity on campus but will not physically prevent them from leaving campus nor follow them once they have left campus. Any student who chooses to walk out will be marked absent."