Silver Spring High School Students Take to Streets in Trump Protest (Update)

UPDATED at 5:50 p.m. SILVER SPRING, MD — Two days after a Silver Spring church with a diverse ethnic congregation was vandalized with pro-Donald Trump and white power graffiti, some students at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring walked out of class Monday in protest.

And Montgomery County Council members and the executive will take up a

After walking to Westfield Wheaton Mall, 11160 Veirs Mill Road, students rallied and chanted against the president-elect's positions and racial unrest, Montgomery County Police said. Video from the scene shared on the Periscope app showed teens chanting, "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here." Other chants were "Black lives matter" and "My body, my choice."

Students on Twitter said that Northwood High School students had joined the walkout and protest march, which arrived at Veterans Plaza in downtown Silver Spring about 1 p.m. The gathering has now dispersed in the area, police say.

Tens of thousands of Americans disappointed with the results of the 2016 presidential election have protested in the past week in cities around the nation, including New York, Detroit, Boston and Miami.

Police escorted the students on city streets and said on Twitter that officers urged the teens to stay on sidewalks, remain peaceful, obey laws, and respect property. Drivers were asked to use caution in the area.

"The group has been nonviolent with exception of bottle being thrown from top deck of mall parking lot. No reported injuries," police tweeted at about 12:30 p.m.

Montgomery County Public Schools spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala said officials estimate that more than 500 students marched; an official response from school officials is expected later in the day.

Montgomery Community Media reports that Blair High School Principal Renay Johnson knew that students were planning a protest and sent the following message to parents and guardians before the event:

"Participation is voluntary and not encouraged by school staff. To ensure their safety, which is our TOP priority, we are providing a safe place (our stadium) for students. The time planned for the protest is 10 a.m. Students are to return to the school building at the end of period 3 (11:07 a.m.) to resume their day. Parents will be notified through our automated attendance system if their child is marked absent from any classes today.

“Students participating in this protest must bring a note from their parent/guardian within three days stating they approve this absence or they will be marked unexcused. As always, students who choose to leave campus without parent permission will have an unexcused absence."

On Facebook, commenters were divided about the student protest, with some applauding the students for their social views, and others criticizing the teens for "skipping school," jamming traffic on area streets, and not supporting President-elect Trump.

Wrote commenter Jim Ross, "Why don't we teach these kids that you don't always win and in this instance you accept it and support the "elected" president!! I had to twice in the last 8 years and Obama wasn't my choice and us deplorables didn't protest back then like all these "tolerant" liberals are today!"

While Lauren Koons disagreed, writing: "To everyone whining about how they didn't protest Obama's elections, y'know... you could have. That's on you, sweeties. Good on these kids!!"

And while many commenters urged police to arrest the students, some disagreed. Parent Mara Greengrass said, "I hope my kids would be there if they were in high school. I'm proud of our students making their voices heard and I hope they continue to be active in the future. The kids may just be alright."

The Montgomery County Council and County Executive Ike Leggett on Tuesday will focus on community concerns about safety and possible discrimination, harassment and hate crimes. A resolution has been proposed to reaffirm the county’s tradition of respect for all residents and denounce anti-immigrant activity, hate speech, hate crimes and harassment in Montgomery County.

County Council President Nancy Floreen said it is important for elected officials to reaffirm county values.

“We are standing united to say we are a diverse community that believes in the dignity and importance of all of our residents,” Floreen said.

The resolution notes that Montgomery County has the largest population of foreign-born residents in Maryland (nearly one-third) and that more than 70 percent of students in Montgomery County Public Schools are Hispanic/Latino, African American, Asian American or multi-racial.

Islamophobic vandalism and anti-immigrant views have been seen in various parts of the country, including Montgomery County, and some of it appears to support Trump. On Saturday, a sign advertising the Spanish-language Mass at an Episcopal Church in Silver Spring and the wall of the parish's memorial garden were vandalized with the words, "Trump Nation. Whites Only," the Episcopal Diocese of Washington said in a Facebook post.

Students from the Silver Spring high school, 51 University Blvd. East, vented their disapproval by walking out of the building about 10:30 a.m. Helicopter footage shot by FOX DC showed what appeared to be more than 100 teens walking out of the building and into nearby streets, some carrying signs. The hand-written signs say, "Not My President" and "Racism Is Un-American."

WJLA reports that police are escorting the students as they walk the streets. So far, it doesn't appear that any police are stopping the students.

Police said about noon that the group of protesters was headed south on Georgia Avenue from Westfield Wheaton mall.

No arrests or injuries have been reported.

Patch will update this breaking news story.

»Screenshots of student rally from live video by Periscope user Mitti Hicks