Posted on 03/28/2006 11:50:26 AM PST by Dubya
About 150 Polytechnic High Schools students marched away from campus early Tuesday to protest proposed federal immigration legislation, and scores of students on other campuses in Tarrant County soon followed.
The Polytechnic students said school officials told them it would be OK for them to demonstrate before classes Tuesday morning around the perimeter of the campus, located in southeast Fort Worth.
The demonstration began about 7:45 a.m., with students chanting "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” or "the people united will never be defeated.”
The crowd of students started onto Vickery Boulevard and moved west toward downtown, reaching Interstate 35 at about 9:15 a.m.
"The kids are too energized,” said Reyna Martinez, 17, a junior who helped organize the protest. "A lot of us made it across the border, so we’re going to make it across the bridge.”
Reports of similar walkouts in Fort Worth surfaced at around 11 a.m., but not all of them were immediately confirmed. However, similar protests were occurring in Dallas, Arlington and Irving. A student demonstration Monday in Dallas made national headlines.
Glynna Torres, principal at South Hills High School, said students started leaving her campus around 10:45 a.m.
"What I’m hearing is that kids in the high schools are text messaging one another and (they) are walking out at the same time,” Torres said.
She added that school district officials told principals that there would be walkouts on Tuesday, and advised them how to handle them.
"It’s a peaceful demonstration and we’re not going to confront the students,” Torres said. "It’s an unexcused absence from school, if they come back to class, and that’s about it.”
In Arlington, hundreds of students also walked out of public high schools to protest the immigration bill that would make it a felony to be in the United States illegally, school officials said.
Students from Arlington, Bowie, Sam Houston and Martin high schools walked out of their classrooms at various times this morning.
Arlington police were working to control the crowds and keep the students safe as they marched. Officers blocked traffic on major streets, such as Cooper, so protesters could cross safely, police said.
There was no police estimate immediately available as to the size of the protest.
At Sam Houston, students apparently were handing out fliers encouraging others to join the walk out, school officials said, adding that students who protested and did not return to school will be given an unexcused absence.
At 11:30 a.m., a group of about 400 students, mostly from Sam Houston High School and Carter and Hutchison junior highs, had congregated at Arlington High School’s football field. They walked out of class about 9:20 a.m.
Police and school officials were working to get the students onto buses to be taken back to class, police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said.
Police had put detectives and sergeants from investigations units on alert and had them change into their uniforms in case they were needed for emergency crowd control, Gilfour said. City crews were also alerted they might be needed. But there had been no reports of any crime or fights, Gilfour said.
"They are very peaceful," Gilfour said. "The most important thing was that we were able to get a handle on this early on."
The Polytechnic protesters were marching around City Hall at about 9:45 a.m.
The group was escorted by police and school administrators as it moved west. Some students said they had permission from their parents to participate in the demonstration.
Some of them said suspension from school "isn’t as bad as being deported.”
At about 10 a.m., Martinez stopped marching, spoke briefly with two police officers and then gathered fellow students around her. She announced that they had made their point and it was time to go back to school.
"You guys, this is good enough,” she yelled. "We don’t want to turn this into a riot or anything stupid.
"Guys, now we have to prove to them that we’re smart enough and willing to accept a good education to become better people, to support our people.”
Martinez shook hands with the officers and with her fellow protesters, reversed course and orderly headed away from City Hall. Three school buses were pulled up to drive the students back to school, and a few of them got on board.
Most of them, however, chose to walk.
"I figure if we’re good enough to walk up here, we’re good enough to walk back to get our educations,” Martinez said.
By late morning, a group of Polytechnic and Paschal students headed to Trimble Tech, where they gathered. Students flowed out of the school, four to five at a time, through the front exits. As the students exited, the group filled the street in front of the school.
Police cordoned off much of the road leading to the school.
The group, estimated at about 500, crossed Pennsylvania Avenue heading east, and then headed north on Hemphill Street. A smaller group of about 200 students walked behind them with a Mexican flag. Fort Worth officers rode slowly behind and beside them in police cruisers.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do. I think we’re heading downtown,” said Adrian Villanueva, a ninth-grader at Polytechnic.
Driving behind the groups were several cars with students inside. About ten students were seen riding in the back of a Chevrolet pickup truck.
Fifteen others were riding in the back of a Ford pickup behind the protestors. A police officer pulled that truck over and told the kids to get out, but did not issue a citation.
Shirley Jinkins, Mark Agee and Bill Miller contributed to this report
Okay, I'm starting to get sick of these punks.
They walk out, fine.
DON'T COME BACK.
There is something VERY strange going on here....
The demonstration began about 7:45 a.m., with students chanting "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” or "the people united will never be defeated.”
