It was part of a nationwide movement Jan. 30 advocating for “no work, no school, no shopping” to protest Trump administration policies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Payton Bullett was one of the students standing on a ledge, calling out to the crowd. He said students had to protest because, “when the adults can't be there to do it, we have to do it ourselves.”
“We have our checks and balances constantly being eroded by the Trump regime, and it's really getting out of hand,” Bullet said. “We're here to say that we support welfare, we support equal rights, we support immigrants.”
Bullet said he especially wanted to protest after hearing Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis. He said their deaths were unjust and tyrannical.
Evan Hadfield and Sam Kirschner organized the Park City High protest by sharing information through social media. Good and Pretti’s deaths also motivated them to take action.
Hadfield said the pair organized a small protest on Park City’s Main Street after Pretti’s death and were waiting for the right time to organize a school walkout.
“We have a super powerful voice and also, what's happening right now is defining the future for our country,” he said. “If we don't stand up, we kind of put ourselves in a bad position.”
Kirschner said Pretti’s death was especially scary to see — the 37-year-old was shot about 10 times. Now, Kirschner said everyone should make their voices heard.
“It takes all of us to fight federal problems,” he said. “Just getting out there and getting our voices out that ICE is not following the Constitution and using excessive force on American citizens and the people that they detain. It's important that we all speak up.”
Victoria Rosales said she has immigrant parents, like many other student protesters, which is why she decided to participate.
“I've seen how immigrants are being treated unfairly across the country, especially in Minneapolis,” she said. “I want the community to know that if we keep being hateful in this country, being divided, especially with ICE, we're just gonna keep tearing families apart in every single community.”
To show their support for local immigrant families, the students chanted “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.”
Over 150 Ecker Hill Middle School students also protested Friday. They held signs and chanted while walking to Kimball Junction. They continued their protest on the Interstate 80 pedestrian bridge.
However, not everyone supported the national protest. A person in a truck drove past the crowd along Kearns Boulevard, shouting profanities and making obscene gestures at the protesters.
In response, Kirschner said he hopes the whole community can participate in civil discussion and remember we’re all human.
Park City School District announced to parents Thursday night that it knew about the planned protests. It said the activity is not school-sponsored or sanctioned, but the district “respects students’ rights to peaceful expression.”
Instruction inside schools for students who didn’t protest continued as normal. Students who missed class will have to make up any missed work.
