High School Bans “I Can’t Breathe” T-Shirts at Tournament

NOVANEWS
By John Vibes 

San Francisco, California – In the aftermath of the many recent high profile police killings, athletes all over the country have been using their platform to spread awareness about the growing police state.

Many professional players have worn shirts that say “I Can’t Breathe”, in remembrance of Eric Garner’s last words before his life was taken by NYPD cops. In most cases, the professional sports teams have stood by their athletes and respected their freedom of speech. However, many young athletes who play for school teams have been banned from wearing these shirts during games and tournaments.

At a high school basketball tournament in California, administrators have banned all of their players from wearing the controversial T-shirts during warm-ups and practices. The three-day tournament was actually temporarily cancelled until every player from every team involved agreed not to wear any police brutality related clothing during their warm-ups.

One female team from the Mendocino Unified School District was actually disqualified from the tournament after several girls on the team refused to comply with the new conditions.

Not everyone from the boys teams decided to comply with the orders, some decided to sit out because they felt that their rights to freedom of speech were violated. However, there were enough players on the boys team to agree for the tournament to take place.

According to a statement from Principal Rebecca Walker, the ban is intended “To protect the safety and well-being of all tournament participants it is necessary to ensure that all political statements and or protests are kept away from this tournament. We are a small school district that simply does not have the resources to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff, students and guests at the tournament should someone get upset and choose to act out.”

Mendocino teams created controversy on December 16th when the teams first wore the “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts before a game with Fort Bragg.

The political correctness brigade has succeeded once again at stifling the free exchange of ideas. To all those students who refused to comply with the dictates of the censors, we commend you; you are an example for children everywhere and a beacon of hope for society.

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