On September 2, Don Lugo students held a protest during lunch in regards to the dress code catching the attention of many students who both supported and opposed the protest. Three Don Lugo students named Elizabeth Saldana, Giamae Villalobos, and Lillian Mappala organized a protest to voice their opinions on the dress code enforced at Don Lugo. They believe that the females at Lugo are being sexualised for what they wear, and are being wrongly dress coded.

With posters raised high they began in the quad and marched with a crowd of students through campus all the way to the counselors office. In hopes of enacting a change at Don Lugo these students were protesting for all genders and body types. However, administrators as well as most students did not take this protest seriously.

As Elizabeth stands atop the pedestal in the center of the quad, students start throwing food and beverages at her and the other protesters. “In my mind I was thinking that I need to keep on going, not interact with them, and lead this peaceful protest,” said Elizabeth. Bystanders who were trying to eat their lunch were caught in the crossfire, in addition to this, many students were seen laughing and recording the commotion due to a lack of understanding about the reason for the protest.

Many students took advantage of the protest to act out and instead of supporting the peaceful protesters, students decided to turn the protest to a riot. “We kept the protest peaceful, other people were throwing bottles which is a danger to students,” said Gia Mae. With students getting hit in the head with bottles, many felt unsafe and the exigence behind the protest was lost. 

What was meant to be a peaceful protest quickly went awry turning into chaos. The first ever protest held on Don Lugo’s campus was taken lightly. It resulted in a disruption of the school environment and threatened the safety of other students which was not the initial goal that the three students hoped for.