Shannon Cooper was as excited as any mother would be as her daughter walked across the stage of her high school graduation. Cooper cheered with enthusiasm as her daughter received her diploma from South Florence High School Saturday evening in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Minutes later, Cooper was arrested. She was charged with disorderly conduct, according to the New York Daily News.
“Are ya’ll serious? Are ya’ll for real? I mean, that’s what I’m thinking in my mind. I didn’t say anything,” said Cooper to NewsChannel 15 in Myrtyle Beach. “I was just like OK, I can’t fight the law. I can’t argue with the police, but I’m like are you serious? I didn’t do any more than the others did. Which I feel like no one should have went to jail.”
Cooper was escorted across the Florence Civic Center floor in front of the entire graduation crowd as well as her graduating daughter, 18-year-old Iesha Cooper.
“I don’t even think humiliation could describe how I felt,” said Shannon. “You know, because I feel from just my feelings and then looking at my daughter how she felt, I could take you know if I did something, but like I said, yes they said you’ll be escorted out no problem. I’ll be escorted out. I’ll go nicely because I’m gonna cheer. It was hard work. I went through so much to get her to this point you know.”
Police said that it was announced that anyone who cheered or screamed would be escorted out of the building. Iesha said she didn’t know what was happening until her friends told her. “They’re locking your momma up for cheering,” said Iesha. “And I was like that isn’t right because other people was cheering and they didn’t lock them up.”
Iesha came outside to her mother who was in a police van outside of the Civic Center. Cooper was taken to the Florence County Detention Center in handcuffs and booked for several hours on $225 bond. Cooper says her graduation plans for her daughter had to be postponed, as what should have been one of the happiest days of her life turned into one of the worst.
“Yesterday can’t be replaced,” said Cooper. “I’m gonna remember. She gonna remember for the rest of her life. My mama went to jail on my graduation day.”
Follow Marquise Francis on Twitter @mKfly