‘We have the ability to comprehend this’

It was, oddly, news about students missing class that prompted one Owatonna High School student to organize a school walkout.

“The pivotal moment that made me realize the urgency of taking action was when the news broke about students in the Metro fearing for their safety and not showing up to school,” said Miles Grimmius, a senior at OHS and one of the organizers of the Jan. 14 walkout in protest of the presence of ICE officers in Minnesota.

“I firmly believe that attending school and receiving an education should not be penalized for anyone,” he said, “and no child should have to fear for their life while at school. I felt it was crucial to show our peers, firsthand, that they are safe, supported and cherished by their classmates.”

The students walked out the front doors of OHS about 2:20 p.m., many carrying signs. The group, estimated at more than 200, walked about three blocks down 18^th Street to the ice rink at Buecksler Park for a short rally, then returned to the school.

“A walkout like this? There’s an element of bravery to that,” said Matt Jessop, mayor of Owatonna. He was at the school that day, and had been there Jan. 12 and 13, too.

“With the ICE presence in Minnesota as heavy as it is, I just felt compelled to be here, because this is my town,” he said. “I want to know what’s going on. I want to see what’s going on. If something happens here – this seems like a likely place where something could happen – I want to at least be here.”

Jessop, a native of Owatonna and graduate of OHS, said as a high schooler, “I would have sat in class and played it safe. Been mad about (the issue)? Yeah. But walk out? No chance.”

That made it all the more important for him to show his support for the students – and for the people of the community. Jessop joined the processional for a bit, applauding them as they chanted.

“Our principal and assistant principals were there” before the walkout began, said Leah Sherman, a senior at OHS. “Mr. Kath was telling us we have to be careful. ‘Use your brains. Don’t be aggressive.’

“I think for some, sure, it’s about getting out of class,” she said, as students walked against a cold north wind.

Not Remi Hareid or Isabella Wilds, both freshmen at OHS.

“My siblings are half Hispanic,” born in Mexico, Remi said, “and a lot of my friends are Hispanic.”

“My siblings are 5 and 1 year old,” Remi said. “I would not want to see ICE agents come and take my family away from me.”

Isabella spoke of “the hate that’s being shown toward immigrants,” including her own family.

“There is no such thing as illegal people,” Remi said.

Achilles Walter, a senior at OHS, agreed.

“I want to be able to use my voice to help people,” he said. “I want to let them know that no matter the color of your skin or where you came from, you should be allowed to be in the country – and (ICE) shouldn’t be able to stop you in the street or knock on your door and be racially profiled – and kidnapped.”

His mother’s side of the family is African American, Walter said; his father’s side is predominantly white.

“So I felt this was a little bit more personal, because of the racial profiling,” he said. “I’m very afraid; I feel like I could be out on the street or could just come to school one morning, and next thing you know, I’m in the back of a car being taken away from my family.

“It’s horrible what they’re doing,” Walter said. “It feels horrible.”

A pair of freshmen boys walking together at the tail end of the group wasn’t as sure.

“It’s weird,” one said. “I’m too uneducated to make a statement about my feelings.”

Taking part in the protest, he said, was a way of getting educated.

“It’s crazy how many people actually came out,” he added.

While neither he nor his friend wanted to give their name, both said their parents were aware they were participating.

“They just said do whatever I think is best,” he said.

A van brought up the rear of the line of protesters. Inside were Mike and Desiree LeTourneau, of Owatonna Family Thrift.

Their daughter attends OHS and was participating in the walkout; the LeTourneaus had boxes of blankets and hot cocoa for the students.

“We got these blankets and set them aside for a homeless shelter in Waseca,” Mike said, but they hadn’t been able to make contact.

“So we had these blankets, the kids are going to be outdoors, and we’re just trying to provide some warmth,” he said.

Jane Parr, of Owatonna, was also there to support the students.

“I just came here with concerns for the kids’ safety,” she said, as the march made its way back to OHS. “So I walked along with them, and those kids are just amazing.”

Parr brought a bag full of gloves and whistles to hand out, “and it’s empty,” she smiled. “These kids are braver than … It’s solidarity. Is it cool or what?”

For Grimmius, “seeing the mayor and other community leaders come out in support of us truly made me feel valued and seen. It makes me proud that we have leaders in our community who care about us and believe our voices matter, too.

“This has shown that we are making a meaningful and impactful difference,” he said.

Principal Kory Kath was watching as the students returned to the building.

The invitation to the walkout “was really well received by us, because it outlined what our expectations for these types of student-led walkouts really are,” he said. “If it truly is an independent, student-led walkout, then it should be off the school campus.”

There are consequences for missing school.

“When you choose to walk out, our attendance policies kick in,” Kath said. “And so students knew that going into it, and if they wanted their voices to be heard, then that is their priority.”

The students were considered absent for that time of the school day, “and that’s about it,” he said.

“We have always supported student voice, regardless of where people are at on issues,” Kath said. “One of the greatest things that we can teach students is getting involved in their community, and bringing voice to the community on what they are passionate about. It doesn’t matter which side of the issue they’re actually out there representing.

“We like when they do contact us, because we can also help guide them and make sure it is positive, make sure this is a good reflection of (them) as teenagers in our community,” he said.

Calls from parents included a number of questions.

“Some reached out, wondering if this was a school-sponsored event, and we let them know that no, we don’t sponsor it,” Kath said.

The second thing was parents asking if they could excuse their child to participate in the event.

That answer was also no.

“That is not what we consider an excusable absence within our system,” Kath said, “so the consequence is an unexcused absence for that hour.”

Others, he said, asked if their students would be “coerced, or will somebody else try to provoke them because they aren’t attending it?”

Again, the answer was no.

The students “were very clear in their invitation that it is not their goal or mission to try and tell somebody that they’re lesser because they aren’t joining.”

There were plenty of shouts of “go, ICE” from cars; one woman in the school pick-up lane rolled down her window and yelled, “go get ‘em, ICE. Get ‘em all,” then immediately closed her window.

“I usually avoid responding to community members who criticize us, as it is often very unproductive,” Grimmius said.

“When I hear people claiming students don’t understand what they are protesting for, are only walking out to skip class, or that it’s ineffective, I wonder why they think that,” he said.

It was just 30 minutes of missed class, and everyone who participated “was passionate and respectful, indicating their genuine desire to be there.”

Grimmius said he reminds himself that “our goal was not to scare ICE and border patrol away from our community. Instead, it was to express solidarity and support for our immigrant classmates and community members.

“The purpose of the walkout was to make them feel safe and valued,” he said. “I stand by the fact that (students) do have the ability to comprehend what is happening in our world right now. We have more tools and resources than ever before” to gather information.

“While it’s a complex issue to grasp, that doesn’t mean our younger generation is incapable,” Grimmius continued. "I believe we’re just as capable as adults, having grown up surrounded by significant political and social challenges.”

He said the support has far outweighed any backlash.

Kath said the impetus was “friends supporting friends, and this is how they got involved … because they knew it was impacting their peers.”

He told the students they “may be met with people that are against you; just know that it is very important to keep your composure. You get to have your own thoughts on things.

“It brings attention to a larger conversation, and I really would like to bring positive conversation back,” he said.