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Pueblo Middle Schools march for justice

Cucaracha News Staff Report

The killing of Trayvon Martin in February 2012, became a spark that helped ignite a generation of young people who would later challenge many forms of state violence from police brutality to immigration enforcement. 

Years later, on what would have been his 31st birthday, that same drive to protest injustice reverberated through Pueblo as students walked out of school to protest the deaths of Renée Nicole Good, Alex Pretti both killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year, and others, like Keith Porter who was killed by an off-duty immigration agent outside Porter’s apartment building, and Delvin Francisco Rodriguez taken to Aurora GEO detention facility and later died after being transferred to another detention facility in Mississippi. Those names too often fade without justice.

What began as a student call for a walkout at Pueblo Central high school did not stop there. Middle school students also heard the call and answered it. Students from Corwin, Heaton, and Hope Middle School’s grades 6th-8th (typically 11-14 years of age) marched. Risley Middle School did not have a walk out, but reportedly, five students went to the protest on their own.

Some students walked as far as 3.5 miles until they found each other at Pueblo’s Historic Riverwalk. Nearly 60 students stood together, many marching for the first time, some in groups of as little as two, and further than they ever had before.

• Corwin students marched 2.7 miles
• Heaton and Hope students traveled 3.5 miles

They came for the same reasons. “It’s about ICE,” one student said plainly. “We’re doing it for our rights,” another added. “Immigrants make America great!” cried the young girl who helped organize the walk out for Heaton, using a small bullhorn to amplify her voice.

One parent, one of the few parents among the group, watched her own daughters participate in the walkout. “They did it,” the parent said. “I’m so proud of these guys. The kids made the decision and they walked out on their own.”

For many students, the protest was deeply personal. 

“There is a possibility that one of my family members could be deported or taken or even killed.” the daughter of the present parent and an 8th grader shared. “Even if they were American citizens.”

Others described the moment they chose to stand up. “Some teachers gave us looks for walking out. Some of them scoffed,” a student recalled. “But when the bell went off and I heard people in the hallway, I got up.”

They walked with signs that read: “No one is illegal on stolen land,” “Why is ending racism a debate?”We are skipping our lessons to teach you one.“ One sign read “Speak up for him, for them.” with a drawing of the iconic blue bunny hat worn by Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old detained by I.C.E agents alongside his father on Jan. 20th, 2026. Both are asylum seekers with an active case.

They walked for their first amendment rights. They walked for their neighbors, for their families. For lives lost without justice.

At one point, Riverwalk security approached and asked who was in charge of the children. “They’re in charge,” came the response. 

And for a moment, and maybe longer, they truly were.

Four District 60 high schools – Central, Centennial, East and South, and two District 70 high schools, Pueblo West and County plan their own student organized walk outs or marches February 12th, 2026.

Districts 60 and 70 have stated that while the student-led protests are not sponsored or sanctioned by the district, they will not impede on students’ First Amendment rights.