Red White And Blue On Cinco de Mayo

[MrsSpringsteen]

Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

By George Kiriyama
NBCBayArea.com
updated 10:59 a.m. ET, Thurs., 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.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I'd like to know exactly how many times these same kids wore the same clothes. I guess the fact that it was yesterday was just a coinkydink. What are the odds that they knew just what kind of "statement" they were making and what kind of problems could happen as a result?

 

[BVS]

It sounds like the VP and Principal overreacted, big time. I don't see any evidence that the students took any issue with the clothing.

I grew up in a very Hispanic city where Cinco de Mayo was a huge day, but it was never framed in such a way that red, white, and blue would incite a fight.

 

[kramwest1]

It sounds like the VP and Principal overreacted, big time. I don't see any evidence that the students took any issue with the clothing.

I grew up in a very Hispanic city where Cinco de Mayo was a huge day, but it was never framed in such a way that red, white, and blue would incite a fight.

I see more American flags on the homes and vehicles of my Hispanic neighbors than most others.

It does sound like an overreaction, but I do understand the bandanna removal thing. Many schools don't allow headgear of any type.

 

[UberBeaver]

Everyone involved in that story is seemingly a moron. The boys were probably trying to get a rise, the admins over-reacted, and for the Mexican chick getting all bent out of shape over it - thus getting the reaction the dudes with the shirts probably wanted - nonsense.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Well at the very least the one on the far left and the far right should be charged with crimes of fashion-they look like 75 year old guys you see at 4th of July parades

Maybe the Arizona thing has heightened sensitivities.

Are the admins being racist?

Zombie � Students punished for wearing American flags on Cinco de Mayo

Let’s pause for a moment and peel back the layers. It seems that many of the Hispanic students at Live Oak High (and probably innumerable other high schools across the country) have been so inculcated with an “identity politics” curriculum that, under the rubric of instilling pride and self-esteem, they have been convinced that they are somehow distinct from and separate from the other American students; that “we” feel disrespected when forced to perceive an American flag.

The school administration then stirs in their own toxic contribution: An assumption (typical of the “soft racism” of leftist ideology) that Hispanic students will respond with violence when they feel disrespected (“the patriotic shirts could trigger fights” is the euphemism they used). Even worse, fearing violence from Hispanic students, the adminstrators solve the crisis by banishing the “offensive” items, rather than warning students that any violence will be severely punished. In other words, the racist administrators insultingly assumed that their Hispanic students would erupt in violence at the sight of an American flag, and the only way to prevent this is to cower at the presumptive violence and preemptively cave in to the mob’s demands that American flags be banned from campus.

Are the United States and Mexico at war? Is May 5 some kind of “Hate America Day”? What the hell is going on here? Aren’t the U.S. and Mexico allies? Aren’t we friendly neighbors? What is the source of the friction? Isn’t the United States a melting pot where people of every ethnic heritage all live together in harmony as Americans — rather than being a collection of self-segregated ethnic enclaves seething with mutual hostility?

Furthermore, remember that Cinco de Mayo is actually a minor holiday in Mexico itself, commemorating a little-known military victory; Mexican Independence Day is on September 16, not May 5. In what way does the existence of a jolly holiday in one country necessitate self-flagellation in other countries? Do the people of Mongolia hang their heads in shame and hide their national flags on Thanksgiving — simply because some Americans in the vicinity might feel insulted that Mongolians still loved their country on an American holiday? The very idea is ridiculous. Yet that is exactly the attitude enforced by the administrators at Live Oak High in Morgan Hill.

 

[Bono's shades]

Given the rabid, violent, xenophobic anti-immigration atmosphere in the country right now you would think the school administrators would be relieved the kids just wore the American flag stuff rather than, say, T-shirts promoting Cinco De Mayo as "Report an Illegal Immigrant Day" - or worse. Thanks school administrators for playing right into the hands of all the right-wing idiots out there who think liberals are out to deny them freedom of expression.

 

[trojanchick99]

Everyone involved in that story is seemingly a moron. The boys were probably trying to get a rise, the admins over-reacted, and for the Mexican chick getting all bent out of shape over it - thus getting the reaction the dudes with the shirts probably wanted - nonsense.

Agreed. Now, I get to deal with right wingers decrying it. Thanks dumb administrators.

What's funny is, like St Patrick's Day, it's a much bigger deal in the States than in the country of origin. The important holiday is Sept 16th.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

well the second kid from the right should be sent home simply for wearing a tapout shirt.