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WALKOUT DALLAS: D IS THERE

City Hall plaza had almost as many police as it did high school kids at mid-afternoon today, as the crowds protesting immigration bills pending in Congress began to disperse and the students--from Skyline, Samuell, Woodrow Wilson, North Dallas, Sunset and Duncanville high schools, and probably from others, including Florence Middle School--headed back for home. Many were transported by Dallas school buses brought in especially for that purpose.

According to police and some of the students, the spontaneous rally started just after noon and continued until about 2:30 p.m. The crowd size is estimated about about 1,500, but judging from the throngs of kids on foot and in cars cruising down Young Street in front of the City Hall when I got there about 1:45 p.m., there may have been far more at one time. A report from a Frontburnervian earlier put the number at 1,000 or so.

Enrique Esquivel, an 18-year-old senior at Skyline, said he'd come about 12:45 on early release schedule, so wasn't playing hooky. "Half the school left," he said. "Some of them walked. All that way. But it was too far for me. We came in a car." Ditto his friends, Adrian Escobar, 19, and Mi Chorizo, 17, both also seniors. "We came to show support," said Enrique.

Small bands of kids passed down the street constantly after the rallies that had broken out around the plaza. The anchor was the corner of Akard and Young, a frequent protest point. There seemed to be no incidents other than one reported minor fight.

I observed one officer try to order four young students off the plaza, for no apparent reason. "When I say it's time to go, it's time to go," the officer told them. Another officer came up and intervened. The first officer left, and the kids stayed.

Cars and pickups honked horns as their passengers hollered and waived Mexican flags. Occasionally you could hear groups chanting, "Si se puede," or yes we can, the favored cry at the immigration protest rallies that were kicked off by the massive one in LA on Saturday, drawing over 500,000. One group of students carried a banner, "Viva la raza," often seen in protests in South Texas.

"We want to speak up for everyone that can't speak for themselves," said Gabriela Puente, a junior from Duncanville, who had come with her cousin, Ivette Puente and also a friend, Karina Acosta, both from Sunset. She said students at the schools--normally very apolitical-- have been talking about the immigration issue and specifically the bill that would criminalize support of immigrants.

What does it all mean? One thing is that a lot of people are wondering if the 800-lb. gorillas in LA, Dallas and other cities--the Hispanic vote and political clout--might be coming to life.

Or maybe it just means a lot of kids saw "Walkout" and wanted to act out.

But I'd bet on the gorilla theory.

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Rod Davis · March 27, 2006 03:35 PM