Posted on 04/17/2006 4:13:22 PM PDT by HEMICRASHBOX
MILTON-FREEWATER A candidate for the City Council has a court date this week on charges resulting from a tug of war over the Mexican flag.
Police said Greg Sterling confronted students in front of the city hall during a demonstration April 6, and officers had to pull him away from the students and flag to arrest him.
Sterling, 50, said the demonstrators provoked him and called the assault charge "made up."
"I didn't think I was doing anything illegal," he said. "I'm a proud American and I wasn't out to hurt anybody and I think I was taunted."
He's also charged with disorderly conduct. Both charges are misdemeanors. Police said the assault charge involved a female student who received minor injuries. He's to appear in court Thursday.
Milton-Freewater police Chief Mike Gallaher said two police officers watched Sterling exchange words with students who among about 60 on a sidewalk in front of City Hall.
Sterling pulled two or three of the students into the roadway, and six more followed, Gallaher said. He said officers had to stop traffic.
Sterling said he happened on the march. He said he asked the students not to display the flag, but they called him "gringo" and said, "This flag is going to be here some day."
Then students surround him, he said, and that led to "when I was tangled in the flag."
Milton-Freewater School Superintendent Marilyn McBride said the police handled the situation appropriately.
"Were very grateful we have our police department," she said.
McLoughlin High School Principal Ralph Brown said the students approached the school administration about their plans.
"I think our students handled themselves in a respectful manner," he said.
Brown also said students were aware they would have an unexcused absence and would have to face consequences of that.
Santos Garcia, a member of the Valley Cultural Awareness Committee, said the city had a history of racial intolerance, but over the years both Anglos and Hispanics have learned how to deal with those problems.
In the current wave of demonstrations, Garcia said, Hispanics are showing how American they are because the demonstrations have been largely free of violence.
"The Hispanic community is learning to protest the right way," he said.
"Up is dowm, and only left is ever right"
"I think our students handled themselves in a respectful manner," he said.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
I believe him.
I believe him too, and if these students were behaving like that, the principal is a jerk for his comments.
The correct course of action is to find the students and lock them up until they can be sent back home to Mexico.
The man who was attacked can bring a civil action against the school or other organization that organized or allowed the demonstration.
Wait until May 1st!!!
everywhere you can...
How about this one...
"Support us!! Celebrate May 1st!!"
--Insert picture of Stalin, Mao and Lenin here--
It is just like antiwar protests... They remain peaceful until Freepers or ProtestWarriors show up and present another side. The "Peaceful" hippies and commies then abandon their peaceful side and attack us and the cops.
His story sounds plausible, but he must have known he couldn't win that tug-o-war.
As for the principal (ralph is a very fitting name), yelling out "Gringo" and intimating that Mexico will again rule parts of U.S. territory, are fighting words if I've ever heard fighting words.
My tollerance for these protests is non-existant.
These students are High school students (unexcused absence) and don't have freedom of speech that includes hate speech. "Gringo" is derogatory, hateful and threatening, as used. Sterling should have seen this coming, and had witnesses accompany him and tape record the students.
He wouldn't have had to even get involved with contact with the flag. Cops would be forced to cite student and school officials would be unable to defend. Student expelled, possibly ward of court, school humbled. Threatening racist antiamericans exposed, Sterling elected.
I'm ready! Cleaned, oiled locked and loaded. Let's celebrate.... (/sarc)
Pinko de Mayo!
Exactly, the punks should have been arrested and sent back to where they belong and it's not this country, racist punks.
"Brown also said students were aware they would have an unexcused absence and would have to face consequences of that."
I work in Muddy Frogwater, and that's not what the students told the clerk at the Zip Trip two blocks from City Hall.
Somebody ought to check to see if unexcused absences were indeed handed out, as some students seem to have been under the impression they would receive extra credit for participating.
Isn't that interesting?
I like that. Pinko...snort!
Oregon along with California have long since succumbed to the tripe.
We have only one option:
Take it back!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.