Standing on both sides of East Main Avenue in front of Live Oak High School in the early morning of May 5, members of the Gilroy-Morgan Hill Patriots held 10-foot white poles with American flags attached in a peaceful protest, as promised by the group’s president Georgine Scott-Codiga.
“We were standing in support of our U.S. Constitutional right, especially the First Amendment, Freedom of Speech and the freedom to peacefully assemble,” Scott-Codiga said. “We feel very strongly that our U.S. flag should never be banned. Our flag should be flown 365 days here in America. That’s what the First Amendment is about. It’s about freedom and not censorship.”
Meanwhile, parents of LOHS students drove their children into the main parking lot off East Main Avenue and onto campus before dropping them off for the start of school.
The front of the school was completely barricaded off with a chain-link fence with a green curtain to prevent anyone from walking or looking onto campus. One section of the fence displayed a banner made by LOHS students with their hand prints in paint that read: “United at the Roots. We are all different branches of the same tree.”
“Why is there so much hoopla over all this, and why is there a fence erected for people standing in front of a school holding an American flag?” Scott-Codiga questioned.
The students’ display, the grownups’ silent demonstration and the extra security measures occurred four years to the day after four former LOHS students were sent home because they declined to turn their American flag themed T-shirts inside out on May 5, 2010.
The school’s staff asked the students to turn the garments inside out due to a fear of heightened tensions on campus, and the incident sparked a nationwide media outcry and a legal battle that continues. Parents of the students subsequently sued Morgan Hill Unified School District, and Monday’s peaceful protest was motivated by a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in March that sided with MHUSD.
On Monday morning May 5, traffic cones were set up as Morgan Hill Police officers directed parents where to drive into the school. Other motorcycle officers stood in the Guglielmo Winery parking lot, which was designated for media parking to accommodate several television news media vans onsite for the protests.
The few students who did walk to school did not make any comments to the awaiting media.
Daniel Ramirez, a 2012 Sobrato High School alumnus, and Saul Orona, a 2012 Live Oak High School graduate, stood with a group of about 30 spectators, not affiliated with any one group outside of LOHS. Both were attending Morgan Hill schools in 2010.
“I kind of felt like it was a situation that got blown out of proportion,” said Ramirez, who now is a student at Gavilan College.
Another spectator standing behind the Patriots, only offering his first name, Josh, said he drove to Morgan Hill from Monterey to be there.
“It’s about supporting our Constitution. We have to support all of our rights,” Josh said. “We can’t pick and choose which rights we support and which rights we don’t. They’re all fundamental to our freedom.”
There were no reports of violence, according to MHPD Captain Shane Palsgrove as he answered questions from media.
“Peacefully, like we promised,” Scott-Codiga said. “Last week there was tons and tons of violence reported … To me, it was just a lot of irrational fears, fear mongering on the part of the school district, fear mongering on the part of the other groups who didn’t want to hear our message that freedom isn’t free (and) we have to stand up for it.”
Palsgrove, who did not disclose any particulars of the police department’s strategy for the day, added, “They exercised their right to free speech. They were respectful. They didn’t disrupt school outside of being present outside of school, and this was very reflective of the Morgan Hill community.”
The City of Morgan Hill will end up spending about $25,000 in heightened public safety efforts related to the planned Cinco de Mayo events, according to Police Chief David Swing.
Most of the extra costs are due to “lost time productivity” for police staff to devise plans and backup plans, according to Swing. Other extra police costs for May 5 include officer overtime and supplies.
“When events like this occur we have to plan for multiple contingencies, and that is costly,” Swing said.
A number of other agencies also sent personnel and equipment to Morgan Hill to assist, including Gilroy Police Department, California Highway Patrol, CAL FIRE, Santa Clara County EMS, Rural Metro and the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, Swing said.
But as of the end of the morning protest, police reported no significant disturbances or hiccups. A tweet posted by MHPD immediately after the morning protest reported, “All quiet at Live Oak. That’s a good thing.”
MHUSD Superintendent Steve Betando said there were no surprises on campus or just outside where the demonstration occurred.
“It went as expected,” said Morgan Hill Unified Superintendent Steve Betando. “We had plans in place for every contingency, and people behaved. We’re very appreciative of that.”
There are two other public demonstrations planned for Cinco de Mayo. The next one is a May 5 Flag Run whose organizers have not been made public. Later today at 5 p.m. the We The People supporters, a group of mostly Hispanic adults some with children who attend LOHS, will be holding a Peace, Unity and Respect rally at Community Park behind the Centennial Recreation Center.
“We have an operational plan that we’re going to keep close to heart, so that way we don’t have any interferences later today,” said Palsgrove, anticipating the afternoon flag run protest. “We have law enforcement that will be monitoring that. We will contact that organization and make sure that we understand their intentions and provide them a safe route in doing so.”
