Southern Idaho student arrested during flag protests
http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008...
By JESSIE BONNER
BOISE, Idaho - A student was arrested and security tightened at a southern Idaho high school in a week of racial tension that began when a teacher confiscated the Mexican flag of a student celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
Student protests and counterprotests, faculty sanctions, desecration of Mexican and American flags and threats of legal action have rocked Minico High School in Rupert, a town of 5,600 people near the Snake River.
As a precaution, security was increased Friday when about 40 students planned a protest over school administration treatment of two teachers at the center of the controversy.
During the demonstration, a male student was arrested after being accused of threatening violence on school grounds, Minidoka County sheriff's Deputy Vic Watson said.
"It was a verbalization that he made that upset other students," Watson said.
No other arrests or disturbances were reported before classes ended for the weekend, authorities said.
Emotions rose Monday when Clint Straatman, a physical education teacher, threw in the garbage a Mexican flag brought to school by Froylan Camelo, 16, to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, a celebration of Mexico's victory over the French army in 1862.
Straatman said he was trying to prevent any animosity between white and Hispanic students, who account for nearly 40 percent of enrollment in the Minidoka County Joint School District.
Contacted by the American Civil Liberties Union, Camelo said he was considering whether to sue the teacher. The next day, Hispanic students protested and drew a counterprotest from some of their non-Hispanic classmates.
Later in the week, Dan Luker, who teaches English as a second language, reportedly damaged an American flag in front of a school administrator. Some said he acted in retaliation to Straatman's behavior and a show of support for the schools Hispanic students.
"We have asked the whole matter be investigated," Prosecutor Nicole Cannon told The Associated Press on Friday. "They are somewhat connected."
Both teachers have been placed on administrative leave, but emotions among students remained high.
School officials would not comment on disciplinary measures, citing a policy barring discussion of personnel matters, adding that the investigation of Straatman was continuing.
Hispanic and non-Hispanic students also traded words throughout the week, freshman Nes Ramirez said, adding that he and others received a text message stating: "Go back to Mexico."
Ramirez, 15, helped organize the protest Friday morning, also using text messages and urging supporters to wear the red, green and white colors of the Mexican flag.
Some protests during the week drew a mix of students, but the message Friday was directed at the school district's response.
Ben Reed, a personality on local Spanish station KFTA-AM, urged students earlier in the week to silently protest by wearing colors of the Mexican flag.
"I believe it was an injustice," Reed said. "I would have hoped it would have been resolved a lot sooner."
A service of the Associated Press(AP) Now, What would make one think it wasn't? The legal United States citizens who are hispanic wouldn't even consider doing this. Their allegiance is to the flag of the United States, not the mexican flag. Only illegal aliens flaunt the mexican flag. You're damn right it is. I'd wager you that the majority of those Hispanics were illegal aliens, legal aliens, and Mexican anchor babies. None of those people have any allegiance to the USA. They view the USA as a place to work, and nothing more than that. I'd love to burn some of those foreign flags that the illegal alien protesters waved during their demonstrations.
Statement by President Teddy Roosevelt about Immigrants.
"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming
in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here! Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag 鈥?...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language....and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
President Theodore Roosevelt, 1919 |
