Cinco de Mayo flag rally won’t disrupt school, organizers say

The planned American Flag rally for the 2014 Cinco de Mayo holiday in front of Live Oak High School will be peaceful and non-disruptive, according to President Georgine Scott-Codiga of the Gilroy-Morgan Hill Patriots.
“We’re not there to disrupt the school or disrupt the classes,” Scott-Codiga said.
Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Steve Betando and Morgan Hill Police Department Sgt. Carson Thomas said they are not concerned with the Patriots rallying in front of the school. Morgan Hill Police Department follows an operational plan each May 5 since 2010 that involves having more officers in the area as a precautionary measure.
“(Live Oak High School) is where it happened. That’s the place to do it. It is local, and we are a local group,” Scott-Codiga said when asked about the location of the rally. “We do want people to understand that we have a First Amendment right (to peacefully rally). I don’t think a lot of people understand that.”
In addition to the early-morning rally, organizers are planning a May 5 flag run beginning at House of Thunder Harley Davidson, 16175 Condit Road and ending at Live Oak High School, according to organizers.
Meanwhile, attorneys for the American Freedom Law Center continue their legal fight, filing a petition March 12 requesting a full court, en banc review of the Ninth Circuit’s ruling. If that does not go in their favor, they have vowed to take the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court.
After the Times’ original news report, the verbal sparring over First Amendment rights of LOHS students was debated in newspapers, talk shows and television news, including the front pages of foxnews.com, Drudge Report and MSNBC. Bay Area news stations set up camp in front of the LOHS campus.