Why don't you go back home and unite against you own corrupt government. It's called a revolution. It requires bloodshed. It seems they like to run from their problems and let the US fix them.
I watched a video last night about these reconqista militants. It was beyond disturbing.
Girl's hand severed in walkout-related car accident
DALLAS 3/28/06-- A student's hand was severed Tuesday when a sport utility vehicle she was in crashed on the way to an immigration rally, the first major injury reported in Texas during two days of student walkouts protesting immigrant legislation in Congress.
Hundreds of students across Texas left classes for a second straight day to rally for immigrants rights, jamming roads in some cases as they made their way to parks and city halls. Thousands rallied in Dallas and Houston on Monday, officials said.
You have that right! I feel like I am in the twilight zone. And here I thought the only threat to our country were terroists, well surprise in this nightmare I am in, mexicans are taking over our Country.
Forgive me if I don't feel bad about that at all if the kid is a mexican flag waver.
If it is one of our own American children than I hope she will be okay.
I was sick of the punks since the weekend who the h*ll do they think they are?
First thing any addict must do (and the hardest part of any addiction recovery) is admitting that you have a problem.
On a world level consider the problem of illegal immigration into the United States. Two Thirds of the American people think that there is a big problem with illegal immigration. Inspite of this, politicians have done next to nothing. Sure, they've called for some new laws to be passed so they can take a stance as being tough. But then they condemn anyone who tries to enforce the old immigration laws.
This is puzzling in a nation where the majority is supposed to rule. Why is so much importance being put onto what is a minority? More importantly a minority that (in theory) isn't allowed to vote?
It's because they're addicted to the issue. The Democrats want to win in '06 and they don't care how they do it. They believe they've found their cause in immigration. Anyone opposed to immigration is called a "racist" and told that these people are poor and should be felt sorry for and what not. Republicans blush at all this and instead of standing their ground cave in to try to look accepting. Meanwhile the problem continues bubble.
There is nothing wrong with believing that American culture is supieror to others. If it's not, why pass any laws (reflections of American values/culture) at all? I assume that most people want to come here cause they like American culture - otherwise they'd stay where they are. If I was to emigrate to another nation, I would fully expect a different culture.
But many of the protesters seem to hate American culture. It's reflected in their chants which are all in Spanish. It's reflected in their signs which are also in Spanish. It's reflected in the fact that they carry the flag of Mexico. They don't want to assimilate. They want all the good things about Mexico minus the poverty. The problem is they can't have that. They're bringing the problems of their homelands with them in the form of their cultural values. The US has it's own set of problems and the problems here are different than the problems there.
You only need to take one look at Europe to see the problem with groups that won't assimilate. The protests in France, Germany, Denmark and England would reflect this. Muslim groups there are trying to get their values (like censoring cartoons of the prophet) into law. The same thing can happen here.
The protesters are telling us that this is racist against Latinos - but in actually the US has illegals from all over the world. The 9-11 Terrorists were all in the country illegally - and that should serve as good evidence that we need better border enforcement.
But the most surprising reaction of all comes from Mexico itself. President Vincente Fox has lectured the US about accepting more Latinos. He's not the slightest bit concerned that MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE FLEEING HIS COUNTRY. Instead of trying to make Mexico a better place to live, he's trying to find ways of helping his people sneak into other lands.
What is wrong with this picture?
I don't want to feel this way, and maybe something will happen to snap me out of it, but right now I can't see what that would be.
Can you imagine how appalled and disgusted our Founding Fathers must be up in heaven, watching our government throw away with both hands the country they crafted with such thought and care?
Unfortunately, I think you're fear is well founded.
Somebody better check to see if Six Flags is missing one!
The funny thing is they asked many of those students why they were marching and what they hoped to accopmplish. What a truck load of dumbass!!!! Basicly they did not have a clue. Last May when they asked the pride and joy of the publicly educated Mexican students what Cinco de Mayo represented and why they celebrated it, the stupid answers stunned the news media and those watching the TV. NO CLUE!!!!!!!!!! PASS THE CERVEZA!!!!!!
Yeah, that's a real good way to get people on your side, carrying foreign flags....NOT!
Just keep running south guys, you only have about 500 more miles to go.
"Guys, now we have to prove to them that we’re smart enough and willing to accept a good education to become better people, to support our people.”
Is it fair to assume that by "our people" she is not referring to the American people?
"I figure if we’re good enough to walk up here, we’re good enough to walk back to get our educations,” Martinez said.
Impressive - she can walk. Dear God, I hope I wasn't that stupid when I was in highschool.
KAREN WARREN : Chronicle
More immigration protests — Chanting students march to Houston City Hall today in support of immigrant rights.
oops, did I just type that?>P>FMCDH(BITS)
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