On Friday, January 16th, students from Crescent Valley, Corvallis High, Linus Pauling, Cheldelin, Franklin, and OSU took to the streets of downtown Corvallis to protest against ICE. Specifically, the walkout was in protest to the prevalence of ICE on the OSU campus, as well as the abuses that ICE has committed around the nation. Speakers mentioned Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman recently killed by ICE agents, among many others.

While ICE may not be nearly as active in Corvallis as in Portland, it has still taken a toll on our communities, particularly the Hispanic community. The violent actions of ICE agents around the country have instilled fear into the daily lives of immigrants and people of color. Many speakers attributed the targeted surveillance and raids from ICE to a system of racial profiling. Hispanic people, no matter their immigration status, have been increasingly worried about their safety, as shown by one speaker who repeated the phrase during her poem recitation, “Being Brown is not a crime.”

The walkout featured multiple speakers from Crescent Valley, including Gwen Kelly as the bass player in her band, and Penelope Seldera-Bahnson and Cecilia Cox performing their respective poems. Each of their performances were powerful and seemed to resonate with the crowd.

The walkout was mostly divided into two parts: one, nearer to the courthouse, was devoted to listening to speeches, recitations, and musical performances. The other, stretched out across both sides of the street, was aimed at civilian participation, with students chanting in unison and proudly holding signs to the drivers that went by. Although the sides were fairly different in energy, both shared a strong feeling of dismay towards ICE and the harm it posed to our community.

The walkout exceeded many expectations in terms of participation. Nearly a thousand people attended. When semitrucks drove by, their honks of solidarity were nearly drowned out by cheers. People sang and danced along to performances. Some cried.

All in all, the walkout was a passionate show of Corvallis’ solidarity and support for communities and families affected by ICE. Through signs, chants, speeches and participation, the message was made abundantly clear: ICE is not welcome here.