AFTER THE ELECTION

‘Terrorism’ Post Prompts

Students’ Patriotic Rally

By JIM KEVLIN • Special to AllOTSEGO.com

COOPERSTOWN – While driving her kids to Cooperstown middle/high school  the day after Donald Trump was elected president, a mom would report later on the Celebrate Cooperstown Facebook page, she saw a student in waving a flag and a baseball bat in the back of a pickup truck.

“This kid … is displaying what he was taught and told is OK.  It’s not,” the mother posted.  “It’s a threat to the safety and well-being of other students.  Of other citizens.”

The trouble is, she was mistaken, said Bobby Walker, a CCS senior and founder of the Otsego County Young Republicans.

Then, “we kind of started talking, me and a few of my friends,” he said in an interview today.  “I talked to the kid who was waving the flag.  I didn’t see a bat.   He said, ‘I have no idea what she was talking about: I didn’t even have a bat.’”

When they come to school Thursday, Bob told his friends, wear red white and blue, and bring flags.  After school, the kids piled into the back of the pickup truck, waving flags and cheering.   People leaving the school campus were waving and blowing their horns, he said.  “It wasn’t anything hostile; it was just kids after school,” he said.

He continued, “I think that it’s important now that the election is over for people to be unified, rather than be Republican or Democratic.   We actually had a few Democrats with us, because they disagreed with the post and what the post stood for. “

After an election, he said, “There are going to be people who are going to be disappointed.  And people who are going to be excited.  Let’s pick a day when we shake hand and say: We’re all Americans; we’re going to move on and see what the future holds.”

CCS school board President Theresa Russo returned a text, saying she was out of town and had no knowledge of what had transpired.  She suggested questions be directed to Interim Superintendent Mike Virgil on Monday.