http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=6976 Emotions, tensions flare up at Skyline Suspensions, no-flag rule cited as reasons for protest By Douglas Crowl The Daily Times-Call LONGMONT — With ethnic tensions already running high from local students’ participation in pro-immigration rallies this week, about 60 Skyline High School students staged a protest Friday over what they call an unfair crackdown on patriotism and constitutional rights. Skyline High School officials have banned all students from brandishing national flags, including the Stars and Stripes, at the school following student walkouts at Skyline and two other St. Vrain Valley high schools this week. On Monday, nearly 200 students from Skyline, Longmont and Niwot high schools demonstrated at Sixth Avenue and Main Street in Longmont to protest immigration reforms being debated in Congress. On Wednesday, an estimated 200 students left Niwot High for a rally to protest the proposed legislation in the U.S. House. House Resolution 4437 would crack down on the hiring of illegal immigrants and increase penalties for people who smuggle them into the United States. Backlash from the demonstrations spilled over at Skyline later in the week, where at least two students were suspended following incidents involving racial epithets and flag waving. As students gathered across the street from the school Friday, the last day of classes before spring break, Skyline principal Tom Stumpf acknowledged ethnic tensions have been elevated at the school as a result of the original protest. He said he created the no-flag rule to ensure students’ safety in response to some students’ “inappropriately” using American and Mexican flags to patronize and intimidate other students. School officials and Longmont police officers stopped students on Friday from bringing flags onto school property. Some students also said their free-speech rights were violated when they were prohibited from wearing T-shirts with flags on them or from displaying flags on their cars. School officials also removed a Mexican flag that had been hanging in a prominent area at the school. “Brandishing a flag at other ethnic groups, we are just not going to allow that,” Stumpf said. “The abuse of the flag is misguided patriotism. We won’t allow it to be a symbol of bigotry.” He said some students were suspended this week in connection with the new rules, but he declined to comment on how many or exactly why they were suspended. However, St. Vrain superintendent Randy Zila said: “The issue at Skyline is not about the flag. It is about some students really harassing some other students, and they were suspended for that harassment.” In reaction to the flag policy, Skyline students lined the south side of Mountain View Avenue across from the school beginning at 10:30 a.m., after a text message announcing the protest made its way from cell phone to cell phone. Some held handwritten signs, and many waved American flags. A few carried Mexican flags. One Skyline sophomore, whom the Daily Times-Call is not naming because of the inflammatory nature of his comments and because he is a minor, said he was suspended for two days for brandishing the American flag. The teen also admitted saying “some things” to Hispanic students in the process. “I just would like to see those bastards go home,” he said Friday of illegal immigrants. He then clarified who “those bastards” are by calling them “spics.” Though some students said the suspensions fueled Friday’s protest, many distanced themselves from his views, saying they were extremist. They said students should be able to display a national flag without being labeled bigots. “I am out here because it’s an infringement of our rights to take away both races’ flags,” 17-year-old Cassie Haley said. She said some students have family fighting in Iraq, while others have family living in Mexico, and it’s appropriate to honor both groups with a national symbol. But she said other protesting students have another agenda: stirring up racial tensions at the school. “I’ve heard people say some things that they normally wouldn’t ... racial comments from both sides,” she said. Marie Gonzales said she’s also heard some negative comments recently at school. “It’s kind of racist,” she said of the protest, adding that she doesn’t like the atmosphere at Skyline right now. The protesting students were well-behaved, and most went back to class after lunch, school officials said. School counselors denied a Daily Times-Call request to comment about tensions at the school. Josh Nelson, 17, said he attended the rally because police officers made him remove an American flag that was draped over the hood of his truck Friday. He said they also searched his vehicle, which was on school grounds. “I couldn’t even have the flag on my dashboard,” Nelson said. Justin Marshall, 17, said he was wearing a red, white and blue T-shirt featuring a picture of a Ford Mustang with an American flag behind it. “They told me I was being agitative by wearing it,” he said. Marshall said he is not a racist for supporting his country. At lunchtime, a group of Hispanic students joined the protest, which until then was attended mainly by Anglo students. “We are over here because they were holding up signs saying that they wanted unity,” said Robert Maes, 16, who participated in a pro-immigration rally Monday. “We are all equal, in a way,” he said. Longmont police school resource officer Craig Mansanares said Skyline faculty were tipped off a day in advance of a possible counterprotest Friday to the pro-immigrant rallies earlier in week. But with Hispanic participants and Mexican flags mingled in with the U.S. flag, he said, it wasn’t a counterprotest. Longmont police said Friday that several officers and supervisors were sent to the rally as a precaution, but no arrests were made. “It’s a balance. We want to make sure people’s First Amendment rights are being protected and that the public peace, safety and order are maintained,” Detective Sgt. Jim Sawinska said. Times-Call staff writers Ben Ready, Amanda Arthur and Paula Aven-Gladych contributed to this story. Douglas Crowl can be reached at 303-684-5253, or by e-mail at dcrowl@times-call.com.
If they are being used just to antagonize people then so be it. There are more important things than flags.
I'm confused. This is a Gwayneco thread, right? Where's the correlation to Islam and those big bad brown Muslims here?
Because in this specific instance, the flag is being used to harass and divide. I am certain that they still have the flag flying from the flagpole in front of the school, but if students are using it to harass others, then it should not be displayed in other than the appropriate spot (the flagpole). If these students want to see the stars and stripes so badly, let them proudly admire it as it waves outside the school.
that's funny, I was watching a george carlin routine from around 1990, and he was talking about how the U.S. only bombs nations with brown people. either latin america, greneda, or the middle east.
I think that no flag should be banned. Not the soviet flag, not the North Korean Flag, not the U.S. flag, not the Mexican flag, etc. Part of freedom of speech should include having any flag people want.
Well, for nearly eight centuries, moder-day Spain was part of the Muslim empire, it was settled and ruled by Muslims. Later on in the 15th century, the Spanish 'discovered' North / South America and settled here, therefore a lot of Hispanics have 'Arab/Muslim' blood in them. There's your connection
I'm sure if they had banned "Bush Sucks" shirts, you'd see a lot more of a response in this forum. After all, free speech is important in certain situations. But alas, it's just the American Flag that's not allowed, so all is well here. Go watch Fox News if you have a problem with it.
