From Trussville Tribune staff reports
PELL CITY — Recent controversies over sitting down during the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem having been stoking tensions among people throughout the United States. This time a similar controversy has been raised at Pell City High School where a student sitting down for the pledge has led to an incident of a flag burning by a student and a racial threat left from an anonymous poster online.
Photo from Wikipedia.
According to Carol Robinson, a black female student at PCHS sat down during a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Later, a debate occurred between her and a white student that eventually resulted in the white student being suspended after directing profanity at her.
Students at the school who supported the student who was suspended then began attending with American flags on vehicles. A black student posted a picture of himself burning the American flag on social media. According to the report, he did not do it on school grounds.
It was afterwards that a racial threat was posted online by an anonymous person. The threat has been circulating on Snapchat and Instagram.
The post read: “Attention: All (expletive) in pellcity we are warning you tomorrow is not a good day to come we are hanging everyone that comes our way tomorrow after school so I advice all of you to stay away from us or leave pellcity we can’t deal with you’re (expletive).”
Police from Pell City are investigating the threat. The recent tensions have raised by parents, leading Pell City Police to post additional officers on school grounds as a precaution.
40 Comments
Kathy Sills
Same ol same ol
Donna Wa Ma
If it was posted on social media, I believe they will find out where it came from.
Rachel Alvis
Wow, where’s the love people! Too much hate!!
Marie Stewart Stewart
Lara Duke Morris, be careful!
Wendy Keith Bayer
Judging by his/her post, they definitely shouldn’t be looking in English class.
Lisa Harvey
Kim Maharrey Brasher
Sharon Lynn
Adults started this unrest and now we have teenagers (all involved) mimicking this crap. Parents, please talk you your children about the appropriate manner to react/respond in these situations. God Bess us. We need Your blessings so badly. So many of our children are falling apart. Bless and guide parents to set the right example that hate is not the answer.
Shelby Wright Turner
The sad truth is, not even one of the students involved, probably ever cared about any police brutality, or pledging their alligance to the flag until the potus blew up Twitter the week before last over protest during the National anthem. If it was the Pledge to the flag, several religions, like the Jehovah’s witnesses, do not allow alligance to anyone or anything. How about take the kids phones away, ground them from social media and hand them a book.To Kill a Mockingbird is a great read! Congrats on Making America Great Again folks!
Richard Norton
“Love one another”. People are not born being racist. Someone teaches them. There is a better way.
Gene Startley
Same story, now just look who’s being unamerican.
Bob Hood
They should have suspended the student that sat during the pledge.
Dan Cox
Yes they should
Thomas D Robinson Sr.
And now Shelby Wright Turner is blaming it on Trump. How Liberal Snowflake
Karlee Nunnally
Shay Frazier
Gwen Lackey
The flag never done nothing to any one why be a soil face
Stacey Cancel Randall
Agree or not, these people have a constitutional RIGHT to sit, kneel, dance or sleep during the pledge or National Anthem. You don’t have to like or agree with their choices, but just like everyone else, they are entitled to their freedom of speech (and use of poor grammar!)
Wendy Keith Bayer
Except when they threaten to hang people. Hate speech/threats isn’t protected. It’s a crime.
Stacey Cancel Randall
Wendy Keith Bayer – I was only referring to the persons original sitting during the pledge. Not the events afterwards. Should have made that clear.
Brian Wells
Wow I thought this was 2017.
Melissa Madison Bjornson
Samantha Humber
Donna Jones Vickers
Agree. However some of us were brought up that way and made up our minds for ourselves. Hate is a terrible thing.
Debbie E Wright Smith
People – MONITOR your child’s social media. If they are minors, and in this case they are because they’re still in high school, it is not only your right but your duty to monitor your child’s social media!!!! Kids have no privacy until they are adults. Take their phones and tablets away. Stop giving them a way to post this stuff.
Theresa Jordan
Stacy don’t take it back now you already said it
Dannial Budhwani
That’s illegal because of the first amendment.
Melissa Thompson
No they shouldn’t. You can’t take someone’s Constitutional rights away just because you don’t agree.
Dave Williams
I would guess so!
Bob Hood
Dannial Budhwani how so ? The cussing student was exercising his rights. When you are a student or employee you give up some of your rights as a condition of employment.
When was the last time you saw an UPS driver with long hair ? Never. You may be educated but not yet wise.
Bob Hood
Melissa Thompson my above reply addresses your statement also.
Mike Smith
No they shouldn’t have. This is why: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/319us624
Bryan Swift
The sad part is the teacher in the classroom, will likely, be used as a scapegoat by the powers that be. They always look for someone to blame and teachers are an easy target.
Melissa Thompson
Bob Hood I have yet to see a public school handbook that requires all students to stand for the pledge, so there are no grounds, however shaky, for suspending that child. Your response is a purely emotional one.
Shelby Wright Turner
Actually no, I was not blaming Trump. I am blaming social media in which yes, Trump uses to spread hate. But ok.
Becki Barnett
Shelby Wright Turner, you are using it too and you are hating on our POTUS.
Becki Barnett
When did the American flag become a symbol of racism? I guess we have to change that now too. ❤️
Bob Hood
Melissa Thompson now that I have had more time , I stand by my comments. Just because you don’t agree does not mean I am wrong.
Larry Coleman Brand
I’m with you Bob. Additionally I do not believe that a kid would do this out of grievance but rather to get attention and she got more than expected .
Tell me who caused this disruption ?
Kathy Mims Clements
I actually saw a blue flag today…so I guess it is changing
David Garrard
Our potus is a disgrace
David Garrard
Don’t take what back? She’s saying that it’s a person’s right to protest
Sharon Thieken Drewry
Student sits during pledge to raise awareness that racism exists. Classmates gets suspended to pounding her with racist slurs and another wants to hang all of them. Maybe it’s time to stop talking about a simple flag and start a conversation about how we treat each other.