Hundreds of East Bay students walked out of class Wednesday to protest ICE enforcement operations and call for federal officials to be held accountable for recent shootings involving federal agents. The San Lorenzo Unified School District students poured out of classrooms at about 10 a.m. and hit the streets to make their voices heard. “Our families, our communities, our friends have been terrorized, and we are not for that,” East Bay Arts High School student Jolia Bossette said. Highschoolers from various schools participated in the walkout. Even though many of them are not old enough to vote, they said they wanted to make sure their message was heard loud and clear. “We came out here today to show you all that although we cannot vote, we expect you all to do something important, change what’s going on,” Bossette said. Students said the all-day, student-led walkout was extremely personal, especially for local immigrant families. That included Raymond Garcia, who called for the dismantling of ICE. “All we feel is injustice and racism,” he said. The two deadly shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis were among the many focal points during the protest. Student organizer Donovan Hernandez said too many people are staying silent. “I feel like it’s not really enforcing immigration, but it’s just enforcing power and control of everything going on, killing a 37-year-old man that was trying to help,” he said. “That’s not immigration, that’s power.” DHS Jan 27 Most of the government could shut down this weekend. ICE operations would carry on. Immigration Jan 25 Some Republicans express concern over the tactics used in Minnesota and urge shooting investigation School district officials were on site overseeing the protest and working to keep students safe. “We’re proud of them,” San Lorenzo Unified School District Director of Communication Scott Faust said. “I think that’s the bottom line. They’re learning from this. They’re making an impact though their message. They’re doing so peacefully.” Students hope their message reaches beyond San Lorenzo and all the way to Washington, D.C. “We have people who haven’t seen their family members in days, weeks, months because they have been taken,” Bossette said. “We have people who don’t know where their neighbors are. This community is strong, but we need to let everyone know that we are scared.” ...read more read less