Hundreds of Des Moines students stage walkout over Trump win

Hundreds of students walked out of several Des Moines-area high schools Wednesday morning in protest of Donald Trump's presidential election victory.

Chanting "Let's Dump Donald Trump" or "F--- Donald Trump," teens linked arms at East, broke into song at Roosevelt and chanted in Spanish at Hoover. In addition, about 20 students walked out of Valley in West Des Moines.

The schools allowed the student-organized protests, which lasted 15 to 45 minutes, giving participants unexcused absences.

"The rhetoric of this past election has caused many concerns and divisions," Des Moines Public Schools spokesman Phil Roeder said in a statement issued right before the walkout. "The school district will not stand in the way of our students peacefully expressing their concerns."

Teens used social media to coordinate the 10:30 a.m. walkout, which coincided with Hillary Clinton's concession speech. Students designated leaders to start chants and reminded them to be respectful, although protests devolved at times into cursing and obscene gestures.

“There’s a lot of tension,” organizer Jalesha Johnson, a senior at East, said. “I wanted to show that this generation does care, and we won’t sit quietly when we have an opportunity to say something.”

Expressing concern

A majority of Des Moines Public Schools students belong to racial minority groups, and teens expressed concern about what a Trump presidency would mean for black, Hispanic or Muslim family members and friends. Others worried about his attitude toward women.

"I never felt like I feared anything in the United States," said Roosevelt senior Nosa Ali, a Sudanese refugee who's Muslim. "It's hard to describe in words."

Not all parents were pleased with the protest, however, or that the district notified them just minutes before it occurred.

In addition, some teens said the walkouts divided schools.

"It's like you get judged if you like Trump," said Noah Christensen, a senior at Roosevelt who worked on homework instead.

Teachers were urged to stay neutral and provide classroom supervision, Roeder said. One school message shared with the Register said staff could participate, but it reminded them to be professional.

Some adults appeared to monitor the walkouts, while others were snapping photographs or congratulating students. However, it wasn't clear that they were staff members.

Hundreds protest

Students protesters were eager to show their disdain for Trump.

"I go to school with so many people of color, and when (Trump) sees their faces he doesn't see what I see," said Hoover senior Oddessey Whitaker, 17, who is black. "He shouldn't be the president of the United States."

Several hundred students walked out of East, linking arms and chanting “No justice, no peace!” and “Undocumented and unafraid!” Some held up the Mexican flag.

The group left school grounds and marched into neighborhoods as teachers tried to get them to come back. By 11:15 a.m., most had returned.

Classes and schedules continued as normal during the day. School resource officers, which provide a regular police presence at schools, monitored the protests.

Des Moines police said there were no incidents that called for intervention.

'Jokes' about deportation

Some teens said they felt uncomfortable with the political views of classmates. At Valley, a Latino student voiced concern about what Trump-supporting students were saying, administrators said.

“I just simply informed him that if anybody said anything to him, he could come to me,” Vice Principal David Maxwell said. “We are not going to have someone feel targeted or unsafe because of their race.”

Throughout the campaign, some Roosevelt students joked about deportation, said senior Kevin Fernandez, who's father emigrated from Honduras.

“I thank God and I thank the Founding Fathers, who created our system” with checks and balances, Fernandez said.

He's hopeful that the country can move forward. “I don’t agree with everything (Trump) said. I don’t support him as a president, but as a citizen I will stand behind my president."