National flags ignite firestorm at Atascadero Junior High School

May 7, 2011

By KAREN VELIE

A disturbance erupted in the Atascadero Junior High School cafeteria on Thursday when several Caucasian students began waving American flags at students who were waving Mexican flags in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, said Kim Spinks, Atascadero Unified School District’s director of human resources.

During lunchtime, four Hispanic students were proudly displaying one large and several small Mexican flags.

Several parents and students said the mother of a Caucasian student asked her son to pass out small American flags to classmates. The boy gave the flags to a handful of his friends who began waving them at the Hispanic students, said a student who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation.

Battling back, an Hispanic student told the Caucasian students to stop waving “those flags.”

Shouting across the cafeteria, one of the Caucasian students countered, “We can if we want, it is our country.”

Concerned the situation was getting out of control, Lori Thomas Hicks, the principal at Atascadero Junior High School, called Spinks to ask if she could commandeer the flags from the students. Spinks agreed that if the American and Mexican flags were causing a disruption they should be seized.

“Mrs. Thomas Hicks then took the flags away from the students, returning them at the end of the day,” Spinks added. “There were no suspensions, no riot and no police involvement.”

Even though their flags had been commandeered, the former flag wavers began screaming, cursing and advancing on one another, the student said. The end of lunch bell helped diffuse the situation.

However, a student who was not involved in the altercation said racial tensions are still running high at the school and another flag was taken from a student on Friday.

When initially asked about the incident, the person who answered the phone at the school said that the principal was gone for the day and “nothing occurred anyway.” However, district officials confirmed the racial disturbance that is reminiscent of the Gilroy incident that captured national attention last year.

Cinco de Mayo is the observance of Mexico’s victory over superior French forces in the battle of 1862 and is not a national holiday in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo celebrations were popularized in the United States as a symbol that Hispanic Americans can overcome this country’s white power structure.


Loading...
155 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

“The mother of a Caucasian student asked her son to pass out small American flags to classmates, who began waving American flags at students who were waving Mexican flags in celebration of Cinco de Mayo”


If it would have been a PG-13 by parents and teachers alike, then the students should be in harmony.

Good thing nothing happened, but the bitch that started or seeded this mischief caused racial competition/ condescension to stick in the minds of these kids. What of any future escalations or relationship consequences?


Right on Willie!


to set your mind as ease.. i am not like the others here who posted crap they did not know anything about… no where did i say you were a racist… but yes some of my comments were directed at * you * before you post something get your facts straight.. or don’t say anything… my motto if you don’t see it or hear it from the horses mouth… you then assume (ass-u-me) so please just get your facts straight, then come here and make your comments.. really is that so unfair to ask you or any other person here who posted ? and the white boy comment from me.. was directed at several here.. please re-read what i wrote… funny how we seem to only read what we want too read and then take from it…nothing close too the truth….


and to the commentator… were you there ? i know for fact you weren’t….

so even some of your comments.. are untrue… and your a writer.. ? get your facts straight…… as you have no clue.. as to why my daughter took my grandson those flags that day… but i do !!! and can assure you straight from the horses mouth.. my grandson… and may i add he is yes part mexican/white/native indian… but all this is not the issue… it’s his right to wave his countries flag… ANYWHERE in the USA he wants…. as he is an American… and proud of it… i think this horse is dead.. and we should ALL.. let it lie… we need too learn compassion for all… or as a people we are on a long lonely lost road….

and too typoqueen… sorry your not feeling well.. and do wish you get too feeling better… i may not agree with you, or like what you said.. but in my heart never would i wish you ill will…. :)


a must add….too willie you sound like a big man…haha… calling someone a bitch when you don’t even know what your talking about… some man your not… more like a sad excuse for one…and she did not ask her son too pass out anything… willie were you there ? did you see this ? if not.. why run your mouth ? just don’t understand people like you.. ???


You know what Cinco de Mayo means to me? That was the day I was most scared for my life in Viet Nam as rockets were landing all around me, our flight line suffered many casualties, and I had to keep a watchout for an expected ground attack in the wee hours of the morning. My point being, many have fought for this Nation to keep what we have and yet so many want to tear down what so many have given their lives for.


