KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Four teens were injured, two arrested, and two cited and released after a student-led protest last week in Olathe.
Olathe police officers responded around 2 p.m. Friday to an ICE protest that became a physical disturbance at the corner of College Boulevard and South Lone Elm Road.
Students protesting ICE operations walked out of class at Olathe Northwest High School, and the protest took place off of school property.
Other students waving flags in support of President Donald Trump gathered on the opposite side of the street, separated by four lanes of traffic.
Students protesting ICE operations ended up on the street across from the school. A fight broke out between those protesting ICE and those supporting the federal agency.
KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne spoke with a parent who said his son was attacked by some of the students protesting ICE. He said his son was showing support for the Trump administration.
"When was it okay to pick up something and hit somebody because they have a different belief than you?" said Bogdan Zaslavsky, parent.
American Public Square is a nonprofit that works with students across Kansas City to sharpen civil discourse skills. They are not working with Olathe Northwest and had no connection to Friday's incident.
Program director Tricia Maxfield said this is an example of civil discourse as a productive solution.
"Nobody should be surprised that young people across Kansas City are engaged in this particular topic," Maxfield said. "Young people crave the opportunity to learn more, to seek information, to have better conversations."
Maxfield said civil discourse does include voting and protesting, but it's also about agreeing to disagree better.
"There's a set of skills I'm going to have to employ to make sure this goes successfully, and being aware enough to say, I have to step back or step away if I think this is going to get overheated," Maxfield said.
Each year, American Public Square works with the students it serves in its Civics Education Initiative to prepare for a student-designed discussion. This year's students chose ICE and immigration issues as the topic. You can register for the event here.
"That is, again, a very American part of a young person's experience," Maxfield said. "And I think really, as difficult as it may be to navigate, a part of our education system."
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