By: Lily Amback / News & Opinion editor and Reagan Lee / Staff writer
Standing up for intrinsic values is a fundamental aspect of teenage years. Teenagers are often forced to stand up for themselves to set curfews, to go to friend’s houses and to get a license.
Many students in the NPHS community stood up for what they believe in on Friday, Feb. 6 during a student-led anti-ICE protest. Seniors Audrey Inskeep and Nate Hulet organized this event.
Unlike other school protests, it was not a walk-out. Walk-outs at other schools have led to suspensions, detentions, and not as many kids being able to attend for fear of skipping class.
“We wanted to gather a group of students that truly cared about the right thing, not just trying to skip school,” Hulet said. “Along with that, we thought many people would not attend, even if they really wanted to, but feared the consequences of breaking the rules. As of now, we aren’t protesting the school, we are protesting ICE. Also, the demonstration remains the same, no matter the time. If anything, there was more traffic in the afternoon than during the day to see it.”
Without the worry of backlash from the school, they instead turned their concerns to the attendance.
“I knew I was coming, but I was very doubtful of the turnout that would have happened, because I thought it was going to maybe be me and 15 kids. I was proven wrong on a large scale. Just the migration of people that I saw walking towards the meeting spot in the beginning was absolutely insane,” attendee junior Lucas Holmes said.
Holmes found out about the protest through an Instagram account that the co-organizers made.
“I was followed by the Instagram page that was made, I believe it’s np.students.for.justice. But then I also had some friends DM me and asked me if I’m going,” Holmes said. “I attended because I base a lot of my beliefs in just Jesus’ teachings and Christianity, and when I recognized that this is very unjust and the opposite of loving, I knew I had to do whatever I can to stick up for the rights of these people.”
Junior Elliot Graham was also followed by the Instagram account.
“The account first followed me when they created it because they knew I was pretty outspoken about my beliefs and stuff. So as soon as they followed me, I, five minutes later, followed them back, mid-homeroom,” Graham said. “I feel like since we’re only in high school, a lot of people think that it’s not going to do anything, but we’re the future of our country, and this generation can actually do a lot more than they think they can, and just showing up kind of jumpstarts that for a lot of people.”
Graham was one of the attendees who spoke during the rally.
“They asked me if I wanted to speak, so I wrote down some stuff, and kind of shared why I was there and why it was important,” Graham said.
The only problem that the protestors faced was an anti-protestor who came out into the Mozzi’s parking lot with a sign of his own to counteract the protest.
“Well, there was the one guy, him and his son, were trying to come up and argue and heckle and stuff,” Graham said. “But people stood in the way, and just ignored them, and didn’t engage, and I thought that was really nice, because it was a peaceful thing, and even though they were trying to instigate a fight or violence or something, nobody engaged.”
Holmes, who had never been to a protest before this one, was happy that he got to share the love that he holds dear to his heart.
“I hope that this can really help show that even in a place like New Pal, where a lot of people do support ICE and are big fans of our president and all the things he does, that even a place like this, there’s always people that just love to take care of their neighbors, be loving to them, help with what’s best for them. You want to give them their best lives and just stick up for the rights of all people. And just to love the neighbor, like their neighbor, how Jesus was,” Holmes said.
