7thriv

The case dates from the fall of 2007, when Kyriacou and Omaga were studying fashion design and merchandising at the two-year college and took breaks from class to pray with each other and other students on a balcony, according to their suit.

Kyriacou prayed with the teacher, Sharon Bell, at an office Bell shared with other teachers, on two occasions in November and December 2007. The second time, a day when Bell was feeling ill, another teacher entered the office and told Kyriacou, "You can't be doing that in here," and the student stopped praying and left, the suit said.

Run! It's the American Taliban! Right here in Alameda!

The above is, of course, a perfect example of how quickly state agents can become actively involved in the suppression of free speech and free expression. It's also an example of how little respect there is for people's values and their privacy. The teacher is simply described as "sick," but I'll bet she didn't just have the sniffles. She had something that two of her students felt demanded a moment of prayer. That is an act of compassion and communion, not the vanguard of the New American Theocracy. The fact that some busybody felt entitled to barge in and announce that they "couldn't do that here" shows how little she respected their privacy. Sure, they were on public property, but does that give state agents the right to monitor exactly what people are doing in every part of the building? I hope not, but it looks like many would disagree.