Students (ages 14-18) attending a civics camp, put on by the Capitol Resources Institute sponsoring the City on the Hill summer study, were told they could not sing the national anthem in California's Capitol's rotunda without a special permit.
The problem had arisen when the students, in an impromptu practice for a Saturday performance, started singing in the rotunda, when officers had rushed into the rotunda to warn students against singing.
The week long summer study has occurred for years, including a similar display of patriotism two years ago, without the warning. Students this year were told they needed a permit for such actions, to which they did acquire.
After receiving said permit, and a day later, four dozen students attended a mock legislative session Saturday morning, then had lunch, and then walked into the capitol rotunda and gathered in one corner.
According to the report, "They prayed for 10 minutes until 1:15 p.m., the time designated by the government permit. The students [then] delivered a stirring performance of the Star Spangled Banner that brought a tear to the eye of everyone in the rotunda. Many friends and family members of the students were in attendance.
CRI officials said, however, it was a good lesson in liberty for those students, especially the two young participants whose father was held in a Communist prison in Romania and another student who is a Russian immigrant.
"These future leaders have seen first-hand how we are losing our liberties – including simply expressing our patriotism in public," said Meredith Turney, the legislative liaison for CRI Impact and a graduate of City on the Hill.
"I am deeply saddened by the treatment these young patriots received at our state capitol," she said.
"Just moments after the students finished their impromptu patriotic expression, no less than four CHP officers descended upon the rotunda, along with two sergeant-at-arms. They confronted our staff and demanded to know why our students were singing in the rotunda without a permit from the rules committee. Apparently in the five minutes it took to sing the two patriotic songs, someone had called security and complained," she wrote.
"The City on the Hill students were absolutely shocked … Why would their elected officials send armed guards to stop them from expressing such love for their country? And why do citizens need a permit to sing patriotic songs in
their public buildings?" she said.
Story
here, including a youtube video from two years ago, which had become tradition for the students... until now.
