Chesterton High School students know they are likely to pay a price for walking out Monday to participate in a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement practices.
Chesterton High School students are the latest in Northwest Indiana to hold an anti-ICE protest. Similar walkouts were recently staged by students at neighboring high schools in Valparaiso and Portage, and several in Lake County.
Chesterton High School Principal Brent Martinson, who learned of the planned demonstration last week, released a statement beforehand warning of the consequences. School staff were instructed not to participate, and parents were told to stay away.
“While students have constitutional rights to free speech, the school is required to maintain a safe, orderly, and uninterrupted learning environment,” Martinson said. “Leaving the building or school grounds during the school day without permission constitutes a truancy. Any student who participates in this unsanctioned event will be classified as truant and will receive the corresponding disciplinary consequences.”
According to the Chesterton High School handbook, the penalty for a first-time truancy offense is two hours of after-school detention. Martinson had no further comment Monday after the student walkout.
With spring in the air on a sunny Monday morning, at precisely 9:45 a.m., 50 students walked out of entrance 31. They marched north to 11th Street and then down County Road 1100 North to the Boys and Girls Club at the corner of 5th Street, and then back to the school grounds. After about 30 minutes, about 30 decided to return to school while the others decided to make more of a day of it by marching downtown.
Casey Green, a junior, said he has no problem with possibly serving a detention because of his participation.
“I think it’s worth it. It’s not really a movement if there is no sacrifice in it,” Green said. “It’s being part of a community and sticking our necks (out) for something we care about.”
Green said he believes it’s “monstrous” what is happening with immigrants in the United States.
“Like in Minneapolis, we are just trying to be part of the movement, no matter how small,” Green said.
As instructed by the student organizers, none of the signs carried by students had profanity. Most participated in group chants like: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, ICE has really got to go.” A few students chose to freelance cheers with more colorful language.
Some motorists honked their horns as they passed the line of protesters, marching on County Road 1100 N.
There were Chesterton Police officers in three cruisers who closely watched over the proceedings. Sgt. Chris Swickard, a school resource officer at Chesterton, said he knows the participants and that they are good students who steer clear of trouble.
Artemis Haney, a junior, was one of the organizers of the demonstration. Haney stated last week on Facebook the opinion that the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE agents to round up immigrants resembled the tactics of Nazi Germany,
Fully aware of the potential discipline, Haney is an honor roll student who participates in three sports.
Many of the marchers are of Mexican or Hispanic descent, so the treatment and mass deportation of undocumented immigrants greatly concerns them.
“My family is Hispanic and a lot of my friends are. It’s affected so many people. It’s sad,” said Kaitlynn Nowinski, a sophomore.
Celicia and Noah Oais are siblings of Mexican heritage who were born in this country.
“I came to support my own kind because people who are citizens still get deported,” said Celicia, who is a senior.
Noah, a sophomore, said for this cause, he is willing to face a possible detention.
D.J. Jimenez, who is a freshman, was carrying a sign formatted like a movie review that stated, “The Patriarchy” with one star.
Jimenez enthusiastically chanted anti-ICE slogans and said it’s “not fair” the way fellow Mexicans like him are being judged.
Other students, who are not of Hispanic origin, wanted to show their support.
“Family and friends that I know could possibly get deported by ICE and I want to show how much I care about them,” said Chloe Herbert, a freshman.
Emily Clark, a fellow freshman, said she objects to ICE using children to get to their parents for the purpose of deporting them.
“ICE is showing up at high schools and elementary schools. And schools should be a safe place where children shouldn’t feel like they are about to be deported,” Clark said.
Claire Mulligan, a sophomore, was carrying a homemade sign that stated: “You don’t get to talk about illegals when you voted for a felon.”
“Everything that’s happening is messed up and our president is pretty much bringing us to shambles,” Mulligan said.
Jamie Hodsden, a junior, has a big voice, so he was the one leading chants. He was practically hoarse after about half an hour of yelling.
Hodsden said when he was younger, he would accompany his mother to demonstrations. Grace Hodsden, a freshman, was standing alongside her brother at the corner of 11th Street and County Road 1100 N.
“Our mom is really happy with us,” Grace said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