I can only assume you mean the white students attempting to stifle an alternative viewpoint, a decidedly un American action. We are supposed to be a compassionate and generous people that welcome the ‘poor huddled masses’ to our shores. So you must mean that the antagonistic white ‘stoonts’ should have exercised better sense. So Bravo for you. The article makes no mention of ‘illegal immigrants’ so Pasoparent is way off base. And even if these kids are on shaky ground legally (there is no reason to even bring that up at this point) it doesn’t matter. DOESN’T MATTER! We have a huge hispanic heritage here that is celebrated in many venues-here in SLO we had the La Fiesta Parade for many years (has our limp wristed kops and council killed that too yet?), Days of the the Dons in Santa Margarita and so on and so on. Probably our most favorite food is Mexican, many of our best artists are hispanic. The Mayor of LA (biggest city in the country?) is Hispanic. That darling of the far right, W, made a big point of speaking spanish to large crowds in order to garner votes.

So none of the generous comments here represent ‘catering’ to that sector of our society, but rather just recognizing their right to celebrate what they will, when they will.


I hate to break it to you buddy, but that war in Vietnam had nothing to do with keeping what we have here. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be honored for going when your country called, but that’s a whole lot different than the war being just and to protect freedom. I really thought that everyone had figured this out by now, I guess not.


I was in Viet Nam. There have been other wars however where our way of life was threatened. It seems there is a trend in this country to remove ourselves from the past and denigrate the sacrifice that was given by those that served and gave their lives. I realize that point is not really germane to this story, but I was relating what May 5.1968 meant to me.

The arrogance shown here by all of you screaming racism is sickening. Labeling and name calling is not the way to promote change.


So if someone is a racist we’re not supposed to tell them that they’re racist? No, those are your rules not mine.


My brother was an Airborne Ranger and shot three time in Vietnam while jumping out of a helicopter and his best friend died in his arms. He knew that our way of life wasn’t threatened and that we shouldn’t have been there. But I must admit that his way of life of threatened and his life was forever changed.


This is a very sad, sad chain of discussion. Ignorance and racism is unacceptable. End of story.


I concur. It is unfortunate how quickly people will trip over themselves to scream racism. Reminds me of “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I would never have put this under racism first. I think this is a Nationalism issue first and foremost. Who started the whole race thing anyway, and how did they even come to that assumption?


Says the man who cannot see his own racism.


Typical reply. Weak and lacking in substance, but a baseless attention-getter. Seriously, why is this topic even about racism? It was flag-waving.


Karen should have eliminated any racial references from the initial story, and just had “some kids waved this flag; others waved this one” type of thing.


In any event, I’m sure your prejudicial remarks will be awarded…


I think I’ve delivered enough substance in my comments on this article. And I doubt that remark will be rewarded, especially given the trend I’ve noticed in this comment thread. The remark is based on your comments trying to illustrate that somehow it’s “different” when Mexican celebrate their heritage than when Germans celebrate their heritage. If you can’t see the contradiction in that, then it certainly seems to me that you are simply not aware of the subconscious motives which would make you suggest that we have had more conflicts with Mexico than Germany. Generally, I find your comments to be fairly insightful, but not on this topic.


The issue was about racism because the students chose to make it about racism when they provoked the Mexican kids who were just celebrating Cinco de Mayo.


Happy Mother’s Day, now a message from our sponsors at the OSS from 1946, the message still resonates,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23X14HS4gLk&feature=related


Thank you Zaphod.. that is a great video. Unfortunately, the essential problem with racism is ignorance, so the people who should be watching that video likely can’t be bothered.


Folks, there is no difference between a group of people celebrating their heritage by waving the flag of their home country, and practicing a different religion than you.


Another “essential problem” with racism is there are too many people who want to find it, and often assume it. This is not to say racism does not exist and it is not to say that it is right, but sometimes if you get enough people looking for something, they often will find it. One way or another.


