Parents fume after California school that saw mass shooting BANS pro-police flag despite cops saving lives
SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA: A local school that witnessed a mass shooting in 2019 sparked backlash after banning its football team from flying a pro-police flag at games after complaints that it is racist.
William S Hart Union High School District Superintendent Mike Kuhlman declared in September that the thin blue line flag representing support of law enforcement would not be allowed to be carried onto the field by Saugus High School's Centurions football team in Los Angeles County. The team ran out without the flag for the first time on Friday, October 7, but several families responded by waving it at the stands.
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It's worth noting that the flag holds a special meaning to the Saugus community after a mass shooting at the school in November 2019 that saw two young students killed and the 16-year-old shooter turn the gun on himself. A couple of off-duty cops were among the first to arrive at the scene and were lauded for saving multiple wounded victims from dying. KTLA reported how fans of the team brought their own thin blue line flags to the age this past Friday. Commenting on the ban, the local NAACP chapter said the flag is "a tool utilized by those determined to stoke division, injustice, and exclusion."
On November 15, 2019, Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow pulled a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol out of his backpack and opened fire on the school premises, hitting five classmates before shooting himself dead. Gracie Anne Muehlberger, 16, and Dominic Blackwell, 14, died in the shooting, while two girls, aged 15 and 14, and a 14-year-old boy were wounded. Authorities and community members noted that there would have been more casualties if three off-duty police officers who happened to be dropping off their wards at the time hadn't responded to the situation. They are said to have rushed into the building as soon as they heard gunfire and even gave first aid to some of those injured once the shooting had stopped.
KTLA spoke to the mother of 16-year-old Wyatt Hawk, who usually carried the thin blue line flag onto the field. "Saying that we’re disrespecting other people is ridiculous," Lexi Hawk told the outlet. "Nobody discussed it. It was not a roundtable discussion, therefore without a discussion, there is no democracy." She said she personally knew cops who ran into the school on the day of the shooting.
Images from tonight’s Saugus and Hart football game. Saugus parents and supporters wearing ‘Thin Blue Line’ t-shirts. Student section hanging the flag in the stands. This all in response to the team being told it can no longer run onto the field with the ‘Thin Blue Line’ flag. pic.twitter.com/EVirXseu79
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) October 8, 2022
Jessica Suarez, whose husband works in law enforcement, told the station, "I think it’s especially symbolic for the Saugus Football seniors who were on campus in 2019 on the day of the (Saugus High School) shooting." She added, "They’re banning it because they’re calling it a symbol of the Blue Lives Matter Movement. It was co-opted by extremists who took the symbol and used it in a negative light… that’s not what this thin blue line means to us."
Saugus football parents/fans are prepared to react to the Hart School District, which told its players they can no longer run out onto the field with a Thin Blue Line flag. I’m being told these shirts will be worn and Thin Blue Line flags will be waived in the stands tonight. pic.twitter.com/R584fpiXE7
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) October 7, 2022
The Los Angeles Daily News reported how many in the stands were wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words, "THE BLUE HAD OUR BACKS NOW WE BACK YOURS." Todd Cataldi, a retired police officer whose son plays on the team, told the newspaper, "These kids went through a lot when they were freshmen with the school shooting, and there are several kids on the team whose parents work in law enforcement and are first responders and want to show their support for them."
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During the game on Friday, dozens of Saugus fans were seen carrying thin blue line flags and wearing pro-police insignia.
While the tea ended up winning an impressive 14-6, fan Ron Marome still cared more about supporting the police. "It’s not about backing something and saying everything else is bad," he told KTLA. "It’s just about saying hey, we support the blue line. That’s it. It was that simple. It turned into something it shouldn’t have turned into."