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‘Racial Overtones’: HS Students Say They Were Suspended for Wearing Flag Bandanas and Chanting ‘USA! USA!’ at a Basketball Game

Feb. 14, 2013 9:59am Madeleine Morgenstern

California High School Students Say They Were Suspended for Flag Bandanas and USA Chant at Basketball Game

Image source: YouTube

Four California high school students claimed they were suspended for wearing patriotic bandanas and chanting “USA! USA!” during a school basketball game.

It happened last week at a game between rivals Camarillo High School and Rio Mesa High School in Ventura County, the Ventura County Star reported. The Rio Mesa students said a Camarillo associate principal warned spectators in the stands not to curse or make racial comments, then saw their bandanas and told them to either remove them or leave.

The four students went outside, then ran back in at halftime wearing the bandanas and leading a chant of “USA! USA!” according to the newspaper. That’s when they were escorted out and said they were handed five-day suspensions — punishments that were later lifted.

“We’ve done it always,” Austin Medeiros told the Star of wearing the bandanas. “It’s something we do. It’s the same group of friends. We always talk about it. We’re all very patriotic.”

Camarillo High principal Glenn Lipman disputed the students’ claim that they were suspended, but said they were asked to leave the campus. He told the Star that asking them to remove their bandanas was a precaution because of the diverse student bodies of both high schools. The schools each have large Hispanic populations.

Oxnard Union School District Superintendent Gabe Soumakian backed the principal, telling Fox News there were “racial overtones” to the “USA!” chant.

“There was symbolism there with the bandana and the chant,” Soumakian said, claiming it had “nothing to do with being patriotic or unpatriotic.”

“It has to do with the fact that they are making a chant regarding that we are from the USA and you’re not. Whether that’s the implied intent, that’s the way it comes across,” he said.

Soumakian also told Fox that chanting “USA!” does not comply with state athletic guidelines.

“They have to respect everyone,” he said. “When you go to a game – you cheer for your team and you don’t make any derogatory comments or make inappropriate comments toward the other team.”

Though the students’ punishments were lifted, Soumakian said the incident isn’t over.

“As a superintendent I think we need to pursue this further,” he said. “We need to work with teachers and students and the community about the concept of cultural proficiency.”

It’s not the first time a “USA! USA!” chant has been deemed inappropriate by school officials. Last year, Texas school officials filed a complaint after supporters of a rival team broke into the chant after clinching a regional championship.

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Comments (137)

South Philly Boy
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 8:12pm
Damn COMMUNIST

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eramthgin
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 8:00pm
Strip the administrators of their citizenship and deport them.

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ChiefGeorge
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:43pm
What is really racial overtones is when Atlanta refused an all TOO White Choir this past year. Or the recent story about only children of color were welcome in an after school tutoring program. Reverse racism is happening folks and it is real! The White boogey man has been beat into the minds of soooo many people and I look around and still have not found him or is all powerful organization that can stand up to the MSM, education and political system of our time. Don’t tell me its Chik filet!!!

I feel for white children today! After awhile they must become to undertand that they are the ones who are being single out for less than equal treatment, made to feel guilty and just plain kicked to the curb….but they’ll sit there and say all the rights things that the Left has programmed them to say regarding equality for all but some day when they grow a little older they’ll notice that none of it applies to them in the same way of protection from racial discrimination. The theme of traditional oppressed blacks and slavery is beat into our kids heads so that they do not even say a word when these things happen, they roll over and take it. This has been going on for far too long. Some black kid who is 12 right now is not oppressed nor was his father. Civil rights bill was signed in 63 folks!

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dontwannasaynow2011
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:28pm
Mr Superintendent

You are obviously one of the stupidest dumb f***s that I’ve ever heard of. Go live in obamas Amerika but get the **** out of our country! stupid, stupid, stupid.

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Cicatrix76
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:28pm
I have the same last name as you Austin Medeiros!!!

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blackfeather
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:16pm
just another element of communist overthrow by our elected morons.

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rbolt
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:48pm
Only in California. Land of fruits and nuts. When is the stupidity going to end?

