Hundreds of Shawnee Mission North students walked out of school on Wednesday, joining hundreds more across Johnson County to protest the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Say it loud, say it proud, immigrants are welcome here,” the roughly 300 Bison chanted as they walked along Johnson Drive on Wednesday afternoon.
This is at least the fifth anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or anti-ICE, demonstration organized by students across Johnson County since the spring semester started.
Avery Hoppock, a junior at SM North, said she organized the walkout because she doesn’t see ICE’s actions stopping anytime soon.
“It’s not like if we bury our heads in the sand we’re going to be better off a year from now, a month from now,” Hoppock said. “It just felt like it was the time.”
This is becoming a larger trend across KC metro
SM North’s walkout on Wednesday follows similar demonstrations by Johnson County students at Shawnee Mission West, Olathe North, Olathe East and Gardner-Edgerton High.
It’s not just Johnson County students.
Across the Kansas City metro area, students from Wyandotte High School, Bishop Ward High School and Liberty High School all the way to Douglas County with Lawrence and Free State High Schools protested ICE in the past month.
Ashley Lindeman, a parent of a SM North sophomore who asked her to bring some additional protest signs on Wednesday, said she believes students across the metro area are protesting ICE because it’s not an abstract topic.
Lindeman said she thinks “this is probably the most prescient” issue for students in recent years, some of whom may see “their aunts and uncles being detained” or come home to no parents because of ICE.
“I know there’s a lot of students who have that fear that it’s going to happen to their families or someone who they know and care for,” Lindeman said. “I think they’re really drawn to that fight because it’s so immediate, it’s so close to home and it’s so extremely serious.”
The SM North students the Post spoke with on Wednesday generally agreed: The protest is a message that students are against ICE and separating families.
For Mario Garcia, the North-area Shawnee Mission school board member who graduated from the Brick House himself, told the Post in a Tuesday text that he “respect(s) students’ first amendment and acknowledge their ability to exercise them.”
Garcia said the SM North community is no stranger to standing up for their beliefs, though.
“SMN students (and the surrounding community) have a long history of knowing and using their rights and advocating for what they believe in,” Garcia said.
Students lined Johnson Drive in hour-long walkout
Roughly 300 students walked out of SM North’s front doors on Wednesday afternoon, holding signs that read “abolish ICE” and “you can’t love our culture but hate our people.”
With Bad Bunny songs booming from speakers, students walked as far east as Tidal Wave Auto Spa before walking back to SM North — a route they took at least three times.
Cars passing by largely honked in support, with employees of nearby businesses coming outside to wave and encourage the demonstration.
At times, students crisscrossed Johnson Drive, blocking traffic. Police officers stood by and stopped vehicles to keep students safe.
Hoppock, the organizer, led students down Johnson Drive to line sidewalks, reciting chants like “no Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA” and “what do we want? ICE out. When do we want it? Now.”
Cindy, a junior who chose not to give her last name, said she participated in the protest on Wednesday because her mom is “undocumented”. She said she lives with the fear that one day ICE will take her mom away.
Still, Cindy said it’s meaningful that so many of her fellow SM North students participated in the walkout, signaling support for all immigrants.
Hyacinth Jahnke, a junior at SM North, said she walked out to speak out for those who can’t.
“It’s a scary world right now,” Jahnke said. “There’s a lot of people who are afraid and can’t necessarily go to protests because ICE is out. If I’m able to use my power as someone who is white and protest for people, then I want to do that as much as I can.”
Jahnke said she was impressed by both the hundreds of students who participated in the protest and by the school’s top administrator for helping maintain pedestrian safety.
Jack O’Shea, a SM North senior, said he estimated at least half the student population participated in the ICE protest.
O’Shea said he’s angry about the immigration crackdown, and believes the national events can happen in the Kansas City metro area, too.
“If it’s this bad that half a high school is out here angry as hell, then this is a serious problem,” O’Shea said. “It can’t be looked away from.”
Administration received threat against protest
Principal David Ewers — who was trying to keep protesters on the sidewalk on Wednesday — emailed parents that morning saying that the school received a potential threat against the protest the night before.
When asked about the potential threat, Kristin Babcock, the district’s communications coordinator, told the Post in an email that it was an anonymous report that school leaders investigated and reported to local law enforcement agencies.
“The school communicated with families,” Babcock said. “We all want to do everything in our power to keep students safe.”
The Post witnessed no incidents resulting from SM North’s protest.
Wednesday’s protest was not a school-sanctioned activity, as it was organized and led entirely by students.
Still, Babcock told the Post in a Wednesday afternoon email that the district “acknowledge(s) and respect(s) our students’ First Amendment rights.”
“We recognize that students exercising their First Amendment rights can be an important part of the learning experience and gaining understanding of how to engage with their community,” Babcock said.
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