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police called over thanksgiving dispute at claremont school
Published Nov. 26, 2008
Tensions rise as foes and backers of a longtime celebration involving kindergartners in Indian and pilgrim costumes demonstrate outside Condit Elementary. The district eliminated the costumes this year
By Seema Mehta
November 26, 2008 Protesters descended Tuesday on Condit Elementary School in Claremont, tersely arguing over the construction-paper pilgrim and Native American costumes worn by kindergartners at a decades-old Thanksgiving tradition. Police were called to the school when tensions rose.
Officers also were monitoring Claremont Unified Supt. David Cash's home after he received hate mail and told police that he feared for his safety.
"It's been wild," said one woman who worked at the school. She declined to give her name because she wasn't authorized to speak on behalf of the school.
Cash and Condit Principal Tim Northrop did not return phone calls or e-mails seeking comment.
For four decades, children at Condit and Mountain View elementary schools have taken annual turns dressing up and visiting each other to share a Thanksgiving feast. Controversy erupted after district officials last week decided to eliminate the Native American and pilgrim costumes from this year's event after some parents complained that they were demeaning and stereotypical. Other parents were infuriated by the district's modifications of the event, saying that administrators had bowed to political correctness.
On Tuesday morning, some parents dressed their children in the hand-made headdresses, bonnets and fringed vests, and school officials did not force the students to remove them. Still, some parents vowed to keep their children home from school Wednesday, potentially costing the district state attendance funds.
Nearly two dozen protesters stationed themselves in front of the school, evenly split between costume supporters and opponents. The supporters set up a table with refreshments in front of the school sign, and several wore construction-paper headdresses. Foes stood about 40 feet away, carrying signs that said, "Don't Celebrate Genocide."
The discussion between the two groups grew so heated that school officials called police, and officials separated the protesters onto separate sidewalks, said Claremont Police Lt. Dennis Smith.
Meanwhile, the kindergartners frolicked nearby on the playground, Smith said.
"The kids were oblivious," he said, "as they should be."
Mehta is a Times staff writer.
seema.mehta@latimes.com
Times staff writer Lorraine Wang contributed to this story.
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November 26, 2008 6:54 p.m.
All in all, its a case of people thinking before acting on both sides.
GOLO member since October 29, 2008
November 26, 2008 4:53 p.m.
Honestly, I can't. Not in this context. If that was really the issue, why didn't the leaders sit down with the school board and help devise a more "acceptable" way to celebrate the Native Americans' involvement in the first Thanksgiving? If the children had celebrated dressed in only Pilgrim outfits, I'd bet someone would be up in arms at the lack of inclusion. Like Rev. RB, my great-grandfather was Native American (Cherokee, to be exact), so I do have a small personal stake as well. While I'm not active in tribal activities or anything of the sort, it is certainly a part of my heritage...that doesn't change the fact that I still don't understand the actions that were taken.
GOLO member since November 26, 2008
November 26, 2008 4:38 p.m.
This is out of control PC in a school system and it is really a shame.
GOLO member since October 18, 2007
November 26, 2008 4:25 p.m.
GOLO member since September 30, 2007
November 26, 2008 4:19 p.m.
You got any proof of this? If so, I'd like to see it. Otherwise, it's a work of fiction, just like any other religious text.
GOLO member since October 29, 2008
November 26, 2008 4:16 p.m.
GOLO member since November 13, 2008
November 26, 2008 4:14 p.m.
GOLO member since September 30, 2007
November 26, 2008 4:10 p.m.
GOLO member since October 29, 2008
November 26, 2008 4:08 p.m.
Christmas was originally devised to bring wealthy Turkish tribes into Christianity because the Catholic Church wanted to tap into their wealth. The church adopted Kurban Bayrami the December holiday of the Turks to entice them into the fold - so to speak.
The Catholic Church only wanted pagans because they saw the religion as devilish. But the pagans had no wealth, and that's what the Church was mostly interested in.
It had nothing to do with Jesus' birthday originally, because they knew full well that astronomical charts showed that He was born in September.
God bless.
Rev. RB
GOLO member since July 2, 2007
November 26, 2008 4:07 p.m.
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