Students get kicked off campus for wearing American Flag T-Shirts

[Rush]

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.

Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees | NBC Bay Area

Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[zack54attack]

wow.

 

[CBPtOSU]

I'd be like, you know, when I left for school this morning, I wanted to wear my Confederate flag shirt, but I didn't want to get beaten

 

[BigP50]

Usa usa

 

[USCChiFan]

Wow

 

[Lefty]

Keep fighting the good fight, small group of high-schoolers in Cali's Bay Area. Yeah.

 

[BigP50]

I hope they don't apologize, they aren't Mexican, USA!

 

[Lefty]

Don't make the mistake of thinking this is an issue of stifled civic pride, this is a case of stifled First Amendment rights. This school, acting as a governing body employed by the state, has not the right to stifle or otherwise impede the rights granted to their students by the Constituion. It's a shame that schools get away with as much as they do, but this could be a start.

 

[BigP50]

The principal should be suspended.

 

[CubbieBlue]

Absolutely ridiculous. You can't even wear American colors in America on a Mexican holiday?

I guess it is just like you can't hate Obama if you're white because you would be a racist, and you can't be proud to be white because you would be a racist.

 

[Lefty]

Absolutely ridiculous. You can't even wear American colors in America on a Mexican holiday?

I guess it is just like you can't hate Obama if you're white because you would be a racist, and you can't be proud to be white because you would be a racist.

Again, I don't think this should be taken as an issue of civic pride versus perceived racism, etc. While the circumstances that brought on this case may be racial in nature, the real issue here is how far government entities are willing to suppress the rights granted by this nation's founding document to its citizens in order to serve some "larger" goal (political correctness, quelling racial upheaval, etc).

I mean, look at this situation however you want, and there certainly is a racial element to this, but the upholding of the rights of citizens granted by the Constitution, while a little more subtle, is definitely scary and telling of a depressing future to come.

 

[BigP50]

was the principal Mexican?

 

[CubbieBlue]

Again, I don't think this should be taken as an issue of civic pride versus perceived racism, etc. While the circumstances that brought on this case may be racial in nature, the real issue here is how far government entities are willing to suppress the rights granted by this nation's founding document to its citizens in order to serve some "larger" goal (political correctness, quelling racial upheaval, etc).

I mean, look at this situation however you want, and there certainly is a racial element to this, but the upholding of the rights of citizens granted by the Constitution, while a little more subtle, is definitely scary and telling of a depressing future to come.

You're 100 percent correct and I don't disagree with you. Just had to voice that for myself. The trying to be politically correct all the time thing just pisses me off.

 

[CBPtOSU]

They should get the ACLU to help them sue the school. I had a friend in HS, he wore buttons on his pack protesting the Iraq war when it first broke in 2003, the school was going to suspend him for "causing disruptions", he's like go ahead, everyone involved in this decision will be looking for work if you do that, I've already contacted the ACLU.