Over 100 students walkout to protest the shooting of Mike Brown 

Cassin Stacy, Staff Photographer
Originally published December 18, 2014

The sun was beating down on the procession, composed of about 150 Ballard students, as it steadily moved down 15th Avenue towards Leary Way. Some members stripped off a layer of clothing, others were helpless to the rays as they held cardboard signs that read “black lives matter” or “hands up, don’t shoot.”

A dull mumbling represented the emotion that was in the air, occasionally broken by a passing motorist with a honk or two, which resulted in a cheer from the crowd, oftentimes accompanied by raised fists. Stretching about 50 people long, chants would rise from the front of the group, eventually making their way to the end, but altogether making their point.

Organizer and freshman Jackson Croy turned and looked back at the crowd. “Wow,” he said, “I think we are doing some good here.”

The Dec. 1 walkout presented a problem. A problem not only in a sense of missed academic opportunities, but a problem in society. The fact that over a hundred high school students had to leave their place of learning to protest the shooting of Mike Brown and the lack of an indictment for Darren Wilson in the Ferguson case was an issue for some Americans. This included Croy, who decided to do something about it.

“I think it’s important to show that everyone, and I mean everyone, cares about what happened in Ferguson,” Croy said. For a freshman to successfully organize a full scale protest is a feat in itself.

“I’m really surprised at the turnout,” he said. “It helps me have faith.” Croy had originally been doubtful as to how many students would participate in the walkout because it took place on the Monday after Thanksgiving break, and because he was an underclassman. Despite his worries, Croy was determined to lead the walkout. He thought it was important that students follow suit in the wake of protests from schools like Roosevelt and Garfield, especially since Ballard is a predominantly white school.

Sprinting ahead, he crossed the street and left them on the opposite side. Lifting up an old Olympus film camera, he yelled “Hands up!” across to them. A resounding cry of “Don’t shoot!” was accompanied by raised arms from the crowd. The next moment was so silent that you could hear the shutter of Croy’s camera. A massive smile from Croy spoke of his pride in the day’s events.

“I want you all to know how much I respect and admire you. All of you.” Croy was speaking to the protesters after their three mile walk at their destination and place of gathering, Gas Works Park. “Now, as a last sign of reverence, what we are going to do here is a moment of silence, lasting 4.5 minutes. A minute for every hour that Mike Brown’s body was left unattended in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri.”

Never has such a quiet been heard from over a hundred high-school age kids. It was a spectacular quiet. The kind of silence that made spectators think about the events that caused them to walk out of their classrooms and give their time to remember Michael Brown. It let students appreciate the scale of the issue at hand and realize how amazing it was that someone would take the time and effort to organize this, seemingly knowing that it wouldn’t come to fruition.

But it did.