Students at Evanston Township High School coordinated a demonstration on Dec. 16 to protest the non-indictment of police officers in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y., for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, a release from the school said.
The majority of the school’s students 3,000 students as well as teachers and staff participated in the demonstration, which took place during a morning passing period on Dec. 16. Students and staff sat in silence along the three miles of the school’s hallways for four and a half minutes to represent the four and a half hours that 18-year-old Michael Brown lay dead in the street in Ferguson, Mo.
The release included an description of the purpose of the demonstration that student leader Jordan Rosen-Kaplan emailed to school officials.
“The silence during the passing period, a time of chaos and loud noises, will provide a space for students to feel their emotions and [be reflective],” said Rosen-Kaplan. “These recent tragedies have made ongoing and underlying problems of racism in America highly visible.”
Following the demonstration, Assistant Superintendent/Principal Marcus Campbell said, “I couldn’t be more proud of our students. They were reflective, respectful and responsible as they showed solidarity with the protests that are happening all over this country.”