Burnsville High School Students Participate In Statewide Walkout

BURNSVILLE, MN— Students from Burnsville High School led a walkout Monday to protest racial injustice in policing.

Hundreds of schools across Minnesota participated in student-led walkouts, approved beforehand by school administrations, Minnesota Teen Activists said.

These walkouts come in the wake of the killing of Daunte Wright by a police officer during a traffic stop, and precede the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.

An alleged carjacker was also fatally shot by Burnsville police on Sunday, officials said.

Braylon Lane is one of the students who organized Burnsville High School's walkout, and posted details for the event on Instagram.

In his post, Lane confirmed that the walkout was approved by the school's principal and administration.

Lane told Patch that the walkout was in collaboration with Minnesota Teen Activists, and said nearly 300 schools participated throughout the state.

"We hate seeing what is happening to our young black men, especially like Daunte Wright and George Floyd," Lane said. "We came together to commemorate the tragedies and we are here to celebrate their lives and all of the positives in them. There are still people out there that have not been convicted for the crimes that they've done, but we can do our best by coming together aspeople and spreading positivity, the message that we want to spread."

Once students walked out, they walked toward the football field for a rally where student organizers talked about racial injustice and the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright.

Lane asked students to bow their heads for one minute to honor the two men, later pointing out that the minute spent in silence was only one ninth of the amount of time Derek Chauvin, the former-cop currently on trial for the murder of George Floyd, spent with his knee on Floyd's neck.

Students were then asked to write comments to put into the school's suggestion box, and ask for the school to assist in fighting against racism and racial inequality.

Burnsville High School's principal Dave Helke shared with Patch the message that was sent out to families:

"First, we want families to know that this is not an event sponsored by the school or District 191. However, we do not plan on stopping students who choose to participate, as long as they do so in a respectful and safe manner. Our primary goal will be to keep students safe, and staff will be present at all times during the event."