Thread: Racial tensions swell at Castro Valley High

http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_3807306

Racial tensions swell at Castro Valley High
By Martin Ricard - STAFF WRITER
May 10, 2006

Hundreds of Castro Valley High students protested with flags in front of the school today in what was supposed to be a day of unity but instead escalated into a clash of cultures bubbling with pride.

The protests, which took place throughout the day, swelled into a rally cry at lunchtime when a group of mainly white and Latino students began carrying American and Mexican flags in response to last Friday's Cinco de Mayo celebration. The display Friday threatened to erupt into a fight when two white students began flaunting their American flags.

The conflict has left some students and school officials divided on how to reconcile their differences about the recent illegal immigration debate.

''The administration said we couldn't use our flags, and that's not right,'' said senior Justin Wright, who placed an American flag and a Bob Marley flag in each one of his truck's windows to represent both his white and black heritage. ''We're not trying to be racist, or say that everybody else is wrong. We just want to be able to rock our flag.''

Administrators said students could engage in displays, but only at designated times. No one was suspended, school officials said, but the day's events have become part of the school's growing pains as changing demographics are pushing students to rethink how they belong.

''Castro Valley is changing demographically and, as the school population changes, we're facing different challenges (in getting students to respect each other's background),'' said assistant principal Lisa Garcia. Today's protests evolved after students began posting messages on their MySpace.com Web pages, urging others to join them Monday in wearing their native flags at school.

flaunting their American flags???

Flaunting?????

W

''The administration said we couldn't use our flags, and that's not right,'' said senior Justin Wright, who placed an American flag and a Bob Marley flag in each one of his truck's windows to represent both his white and black heritage. ''We're not trying to be racist, or say that everybody else is wrong. We just want to be able to rock our flag.''

I had never heard of a "Bob Marley flag" -- it's a rock group! how can that be 'offensive' ??

it's a sad day in America when an American flag is 'offensive' to foreigners who are here illegally

I think this is what a Bob Marley flag looks like.

maybe they were offended by "freedom"

American kids are getting a brunt of this crap after the "walk outs" .

I saw this story tonight on the local news. They interviewed this latino girl probably about 15 or 16 years old. She said she was angry because the other students were waving "THEIR" flags . "THEIR FLAGS" being American flags.

She spoke perfect English and was probably born here and yet her allegiance is to Mexico, the third world dump she's probably never even been to.

It's hard to fathom people living here ,being given so many advantages of this country and having absolutely no loyalty to America whatsoever.

Originally Posted by diana717

It's hard to fathom people living here ,being given so many advantages of this country and having absolutely no loyalty to America whatsoever.

Alot of Mexicans here in south Florida seem to be intimidated by the American flag. For whatever reason, they don't like it.
A few months ago on a construction site where I work in Jupiter, Florida, we had a topping out party. A kind of celebration that is customary in construction when the shell of a large building has been completed. This building (St Anns Assisted Living Facility) is actually adjacent to the Chasewood developement that made the news a few weeks ago when the Mexicans replaced the American flag with the Mexican.
I (being the proud American that I am) brought a large American flag mounted on a ten foot length of rigid conduit (custom flagpole) and mounted it on the roof deck of the building. At the time there were about 12 mexican laborers working on the roof deck stripping some form work and a couple of black guys finishing concrete. It took about 15 minutes to mount my flagpole to the concrete roof deck and I noticed a few of the Mexicans had stopped work and were watching. One of the black guys says to me "Hey man, I think you're pissing off the Mexicans." I laughed and told him "Too damn bad."
Awhile later the English speaking Mexican foreman comes to me and points to the flag and says "What is that?" As if he didn't know. I explained to him that it is customary in America to sometimes raise a flag after a top out. He seems a little concerned and asks "How long will it be there"? I tell him "As long as I want it to be". He walks away.
The next day I noticed that someone had taken a razor knife and partially shredded the flag. So I drove over to home depot and bought a new one and raised it on my flagpole the following day along with a small (USMC emblem) flag underneath. I'm ex-USMC.
As I'm setting my flags the Mexican foreman becomes curious about it and asks what the small flag underneath the American flag means. I told him that it means "If I catch someone shredding these flags with a razor knife, I'm going to kick their a**." No one touched my flags after that and they were there for the next two months. Someone knicknamed the jobsite The Alimoe because of the tension created by the American flag.

As I'm setting my flags the Mexican foreman becomes curious about it and asks what the small flag underneath the American flag means. I told him that it means "If I catch someone shredding these flags with a razor knife, I'm going to kick their a**." No one touched my flags after that and they were there for the next two months.

LOL @ Wep (good for you)!

Bravo!!!!!!!!!

Marines saved my hind end twice.

Oooooo Rah!!!!!!!

Turn the Marine Corps loose and the invasion would end very very quickly.