14-year-old arrested over his pro-NRA shirt

[Kowalski]

The 14-year-old kid arrested over his pro-NRA shirt now faces a year in jail

As CBS affiliate WTRF reports, 14-year-old Jared Marcum now faces a $500 fine and a maximum of one year in prison.

The boy’s father, Allen Lardieri, is not pleased.

“Me, I’m more of a fighter and so is Jared and eventually we’re going to get through this,” Lardieri told WTRF. “I don’t think it should have ever gotten this far.”

“Every aspect of this is just totally wrong,” Lardieri added. “He has no background of anything criminal up until now and it just seems like nobody wants to admit they’re wrong.”

Officials at Logan Middle School in Logan County, West Va. maintain that Marcum, who has since completed eighth grade, was suspended for one day because he caused a disruption after a teacher asked him to remove a shirt emblazoned with a hunting rifle and the statement “protect your right.”

“She said, ‘Are you supposed to wear that in school?’” Marcum had previously explained in an interview with local station, WOWK-TV. “I said, ‘I don’t see why I shouldn’t.’”

In a move The Daily Caller can only characterize as courageous, Marcum returned to school after his suspension wearing exactly the same shirt. Students across the rural county showed their support for Marcum by wearing similar shirts on that day as well. (RELATED: Eighth-grader arrested over NRA shirt returns to school in same shirt)

There are no accounts of any additional arrests or suspensions when Marcum returned to school.

Lardieri has claimed that police in Logan City (pop. 1,779) threatened to charge Marcum with making terroristic threats during the incident that led to his arrest.

In legal documents obtained by the CBS station, the arresting officer, James Adkins, reportedly fails to inform the court about any terrorist threats or any violent action. Instead, Adkins asserts that the 14-year-old boy did not follow his orders to stop talking. This verbosity somehow prevented Adkins from performing his police duties.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/14-old-kid-arrested-over-pro-nra-shirt-071819724.html

So now we can't even exercise our First Amendment rights, to defend our Second? What is wrong with people?!

This is just wrong....

[Frank Merton]

I think school authorities have every right to regulate clothes students wear. Freedom of speech can be exercised so many other ways the school does not need to be disrupted.

What about Muslim girls coming to school in their stuff? Wouldn't that be disruptive? Would it disturb other students, and wouldn't the school have the right to regulate it? Freedom of religion could be claimed here.

[Bendy Demon]

Yes..schools DO have the right to enforce dress codes but the issue here is not about dress codes but about someone objecting to an idea and arresting someone for expressing their views in a mundane manner.

No laws were broken and the manner in which this was handled was atrocious and nothing more than bullying.

I suppose bullying is ok when adults do it.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Ryu

[Frank Merton]

You make some good points, and the reaction does seem excessive. However, I wonder if the reports tells us the full story. Most teachers would ignore this sort of thing and speak to the kid privately, and so I think the kid wanted to make his point and use disrupting school to do it. The behavior of his father makes me think in fact he was encouraging it.

[keithisco]

From the OP:

"Lardieri has claimed that police in Logan City (pop. 1,779) threatened to charge Marcum with making terroristic threats during the incident that led to his arrest.

In legal documents obtained by the CBS station, the arresting officer, James Adkins, reportedly fails to inform the court about any terrorist threats or any violent action. Instead, Adkins asserts that the 14-year-old boy did not follow his orders to stop talking."

Isnt failing to follow the Lawful Instruction of a Police Officer an offence then? Lardieri sounds like something of a manipulative, indoctrinating, father. Public displays of violence, or the means to commit violence (as in this case) is not really very clever is it?

That said, I dont think we have the whole story here

Edited June 18, 2013 by keithisco

[Kowalski]

According to the articles I have read:

The school district’s policy doesn’t prohibit shirts promoting Second Amendment rights.

this proves that schools have strong indocrination policys..

Yep, I think so too. I just read a story about a 5 year old who was interrogated for being a toy cap gun to school, and they scared the poor little guy so bad he peed his pants!

Here is the link: http://dailycaller.com/2013/06/17/suspension-wont-be-removed-for-five-year-old-grilled-over-cap-gun-until-he-peed-his-pants/

School officials at Dowell Elementary School in the town of Lusby proceeded to question the five-year-old for over two hours before finally calling his mother at 10:50 a.m. By that time, he had wet his pants (which the mother called highly unusual).

The Post notes that the principal — Jennifer L. Young, according to Dowell Elementary’s website — told the boy’s mother that things would have been even worse had the toy gun been loaded with caps. In that case, the school would have regarded the plaything as an explosive and called the police.

The original suspension handed down May 29 was for 10 days. After a disciplinary conference and the intervention of local attorney Robin Ficker, the suspension was reduced to three days.

School officials considered — and denied — the request to eradicate the punishment separately.

The boy’s mother (an otherwise unidentified teacher in Calvert County) expressed frustration that a seemingly serious offense for a look-alike gun will now be part of her son’s permanent record.

My son is never attending a public school EVER!

