Over 600 students, parents, and faculty from local schools marched to Redwood City’s Civic Center at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. Participants held handmade posters, carried a variety of Latin American flags, and brought speakers and megaphones to protest President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies, despite heavy rain.
Community members, alongside students and staff from M-A, Woodside, Redwood, Sequoia, Menlo School, Sacred Heart Prep, and other schools participated in the walk out. Many attendees cited concerns over the Trump administration’s executive orders, which include promises of expedited and mass deportation.
“I know a lot of immigrants, I have a lot of immigrants in my family, and I think that what’s going on with the Trump administration is completely wrong. I want to make sure immigrants are treated as equals and not as trash,” M-A senior Zoe Gostyla said.
By 10:20 a.m., roughly 200 students from M-A had gathered by the PAC. At 11:00 a.m., Sacred Heart and Menlo students joined them on Middlefield Rd. Students were trailed by Atherton police officers, who slowed traffic to protect them.
“Although I come from a school with a bit of a different demographic, I thought it was important that we show our support for our community,” senior Hayley Benitez-Nolasco, who organized Sacred Heart’s walkout, said. “We walked out to a little plaza in our school, we had a prayer, and from there, we joined the M-A protest.”
“I organized a walkout because I thought it was time that my school put out a statement and took a stance protecting our community. Silence is compliance, and I think this is really an act of defiance against institutions that don’t want to speak out and protect the people that serve them,” Benitez-Nolasco said.
“There weren’t many people from Menlo, it was just four of us. We all came together and started chanting, screaming, and joined everyone else,” Menlo junior Oliver Santiago-Mendez said.
Throughout the nearly five-mile walk from M-A to Redwood City Downtown, passing cars honked and store owners yelled in support of the protesters, sparking loud cries of “¡Viva la raza!” and “¡Sí se puede!”
Once students reached the Civic Center plaza, they were greeted by an even larger crowd of students and faculty from Sequoia and Woodside gathered on the streets and surrounding building rooftops. Students blasted music on speakers, and a few shouted speeches through small megaphones. Though barely audible, the crowd responded with roaring cheers, whistles, and hollers.
The crowd eventually moved to the Square in front of Redwood City’s Fox Theater, where students performed a traditional dance.
“I know how it feels for people who don’t have papers that get deported. They work so hard to come over here because they want a better life. I hope that this [protest] will result in Donald Trump noticing the efforts of people, that we can unite our races,” M-A sophomore Steve Guarneros Nunez said.
“I know that my parents are afraid to come here and speak out for themselves, but I’m able to speak out for them,” an anonymous junior from a local high school said.
On Wednesday night, M-A principal Karl Losekoot sent an email to students informing them of their right to walk out, notifying them that their parents could excuse their absences for civic engagement purposes. While respecting student choices, the message also noted that faculty were not permitted to promote or participate in the walkout. Staff who attended regardless declined to comment on their involvement.
While Woodside and Sequoia students were permitted to walk without penalty, students from Sacred Heart were warned they would receive detention.
“I just asked to leave and [Menlo] administration was very supportive. No punishment,” Santiago-Mendez said.
Sacred Heart senior Kayla Quattlebaum and junior Eva Averbuck heard about the walkout from a schoolwide email sent by a student on Wednesday night and joined the crowd on Middlefield Rd. “I think it’s great to raise awareness and get kids involved in focusing on a really important issue in today’s world,” Averbuck said. “I think it’s awesome to get younger people informed about what’s going on in the world and build a community with everyone.”
“I feel like solidarity costs nothing,” Woodside junior Samantha Kelly said. “While I don’t have anything at stake here, it’s important to support other communities that are going through something because you never know what’s coming next.”
“This is an issue that really connects to me. I know my parents would be proud of me for being here. I’m doing this for them too, because I know that they would’ve wanted to too. I have a lot of friends who also probably would’ve wanted to do this, so that’s why I’m here,” M-A senior Perla Pedraza said.