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mewnani
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:14pm
Wow, you celebrate this country and you’re a racist now? Wonderful. Don’t you just LOOOVE our country? :P

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JONVIL
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:48pm
Those responsible for the censorship of Americans chanting ‘USA’ should be fired then deported for it’s obvious that they are not Americans.

And we wonder how the Obamanation got elected TWICE

We are so S_____D!!

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- mewnani
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:16pm
  We are not screwed, my dear friend. We are F****D.
  
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JONVIL
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:39pm
Sorry, the only comments that come immediately to mind are:
Expletives
Profanity
swear word
strongly impolite
offensive
spoken very LOUDLY and VIOLENTLY

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Harpoon1212
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:10pm
I cannot believe that there are California guideline saying that you cannot chant USA. Our US National Soccer team plays before 100,000 people in Mexico City and during our National Anthem, the crowd chants Osama. It is funny how there was no outrage that was reported on the Mexico incident yet some high school kids chanting USA is causing national conversations about sensitivity and diversity.

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mbean
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:02pm
This what the schools are using: “the concept of cultural proficiency” DEFINITION: The Cultural Proficiency Continuum identifies the range of values and behaviors of an individual and/or the policies and practices of an organization reflecting their response to diversity. http://culturalproficiency.wikispaces.com/Cultural+Proficiency+101

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BIGdave1
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 4:35pm
Exactly how is chanting “USA, USA” aderogatory or inappropriate comment? As I understand it, both HS teams are located in the state of California – which when I last checked are both in the United States. Therefore, (presumably) all the students are either U.S. citizens or legal residents. If any of those in attendenace were not legal residents or citizens, then it’s just too bad for them.

Regardless, even at the Olympics, the teams and the supporters chant for their country when playing against other countries – it’s called pride in your country.

Apparently the principal is not proud of the U.S. – maybe he should find someplace else to be proud of being from (at).

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- mbean
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:10pm
  So according to Cultural Proficiency, hispanics are no longer Americans according to this school? That would shock some of my hispanic friends.
  
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- ChiefGeorge
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:54pm
  Because the goal of the Left is to break down the motto of the USA which is E PLuribus Unum (from many one). Think about that real hard! We are a nation from many but we are ONE! One nation under God, with liberty and what? Justice for all!
  
  The goal is to break us down along racial, ethnic, religious and political lines thus we are not ONE but many divisive cracks in our society all NEEDING and crying out for our rights…who can placate that many groups? No one, but the politicians are making a job of it so that does not matter. The Left are the biggest race because their whole focus is about the color or diversity of your background and this needs to be celebrated….its all about what type of blood flows through your veins like it really matters anyways.
  
  The only people who are never even mentioned by the diversity crowd are the White Americans who built this country up and gave all these various peoples the oppurtunities they now enjoy. This cannot go on forever, because the recipe is now somehting completely different and untried in the history of the world.
  
  A wolf pack is successful because it is ONE and of the same breed, a pack of domestic and diverse breed of dogs would never survive on their own in the wild. We are becoming that very thing. No one is pulling for us all, we are all pulling in our own communities interests and thats not what I call strength through diversity which is the biggest lie ever foisted upon a people!
  
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The_Fifth_Column
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 4:01pm
Where was this? Somewhere in Soviet Russia! or Socialist Mexico! What exactly does waving the American Flag and chanting USA, have to do with racism?

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- ChiefGeorge
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 8:03pm
  Well if you understand the Left then you’ll note that they equate the Americanism to Nativism and thats White people for a White America. Thats what they’ve worried about! Thats an impossibility anyways, America can never be a majority White nation ever again and in fact Whites will be the minority to Latinos in a couple more decades. Then we’ll see who are the slaves and who are the masters.
  
