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So I gather that from the "artist's" explanation, with the knowledge that some statements on the monument are benign, I should get a warm and fuzzy feeling about those statements which are patently divisive and racist?
A monument patterned off of the ruins of a spanish mission, with a statement like "It was better before they came" needs very little interpretation to me. It seems to me to be saying that the good old days were the ones in which the mission was not in ruins... which would mean before the anglos came.
While the "artwork" may be the whole of the rail station, it is telling that this monument portion with these statements is a prominent centerpiece.
Joined: May 02, 2005 Posts: 136 Location: Southern California
Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 1:32 am Post subject: Judy Baca's statement
The Los Angeles MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) put up something like $30,000 as a matching grant, and the Baldwin Park City Council invested another $30,000 (of taxpayer money).
The May 14, 2005 counter-protest cost the Baldwin Park City Hall $250,000, according to a newspaper report. Hope it was worth it. Save Our State organized a PEACEFUL rally, the less than 50 members standing, holding signs and US flags for two hours and 15 minutes on a street corner.
Individual police officers repeatedly approached SOS members, and thanked them for what they stood for, and for their behavior at the rally. Hiring a senior citizen volunteer school crossing guard would have been an overkill to keep an eye on SOS group. The expenditure can only be explained by the behavior of the counter-protesters, the various groups of Mexican nationalist thugs. We can document it with hundreds of pics, and hours of video recordings.
As for Judy Baca's statement, regarding her slogans on the arch - let's do this:
hit "next page" in the lower right corner 4 (four) times, and you will get to a page containing the following statement:
Quote:
"My land and memory pieces are my attempt to spiritually reclaim land illegally acquired from Hispanos and indigenous peoples of the Southwestern United States."
Any doubt in anybody's mind as to what the statement on the arch stands for ("This land was Mexico once ... and will be again")?
And, to add insult to injury, this "artist" has the nerve to call Save Our State an ANTI-AMERICAN group, on live television!
Joined: May 02, 2005 Posts: 136 Location: Southern California
Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 2:28 pm Post subject: Save Our State member at Baldwin Park City Council Meeting
On 5/18/2005, one of our members, the Sandman, attended the Baldwin Park City Council meeting.
Here is his account of the events:
Quote:
Tonight I attended the Baldwin Park City Council Meeting to tell Mayor Lozano what I thought of his comments on blaming the bottle attack on a 66 year old woman on SOS, while mentioning nothing of the individuals who actually commited the act.
I was the only one on our side there. It would have been nice to have some support, but I understand that I have the luxury of living only a few minutes away from the BP City Hall
When I had my turn to speak, first I joined the council in their earlier praise of the BPPD and surrounding agencies. I mentioned that nobody in that room benefited from their presence more than me since I was part of the greatly outnumbered and greatly threatened group who was protesting against the monument. But I made it clear I was not there to discuss the monument that night, but specifically Mayor Lozano's comments.
As furious as his comments have made me, I was both surprised and proud of myself for the composure I maintained as I causually followed a hastily prepared speach I wrote just minutes before. I mentioned the threats, the racists comments and signs as well as the stomped on American flag that Mayor neglects to condemn. I compared his blaming of SOS for the attack on this woman to blaming the striking Memphis garbage men in 1967 for the assasination of MLK. I also gave him a chance to apologize, or at least clarify his comments.
A few other citizens spoke about the event saying they didn't appreciate us "outsiders" coming into their city and "telling" them what to do. While in some ways I can appreciate that, I find it ironic coming from people who have no problem letting the ultimate "outsiders", illegal immigrants coming into our country and telling us what to do.
Now I appreciated that most of those citizens who disagreed with me were big enough to condemn the actions by some on their side. One woman in her 50's said when she saw her fellow counter protester disrespecting the American Flag, she ran in and took it away from him. I was watching that guy when it happened and I don't remember seeing anyone doing that, but if she did I do appreciated it.
Then it was the council's turn to comment. It was great, I felt like Bob Hope at a celebrity roast. Bill Van Cleave, Ricardo Pacheco, and finally Mayor Lozano each took their shots. There was the typical talking points of "I HATE RACISM" and "RACISM HAS NO PLACE IN BALDWIN PARK". Several times I nodded my head in agreement with those generic comments, although I knew damn well what their selective definition of racism was.
Ricardo Pacheco started into a rant by saying what a racist organization the SOS is. A couple times I interjected a word here and there while Mayor Lozano hammered is gavel to shut me down. Pacheco then went into another classic cop-out arguement of how Illegal Immigration is FEDERAL issue and we have no jurisdiction trying to fight it on the local level. I then said "Maybe the Police should stop responding to Bank Robberies, since that's a FEDERAL crime".
Lozano was ready to throw me out so I stood up on my own when Pacheco said "sit down, I'm talking. I listened to you". I said ok, if you want me to stay I'll stay. By this time my tempeture was starting to rise, yet I was able to maintain my outward composure for just a little longer......Then, it was Manual Lozano's turn to speak.
He was very clear that he had nothing to apologize for and went on about how racist our organization is, while never once mentioning poor Dottie, or condeming the actions of the counter-protesters. The last straw finally came when Lozano PRETENDED to forget the name of our organization. Another council member fed him a whispered "SOS" to which he replied "SOS?, KKK is more like it"
That was it! Dissent and disagreement is one thing but I didn't go there to participate is some childish name calling match.
I then stood up and said "THAT'S V******V!". As my back was turned and my feet were already 3 steps towards the door, Lozano hammered his gavel and said "That's it, escort him out of here!" to which I replied "I'm already leaving, don't try and give yourself credit!" I thanked the Police officer who held the door for me, and that was my adventure at the Baldwin Park city Hall.
The original can be found at the SOS website, posted here:
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