This kinda stuff just defies logic and all understanding...

[Frank Merton]

Looks to me like a group trying to put itself in the position of being persecuted. No one on earth is going to send a kid to jail for wearing a shirt, even if it had a gross obscenity on it, so there is plainly more to the story and some slanted reporting going on. Something like resisting a officer when he tried to remove it, perhaps.

[Kowalski]

From the OP:

"Lardieri has claimed that police in Logan City (pop. 1,779) threatened to charge Marcum with making terroristic threats during the incident that led to his arrest.

In legal documents obtained by the CBS station, the arresting officer, James Adkins, reportedly fails to inform the court about any terrorist threats or any violent action. Instead, Adkins asserts that the 14-year-old boy did not follow his orders to stop talking."

Isnt failing to follow the Lawful Instruction of a Police Officer an offence then? Lardieri sounds like something of a manipulative, indoctrinating, father. Public displays of violence, or the means to commit violence (as in this case) is not really very clever is it?

That said, I dont think we have the whole story here

It seems to me the only people who are doing the "indoctrinating" is the school. The father is just standing up for his kid's rights...Nothing wrong with that....

[aztek]

That said, I dont think we have the whole story here

you right doesn't look like we do, what were those terroristic threats ????

or it is just crap that cops come up with to arrest ppl for no reason?

[Kowalski]

you right doesn't look like we do, what were those terroristic threats ????

or it is just crap that cops come up with to arrest ppl for no reason?

The officer probably just didn't like his authority being questioned most likely....

From the Huffington Post:

Jared Marcum, the 14-year-old who was arrested and suspended from school after refusing to take off a National Rifle Association shirt, is facing up to a year in jail.

In April, Marcum caused a furor at his West Virginia middle school when he showed up in a T-shirt sporting the NRA logo, a picture of a gun and the slogan "Protect your right." Despite being asked several times by school officials to remove the garment, Marcum kept it on, reportedly saying he was not violating the school’s dress code and was exercising his First Amendment rights.

Last week, Marcum appeared in court and was officially handed the charge of obstructing an officer, reports CBS affiliate WOWK-TV. According to the Logan County Police Department, Marcum would not stop talking during the incident at the school, which prevented the attending officer from doing his job. However, Marcum's attorney, Ben White, told WOWK that the officer's arrest report did not mention the boy's allegedly excessive talking.

Nevertheless, Marcum faces a $500 fine and up to a year in jail.

The nature of the charge makes the incident less about the NRA shirt, and more about Marcum's behavior. In April, White defended the Marcum’s actions to the Associated Press, saying, "We at this point believe that Jared acted as mature as a 14-year-old child can act with the pressure that was put on him."

Although the school’s dress code makes no mention of NRA paraphernalia, it currently states the following: “If in the judgment of the administration, a student is dressed inappropriately, the student will be required to change clothes or cover up inappropriate clothing before returning to classes.”

Following Marcum’s arrest, students across Logan county wore similar NRA shirts to show their support for Marcum, reports the AP.

From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/17/jared-marcum-charge-nra-shirt_n_3456142.html

[Frank Merton]

For awhile (it appears to have gone out of fashion), one of the popular shirts for kids to wear in Vietnam had an American flag on its back. The authorities knew the message the parents were sending with this, and did nothing. I wonder how corresponding US authorities would respond to shirts with a hammer and sickle.

[aztek]

We all need to be more civil to each other, even if what people are saying is wacky.

you wont be doing a favor to anyone, especialy yourself, and that would be encouraging ppl to say keep saying wacky things, and come up with more b.s, and why not, you just eat it all up. it is like saying thank you, or ignore after someone spits in your face. and that is not how i see things, sorry

[keithisco]

you right doesn't look like we do, what were those terroristic threats ????

or it is just crap that cops come up with to arrest ppl for no reason?

Well from the OP the kid certainly didn't exhibit the ability to shut his mouth when requested by the Police Officer, which puts the kid in the wrong doesn't it? Who knows if his father is a nut Survivalist, anti - Govt, anti Police,anti everything or just having a bad day.

It is the father after all that claims the Police accused his son of making Terroristic Threats, NOT the Police themselves....

From Kowalski's post:

"Although the school’s dress code makes no mention of NRA paraphernalia, it currently states the following: “If in the judgment of the administration, a student is dressed inappropriately, the student will be required to change clothes or cover up inappropriate clothing before returning to classes.”

So the School was well within its rights to ask the kid to change his t- shirt, and all parents will ALSO be aware of this stipulation.

Storm in a tea cup, possibly a ruse to put in a "Wrongful arrest" claim for compensation

@Aztek: this is a Public Discussion forum where ideas and beliefs, different to our own, get freedom of expression - just like the 1st Amendment!! You want Freedom of Speech? Then you also have to allow others their own

Edited June 18, 2013 by keithisco

[Mr.United_Nations]

I think school authorities have every right to regulate clothes students wear. Freedom of speech can be exercised so many other ways the school does not need to be disrupted.

