Nearly 1,000 Lewis and Clark students walk out in protest of ICE operations

By Norah McLaughlin | FāVS News Reporter

Students gathered in the Lewis and Clark High School (LCHS) courtyard with signs reading “Melt Ice” and “No Fascists, No Kings, No Ice” in a student-led walkout on Tuesday. 

This walkout was led by a new, bipartisan group of students, Spokane Students for Human Decency, to protest the presence of Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in communities and the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. 

“This is more than stepping outside for an hour and a half. This is a walk out of protest and a vigil. It is a space to honor families torn apart, to stand against systematic abuse and to make it clear that Spokane students are paying attention, and we refuse to be silent,” said Ava Swigart, a senior at LCHS and an organizer of the walkout in a speech. 

The walk out became an idea last week and the students sprung into action to get organized quickly. They created an Instagram account @spokane.students.hd, coordinated Zoom calls with student leaders from other schools and hustled to make other preparations.

“It started out of a desire to do something, but not knowing how to do anything,” explained Swigart. 

Young adults and students have a lot of passion and anger for the injustices in the world but often don’t know how to let out their feelings, she noted. A walk out was a way for students to get involved and be engaged in this issue to show their support and use their voices. 

“One thing that we believe is that students, especially high school students, have so many tools in their hands, and they just don’t know how to use them yet and that includes their voice,” said Swigart.

During the walkout, there were student speakers, a poetry reading and chants from the attendees. They also had an activity they called “Shred the Hate,” where students wrote down what they hated or didn’t like and then shredded it. To contrast that, students had the opportunity to write what they loved about the country or community and tape it on the wall of the school.

There was a large and loud crowd at the walk out. Swigart estimated around 900 students were in attendance. During a break in the walkout, students lined the fence with posters and began chanting “No Ice, No KKK, No Fascist USA.” 

“Sometimes kids are a little bit standoffish. They don’t want to engage as much with the speaker. But we’ve had some loud people,” explained Swigart.

The death of Renee Good in Minneapolis was a spark for Spokane Students for Human Decency and this walk out, but it was not the only reason, Swigart said. Last year, 32 people were killed in ICE custody, reported the Guardian, and there were multiple ICE protests throughout the country. There has been a lot of outrage from high school students in the area, and they felt the need to act, Swigart added.

LCHS wasn’t the only high school that had a walkout. Ferris High School, North Central High School, St. George’s School and Mt. Spokane High School also had walkouts this afternoon. 

Gonzaga Preparatory School had planned a walkout, but it was cancelled due to “staff threats,” according to Swigart. 

In addition to the high schools, Sacajawea Middle School students also walked out to participate in the protest. Principal Tracey Leyde sent an email to students’ families at the end of the school day and said, “some students at Sacajawea participated in an unorganized demonstration” without giving further details on what that was and where.

Next week is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and his words can be used as a reminder and a message to students, Swigart said. 

“Martin Luther King said our lives begin to end the day we become silent,” quoted Swigart. “By students stepping up and refusing to remain silent, we’re living out Martin Luther King’s legacy, and we embody his dream.”

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