Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees
 

Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees
Freedom of expression or cultural disrespect on Cinco de Mayo?
By GEORGE KIRIYAMA
Updated 7:58 AM PDT, Thu, May 6, 2010


On any other day at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Daniel Galli and his four friends would not even be noticed for wearing T-shirts with the American flag. But Cinco de Mayo is not any typical day especially on a campus with a large Mexican American student population.

Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.

"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.

"They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.

The boys really had no choice, and went home to avoid suspension. They say they're angry they were not allowed to express their American pride. Their parents are just as upset, calling what happened to their children, "total nonsense."

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Julie Fagerstrom, Maciel's mom, said. "All they were doing was displaying their patriotic nature. They're expressing their individuality."

But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

"I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."

As for an apology, the boys and their families say, "fat chance."

"I'm not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong," Galli said. "I went along with my normal day. I might have worn an American flag, but I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American."

The five boys and their families met with a Morgan Hill Unified School District official Wednesday night. The district released a statement saying it does not agree with how Live Oak High School administrators handled this incident.

The boys will not be suspended and they were told they can go back to school Thursday. They may even wear their red, white, and blue colors again, but this time, the day after Cinco de Mayo, there will be no controversy.

Fuck them, this isn't Mexico. Those kids should be allowed to wear a US flag on their shirt any time they want. That's it, next Christmas and Easter I'm wearing a 666 shirt.

What a fucking joke.

I don't even have the words for this level of stupidity

The fucking mexicans should go the fuck back to mexico and drink their shitty mexican beer.

Wow. The US is turning into Mexico by osmosis.

That is fucking bullshit.

Point #1 - If there isn't a dress code and if the clothing isn't obviously offensive in nature, then there should be no reason why it cannot be worn.

Point #2 - That a GROUP of students who were sitting together just randomly happened to be wearing American flag bandannas and T-shirts belies credibility. They were trying to be inflammatory.

points for the points

True, but would a group of students wearing Mexican flag t-shirts on the 4th of July be asked to remove them? I kind of doubt it.

They might, if the political climate regarding Americans in the US was what it currently is with respect to Mexicans in the US.

Considering it would be the middle of summer and they wouldn't be sitting in school, they are safe.

FTW
:lol:

:lol:

PNW3D

JC

OK fine, but you know what I'm trying to say. Most school admistrators would never think of telling Latinos, Blacks, or Asians to remove clothing that promotes racial pride, however they would tell Whites to do so.

True. My initial reaction was more in line with BS & `F them' and kind of still is BUT your Point #2 has merit.

Newsflash dude, you don't have to be white to be american. Ask Obama.

Exactly. So what is wrong with wearing an American flag? The fact that it's Cinco de Mayo makes no difference. The kids in that school who are celebrating that holiday are Americans too, so they have no reason to feel threatened by the American flag.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates their victory over France......It has nothing to do with Mexico vs. USA. So again, if they feel "threatened" by the American flag, that's their problem. You can't prove that someone showing the flag was trying to incite Latino students. Can the principal read their minds?

So lets say on the anniversary of the emancipation proclamation a bunch of white guys wear rebel flag shirts to school. You think they should be kicked from school for that? No I don't think so. In this country we have a right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Right or wrong they should be allowed to wear whatever the fuck they want.

Censorship FTMFL. Middle finger is the flag that I wave when I'm silenced.

You don't have freedom of speech in the classroom and you shouldn't. It's not about making political statements or whatever the fuck you want to do. It's about education. If there is a distraction from that, it should be gone.

It's only a distraction if people get butt hurt about it. If no one paid any attention it wouldn't be a problem.

We don't know the full story behind this, sounds like there is more to this than we have been told though. Two of the kids were wearing flag bandanas on their heads. A head covering bandana is against that school's dress code. I am inclined to think the kids were causing a distraction.

OK, let's not open up THAT kettle of fish :lol:

Un-fucking-believable... The principle should be fired, and ever american, natural or immigrant, should be completely outraged. Im not even American, and im fucking outraged.

