2010-07-07 20:19:40 UTC
The mother of the girl who wore the shirt to Big Bear Middle School on June 11 alleges her seventh-grade daughter's teacher took offense to the shirt and accused her of being an illegal immigrant in front of the class.
Diana Aviles says she and her daughter are U.S. citizens. The teacher later apologized.
The incident has erupted into a battle between anti-illegal immigration activists and Latino groups who say the teacher's alleged behavior is an example of racism and racial profiling.
At the district's Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, members of the conservative activist's group We The People were expected to speak during public comment. The group opposes illegal immigration and employers who hire and exploit illegal aliens, according to a statement on its Web site.
Ray Herrera, the group's founder, president and spokesman, says he believes Aviles is an illegal immigrant granted amnesty. He says she's trying to push a "Mexican agenda" on Americans. She allowed her daughter to attend school with the shirt and owns a Mexican restaurant in Big Bear City that displays a Mexican flag, which Herrera describes as "antagonistic."
Aviles said it's not outrageous to have a Mexican flag in a Mexican restaurant. The flag has been taken down because of harassment,
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she said. When the Mexican flag was up, she said the American flag was larger and displayed higher.
"I'm not pushing anything political," Aviles said. "I had a small Mexican flag and a huge American flag, only for the reason that I'm a Mexican-American restaurant. I don't like people to say I'm not American. This is my country."
Herrera said Latino groups such as The League of United Latin American Citizens have publicly called the incident an example of racial profiling so it can be cited during it's fight against Arizona's SB 1070 law, which requires police in the state to check the immigration status of people they suspect are illegal immigrants.
"They've been campaigning throughout the county on behalf of illegal immigrants," Herrera said. "This is just a case where they think they've found another poster child - another racial profiling story."
Leroy Martinez, vice president of LULAC Council 3163, said he decided to attend the meeting after he heard the group planned to speak.
"If (Herrera) wants to turn this into an immigration issue that's his problem," Martinez said. "The reality is you have an American student who was profiled."
A statement from the district says it's investigating allegations from a student that a teacher made racist remarks against her during a class. The statement then says the district will not comment on the findings of the investigation until it's completed.
Aviles says the teacher should be fired. She wants her daughter to be moved to another class if the teacher remains at the school.
"I'm angry," Aviles said. "Why should it be turned into a political thing when this is about a child who is being ridiculed? That teacher showed hatred in the class."
The teacher's apology is enough and the investigation should be dropped so the matter doesn't distract students, Herrera said.
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/sanbernardinocounty/ci_15461281