By George Kiriyama NBCBayArea.com
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 and the school do not see eye-to-eye on the incident and released the following statement:
The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions.
The boys will not be suspended and were allowed to return to school Thursday. We spotted one of them when he got to campus -- and, yes, he was sporting an American flag T-shirt.
What others are saying... ChicagoRay (Careful now, Ray is kind of blunt...but I would agree with him on this one! - Actually, I would like to make examples of the teacher and principal that were responsible for this. I would put them in a cage [like zoo animals] in the town square...for life!)
4 comments:
thanks..I'll tone it I was really mad when I heard that this morning and still am...
i just think they should be fired as a white man would be were it reversed and number two this holiday isn't even a real day in Mehico, it's a leftist made up day.
Why we acknowledge it is like acknowledging Quanza.
A PC joke.
Mexican Independence day, they're all dependant on us now.
If I were president, I'd cut this crap out overnight...a lot of people would be deported including the assistant principle that sent these kids home...What? but he's a U.S. citizen! He is? Not in my book!
I hear ya Norm, I'd back the boats and buses up right to the taco bells and everyone would agree to go with their ill gotten gains or they go to prison and lose it all.
They'd be leaving so fast the Big Oversized Mexican in TJ would spin off his foundation...lol I cant find a pic of him but it's big bandito I can't remember where down there.
Do you mean this statue:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V-DYLEPcx5M/RjAhCr-oueI/AAAAAAAAAwk/VQwFCLO1BEU/s400/Monterrey+La+Gorda+Statue.JPG
Meanwhile...Did you ever read my 'Crappy' story (LOL) here:
http://normanhooben.blogspot.com/2010/05/whats-next-tax-crap.html
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