Ryan Zimmerman knew that if he cheered for his younger brother during Fort Mill, S.C., High School's graduation ceremony last weekend, he'd be asked to leave.
It was a price he decided to pay.
But the 18-year-old Fort Mill grad never thought it would land him behind bars.
Zimmerman, Chris Coghill, 20, of Fort Mill, and Chandler Roberts, 20, of Charlotte were arrested on suspicion of public disorderly conduct during the ceremony at Winthrop Coliseum on Saturday, according to a Rock Hill police report. According to the report, the three men stood and cheered during the ceremony, then walked to the concourse and yelled again, causing a disruption.
The trio say they were unfairly targeted. Police say the group was being disruptive.
The incident underscores the tension that arises annually at graduation ceremonies as families celebrate a milestone and school officials work to make sure every name is heard. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has long urged restraint at the ceremonies.
Zimmerman said he and his friends knew cheers or interruptions were prohibited during the Fort Mill event but decided to disregard the rule after dozens of others cheered. Many groups stood, cheered then exited the building, Zimmerman said -- some by police escort, others by free will.
So he said that when his brother, Justin Zimmerman, reached the platform toward the end of the ceremony, the group stood up, walked to the front of their section and shouted, "You're my boy, Justin."
They tried to leave the arena as other cheering family members had done. But police detained them.
"There were whole families that would do it -- mom, dads -- then they'd walk out or be escorted out, but not arrested," said Zimmerman, a York Technical College student. "I just want my record clean. I'd hate to have a blemish from yelling at a high school graduation."
Roberts, a 2005 Fort Mill High graduate, said the three friends discussed whether they should stay quiet. "We were deciding the entire time and when we saw other people cheered and nothing happened to them we figured that meant it was OK for us to do it," Roberts said.
Zimmerman, Coghill and Roberts were released Saturday evening on $255 bond. They will appear in court June 19.
Lt. Jerry Waldrop of the Rock Hill Police Department said officers followed department policies. He said the school district hired police to provide security, and unruly individuals were subject to charges. The report is clear, he said, that the suspects were disruptive by calling out multiple times.
"They're lucky they didn't get charged with the high court offense of disturbing schools," Waldrop said. "They really haven't got a complaint."
Fort Mill school board Chairwoman Martha Kinard said the graduation policy isn't designed to discourage support, but to make sure each graduate receives equal recognition.
"When someone yells out, the next person in line, their family can't hear," Kinard said. "It's a matter of respect."
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when my youngest nephew graduated last year, the crowd noise was such that you couldn't hear the names of the graduates - but it wasn't mere cheering or even yelling - it was d**n marine air horns - and it was nearly continuos as the graduates were being named - it was horrible. His brother graduated four years before (same school) and there was not nearly the same amount of annoying noise.
I think it's a little overboard to actually arrest someone unless they have been persistent or really unrully.
That being said, it is a sign of the times. We have to literally legislate and enforce by law what in former times was considered good manners or good behavior.
It doesn't matter to these people that they infringe upon the rights of the other students who are graduating and whose families cannot hear their name called.
I will tell you what I would do. As the ceremony progressed, when an outburst occurred, I would not continue with the next name until the noise stopped. When there was order, I would read the name of the next graduate. AND, I would make it clear at the beginning, that no one would be allowed to leave until the entire ceremony is over so that the noise makers couldn't cheer and leave and would have to sit, for however long it took, to hear the names of all graduates announced loud and clear.
It would only take a few outbursts before the majority of the crowd would be making sure no one did anything to cause more delays.
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They're going to show up in court? ... "Do you plead guilty to cheering during your son's graduation?" What a joke. I don't see any problems with allowing people to cheer - the percentage of those who would yell long enough to cause problems is probably very, very low. For most it's just a quick thing lasting no more than three seconds.
Graduation: to yell or not to yell
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