Thread: IL: Aurora unfurls law to ban motorist flag waving...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... 6219.story


Aurora to unfurl law to ban motorists' flag-waving

By James Kimberly, Sara Olkon and Rhianna Wisniewski. James Kimberly and Sara Olkon are Tribune staff reporters. Rhianna Wisniewski is a freelance reporter.
Published May 7, 2007

It has become a tradition, a way to publicly celebrate a missed homeland by driving slowly, honking the horn and waving the Mexican flag.

But in Aurora, where nearly one in three people says they are Mexican-American, such celebrations could become a crime punishable by a $250 fine and, on the third offense, seizure of the vehicle.

On Tuesday, the Aurora City Council will consider an ordinance that would outlaw celebratory honking and flag-waving from vehicles. The ordinance, which is likely to pass, does not specifically target Mexican-Americans, but the alderman spearheading the proposal is clear about the law's purpose.

Ald. Juany Garza said too many Hispanic residents' celebrations get out of control. Revelers drive around their blocks, she said, "screaming at each other, waving flags, hanging on window doors, honking -- they make so much noise."

Garza said the celebrations often lead to disrespect of the Mexican flag.

"I don't want people to say Hispanics and Mexicans don't know how to celebrate. ... The flag is not something to play with. You can't wear it like a Batman cape," said Garza, 52, who emigrated from Mexico as a teenager.

"What I try to do with this [ordinance] is educate my people. Everybody has a right to celebrate their own culture. I try to get people to understand we are in a different country and we want to celebrate, [but] in a good manner ... so everybody is proud."

The issue is not unique to Aurora. Neighborhoods and suburbs throughout the Chicago area see the spontaneous celebrations of patriotism.

It happens occasionally on Cinco de Mayo, the holiday celebrating Mexico's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla. But the traffic-stopping displays are most prevalent Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day.

Aurora Police Cmdr. Mike Langston said his officers frequently respond to complaints about the celebrations. He said police had a hard time addressing the issue in the past because there was no applicable city ordinance or state statute. The ordinance would give police an enforcement tool they now lack, he said.

While watching Aurora's Cinco de Mayo parade Sunday morning, David Bustamante, a second-generation Mexican-American, admitted he has celebrated Mexican Independence Day by waving a flag from a vehicle. He opposes the ordinance.

"I think that they ought to let people celebrate, as long as they are waving it in moderation," Bustamante said.

His friend Freddie Soto didn't agree. Soto, who emigrated from Mexico seven years ago, saw similar behavior in Mexico but on a more respectful level. Although he said he hopes the ordinance would curb the behavior, he was concerned that residents would see it as racist.

This is not the first time Garza has tangled with her constituents. Last year, she pushed an ordinance requiring residents to take down decorations within 60 days of Christmas because she was concerned by the number of homes in her ward that looked "very tacky" with inflatable Santas and Christmas lights still up in the spring.

Garza expects to be criticized for her position but said her intention is pure. A slow-moving vehicle with a large flag waving out a window can obstruct the view of the driver or other motorists, she said.

"I'm going to have a lot of controversy," said Garza, who helped organize the city's Cinco de Mayo celebration and was in Sunday's parade. "We are going to have a lot of people saying to me, 'Oh, she doesn't want to celebrate [anything].' They have to understand this is more for security or safety. I don't want somebody hurt or killed."

Other communities have not gone as far as passing an ordinance outlawing the behavior.

In Elgin, police distribute fliers in English and Spanish urging residents to celebrate safely and summarizing applicable laws such as the city's noise ordinance or the law against obstructing a driver's view. On Mexican Independence Day, leaders of the city's Hispanic community ride with police officers to help translate and educate residents before police calls escalate to confrontations, Police Lt. Mike Turner said.

Ricardo Meza, Midwest regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, questioned the need for the proposed ordinance.

"It doesn't make sense. The 4th of July is a lot louder and a lot worse -- wailing on your horn is a lot less disruptive than firecrackers," Meza said.

Meza also questioned the motivations of some of the people who complain about the celebrations.

"A lot of folks in our community have been told that if you wave the Mexican flag, you are somehow un-American, you are not ready somehow to assimilate," Meza said.

In the downtown Aurora insurance agency where she works, Lilia Salgado, a first-generation Mexican-American, said she understands the enthusiasm people show for national holidays.

"Some people do get crazy, but it's also because of the pride they have," she said.

Aurora officials have tried before to curb the celebrating on Mexican Independence Day. In 2003 then-Mayor David Stover asked the City Council to ban the sale of beer from taps on trucks at Fiestas Patrias, a two-day festival run by a resident. Stover also recommended that a parade on the second day of the festival be suspended, saying some vehicles almost caused accidents.

"They were driving their cars in a very erratic manner," he said at the time. "They were driving their cars toward the crowd. Basically, it fell just short of a tragedy."

Freelance reporter Cliff Ward contributed to this report.

jkimberly@tribune.com solkon@tribune.com

Meza also questioned the motivations of some of the people who complain about the celebrations.

"A lot of folks in our community have been told that if you wave the Mexican flag, you are somehow un-American, you are not ready somehow to assimilate," Meza said.

They sure as hell are un-American. What other nationality do you see running around waving their flag?

In the town I used to live in here in California, the Mexicans had little electric signs in the rear window that read, "Fu** You, This Is Mexico Now". They would paint the state or town in Mexico from which they came on their cars. They had nothing but contempt for America and our laws.