Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees Freedom of expression or cultural disrespect on Cinco de Mayo? By GEORGE KIRIYAMA Updated 6:13 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.
If you are a citizen of the USA you are an American. Not mexican, irish, italian, greek, african, chinese or polish. I`d like to see all the parents bring a lawsuit on the school for "psychological damages" and principal for being a pussy. Can you sue someone for being a pussy?
When California goes bankrupt and needs bailed out, we need to tell them they need to ask Calderon for the money. I'm so sick of this bullshit, CLOSE THE BORDER! Other countries burn our flag in protest, but we can't wear it on our own soil? There was a time when being patriotic was something good. Our nation is going down the toilet with this bleeding heart liberal pandering. And the Dems wonder why people are so fed up.
May, God. What have we come too? We have lost all common sense. Where is the ACLU? Ahh yes, busy defending some nonsense liberal kook somewhere.
I wonder if they would have an issue with this T-Shirt design? Made to go on a Black T-Shirt [Inverted] <a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/198ufq.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Wouldn't it be great if Americans actually cared about America, rather than just wearing a T-Shirt with an American flag on it? It's a bit like Christians or Jews (or any other religion) wearing a Cross/Crucifixion or Star of David on a chain around their neck while they are sinning like a monkey... Isn't it time we put acting in the best interests of America above all the false display of patriotism? After 9/11 there was this fake rallying around America, all this hypocritical waving of the flag and bullshit... The flag is just a symbol of America, it is not America...which is why as Americans we allow people to burn the flag...or wear it... So all this fuss over someone wearing a flag T-Shirt is so silly...and really, so un-American. Americans have become so shallow and vacuous...