Teens made a statement during ‘No Kings’ protest in San Jose

Editor s Note This article was written for Mosaic an independent journalism training venture for high school students who assessment and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists San Jose resident Shimon Goldstein knows how to use his voice He marches at local anti-Trump protests and doesn t hesitate to publicly share his opinions He s passionate and determined and he s only The West Valley College learner was one of dozens of local teen protesters who took to the streets of downtown San Jose on June as part of a nationwide No Kings demonstration against President Donald Trump s policies and actions The president is doing chosen very very dangerous things Goldstein declared holding a poster that read Facism is festering in the land of the free According to the group which organized the San Jose protest there were more than attendees Majority of the demonstrators were adults a turnout that several youths who indicated up mentioned was concerning We are the younger generation disclosed Evelyn Nguyen We have to worry about our future It s great to see all these people but I would love to see more younger people The small teen attendance was a stark departure from modern global trends of youth protest involvement The proportion of youths who participated in protests rose between the s and s In at least of protesters at selected demonstrations were youth according to the United Nations Children s Fund Melanie Ontiveros a U S history professor at Sierramont Middle School in San Jose revealed young people are just not as advancing politically as they need to be Ontiveros commented threats of violence from Trump may have discouraged parents from letting their teens attend the protests She referred to a comment Trump made ahead of the U S Army s th anniversary parade which was scheduled on the same day as the No Kings protests He reported those protesting at the Army parade would be met with very big force Goldstein reported misinformation surrounding the new Los Angeles protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids has also contributed to the low teen turnout in San Jose Still the young protesters who rallied and marched in San Jose announced the act of showing up was a movement in and of itself Three protest attendees pose with their signs during the No Kings Protest at St James Park in downtown San Jose Calif on June Lauren Uppal Mosaic Crowds gather at downtown San Jose s St James Park on June as part of the nationwide No Kings demonstration Lauren Uppal Mosaic A learner holds a flower atop a U S flag during the No Kings Protest in downtown San Jose Calif on June Lauren Uppal Mosaic People on the efforts of the Santa Clara County Superior Court building on North First Street listen to a youth performer during the No Kings Protest in downtown San Jose Calif on June Lauren Uppal Mosaic A protestor holds a flag that combines the U S and Mexico flags during the No Kings Protest in downtown San Jose Calif on June Lauren Uppal Mosaic A San Jose Police officer directs traffic as protesters march from St James Park to City Hall during the No Kings Protest in downtown San Jose Calif on June Lauren Uppal Mosaic Teenage protester Charlotte holding a progress pride flag stands atop the Robert F Kennedy Memorial Forum in St James Park during the No Kings Protest in downtown San Jose Calif on June Lauren Uppal Mosaic Show Caption of Three protest attendees pose with their signs during the No Kings Protest at St James Park in downtown San Jose Calif on June Lauren Uppal Mosaic Expand It s one thing to see youth activism on TikTok or post it on your story Nguyen mentioned But to see it in person with everyone else around you you re like I have this neighborhood I know I m not alone in my views I think that ll make people feel less afraid to speak their mind Others believe visibility can increase youth protest involvement Goldstein commented if young people see others their age at rallies they get the message that protesting isn t just a fringe idea Related Articles San Jose teen gripped by worry over threat of ICE arrest deportation South Bay schools scramble to protect students from ICE Photos Fun for all at San Jose s Shamrock Run Photos Crowds celebrate Holi festivals in South Bay This is real Americans fighting back against a real threat to freedom and to our country he disclosed Beyond hoping to lead by example and motivate their peers to advocate multiple teens who attended the No Kings event were compelled to protest by personal experiences related to Trump s policies Gabi Vasquez came out to demonstrate because she s afraid of Trump cutting funding and programs to slow context change She s also worried about mass deportations which she commented affects everyone that we know One -year-old stated his father chose not to attend the rally out of fear of being targeted by ICE I m here to represent people like my dad who don t have the same privilege as me to speak up for those who can t the youth explained Ontiveros disclosed teen participation in protests are pivotal She referred to the poem First They Came by Pastor Martin Niem ller about those who stayed silent during the Nazi regime and drew a parallel to the current youth response to administration policies If we don t stand up now then when the executive comes to take away your specific rights there s not going to be anybody there to stand up for you because everybody who stood up before has already been picked up one by one Ontiveros commented So if young people want to have a truly free future they need to fight for it now A desire to preserve and maintain that freedom is what various of the young protesters disclosed brought them out to the San Jose demonstration We need to build the world that we want Goldstein revealed We have that opportunity because we re still young Naomi Kotani is a member of the class of at Aragon High School in San Mateo