Racism will never go away as long as people feel good about it; either promoting it or attacking it. The only time I ever had to explain racism to my children is when they heard someone attacking it. Before then, it never existed in their world, and being minorities was unknown to them. So tell me how sad that is…


This would have been the perfect solution for the educators. Instead of taking away the flags, give the Mexican kids some American flags as well, and maybe give the American kids some Mexican flags seeing as how it was Cinco de Mayo. I think they seriously screwed up in the handling of the situation, by simply removing the need for thinking instead of teaching people how to get along.


Let’s conduct a little social experiment… We’ll send an American family down to Mexico (illegally, of course–maybe smuggle ’em through a tunnel) and enroll their kid in a Mexican public escuela. No need for proof of citizenship, just demand that the kid gets enrolled and be sure to sign up for the school’s free breakfast and lunch program, paid for by Mexican citizens.


Then slap a shirt on the kid with a big red, white and blue flag so he can go to the Mexican school and show his American pride. Next the kid should start a club on the Mexican school campus called “The Race” for other caucasion kids to join so they, too, can show American pride. Supply a pocket-size American flag to they kid can pull it out at lunchtime in the Mexican school. After all, he’s in Mexico but he’s really an American and he has the right to show his pride.


Oh, make sure the American kid speaks in broken Spanish while on campus and his folks don’t need to speak a lick of Spanish because they can demand their paperwork and school forms in English and get a translator if necessary.


Of course this social experiment wouldn’t last long. The Mexican school officials would NEVER allow some undocumented white American kid into their schools; their lawmakers are way smarter than ours.


So what. Are we supposed to hold the same standards as Mexico? I personally don’t want to copy how other countries/cultures conduct themselves (on some issues). I like that we at least try and hold high standards. Perhaps you want to be like Mexico but personally I don’t want to mimic how Mexico handles a great deal of issues in that country.


I find it hard to believe that a few of you have a hard time with a few kids celebrating their heritage ONCE a year just like other nationalities in this country do. Is it just the Hispanics or do you also get peeved when other people celebrate thier heritage as well? Lets see what happens if you come to the Portuguese festival here in Pismo and while they’re flying their flag you shove an American flag in thier faces. Why, what’s the point, just to antagonize and tell them that they are below us? Similar to what someone else said, why would you go up to someone celibrating St. Patrick’s day because they are Irish American and shove an American flag in their face and antagonize them.


‘yr in imerica now put away that thar dang forgin flag’.


At the St. Anthony’s parade they fly both flags in honor of where they are unlike the instigators of the Atascadero incident instigators. I really don’t recall Pasoparent5 mentioning that hispanics or otherwise were below us, and who exactly is “us”. Its really about respect for the country and the flag that flies over it and the ones who died to keep flying, apparently something you don’t understand.

Maybe you should take a vacation to Iran and whip out nice big Red, White and Blue when you step off the plane and see what it gets you. But you already condemned Mexico for the way it handles business and Iran must be the same way because were “better” and you’d be arrested or beaten before you made it out of the terminal.


That is an excellent point, undertow! Why didn’t the kids have one of each? One Mexican flag, one US flag? Why has it taken so long for someone to point that out?


That’s exactly what one culture should so that is within another culture. Honor both.


Well Typoqueen, the problem with your argument using the Portuguese (who are more Hispanic than Mexicans) is that Portuguese would not get upset if someone waved American flags during their festival. And why would Irish Americans feel antagonized if someone displayed an American flag around them. Most St. Patrick’s Day parades linclude Irish and U.S. flags. That’s the difference between Mexicans and other ethnic groups. Some Mexicans think they are special or deserving of different treatment. Stop being an apologist for them.


“Portuguese would not get upset if someone waved American flags during their festival.”


Regarding this article it was the way it was done. This mom gave the white kids the flags to cause trouble. What does it hurt for a few kids to fly the flag of thier heritage once a year? What harm does it cause? How were you effected injured? On the other hand by this mother basicly shoving the US flag in these kids faces she was antagonistic over something really pretty silly that has probably stirred some racial tension and could have caused a bad scene and possibly injury at this school.


