Deceleration video
By Max Maes (Story) & Jesse Garza-Cortez (Video)
Editor’s Note: This past Monday, February 16—Presidents’ Day, a federal holiday for many K-12 students around the country—students from over 50 San Antonio schools marched the streets of downtown San Antonio demanding “an end to cooperation between local elected officials, law enforcement, and federal immigration authorities,” according to a press release sent to Deceleration by San Antonio Students for Peace.
Led by high school students with the support of SASP organizers, the march, mutual aid drive, and press conference followed weeks of student walkouts at high schools across the state—including some here in San Antonio—which prompted the Texas Educational Agency to threaten students, teachers, and districts with investigations, loss of state funding, certification revocations, blacklisting, and even state takeover.
Locally, some schools have responded by suspending students for walking out of class. As captured here by two local high schoolers reporting on the march for Deceleration, students clapped back in particular on the state’s implication that protestors were idlers or truants: if they were, would they be in the streets on a holiday, chanting and marching? Here readers may find the power of these student voices, as captured by two of their peers. —Marisol Cortez
On This Federal Holiday, Youth Demand ICE Out
Max Maes
When Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, I recall not only my family but many others scared for themselves and their friends. Trump threatened mass deportation, specifically targeting Latino immigrants. Most residents of San Antonio opposed Trump and his discriminatory policies, particularly since the city has one of the largest Latino populations in the United States. Nevertheless, the country endured Trump’s first term.
I thought that people had learned their lesson when he lost his second election. Surely the country had smartened up? Then he won again in his third election, and the fear and anger from his first term returned to me. This time, Trump had exactly what he needed to get done what he wanted: a loyal following of citizens who would never question him or his actions.
ICE has been terrorizing the streets and families for an entire year. Families have been ripped apart, people are getting assaulted and even murdered. But this time, people are more than scared—they’re angry.
The voice of change has always been in our youth, and that will never change. Students across the United States have taken measures to stand against the injustice, including here in San Antonio. The protest on February 16 was organized by San Antonio Students for Peace, a local group that allows students to organize against global injustices with the guidance of young adults.
The protesters met at 2 p.m. at Municipal Plaza. A mix of parents, teachers, and other adults joined the crowd, but students were the majority.
The students leading the protest took turns speaking, sharing anecdotal stories, and mourning the safety they once felt in this beautiful city. They encouraged the audience to be angry about what ICE is doing and to use that anger to continue speaking out.
Then the protesters began to march towards the Alamo, holding signs, chanting, singing, and playing instruments. When the demonstrators reached their destination, they saw that DPS officers in riot gear had created a line blocking the path to the Alamo. Despite these officers’ threatening demeanor, the group stood in front of these officers outside the United States federal courthouse and continued to protest, yelling at the officers, and stating they weren't scared. Despite the high tension, everyone remained peaceful.
The protesters then made their way back to Municipal Plaza to give their final statements and meet up with groups gathered there with information on upcoming marches and organizations for justice. We talked to many students in this closing segment, from aged nine to eighteen.
The central message students wanted people to take from the protest was that students do care about what ICE is doing, and this isn’t just an excuse to leave class. The students agreed that their goal is to see a change in the way San Antonio deals with ICE. They want ICE to leave the city entirely.
It is all of our responsibility to speak for those who aren’t safe to do so. More than ever, it is important to organize and demonstrate. Whether you’re in elementary or high school, remember that young people are the ones who can best enact change, because the future starts with you.
San Antonio students are ready to keep fighting against the city’s complicity with ICE, Trump’s reign of terror, and the atrocities the United States is committing, and they will continue speaking out as long as there is injustice.
Max Maes is an 18-year-old trans guy born and raised in San Antonio. He is currently a senior in cinema at Northeast School of the Arts in San Antonio, Texas, and an upcoming freshman at University of New Mexico studying political science and pre-law studies. You can watch his film "Bent" on YouTube and follow him on Instagram @max0220maes.
Jesse Garza-Cortez is a 4th year cinema major in the animation track at Northeast School of the Arts in San Antonio, Texas. He is an aspiring animator and composer who will be attending University of New Mexico in the fall. His films have exhibited at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City and the 800 Lb Film Festival in San Antonio. You can find his animated work on YouTube at @brothinkhejesse.