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omgfolks
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 3:47pm
To think in America someone is sanctioned for chanting USA at a sporting event is about as stupid as they come.This young people expressing their patriotism in a world filled with drugs and more decay is refreshing and admirable. For the school officials to become upset or try to make something dirty out of it makes no sense at all. The officials should be fired and prevented from ever directing the minds of our young. They have displayed an utter lack of common sense in their attempt to sanction and show they cannot be trusted around our children. USA USA USA USA…

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RestoreOurAmerica
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 3:36pm
Apparently, silencing the kids is all about “equity” — here’s one of the books out there written about bringing Cultural Proficiency into the schools, churches, etc. You can learn a lot just by reading a few of the reviews, too: http://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Proficiency-Manual-School-Leaders/dp/141296363X

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pavepaws
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 3:23pm
“It has to do with the fact that they are making a chant regarding that we are from the USA and you’re not. Whether that’s the implied intent, that’s the way it comes across,” he said.” So Rio Mesa was playing a Mexican high school? Do the “large Hispanic populations” in both schools not know what country they are in? It is the USA. If you think you don’t belong, and that might be the case; then perhaps one should leave.

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Carrie3570
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 3:01pm
This is absurd.

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ltcwilly
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 3:00pm
Look at the picture of the students chanting. Yeah, there are a couple of Caucasian faces in there….doh!

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Bill Wallace
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:31pm
I agree, that although the punishment has been lifted, there needs to be some follow through.

Sue the school, sue the district, sue the superintendent. Violation of first amendment rights. Throw it in front of a federal jury. Make any settlement based on the school, school district, even the state of California, promising never to reject a change of “USA” again.

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ColoradoMaverick
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:30pm
These students should sue the school district and demand that the associate principal be fired for taking away their constitutional rights to free speech. The students have the right to wear the American Flag and chant whatever they want as long as it is not cursing or racial. USA is not a racial comment, it’s being proud of the country we happen to live in, that includes citizens of every race.

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AmericanItalian
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:18pm
American is not a race but a nationality.Therefore displaying the American flag with pride CAN NOT on ant level constitute Racism.

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redonred
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:16pm
USSA, how lucky illegals are. I can’t wait to get back to the USA in 2016!

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mkw22
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:16pm
o.k., so they were told to remove the bandanas because of the “diverse student bodies” and that the chant “USA USA” has racial overtones??? I’m really confused here. So, we live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…how is chanting USA offensive? If our country does not stop bowing to the illegal Mexicans, because let’s face it, that’s what we’re talking about, we are not going to be the USA anymore. I am SICK to all you know what of this crap. I work in a hospital, and half our patients don’t speak English, and we Americans are paying for their care. What the he** is wrong with these people at this school! There will be riots sometime. And Janet NapoloReno comes out the other day and says our borders have never been safer. I live in AZ, the Mexican Mafia is here in Phoenix, and surely in Tucson. They drug cartels have snipers in the desert on the American side, and we’re safe.
I don’t understand why they don’t get the problem! Actually, I do, no one in govt. comes to see the border, the damage these illegals do to property, the fear the American landowners fear, the horrific crimes/murders that go on that are not reported to the public. It is much worse than we know. Funny thing is, I go to the mall in Scottsdale, and they walk around like they own the place. I’M TIRED OF IT!!! Our govt. doesn’t get it. And chanting “USA USA” is deemed unpatriotic. Pathetic.

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- ChiefGeorge
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:59pm
  Look up the youtube video of a lone White male with a red/white/blue bandana around his head as he made a wrong turn and found him self walking through a crowd of angry Latinos in Tucson, AZ, they sapt on him,hurled insults at him as he bravely traversed through the group and took it like a real man, several latino nuns surrounded and shielded him and escorted him to the safety of law enforcement who then escorted him away from the court house with many of the mob still trailing….it was sick!
  
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:13pm
I am tired of illegal hispanics. The ones coming now are thugs and leeches. They are criminals because the broke our laws to come here. Most are real criminals and have records in Mexico. The come here and suck off of the state and the feds. THey commit heinous crimes and retreat back to Mexico. They expect you (us) to speak to them in Spanish. I know Spanish…but I refuse to use it unless I absolutely have to. This is America. This is Texas. We speak English. They send their kids to our schools and they wave Mexican flags and refuse to assimilate. THe nerve of this school to punish kids (hispanic and anglo) for saying “USA’. This situation needs to be resolved to our benefit by any means necessary.

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