Thread: Still looking for Help ( Baldwin Park Monument)

Another incident possible June 25

By Christina L. Esparza, Staff Writer

While council members did not say whether they'd set aside money for a reward, they used the discussion to outline the hundreds of e-mail and phone threats they are getting at City Hall and home.
Councilman Ricardo Pacheco said he's been called racial epithets and "illegal immigrant' by those who said they support Save Our State, the group rallying against a monument at the Metrolink station because they contend it is anti-American.

The monument, "Danza Indigenas,' is filled with quotes artist Judy Baca said came from community members, such as "It was better before they came,' and "This land was Mexican once, Indian always and is, and will be again.'

Save Our State charged those quotes were "seditious' and organized a rally May 14 to protest it and demanded they be brought down. However, city officials said they have no authority to do so, and even if they did, they wouldn't give in to Save Our State's demands.

Pacheco also said people called his daughter saying they were going to kill her father.

"You have been misled, you have been lied to,' Pacheco said, addressing the four women, arguing Save Our State and its founder, Joseph Turner, portrayed itself as a non-racist, peaceful organization.

Robin Hvidston of Upland, one of the three women who accompanied Dottie Dalton the woman hit with the water bottle to the meeting said she is not associated with Save Our State, but wanted the council to know her right to peacefully assemble was violated by the hundreds of counter-protesters who surrounded the group.

"It was utterly terrifying,' she said. "It was sheer domestic terrorism.'

Hvidston charged the group was called "white trash' by the counter-protestors.

Dalton said she couldn't stand or walk properly after being hit.

"I was the victim of a hate crime,' Dalton said.

However, Reyna Rodriguez, 22, of Baldwin Park, said supporters of Save Our State are nasty.

"They generalized the community members as gang members,' Rodriguez said. "We were called savages. We were families. We were students. We were university professors. We were children.'

Councilman Bill Van Cleave said he would not support ponying up for a reward because the group's protest cost the city thousands in police labor. "We want compensation for the problems you caused,' Van Cleave said. "You keep coming here and causing more problems.'

Save Our State announced it will protest the monument June 25. Members of the community, who are in the process of organizing, said they will defend the monument.

Christina L. Esparza can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2472, or by e-mail at christina.esparza@sgvn.com .

Front Page!!

http://www.alipac.us/article-476--0-0.html

Here is the thread at SOS:

http://www.saveourstate.org/forums/i...showtopic=2652

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but Save Our State didn't call the police. The City of Baldwin Park sent the police to monitor the tensions the City created by inviting militant "children, professors, students, families" to the Save Our State protest!! AT least one of them committed a violent act in front of police. I believe the City Council has lost its mind if it ever had one. This is very distorted, convoluted thinking.

If the City of Baldwin Park doesn't have the authority to move that ugly "monument", then who does? They commissioned it. They paid for it. It's on City Land. If not the City, then WHO?

GO SAVE OUR STATE!!

Right on every point, except one: the US TAXPAYER paid for half of it, and half came, as a matching grant, from the Metro Transit Authority.
The total came to some $60,000.

Then, according to their press release, they spent $250,000 for keeping the peace at our first rally (overtime, help from other agencies, Sheriff's deputies, helicopter support, etc.). This amount was ALL taxpayer money.
Money well spent ...

Ms. Esparza,

I understand you are trying to look out for "La Raza" and that is quite noble of you. However, you must understand, we are looking out for our people as well. The citizens of the United States of America. Your incredibly bias article will just fan the flames of this situation. For years, the good citizens of California have put up this seditious behavior, but let me assure you that the rest of the country will not. Racist? Please take a good hard look in the mirror.

God Bless the United States of America!

THANKS LOBO for those important facts!!

And well said, Virginiamama!!

As I recall, the police did not do a very good job of blocking of streets. As I recall a bunch of the counter protestors simply walked through a neighborhood to get closer to the SOS people.

I feel for the police. So many are caught in the middle. For the most part they want to do their job and but the higher ups won't let them. I believe the vast majority of them hate seeing what is happening to our country as much as we do. Think of how hard it must be for them to be in LAW ENFORCEMENT and not be able to enforce it! I also can't help but think that because of this and our governments lack of action is putting our law enforcment officers in harms way! After all, if I am not mistaken, isn't killling a police officer one of the big thing with MS-13?

However, Reyna Rodriguez, 22, of Baldwin Park, said supporters of Save Our State are nasty.

They generalized the community members as gang members,' Rodriguez said. "We were called savages.

You forgot terrorists. From the photos and video footage I saw it sure looked like the descriptions were right on. I guess that is normal everyday normal for your community and you see nothing wrong with it. Your community needs to be locked up in a cage like wild animals.

Ms Rodriguez is wrong.
We never "generalized the community members" in any way, shape or form.
However, when we see a group spewing hatred for America and Americans, discgracing Old Glory, promoting dismembering the US, hitting a senior citizen in the head in a charateristic, cowardly fashion, we DO call them a vicious mob.
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck ...