Sacramento-area high school students walk out protesting gun violence, ICE
Around 250 Mira Loma High School students walked out of class Friday to protest school gun violence, immigration enforcement, the United States’ role in the ongoing war in Gaza and other national political issues.
Event organizer and senior Xolo Garcia said that he and other students were mobilized by the school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado, which took place on the same day conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on a Utah college campus.
“We started with just gun violence in general, and then it branched into anti-ICE raids, anti-families being taken apart, talking about the genocide in Gaza,” he said. “We’re talking about trans rights. We’re talking about human rights, women’s rights, we’re talking about the people as a whole, the economy, the community, pollution. We’re talking about our climate. We’re talking about how our planet is dying and how our futures are at stake and our lives are at stake.”
Students in attendance said that they were motivated to participate because of how these policies affect their lives, particularly in the case of school gun violence. Student Kinora Loeak said that news of school shootings across the country has made her nervous to be on campus, and that she has stopped walking home because of that fear.
The walkout was organized with the support of both school site and San Juan Unified School District administration, who said their priority was keeping students safe while allowing them to express their voices.
“We want to emphasize making sure that we have a space and it’s organized. But once that happens, it’s about allowing them the platform to express how they feel and what they’re thinking,” Mira Loma Principal Kaden Bahner said.
It was with administrative guidance and connections with Mira Loma alumni who have organized similar events in the past that the student organizers, a group called Matadors 4 Change (or mats4change on Instagram), were able to expand the event with more activities — offering pre-voting registration for 16- and 17-year-old students, a poster-making station and a hand-painted mural.
“Our main message is that you are not alone in wishing for change,” Dalia Marquez, another student organizer for Matadors 4 Change. “It might seem like no one cares about what’s going on in the world, but that’s not true; sometimes people just need a little push to stand up for what they believe in, even if it’s in the form of a school wide protest. We are hoping that others will see how many people are out using their voices, and have some hope for the future.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 3:56 PM.