What about Muslim girls coming to school in their stuff? Wouldn't that be disruptive? Would it disturb other students, and wouldn't the school have the right to regulate it? Freedom of religion could be claimed here.

Actually religion controls them unfortunately, if it was freedom i bet they would throw their stuff away

[questionmark]

@Aztek: this is a Public Discussion forum where ideas and beliefs, different to our own, get freedom of expression - just like the 1st Amendment!! You want Freedom of Speech? Then you also have to allow others their own

He does... for him and others that spout the same crap.

[aztek]

Well from the OP the kid certainly didn't exhibit the ability to shut his mouth when requested by the Police Officer, which puts the kid in the wrong doesn't it?

not realy, terror threat is a seroius charge, throwing it if a kid would not shut up, doesn't make it legit. the cop made up the charge. wherether kid was wrong or not, is irrelavant, he did not make any TERROR THREATS.

[aztek]

Then you also have to allow others their own

lol, you mean i'm in a position to NOT allow it??? lol,

[Papagiorgio]

For awhile (it appears to have gone out of fashion), one of the popular shirts for kids to wear in Vietnam had an American flag on its back. The authorities knew the message the parents were sending with this, and did nothing. I wonder how corresponding US authorities would respond to shirts with a hammer and sickle.

People were shirts like that all the time. Actually Che Guevara is very popular on t shirts nowadays. The authorities don't care.

https://www.google.com/search?q=che+guevara+t+shirt&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dXfAUZWhD8fVrQfKtICADQ&sqi=2&ved=0CJEBELAE&biw=1219&bih=846

[spartan max2]

I think school authorities have every right to regulate clothes students wear. Freedom of speech can be exercised so many other ways the school does not need to be disrupted.

What about Muslim girls coming to school in their stuff? Wouldn't that be disruptive? Would it disturb other students, and wouldn't the school have the right to regulate it? Freedom of religion could be claimed here.

With this im not sure if your like talking about the burkas? but when i was in high school muslim kids did have their burkas on. And no one had a problem with it. But maybe my school was more tolerant then the others.

Maybe we should teach tolerance of other peoples veiws instead of trying to regulate what people wear because it might" offend" someone. The fact that you made this post that im quoteing and bold faceing , bothers me.

Edited June 18, 2013 by spartan max2

[questionmark]

People were shirts like that all the time. Actually Che Guevara is very popular on t shirts nowadays. The authorities don't care.

https://www.google.c...iw=1219&bih=846

And it is within the rights of every school to prohibit the wearing of such items, even if selectively. If you have a problem with that you go to the school board. You don't send your kid to fight your battles for you and then apply the truth sparsely while complaining about it.

[DeWitz]

You know things are in a tangle when a kid is West Virginia gets hassled for a pro-NRA T-shirt by school and/or law enforcement authorities. What's next? Mandatory reading?

While in an in-patient setting years ago where we could wear "civvies," I had an anti-smoking T-shirt confiscated because it might be inflammatory (not incendiary). The facility was a non-smoking facility!

Context matters: If a person trying to give up smoking sees an anti-smoking T-Shirt, he/she might get even more torqued-off in a nicotine-starved outburst. Ohhhhhh----kayyyy.

Language matters: A T-shirt advocating "F#$% the Pigs" is different than one that states "Go Cocks!" (South Carolina Gamecocks). Where's the line? Who decides? What are proper sanctions?

My favorite: These irritating, ubiquitous "Support the Troops" magnets and bumper stickers. Well, they always seemed pro-war to me, but then I was advised that a person may "Support the Troops" by encouraging/voting that they be brought home. Hmmm. Few things are black and white when it comes to freedom of expression.

"God Bless America" is another. . . God's blessed us enough. Let God bless Syria, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso for awhile. . .

My, but I do drone on. . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Papagiorgio]

And it is within the rights of every school to prohibit the wearing of such items, even if selectively. If you have a problem with that you go to the school board. You don't send your kid to fight your battles for you and then apply the truth sparsely while complaining about it.

My post was in response to Frank Merton asking how the authorities would react if people walked around wearing a shirt with the Hammer and Sickle on it.

He said:

"For awhile (it appears to have gone out of fashion), one of the popular shirts for kids to wear in Vietnam had an American flag on its back. The authorities knew the message the parents were sending with this, and did nothing. I wonder how corresponding US authorities would respond to shirts with a hammer and sickle."

[questionmark]

My post was in response to Frank Merton asking how the authorities would react if people walked around wearing a shirt with the Hammer and Sickle on it.

He said:

"For awhile (it appears to have gone out of fashion), one of the popular shirts for kids to wear in Vietnam had an American flag on its back. The authorities knew the message the parents were sending with this, and did nothing. I wonder how corresponding US authorities would respond to shirts with a hammer and sickle."

I was not hitting directly at you, just added a comment because it fit in the theme.

[Saru]

Keep it civil please folks, can we leave personal attacks out of the discussion.

Thank you.

[Papagiorgio]

I was not hitting directly at you, just added a comment because it fit in the theme.

Cool.