I’m not apologizing for anyone. You are wrong, I have seen other people flying flags of their heritage without flying the US flag. It doesn’t mean they are against you or that they are trying to cause trouble and it certainly doesn’t mean that they expect special treatment.


So what if someone’s mother gave them the flags? Maybe the Mexican kids received their flags from a mother too. And you have no proof that the “white” mother did it to cause trouble. Every day should be appropriate for flying the American flag in AMERICA! If someone is “offended” too bad. How were you or these Mexican brats affected? You weren’t. Stop making a big deal out of nothing. The American flag is here to stay. Better get used to it if you wish to remain in America. You have too much time on your hands to be apologizing for these anti-American people. You say “I have seen other people flying flags of their heritage without flying the US flag.” Well, would they have gotten upset too if someone waved an American flag in front of them? They shouldn’t and neither should you or these brats at Atascadero JHS. Most ethnic festivals I’ve ever seen always include both the ethnic flag and the American flag, so I don’t think you’re looking very hard.


Oye okay okay, the brown kids were all brats a the white kids were all good. I get it.


Now go unwrap yourself from that flag.


In this case, the “brown” kids asked for it by rallying around the flag of a foreign nation, which to many is a hostile action. Nothing wrong with the “white” kids countering it. This is America after all. Why do you have such a problem with people flying the American flag in America? Would you be willing to defend Americans flying an American flag in Mexico with the same level of enthusiasm you show here with your overly defensive comments? I doubt it.


I don’t live in Mexico I live in the USA. These are 13 and 14 year old kids, they (white and brown) did nothing wrong. So lets say that a 14 year old girl is being called some nasty names lets say that another girl is telling everyone that she’s a ho at school, that’s not right, it’s bad. But instead of making it a learning moment lets say that the mother of that poor girl to go back and call the other girl a ho or tells her to beat up the that girl. Is that the correct way to deal with that situation. The girl didn’t do anything wrong. The mother is to blame just like the mother in this story is to blame. These brown kids may not have know that their action weren’t politically correct, they were simply celebrating their day. I can’t keep this up any longer, I spoken enough on this, either you get what I’m saying or you don’t. I have answered this questions so many times here that I’ve decided to just CCP the answer that I gave to the question regarding how this would be handled in Mexico on another post. It’s long, you can either read it or just except that you don’t want to see my angle on this and pass it up, I know that everyone else is sick of me repeating this.


From another post:….

How do you think a cop in Mexico would handle things if he stops you in Mexico. Do you thing that thier cops would handle things differently than our cops? I know they would. A cop in Mexico would take all your cash and perhaps your jewelry and if he likes you he’d tell you to go home after that, if not then you might get the crap beat out of you as well. Do you honestly think it’s fair to compare how they handle things as opposed to how we handle things, is that what you want to be? If Mexican cops beat their citizens should we? If one of our cops beat a Hispanic would you say ‘that’s okay that’s how they would handle this in Mexico’. Of course they handle things different than we do and I personally don’t want to deal with things as they do. It is my belief that this country should take the high road. This mother that basicly some of you are defending should be made an example of how not to react and the kids and the mother should be taught about tolerance. They are jr. high kids, they don’t even understand what they are doing but don’t encourage hate, make it a lesson and don’t teach them how we should handle things has Mexico would handle them. We don’t need to be teaching our kids that there isn’t any room for diversity


No one’s forcing you to reply my girl! And it’s you that doesn’t get it. There will always be people that see ethnic solidarity as a hostile thing, especially when rallying around the flag of a foreign nation. Many Mexican-Americans see themselves as Mexican first and American second, if at all. Your analogy of the girl being called a whore is a poor one, like comparing apples and oranges.


The person who gave the flags to the Mexican kids is the one who be made an example of, knowing full well it could be incendiary or better given the American flags to wave with the Mexican flags to show some respect for the country they enjoy so many freedoms in. Did you follow the similar story at Live Oak High School last year? Do a google search and read up on it. It was a very teachable moment for people like you. The idiot administrators at that school who told the boys to remove their patriotic clothing because it was “offending” the Mexican kids were eventually (and rightfully) forced to apologise to the boys and were later forced out of their jobs at the school.


