Eagle Rock High School (ERHS) was one of many LA Unified School District (LAUSD) schools that participated in a walkout Feb. 4 in response to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. JC Hizon is a senior at Eagle Rock High School who said she was a lead organizer for the ERHS walkout.
“[This walkout] was actually my first time ever organizing something like that,” Hizon said. “It started from just being furious about everything and knowing there’s a lot that I could be doing, that I should be doing, but I didn’t know where to start.”
According to a student who wished to remain anonymous, students from all over the city met at LA City Hall to protest after walking out of school between first and second period.
Hizon said she used her free first period to make posters, and shortly before the walkout officially began, she gave a speech while the students were walking out.
“I felt myself shaking […], not because I was scared, or anything, but just out of pure, unbridled rage,” Hizon said. “I told admin […] I’ve heard [parents] say that they are afraid of letting their children go to school or walk back from school because ICE [could] get their hands on them.”
According to an email from a LAUSD spokesperson, the school district hopes to prioritize safety while supporting the rights of students to advocate for causes important to them.
“Schools are providing students with opportunities on campus for student expression, offering additional District resources and guidance for students to engage in meaningful, age-appropriate discussions in a safe and welcoming environment,” the emailed statement said. “They are also allowed to participate in peaceful demonstrations on campus during non-instructional times, within parameters set by administrators.”
Hizon said the student organizers reached out to ERHS administrators to inform them of the walkout. She said they offered alternatives such as a school-wide talk during a lunch period.
“[The administration] is very concerned about our safety and well-being while out there, and the safest place they tell us is at school,” Hizon said. “Before we left the building, we were stopped by a couple of admin and they [asked] ‘are you sure you guys want to do this?’”
Troy Clark is a senior at South Pasadena High School, in another school district, who said his school had around 300 to 400 students walk out for a student protest on Fair Oaks Ave.
“[South Pasadena High School] came and officially commented on it, and said they were supporting it and leading it along with the students,” Clark said. “It ended up being pretty much a school-sanctioned event, where some whole classes went out together.”
According to the anonymous student, there were four to five main organizers of the event, herself and Hizon included, and they had originally anticipated around 40 to 60 of their classmates to participate. Hizon said she heard from staff at ERHS that between 400 to 600 students walked out.
“I remember being outside and watching everybody come out, and it honestly just kept going,” the anonymous student said. “I think we filled up almost half a block, or maybe even the whole block by our school.”
The anonymous student said it was inspiring and encouraging to see how many students wanted to participate throughout LAUSD.
“Everyone put so much effort into making sure that it was safe and that it was organized,” the student said. “You could tell that the crowd was full of passion, and everybody’s there because they care about something.”
Hizon said the organizers planned a route where students could take the bus from ERHS to the Highland Park Metro Station, which would then transport them to LA City Hall. According to Hizon, she feels the work and preparation paid off after seeing the extent of the walkouts.
“I think something that a lot of students who went to these walkouts should know is that this shouldn’t be the end of it,” Hizon said. “This isn’t the end of those walkouts. This isn’t the end of these protests. This isn’t the end of students voicing out their opinions.”
Contact Abigail Montopoli at montopoli@oxy.edu
