Outrageous! Mother Arrested, Jailed for Cheering Her Daughter’s Graduation

Graduation Season is in full swing here in Western New York and across the United States. Graduations are usually a time for family celebrations, but for one South Carolina mom, cheering her daughter's achievement led to several hours in jail.

On Saturday, Shannon Cooper attended her daughter's graduation from high school. Before the ceremony, it was announced that anyone cheering or shouting during the event would be escorted out. When Shannon's daughter Iesha received her diploma, she did what I think any mom would do and cheered her daughter's success. Police immediately surrounded her, put her into handcuffs and led her to a police van. Shannon Cooper was taken to the local detention center, booked and held for several hours until she could make her $225 bail.

Yes, Ms, Cooper had been warned, along with everyone else in the arena. But it was her child's graduation. And isn't cheering protected as free speech under the Constitution, just as booing or negative comments would be?

Take a moment to scroll through the story from the station reporting on the incident. I'm amazed at how many people thought the arrest was correct. Maybe I'm just tolerant, but c'mon! How far would a rule like that go here in Buffalo?