.


Do you know this for a fact or are you just completely making it up? By the way La Raza means THE PEOPLE not THE RACE. Bottom line, you are just making a ton of assumptions for which you have NO evidence. And that’s really the problem here, ignorance. But even so, even IF all that were true, you don’t think Americans don’t step all over Mexico? Between our rowdy tourists and our drug consumption, we bring PLENTY of headaches to the Mexican people.


But, I’m just going to go with my own person newfound assumptions.. look at your name. PASOparent, yep just another backwoods redneck racist. You have no idea what kind of drain your people are on the system, not to mention being an international embarassment for the rest of us.


WRONG!


La Raza means “The Race” in it’s proper translation. It is only said to symbolize “The People” as it is used by the Racist Group that takes it’s name.


You are correct, I was wrong about La Raza. But I can admit when I’m mistaken… because I try to base my views on facts and not convenient B.S. I’m surprised you took the time to point out my mistake though, while letting everything else that paroparent said slide.


pasoparent5

In your senario, are you sending this American kid into a low class or high class Mexican neighborhood school?


Again, I really can’t believe how many people marked up this incredibly ignorant, presumptuous comment that has no basis in reality. I would rather replace every one of you dumbass rednecks with a hard working proud Mexican. Please, do us all a favor, STAY in NORTH COUNTY. cheers


Gee, why didn’t you choose North Korea or the Sudan?


Do you really think the USA should aim so low? Do you really think we should strive to serve kids in the same way Mexico currently does? Really?


Your “social experiment” is so lame-brained it would never happen — because the USA is better than that.


I think too many people are making too many assumptions here and it’s just spiraling out of control.


Of course, it’s the white kids who are guilty of everything we project on them, and assume they are thinking. The mother, and any other white person is even more guilty of more assumptions and thoughts.


I love the “we stole it from Mexico” bit, too. That always gets a chuckle, especially when followed with “read a book” – oh the irony, but I won’t go into a history lesson as I think everyone is already in their comfort zone.


Flag-waving is fine, for nationalism (nothing to do with race). Cinco de Mayo was originally pushed in this country to sell Mexican beer & tequila, along with other “party” foods and items. The actual holiday is barely that, but oh well.


Do not take kids waving their mexican flags as anything but that. I know it’s a pitiful irony that Mexicans will leave their s-hole of a country (corrupt, crime-ridden, unsanitary, etc) to come here and say “viva la mexico!” Sure. Whatever floats your boat. Flee the cesspool and then say how awesome it is. At what point does reality out-weigh cultural heritage and pride?


The German flag sample that mkaney mentions below is not apt: the Germans do not have a history of conflict and disagreement with the US, nor have they, as a people, established groups to take over certain regions of the country. So maybe they get a pass for that? I know it doesn’t fit your desire to find racism, but it might be closer to the truth.


You wrote ” Cinco de Mayo was originally pushed in this country to sell Mexican beer & tequila, along with other “party” foods and items. The actual holiday is barely that ” really ? It’s no different than St. Patrick’s Day or Danish Days in Solvang or Octoberfest or Easter or Christmas etc , but oh well .


You wrote ” Mexicans will leave their s-hole of a country (corrupt, crime-ridden, unsanitary, etc) to come here and say “viva la mexico!” ” How are they different from our FOUNDING FATHERS !!! , Irish , Jews , Asians , Italians , Eastern Europeans etc. who came for the same reasons ( persecution , freedom , poverty , escape death ….. something better for their children ) . This is America we are from everywhere , we love our heritage but we love our country more . that’s what makes us great , but oh well .


You wrote ” the Germans do not have a history of conflict and disagreement with the US ” Really …………. REALLY ? I really do think you need to read a book . Maybe start with something from World War II . In your case a book on tapes would be more your speed , but oh well .


