Student arrested for stealing 'Make America Great Again' hat, slapping teacher

[left-of-center2012]

A California teen is facing battery charges after a classroom confrontation over a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” campaign hat. The sheriff’s office told KCRA one Union Mine High School student berated another student for wearing the hat with the president’s campaign slogan, grabbed it and threw it on the ground. “That’s a racist and hateful symbol,” the teen, identified as 17-year-old senior Jo-Ann Butler, said in cellphone footage of the incident.

A teacher asked Butler to leave the classroom, but the teen returned and removed the other student's hat for a second time. When a teacher tried to get between them, deputies said Butler slapped the teacher’s arm. She was taken to the El Dorado County Juvenile Hall and has been suspended from school for a week.

Her father said he does not approve of the way she behaved in class. “I don’t agree with grabbing someone’s hat and verbally talking to them in that way,” Chris Butler said. “But as far as the issue being brought up, maybe this is something that needs to be brought up.”

Brooke Peterson said her boyfriend was the one wearing the hat. "If you truly believe in something you have every right to express it in every way if you’re really passionate about it," Peterson said. Other students felt that school was not the place to flaunt political ideology. "I have my own views but I don’t tell people because of the problems it causes these days," said student Taylor Pearson.

https://tinyurl.com/y99v9n4m

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

1. Don't put your hands on other people

Or their damn property.

[john657]

2. Regardless of what she may think of that hat,

it is illegal to take others property and assault another person.
She should have just voiced her opinion and left it at that, instead, now she faces criminal charges and a suspension from school.

[Hav]

4. I agree

but I have problems to accept that slapping away the arm of someone who got near you to separate you from someone else is assault with legal implications. It clearly shouldn't be done but the charges of assault seem too much.

[jberryhill]

11. You don't touch other people without their consent

It is that simple. If someone is "too near to you", then move away or else stay where you are. But you don't touch other people without their consent. Period.

[LanternWaste]

25. Who is arguing otherwise?

"it is illegal to take others property and assault another person..."

[john657]

34. Did I say I was arguing with someone else?

I was expressing an opinion in response to the OP, but you seem to have taken it as if I were arguing with someone else.

[bullwinkle428]

3. The young lady needs to learn the difference between violent and non-violent

protest. Having said that, I can't come down on her too hard - all of us did some pretty knuckle-headed shit when we were that age, whether we want to admit or not.

[WillowTree]

5. The arrest was appropriate. She's old enough to know she needds to keep her hands to herself.

And I applaud her father for being real with her. Too many parents feel it's necessary to defend their kids' bad behavior.

[BSdetect]

6. Perhaps she thought that those drumph rallies made it OK to do that?

Remember the braggart threatening protesters and press people?

What an example he set.

No excuse but if I was her lawyer I'd try to use that somehow.

[jberryhill]

7. Why are they allowing students to wear hats indoors?

Is that normal?

Or have MAGA hats reached the level of religious headgear like yarmulkes, scarves and colanders?

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

8. Deep south here

I don't think I've ever not seen at least 5 or 6 young men wearing hats in the hallways.

[jberryhill]

10. Seriously?

Is this relatively new, or were they always allowed to wear hats indoors?

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

12. When I was in high school rule was

Not in class but okay in building.

Quick text to my daughter confirmed one in class now backward baseball cap on.

[WillowTree]

24. Kids are allowed to wear lots and lots of things to school now that we couldn't.

[jberryhill]

26. Yeah, but they can't smoke, lol

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. Things certainly have changed.

When I was in high school we girls couldn't even wear pants of any kind to school (let alone jeans) unless it was very cold; then you could wear them under your skirt or dress to go to and from school but you had to take them off and store them in your locker before you went to class. No sneakers or boots in class; no bare legs (you had to wear nylons); and skirts couldn't be above the knee. Tight tops, skin or bra straps showing were completely unheard-of (you'd die of shame if your bra strap showed). Boys couldn't wear jeans or t-shirts or any kind of cap or hat.

And, by the way, get off my lawn.

[WillowTree]

29. We couldn't wear sandals or culottes.

And they actually did make girls kneel to see if the hem of our skirts would touch the floor.

I, for one, am glad that they've loosened up from those days, but I'm afraid that they may have over-corrected, as often happens.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. Oh, right; those too.

Culottes were ugly and made one look fat, so I never had a pair anyhow. But they were forbidden because they were pants-like (with a crotch! Girls weren't allowed to have crotches).

[Tipperary]

47. Kids can text in class? Good lord.

So glad I am not teaching anymore.

[Blue_true]

35. In the south, people wear caps indoors often.

I don't wear caps at all because they mess up my hair, but I have never considered wearing them inside to be inappropriate. Generally people take them off for solemn moments.

