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Thousands of Santa Maria students skip class to protest Trump

February 17, 2017

More than 7,000 students were missing from Santa Maria elementary schools on Thursday while walkouts, strikes and business closures took place nationwide as part of the “Day Without Immigrants” — a protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. In San Luis Obispo County, three downtown SLO restaurants shut their doors and students demonstrated at Paso Robles High School.

Santa Maria-Bonita School District administrators marked 7,302 students absent from 20 elementary schools. As a result, the district will lose nearly $400,000 in state funding. [KSBY]

In the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, 22 percent of students were absent on Thursday. The district includes Santa Maria, Pioneer Valley, Righetti and Delta high schools. The high school district expects to lose about $100,000.

Jennifer Lopez, a Santa Maria High School junior, said, “We all come from undocumented families, and we are not going to school.”

In Guadalupe, 38 percent of students were absent from Mary Buren Elementary School, and 23 percent of students were absent from Kermit McKenzie Junior High.

Numerous businesses in the Santa Maria area closed on Thursday.

Three downtown San Luis Obispo restaurants — Big Sky Cafe, Novo and Luna Red — kept their doors shut. Big Sky Cafe announced Wednesday it would be participating in the day without immigrants. On Thursday, the owners of Novo and Luna Red released a statement saying their restaurants would be closed as well.

“We are a nation of immigrants. Restaurants are an industry of immigrants. Farm fresh food is not possible without the hard work of our farm labor workforce; locally sourced cuisine is not possible without the hands to craft it. In solidarity with a “day without immigrants” we have closed our businesses, @luna_red and @novorestaurant because they would not be possible without the declaration of the people who first grow the food and our teams who prepare it,” the statement said.

At Paso Robles High School, dozens of students protested during their lunch break. Video shows students chanting, “bridges not walls.”


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This is again an example of how far gone Santa Maria is. The Leadership in Santa Maria has helped grow this problem. This includes Ag, City Government, School Districts, County Government as well as the many Non Profits in the City and County. The rise in gang violence which has allowed literal mayhem in the streets of a once nice City is all about greed!


This is a problem for San Luis County as well! remember many illegal workers start in the Berry fields and other crops but then quickly migrate to other industries such as hospitality and construction displacing American Citizens and Legal Residents and driving down wages for people in the unskilled and semi-skilled workforce. It actually effects the people who can afford it the least more than any other groups. The real crazy thing is that means Americans of Hispanic and Black roots! So these kids walking out are undermining themselves another example of our Public School System at work these people are not rocket scientists this includes their teachers and Administrative Staffs. Nice going knuckleheads! Illegal Aliens can Drive anywhere on the Central Coast to get those Jobs including yours!


Organized Criminal groups have now taken over many parts of Northern Santa Barbara County and are now attempting that movement into San Luis Obispo County. Ice needs to get busy with all the people who are Felons working with County and City law enforcement officers. Remember it is a Felony to lie on employment documents and to use fake identity to gain that employment. We need to have business’s use e-verify to ensure a legitimate workforce on the Central Coast so we can stop the jobs magnate. This along with better enforcement by Ice will help to begin to bring us back to balance and help all Cities and Counties to recover demographically and financially bringing back this much needed balance. Don’t think your immune San Luis County the consequences of the numbers that have overtaken Santa Maria are devastating! Learn from their example and do not allow sanctuary in this County are you listening Sheriff Parkinson? I would love to hear your position on this subject. It’s a very important topic and you as the top law enforcement officer in this County need to act.


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Oh! The irony of the left. President Trump is the first and only president to marry an immigrant, however is the one most complained about when it comes to immigration. So let’s correct the young, uneducated youths and the never Trump(ers) and report that Trump is anti “ILLEGAL” aliens. Not legal immigrants. Nah! Never happen! Does not fit with the left leaning media.


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Sounds like a lot of cutting off your nose to spite your face to me.


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