Yes, I wrote that Cinco de Mayo was originally pushed in this country for beer sales (Corona); I did NOT suggest it was the only thing ever to be pushed to sell a “party” – that is putting words in my mouth. I am only stating a fact, you can state more – it only strengthens my position.


Yes, they leave their s-hole of a country and come here… and demand that we accommodate them and their culture. Our founding fathers LEFT their homelands to start something BETTER, not bring over England, Ireland, etc. here! Come on, now, did you even read my statement before commenting on that? The current crop of pro-Mexican “immigrants” are not here to flee oppression or over-taxation, but they are here to game the system and take what is given to them for free. I can hardly blame them. If Canada paid for everything for me, while giving me a MUCH higher wage, I’d sneak over that border in a heart-beat!


Finally, you must REALLY try hard not to understand any points made. Obviously there is a history with WWI and WWII. Obviously “history of conflict” was taken in it’s limited, literal definition. That’s fine, you can play semantics, but prior to and after the “global wars” there never was any claim by Germany that the US took our land (here in the continental US) from them. Do I really have to spell that one out? You can do better than this, I’m sure of it!


“The Germans do not have a history of conflict and disagreement with the U.S.” Yeah, NEVERMIND WORLD WAR I AND WORLD WAR II. My God some of things people are saying are so idiotic it’s just ridiculous.


BTW, there are areas of the country that were settled almost exclusively by Germans. Maybe some of you should read your own comments after a day or two and maybe you’ll experience some self-awareness.


You do understand that your pointing out the obvious, out of context of the argument, is not at all supported by or supportive of your second point?


WWI and WWII are not a “history of conflict” – they had a beginning and an end. Seriously, people, you cannot be that limited? Other than 1914-1918 and finalized in 1939-1945 outside of our soil (other than Pearl Harbor, but that was not the Germans – or do I have to spell that out, too?) If I am missing some historical grievance that Germans have with the U.S., let me know. But pointing to (at best/longest) a 34-year period during the 20th century hardly construes a long “history of conflict.”


BTW, I do understand that some Germans settled in the country. What does that have to do with anything, except enhancing my argument that said Germans did not, nor do not have a problem with the U.S., as some (few) of the Mexican “immigrants” have? I do read my comments – do you? Thank you for reinforcing my point.


So, we have ongoing conflicts with Mexico? That’s fascinating because I was not aware of that. I believe our last conflict with Mexico ended in 1848. That was a TWO year conflict. Unless there is some other war between Mexico and the U.S. that I am not aware of. If you’re talking about the drug war, that is not a conflict between Mexico and the U.S., that is a product of bad American domestic policy.


You say that German did not have a problem with the U.S. Have you considered that any problem Mexican immigrants might have with the U.S. stems from a defensiveness due to racism? Besides, what “problem” with the U.S. do Mexicans have? THIS is the part where you are racist. If a German waves a flag, that’s simply celebrating their heritage, if a Mexican waves a flag, suddenly they have a problem with the U.S.?


It’s really shocking blind you are to your own racism.


How have I reinforced your point?Y


@mkaney,,,right on! He/she won’t get it. Racist are almost always blind to their own racism and no matter how you try to show them what is so obvious to so many either they simply don’t want to see it or they’re not capable of seeing it.


…. “the Germans do not have a history of conflict and disagreement with the US, nor have they, as a people, established groups to take over certain regions of the country”


LOL,,ha ha ha whooo. Please, you made me spit my tea out of my nose (not a pretty site). Honestly that is just too funny. Yeah that’s the ticket, we never had any conflict or disagreements with Germany,,that is if you’re a skinhead or member of the KKK then you’ve never had a disagreement with them.


Just because their (Mexico) country is now a sh!thole doesn’t mean that they should abandon their heritage and it doesn’t mean that all the people that live there are bad people. You seem to be saying that all of the people of Mexican heritage are all sh!theads.


