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07-01-2006, 04:18 AM #1
Firm's Mexican flag banned at energy fair
http://www.redding.com
Firm's Mexican flag banned at energy fair
By Scott Mobley, Record Searchlight
June 30, 2006
Saying the vendors were making a political statement, Redding officials refused to let a local landscaping firm display a Mexican flag during the recent City Services and Energy Fair.
Gringo Dave's features crossed Mexican and American flags on its business cards and letterhead. The firm's south Redding headquarters also displays large American and Mexican flags on an office wall.
Dave Kirkman and an employee had pinned the flags to the booth they were setting up for the fair on the City Hall plaza last Friday, the day before the event.
The two had left to fetch the firm's banner back at the office. They returned to their booth at City Hall to find that Pam Brady, a Redding Electric Utility employee, had taken the Mexican flag down and folded it up, Kirkman said.
Pat Keener -- the customer and energy services manager for Redding Electric who oversees the event -- verified that city employees had removed the Mexican flag. Gringo Dave's was a guest of the city's, and recent immigration debates have sharpened people's feelings, Keener said. The city did not want any trouble.
"This was not a political rally but an energy fair," Keener said. "It was not a place to have any kind of political statement. We did not think that showing a Mexican flag was anywhere near appropriate for what we were trying to accomplish at the energy fair."
Officials decided to remove the Mexican flag solely in the context of the energy fair, Keener said. The city does not have a blanket policy against displaying foreign flags.
Officials let Gringo Dave's display its business cards, T-shirts and other items sporting the firm's logo, where the Mexican flag flies.
Kirkman thinks the flag flap was a miscommunication.
"The folks did not understand the flag was a part of our logo," Kirkman said. "I was not flying the flag as a political statement."
Kirkman regularly visits Baja California, where his wife, Phyllis, owns land near San Jose del Cabo. The couple has spent so much time in Baja that the two consider Mexico a part of their identity, Phyllis Kirkman said.
The name of the Kirkmans' firm -- Gringo Dave's -- comes from the nickname Dave picked up in Baja.
"Gringo" is Spanish slang for foreigner, particularly white and black North Americans. The term can be derogatory or endearing, depending on context. Kirkman compares "gringo" to the Hawaiian term "haole," which also can insult or merely describe.
The name "Gringo Dave's" and the flags on the logo have been popular since Kirkman launched the firm in 1999, he said.
Gringo Dave's, which specializes in landscape irrigation and lighting, also markets and installs water-saving devices. Water conservation was a major theme at this year's fair, which coincided with 110-degree temperatures.
Just fewer than 5,500 people attended this year's fair, compared with nearly 6,000 last year, Keener said. But vendors reported "better than ever" conversations with customers about energy-saving home appliances and other conservation equipment on display in the numerous booths, he said.
"That means the people who were there really wanted to be there," Keener said.
This was Kirkman's first energy fair. He hopes Gringo Dave's can set up a booth at next year's fair, displaying its Mexican and American flags.
"I feel I'll be able to get it squared away with the city, and we'll be able to fly anything we want at next year's fair as long as it doesn't violate community standards," Kirkman said.
Reporter Scott Mobley can be reached at 225-8220 or at smobley@redding.com.Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at http://eepurl.com/cktGTn
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07-01-2006, 05:53 AM #2
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"This was not a political rally but an energy fair," Keener said. "It was not a place to have any kind of political statement. We did not think that showing a Mexican flag was anywhere near appropriate for what we were trying to accomplish at the energy fair."
Gringo Dave might want to set up his shop in Mexico since he feels it's his country. I wonder if people will continue to call a landscaper called "gringo dave?" I know I'd be passing my fingers over them in the yellow pages.Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)
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07-01-2006, 11:25 AM #3Gringo Dave might want to set up his shop in Mexico since he feels it's his country. I wonder if people will continue to call a landscaper called "gringo dave?" I know I'd be passing my fingers over them in the yellow pages."Liberty CANNOT be preserved without general knowledge among people" John Adams (August 1765)
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07-01-2006, 01:04 PM #4
Ya....I sure wouldn't call for his services.
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