Demand Immediate Release of Students Arrested During Quakertown Walkout

I am writing to demand the immediate release of students who remain in police custody following their arrest during a peaceful walkout at Quakertown High School on Friday. These young people were exercising their constitutional right to protest ICE actions when they were met with excessive force that has shocked our community. Video evidence from multiple eyewitnesses shows a man identified by the Bucks County Courier Times as Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree placing a female student in a chokehold. The videos show him maintaining this chokehold even after a uniformed police officer arrived on scene. Eyewitnesses reported that students were walking on sidewalks holding signs and chanting "No more ICE" when this man, wearing a brown jacket rather than proper uniform, lunged toward the group and grabbed a student. As of Saturday morning, when parents and civil rights organizations including Bucks County NAACP held a press conference outside the Quakertown Police Department, students arrested on Friday were still in custody. One parent, Allison, stated that her stepdaughter "was wrongfully accused" and then "assaulted, thrown to the ground and put in a chokehold." She pleaded, "We just want her home safe." Bucks County NAACP President Adrienne King emphasized that "when young people are involved in an encounter with law enforcement, the standard for care, restraint and adherence to policy are high and must be adhered to." The video evidence circulating publicly has raised serious questions about whether those standards were met. Laura Foster of Upper Bucks United articulated the community's concerns: "Why was the first instinct to come barreling in instead of slowing down the situation and protecting our children?" Eyewitnesses noted that officers were "twice the size of these children" and "made absolutely no effort to de-escalate the situation." The Bucks County District Attorney's Office is now investigating this incident. While that investigation proceeds, these students should not remain in custody. I urge you to take immediate action to secure their release and ensure they return home to their families.