Gallery • 8 Photos

Eric Gao

Valencia students crossing Alta Vista Street and Kraemer Boulevard.

On February 6th, at 10:30 AM, students from El Dorado and Valencia High School walked out in response to PYLUSD Trustee Area 3 board member Leandra Blade’s proposed resolution, board policy 1445, and the alleged detainment of an El Dorado student by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 26th. 

Organized via the Instagram page @edh.vhswalkout, the walkout was a student-run effort advocating a peaceful protest to prevent ICE in our district. The announcement was made on their Instagram page on January 27th, the same day that Blades posted on her social media page resolution board policy 1445, which highlights, “district staff shall not obstruct, interfere with, or otherwise impede an officer or employee of an agency conducting immigration enforcement…”

The original plan was for Valencia students to exit through the main push doors on Bradford Avenue, meet El Dorado students who walked out from Valencia Avenue at the cross-section between Madison Avenue and Kraemer Boulevard, then walk down Kraemer Boulevard together to the Placentia Police Station. On the day of, Valencia students walked down Kraemer Boulevard at around 10:40 AM, while El Dorado Students arrived at the Placentia Police Station at 11:16 AM. 

The students of Valencia peacefully walked down Kraemer Boulevard, chanting a variety of slogans condemning ICE’s recent actions. The Placentia police department escorted the students to ensure their safety and even closed Kraemer Boulevard to allow them to cross. Officers remained on-site during the entirety of the protest. 

When the participating El Dorado student body arrived, the students walked in carrying a large banner. Masses of Students lined up and down Chapman Ave. and Kraemer Blvd. An El Dorado student led students in chants with a megaphone.

Uniting for the cause of protecting their community, students and local members united. Many students feel that their community is in distress. El Dorado sophomore Owen Acker expresses that “there are lots of people who are being deported, who are not criminals… who built lives that are valuable and successful.”

Community member and part of Placentia Presbyterian Church, Barbara Balant states that she is supporting the walkout because “it is not a political issue. I believe it is an issue of humanity.” Other community members resonate with that. Parent of Valencia student, Emma Yates Casler, was there to “support [her] daughter” and believes that “we should be treating people with humanity, love, and compassion.” 

Another motivation of the walkout was the recognition that there is power in numbers. Students who were concerned about speaking out alone were able to stand together. Valencia High School student Alondra Ramirez (10) “speaks for the families who can’t speak.” Supplying frustration, many high school students feel that they do not have a voice in our government because their age restricts their voting ability, such as Valencia student Lingyi Weng (11), who says that “[students] don’t really have a way to use our voice except to protest and write about it.”

This walkout was the local community coming together out of humility. They stood together, vocalized their views, and allowed themselves to be a part of a cause bigger than themselves.