[Runningdawg]

32. The only logos/slogans appropriate

For schoolware should be the schools logo/mascot. Short of uniforms its the only way to prevent this crap.

[jberryhill]

33. That gets into First Amendment issues

[Runningdawg]

36. I am a retired nurse

At every single hospital I have ever worked for, the rule was no logos or slogans. I could wear a t-shirt with the hospital logo, but not one advertising the Red Cross, even designer logos were banned. All this to walk from you car to your locker to change into scrubs. You would think it if it were a violation of the 1st, someone, somewhere would have challenged it. They haven't.
IMO it would only violate the first if one person or group of people were allowed to wear logos/slogans and another group were not.

[jberryhill]

37. Conditions of employment have nothing to do with students in schools

[Runningdawg]

41. Schools and jobs both have dress codes

If a kid can wear a MAGA hat to school, I should be able to wear a pro choice t-shirt to my job in a catholic hospital.

[jberryhill]

42. That's not how the First Amendment works

A private employer is not the government. A public school is:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiles_v._Marineau

[Runningdawg]

43. So please explain how

Schools with dress codes have not been sued out of exsistance.

[jberryhill]

44. Simple

First off, private schools can do whatever they want.

Secondly, public schools without dress codes cannot police the expressive content on them. For example, one can have a rule that says “No hats except for religious headgear.” But if one is allowing hats, then you can’t selectively ban hats based on what words might be printed on them.

Your idea here - selectively banning hats with politically expressive content at a public school which apparently does not ban hats - is right out.

[Runningdawg]

45. I don't know where you live

must be someplace extremely progressive because here PUBLIC schools can and do enforce dress codes. And the argument you are making is exactly why they do it and why they should continue to do it.

[jberryhill]

46. I live in the United States, as do you

"because here PUBLIC schools can and do enforce dress codes"

Where I live, they also teach reading.

This is what I wrote:

"Secondly, public schools without dress codes cannot police the expressive content on them."

What that means is that if the public school does not have a dress code banning hats, then they cannot decide to allow some hats and not other hats.

Yes, a public school can have a dress code that says "no hats". A public school cannot have a dress code which allows hats, but regulates speech on the hats.

You might want to read some of the court cases on the subject, in order to determine how, in the United States, these types of issues are decided.

Indeed, I am sure that there are public schools which still think they can require children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and do. But "what people do" is generally not a good guide to "what the rules actually are".

[IluvPitties]

9. Kids need to learn to respect personal space and private property.

Attacking people you don't agree with is never the answer.

[2naSalit]

13. Don't touch other peoples' stuff...nt

[Solly Mack]

14. ...

Union Mine High School student berated another student for wearing the hat with the president’s campaign slogan, grabbed it and threw it on the ground. “That’s a racist and hateful symbol,” the teen, identified as 17-year-old senior Jo-Ann Butler, said in cellphone footage of the incident.

Brooke Peterson said her boyfriend was the one wearing the hat. "If you truly believe in something you have every right to express it in every way if you’re really passionate about it," Peterson said

[Solly Mack]

16. Yes, I know it's wrong to assault someone. Yes, I didn't need that explained.

The comment was still funny considering what went down.

[john657]

17. Sorry, I mis-interpreted your post wrong, I'll delete. N/T

[Solly Mack]

18. No biggie. You didn't have to - my humor is a wee bit warped.

[David__77]

19. That hat is like a Klan hat.

I'm neither defending nor criticizing her actions.

[blueinredohio]

20. Since when can students wear hats in school?

[Different Drummer]

23. They couldn't when I was in school. I guess times have changed. n/t

[jberryhill]

27. I know, right?

Possibly the most interesting aspect of the story to folks over a certain age.

[onenote]

38. We fought against dress codes. Now folks here are encouraging them.

Times change, i guess.

[hunter]

21. We have very strict dress codes at our schools because gangs are a serious problem.

Elementary and middle schools have uniforms.

No gang colors allowed. Teachers send kids to the office for wearing the wrong color shoelaces.

Sounds like this school needs the same.

Even if hats are not covered by the school dress code, it's still the teacher's obligation to deal with any potentially disruptive article of clothing.

It's possible the supposed adults in this situation are Trump gangsters themselves.

[NCTraveler]

22. The student will face punishment. Hopefully very little punishment.

I still applaud her fighting back against the Klan. As she ages she will learn better ways to fight the oppressors.

[Oneironaut]

31. Verbally tearing someone down is the right way to do it.

That’s as opposed to flipping out and attacking everyone around you like a wild animal. It’s good she’s passionate, but it sounds like she has a serious lack of emotional control.

[zanana1]

39. Hats shouldn't be worn indoors. nt

[panader0]

48. When i was in high school, (my 50th reunion was this summer),

stuff like this would have never even been noticed. Fistfights were common.
I'm not defending the perp here. But things have surely changed.