Story Archive

Now Cheer this Too

When Iesha Cooper cried after her Florence (S.C.) High School graduation, it wasn’t from joy or nostalgia: her mother had been taken from the ceremony in handcuffs, charged with disorderly conduct for (you guessed it) cheering. “Are y’all serious? Are y’all for real?” her mother, Shannon Cooper, thought at the time. “I didn’t say anything. I was just like OK, I can’t fight the law.” But after being released on $225 bond, Shannon is gathering witnesses to defend herself in court, arguing that she cheered but was not disorderly. Florence Police Chief Anson Shells says the truth will be revealed at trial. “Unfortunately people cannot be allowed to disrupt a ceremony to the point where everyone can’t enjoy it, and unfortunately that’s what happened in this case,” he said. (AC/AP) ...Yes, when you arrest people’s mothers, that does tend to interfere with their enjoyment of their graduation.