Too bad none of the kids had the balls to tell the principle to take the shirt off them by force.

Hot women fully clothed distract me. They should all be forced to be nude in the classroom.

We're talking high school. Everything is a distraction, especially when it comes to clothing. Maybe because my parents weren't rich and I couldn't afford Hollister, Abercrombie, or even Jincos to look cool, I've always been cool with a school uniform idea.

Reminds me of all that "war against Christmas" bullshit; do something provocative and then point to how your "rights" have been infringed upon, when you get called on it.

Asking college students in my classes today - only 3 students out of about 50 actually knew that.

Sad.

Now, if they had French flags on... THAT would have been an insult.

Every kid should have the right to be a douchebag. It's in the Constitution.

If they made the kids change their shirts then they should have made the kids celebrating and recognizing a holiday that is not American to shut up and disperse also...right? If one cant...none should be able to.

People are too easily offended these days. Grow a pair and shut the eff up.

We have a "right" to not be offended

You also have a right to be bamboozled by people who are trying to create controversy out of whole cloth. Doesn't mean it's smart.

We also have a right to look anywhere else but at something that bothers us. It's like being offended by something on the radio: don't like it? Change the damn channel. Don't like something you see? Look somewhere else.

Right, but at the same time, people have lost the ability to have class. They are now doing anything they can to walk the line with the specific purpose of offending someone else.

that's because they know for sure they'll get a reaction from people.

cause and effect.

Chicken and egg.

I ALMOST typed that :lol:

I wanted to go with the lesser cliche :lol:

Yep.

they must have been riding Harleys

brahbrahbrahbrahbrahbrahbrahbrahbrahbrahbrah!

Not necessarily. I have one of them too.

I was making a funny.

:wtfru:

Everyone involved should be shot for wasting my time. Survivors should be shot again. The proles will eventually learn to mind their own fuckin business

That I was pissing on your parade.

My parade is wearing rain gear :lol:

Does it involve frogs or Star Trek?

In college I took a political science class as an elective. Everyone else in the class was taking it as a requirement for their majors in political science and they were all juniors. Out of around 20 of them not one knew how many members of the Senate or House were in the federal government. The lesson I took from that (and other incidents) was college students are generally stupid.

beer

Ah. Goggles then.

Heh army taught me that one for free

I think their "teaching style" is a bit more rigorous than what most colleges would allow.

a pity that.

nah, just beer.

http://prtclmn001.smugmug.com/Other/...40_ucaFF-L.jpg

Too true.

At least post a pic of a real beer, or a corona to incite the mexicans :lol:

Drinking beer without beer goggles? Dammit man, you're living dangerously!

:rockwoot:

Senate is easy, however I always forget how many in the House. It takes me bout an hour sitting there saying "It's on the tip of my tongue" until I spit it out and I'm off by 20.

Rooster. ;)

cinco de mayo is an actual holiday??? I thought it was just an excuse to drink.

If you have to wait until cinco de mayo to drink...
http://nowsourcing.com/blog/wp-conte...g_it_wrong.jpg

I just remember 535 total and subtract out the Senators to get the split.

Or look it up.

It's bullshit and you know it. Our leaders for some odd reason continue to pander to the minorities.

This is complete bs. If the Mexicans and Whites wish to fight because they are wearing U.S. and Mexican flag shirts then let em. It's high school, fighting should be allowed.

Another Cinco De Mayo fiasco.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8MG...eature=popular

I think you failed to understand my statement, which is hardly unusual for you :lol:

lol

whadda buncha flags

Homeslice...
You....
Seems pretty evident you pander to them as well. They might...lol No they wouldn't. Upset a minority? Not a chance.

What is it with these fuckheads putting up Mexican flags? You only like it here if you can steal someones shit, get free money off the county or sell ur oranges? Other then that, it's fuck you.

Fuckin ingrates IMO. Go back to fuckin Mexico if your ripping down the U.S. flag.

Think it through. What would be required for the positions to be swapped? :lol:

Most White people let minorities do whatever they want, because they're afraid of career backlash and/or social ostracization if they object.