By Sarah Rogala and Eris Wolfer
Flagstaff, AZ – On Friday, September 4, the Flagstaff chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held their first protest of the school semester at Northern Arizona University (NAU). The organization has been fighting to demand a sanctuary campus, and has held multiple marches, call-in campaigns and sit-ins during meetings with university administration.
SDS Flagstaff President Claire Wagoner and Vice-president Sarah Rogala have been charged with several policy violations by the university’s administration for their protests and actions advocating for a sanctuary campus, including protesting the opening of an ICE administrative office in Flagstaff.
According to multiple SDS members, the organization as a whole also faces repression from university administration.
SDS member Eris Wolfer said, “Admin constantly restricts where we can distribute flyers, where we can table; we have to fight to reserve rooms to hold meetings. The policies being cited to restrict us are contradictory, confusing, or just entirely nonexistent when we look for them. The conservatives on campus aren’t faced with the same scrutiny and are actively assisted when their events fail to capture attention, it all just feels really targeted.”
At the start of the September 4 protest, students gave speeches condemning both ICE and NAU admin. Claire Wagoner told the crowd, “NAU needs to immediately take action to become the ‘progressive’ campus they claim to be.”
Wagoner continued, “We know everything they say is a lie, they are willing to protect their image and profit over the well-being of their students.”
The final speaker, Judah Francabandera, said, “This year we have seen ICE take the lives of countless people, both with direct lethal force, and by starving them of their human needs. We have seen ICE lease a building just a mile off campus. They’ve already taken people out of our city.”
Francabandera concluded, “Will we be spineless? No? Then let’s fucking march!”
The students then marched from the south side of campus to Flagstaff City Hall, chanting on the NAU campus and the streets of downtown Flagstaff. The protesters carried both a handmade banner and flag reading “Students for a Democratic Society,” as well as signs with such slogans as “Stop deportations!” “ICE kills children!” and “Join us against ICE!”
As they marched across campus, several students not participating in the march opened their windows to shout words of support.
While heading both to and from Flagstaff City Hall, the students marched through a monthly city art fair known as the First Friday ArtWalk. Hundreds of attendees parted the way for the protestors and cheered them on.
The protest ended with speeches in which anyone to share their perspective. One student gave an account of how her aunt was taken by ICE. SDS member Giovanni Alvarez stated, “A family friend of mine, who is Navajo, by the way, was detained by ICE and was taken to Page, Arizona. She has no family in Page, and never went there prior.”
Alvarez added, “I have been stopped by ICE myself when I lived in Scottsdale. They asked me if I was ‘legal,’ if I had ‘paperwork.’ I was born here in Arizona, what do you want from me?”
SDS Flagstaff plans to escalate its campaign for a sanctuary campus while continuing to oppose the ICE office in Flagstaff.
#FlagstaffAZ #AZ #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #ICE #SanctuaryCampus #PoliticalRepression
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