ALBANY, Ore. (AP) – A pair of Albany teenagers suspended for “gang-related behavior” because they were wearing crucifixes say they were only wearing gifts from their mothers. Jaime Salazar, 14, his friend Marco Castro, 16, were suspended from South Albany High School recently after they refused to put away the crucifixes they were wearing around their necks. Salazar said Principal Chris Equinoa saw his necklace and told him to put it away. “I was like, why?” Salazar said. “He says it’s related to gangs.” Salazar said he argued and was sent to the office. Instead, he went home. Later, he received a note saying he had been suspended for five days for “defiance and gang-related behavior.”
Castro, a junior, was suspended for three days after refusing to take off a string of milky rosary beads, with a crucifix and a tiny picture of the Virgin Mary, that he was wearing around his neck. His mother gave it to him, he said. Equinoa said religious items are not banned. But, as principal, he reserves the right to ask a student to remove, or cover up, any item he feels could indicate gang affiliation even a crucifix. Bud Bunce, spokesman for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Portland, said his office has received no reports of gangs using crucifixes or rosaries to identify themselves.
It appears we have come full-circle.
But that doesn’t stop the Nasty Nudist gang….
#29 – So you say… But you say a lot of idiotic things.
Something is screwy in the EDU system. When I was 9 it was okay to carry a hunting knife to school and against the rules to talk back to a teacher (backed up by a paddle in the Principals office).
If use of the paddle was required you knew that by the time your father got home there’d be hell to pay. Classrooms were orderly. 90% of the school district staff were classroom teachers not bureaucrats. I think we need to tear it down and rebuild the system.
This is just heavily disguised racism against mexicans. Mexican youth wear crucifixes and scapulars to school as an expression of their Roman Catholic faith.
Since the USA is run by radical protestant jesus-heads they will do anything to stop Catholicism and Mexican immigration since they fear losing the protestant majority.
I’m wearing shorts. Hmmmmmmm
If a kid wears a blue & white rosary to MY school and is not MS-13 he’s bound to get jumped and have the crap beaten out of him behind the local McDonalds. At the least his name is going on a gang watchlist and could get sent to the local PD gang squad. Get real parents, and tell your kid to keep it in his pocket where it belongs — if he is not MS-13 he could get badly messed up, or worse, for posing.
Interesting…normally on this site, there are stories about what I like to call Vocal Idiot-style Christians making the rest of us look bad, and now we see Silent Witness-style Christians getting their choice taken away from them. I applaud Salazar for his justified disobedience. He didn’t get the explanation he required, so he left the situation without escalating it. That left only the principal’s error…
Banning of “Commonly Considered Gang Material” is a Fancy way to say”Degenerate Art”. It’s a way to label and also hinder Education. The Education and Secrets that lay behind symbols,crosses, scarves and flags go way back into war. Yet we are repeating history within our own schools and lives. Many children are beening judged threw this chaos. Many kids have made it to the supreme court and have won their cases. Check out this one in the 70’s,”Tinker Vs. Demois. Check the Art laws and also the wars that are being replayed threw our bibical history. Every country has spilled blood, and blamming just one country is stupid and propaganda. Just like these “new laws” that are rolling in our children! Stop the “No child left behind act”!!
I go to school with these 2 kids.
Jamie is a good friend of mine.
And I think that our principal needs to let loose a little bit, they’re just kids and they’re just wearing what they believe.
No gangs.
OK First of all I know James and i know for a fact that he isn’t in any gang. Just because he looks like a cholo doesn’t mean he is in a gang. Seriously i went to south for a while and EQ is an ass. He has been known to discriminate on the Latino and Latina’s. He used to say my shirts were to low when they were neck high. Both Marco and James had a right to wear that rosary. Their moms gave it to them. I do believe that he only said that to them because they are latino. Its wrong to judge a book by its cover. I know these to guys and they are pretty cool people.
I got mad Respect and Love for these to Guys for doing what they did.
Always,
A friend of James and Marco
I’m adult i will wear my rosary public and this represents mother mary.You may email me any time.Thanks,Gracie