Walkout

Hispanic students at East Los Angeles high schools face punishments for speaking Spanish, locked bathrooms during lunch, and discouragement from attending college. Paula Crisostomo joins student activists to demand fair treatment. They begin organizing around the belief that schools and authorities undervalue their community.

The group designs and distributes surveys to students across East LA, collecting grievances and suggestions for improvements. Paula grows closer to Robert as he becomes involved. The surveys become the blueprint for their broader change campaign.

The collected surveys are submitted to the school board, which refuses to acknowledge or address the demands. The lack of responsiveness deepens student frustration. Tensions rise as activists consider escalating their actions.

During a planning meeting, Paula urges the students to walk out of their schools. Her father condemns the movement as agitators, creating personal conflict at home. The group resolves to carry out a coordinated walkout across East LA campuses.

Five East LA high schools walk out, drawing regional and national media attention. The protest is televised, increasing pressure on the school board to respond. The Brown Berets push the movement to broaden its scope and goals.

Paula's father evicts her from home, forcing her to continue protesting independently. She perseveres despite the personal cost and public scrutiny. Her resolve hardens as she recognizes the deeper stakes of fighting for change.

The next day, only half the schools walk out; police arrest and beat protesters in the streets. News coverage focuses on violence and labels protesters as radicals, while footage of police brutality is often downplayed. The students and community respond with growing determination.

Paula invites the students' families to join the protests, hoping their presence would deter police and lend legitimacy. The turnout broadens the movement from students to a community-wide effort. The shift signals that the fight is about education rights for the whole neighborhood.

Another wave of walkouts occurs with family support, and the school board agrees to hear the complaints. Paula also invites Robert to prom as a gesture of normalcy amid the upheaval. The protesters press for dialogue while authorities consider concessions.

Robert, secretly an undercover LAPD officer, is revealed to have been informing authorities of the group's plans. Twelve leaders, including several Brown Berets, are arrested on conspiracy charges with a harsh maximum penalty. Paula's morale dips as the personal cost of the movement becomes clearer.

Paula leads a massive protest outside the jail, challenging the arrests and demanding release. Robert attempts to intervene, but Paula continues to guide the crowd until all twelve detainees and Sal are released. The public pressure contributes to a turning point in the case against the protesters.

Epilogue presents real accounts from participants and notes the subsequent rise in Hispanic enrollment in Los Angeles colleges. The film frames these stories as the lasting impact of the walkouts on education and activism. It closes on a hopeful note about ongoing change in the community.