Why do I have the feeling that you and the rest of you that are uptight about these Hispanic kids flying their flag don’t have a problem with these rednecks flying thier confederate flags. I never hear one person on the right that has a problem with that. It’s okay if a flag (confederate flag) represents oppression, slavery and bigotry and that’s exactly what the mother was doing when she instigated these children to shove flags in the brown kids faces. She is advocating oppression and bigotry.


Those children who waved their Mexican flag so proudly were the instigators of this racist event. Their flags should have been immediately removed and given back to them after school. If they want to show their Mexican pride, by all means go do it…in Mexico. This is the United States and we deserve respect in our own borders. Don’t like it…leave.


Are you a native of California? If not, you leave. Maybe Alabama would be more to your liking. Personally, I take pride in California being a state of intelligent and enlightened people. If you want to wave your racist flag, by all means go do it.. in the deep south.


By the way, if those kids are American citizens, then they are showing their American pride by waving a Mexican flag. They are entitled to freedom of expression, and they deserve to have their opinion and their heritage respected.


I am not only proudly a native of California, I am also a native of Atascadero. I’ve been to Alabama, no thank you. My flag represents MY country, for which I hold an deep and abiding love. Showing American pride by waving a Mexican flag only makes sense if you are…well…you, Mkaney. Remember, I am also entitled to that same freedom of expression, which you so vehemently are trying to tell me is racist. In telling me I am racist, aren’t you being racist?


” In telling me I am racist, aren’t you being racist?”


No.


If I tell you that peanut butter is brown it doesn’t mean that I’m brown, it simply means that peanut butter is brown. If you demonstrate (which you do) that you are a racist then yeah you are a racist. It’s very simple to understand.


Your post makes no sense.


Shooting fish in a barrel.


A “native of Atascadero?” I think you might be on to something…


Wow, after reading all the post, I sense some problems among the ranks. My first question is are these legal Americans with their Mexican flag? One would assume yes since they are in our public school system although that’s not always the case. I, for one get sick and tired of Mexicans skipping across the border, having kids that are now citizens, and those kids disrespecting America. They can either shove the flags up their rear ends or go back to Mexico where they belong. This is America folks. I may be Swiss, Italian, Jewish, German, Chinese or whatever, but if I live in the U.S. I should honor the flag of my country. I look at those thugs as not supporting a non-Mexican holiday but just shoving the illegal problem into our face.


Thugs? These kids? Getting a little carried away are we? There is nothing in the article about your wild claims.


Let me tell you this, since you are so self righteous about your shitty little white heritage. I have known some ‘illegals’ (always Mexicans, no one ever calls white illegal immigrants ‘illegals’), and at least one white illegal. Those mexicans were better behaved and of greater value than a great many ‘americans’ I have known. The white illegal I used to know was busted at least twice for dui and other issues and never deported, or even charged with his second illegal entry into our glorious fartherland.


Yet another example off the great melting pot not working. When you have specific races /nationalits/ religons etc. that continue to say we want everything america has to offer but still want to celebrate ourselves as better/ different than the rest of you americans.


That is RIDICULOUS. My mother is German, and many of her friends here have German flags for celebrations. They have an informal “German club” where they get together and have parties with traditional food. You know what the only difference is? She is WHITE. So no one thinks twice about it, no one makes comments like this, if it was Oktoberfest and they had a German flag on a picnic table, NO ONE would confront them with an American flag. No one would talk about how Germans are taking over this country because there were large numbers of German immigrants.. in fact there is an ENORMOUS number, but again, they blend it because they are WHITE. This is RACISM against brown people, plain and simple!!!


I don’t think it’s only a matter what she is “white.” Many, many, many Mexicans are Caucasian with blue eyes, red hair, etc. Not all are of indio or mulatto heritage as some would like to suggest.


I think the problem is that the bigots are now being threatened because so many “Hispanics” live in the area and they feel it’s impacting their lives. They get agitated because it’s something they neither understand (just build a fence!) or can control so we see the outbursts like today…


Yeah but Crusader, do you think that Mexicans who are caucasion face the same racism here?


I think as soon as they opened their mouths (accents) and signed their last names, some of the bigots here would immediately view them differently.