The following was on the UPI wire back in November. Krazy Biker Katz was not yet a reality but a gleam in my eye at that time. Although it’s “old news”, I feel strongly that the message here is very important:
DENAIR, Calif., Nov. 11 (UPI) — Officials in a California school district said a middle school student was told to take a U.S. flag off his bike to avoid “racial tension.”
Denair Unified School District Superintendent Edward Parraz said Cody Alicea, 13, was told not to fly the U.S. flag from his bike while at Denair Middle School after complaints from other students, KCRA-TV, Sacramento, Calif., reported.
“(The) First Amendment is important,” Parraz said. “We want the kids to respect it, understand it, and with that comes a responsibility.”
Parraz said racial tensions boiled over at the school this year around the Cinco de Mayo holiday.
“Our Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they’ll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don’t really want,” Parraz said. “We want them to appreciate the cultures.”
Alicea’s parents said he flies the flag from his bike as a tribute to veterans in his family.
“He’s got that flag on his bike because he’s proud of where he comes from,” Alicea’s father, Robert Kisner, said.
Alicea folds up the flag and keeps it in his backpack while attend class, the TV station said.
The American Legion Riders in the area heard about this and escorted young Cody to school with a full congregation of American flags and Harleys. Krazy Biker Katz applauds the American Legion Riders for their dedication and heartfelt patriotism.
I responded to the Denair Unified School District with the following letter:
Dear School Board,
As an American and a biker I am appalled at the decision that Cody Alicea was banned from flying the American flag on his bike. I know because of the pressure, this decision has been reversed. But whoever made the decision in the first place should be terminated. What the heck were they thinking? How is flying the flag on his bike a “safety concern”? Ridiculous!
Kudos to Cody for standing up against you stupid people.
Johnny Martin
KrazyBikerKatz.com
Englewood, Fl.
I received the following letter from Louisa Allen, a board member of the Denair Unified School District. Here it is in its entirety:
This matter has been resolved quite awhile ago. You’d be happy to know that Cody has made two trips to Washington D.C. And another planned with his 8th grade class.
The flag issue was blown out of preportion by the media, but I know the public blames the school board.
He is still flying his flag.
As you can see, the letter was not addressed to anyone in particular, and actually was not addressed at all. It was not even signed! (Remember, this is improper letter etiquette was from someone responsible for educating our youth). But the email was sent from Ms. Allen.
In turn, I replied with this follow-up email:
Ms. Allen,
Thanks for your response. I mean no disrespect to you or the board and I realize the media has a tendency to exaggerate things and all, but apparently someone did tell young Cody not to fly his flag. Whether it was the school board or a teacher or principal or what, this was a very bad decision on somebody’s part.
I know out there in California you all have a reputation for being very liberal and that’s all fine and dandy. But when it comes to things like God and Country, you need to know that real Americans will not take it lying down. I hope you express this to your teachers and administrators in your schools. If you don’t want any more bad publicity, tread lightly or don’t tread at all when it comes to sensitive subjects like this.
And with all due respect, allow me to correct another stupid error made, this time in your letter:
It’s not Cody’s flag. It’s OUR flag. If you consider yourself an American, it’s YOUR flag as well.
You should be as proud as the rest of us to see that flag fly. If not, then you have no business being on the school board that is responsible for educating young Americans like Cody.
God bless Cody, God bless the American Legion Riders, God bless you & God bless America.
Johnny Martin
KrazyBikerKatz.com
Englewood, Fl.
Let me know what you think.
Johnny
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