Today, Jan. 30, Masters students, faculty and administration participated in a walkout in protest of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violence in areas across the United States in accordance with National Shutdown Day. Sally Dwek, Amelie Hensler, Frankie Navin and other members of the sophomore class organized the protest on Thursday in light of the recent violence in Minnesota.
Dwek, one of the sophomore class presidents, said, “I personally wanted to come out in solidarity of support against ICE and everything happening, especially in Minnesota, all the kinds of things that ICE has been doing, I just wanted to come out to stand up and protest against it, and for everyone to come together.”
At 10:15 a.m., approximately 200 members of the Masters community walked from the quad into downtown Dobbs Ferry, shouting various chants like “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist U.S.A.” and “What do we want? ICE out! When do we want it? Now!”, accompanied by the beating of a drum by Upper School Spanish teacher Roberto Mercedes.
Many protesters also carried signs expressing their disapproval of ICE, with slogans such as “No human is illegal,” “ICE should be in my drink not my city” and “Families belong together.” The Center for Inclusive Excellence provided students with sign-making materials ahead of the walkout.
The demonstrators looped around Dobbs Ferry High School, and then split into groups, with some protesters returning to class for third period, while another group braved the freezing temperature – less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit at the time the group departed – and walked as far as Hastings-on-Hudson, 1.8 miles south of Dobbs Ferry.
The demonstration was a response to the recent violence in Minnesota. Just under a week ago, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year old intensive care nurse, was shot dead by ICE at a protest in Minnesota. This shortly followed the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis citizen, whose death earlier this month triggered a wave of demonstrations across the country.
“I definitely think that this was another way to show justice for the people who were killed in the custody of ICE and people who were trying to defend immigrants being taken by ICE. This genuinely means a lot,” Daniela Carias ‘27 said.
A number of students, including Noah Adler ‘27, traveled to New York City to continue protesting at Foley Square after classes. Adler said, “We have a regime that has taken over our streets and has murdered two innocent civilians…this is about masked agents being deployed onto our streets, and it is about us standing up for our rights, because at the end of the day, America is a country built on immigrants and New York is a state built on immigrants.”
Several students also left school for the day after the walkout in observance of the shutdown.
Faculty and staff attended the walkout alongside students, bearing signs, chanting and making an effort to keep students safe while they crossed streets downtown. Upper School Spanish Teacher Allison Eggleston said, “I believe that the actions of this administration run counter not only to the values of our country, but basic human rights.”
Some teachers took the day off entirely to participate in the shutdown, but attended the walkout to be with their students while they protested. Others rallied in the New York City protest. Upper School English Teacher and Dean of the Class of 2027 Mariah Peña was not teaching today, but returned to campus to help ensure students’ safety during the walkout.
“I hope we see that there are different ways to have a voice. That voice can be in the classroom, it can be off campus, it can be a movement you start with your friends or colleagues, it can be something that brings people together,” Peña said. “Ultimately, it’s to show that as a community, we all have independent thoughts and beliefs and can come together on the shared idea that we have freedom to have a voice.”
As students made their way through town they received support from passersby, both in their cars honking and on the streets clapping, while one motorist yelled derisive comments.
“There’s always going to be people who are against it, but I think what we saw is probably 90% of the people passing by were supporting them, so I hope that [support] helps fuel their [students’] passion and helps fuel their desire to want to be out there,” Esperanza Borrero, dean for inclusive excellence, said.
Some people who were not demonstrating as part of the Masters walkout cheered on students as they marched through town and down to Hastings. One supporter of the protest, a Dobbs Ferry resident, said, “I think especially for the younger generation, their support and being active citizens is so important.”
