Thread: Race issues:As Rifle grows, it divides

As Rifle grows, it divides
Fallout from girls' racially charged clash reaches far beyond school halls
Darin McGregor © The Rocky

Nearly two months have passed since ethnic slurs flew and two teen girls clashed in a high school hallway. The bruises have faded, but Rifle’s cultural chasm has grown wider. Above, John and Alice Kuersten’s daughter, 14, holds a picture of her black eye and broken nose from a Feb. 23 attack at Rifle High School.STORY TOOLS
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By Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News
April 11, 2007
RIFLE - The 14-year-old freshman was walking to her midmorning geography class at Rifle High School in February when she said an older - and considerably bigger - Hispanic girl called her "cracker."
Then, the Hispanic girl pushed her to the hallway floor, slammed her head into a locker, and pummeled, scratched and kicked her while other students stood by and watched, the 14-year-old said. Some even took pictures and recorded the clash with their camera phones.

John Kuersten said his daughter, who asked that her first name not be used, suffered a broken nose, a bruised collarbone and a separation between two of her vertebrae. The 14-year-old figures the attack was in retaliation for calling a Hispanic boy "beaner" the day before after he had made a sexual comment to her.

Whatever provoked the Feb. 23 incident, one thing is clear: The fallout has spilled far beyond the halls of Rifle High School.

Some say it has further strained relations between white residents and the fast-growing Hispanic community. Others say the ethnic overtones have been overblown, but acknowledge that Rifle is under pressure, grappling with an influx of new residents, rising prices and strains on city services.

"Experience has taught me that was more than a confrontation between two youths," said Garfield School District Re-2 Superintendent Gary Pack. "The community told us that. When you have the kind of demographic shifts that have taken place in our community, there's going to be community tension. Unfortunately, that has boiled over to our schools."

Garfield School District officials have sought help from the U.S. Department of Justice and a Denver mediation consulting firm.

Meanwhile, the local chapter of the Minutemen has tied the incident to illegal immigration and has begun a recruiting drive that has further polarized residents.

'We're headed for trouble'

Nestled in a narrow valley along Interstate 70 in central Garfield County, Rifle appears peaceful and bucolic. The Colorado River sparkles as it winds its way along the town's southern border.

A large storefront sign near the entrance to town reads, "Support Our Troops." The message is underscored by faded yellow ribbons tied around dozens of lampposts and trees.

Historically a farming and ranching community, Rifle is changing quickly.

The U.S. Census counted 4,636 residents in 1990; by 2005, the population estimate was 8,038. But city officials believe that number is low and say they expect the population to nearly double within 10 years - much of that from immigration.

About one-fourth of the 8,114 new residents in Garfield County between 2000 and 2006 came from other countries, according to a recent Census estimate.

Rifle and Garfield County are hardly alone.

Summit County gained 1,851 residents in that same period, with more than 92 percent of that growth consisting of immigrants, according to the Census Bureau.

Immigrants, mostly from Mexico and other Latin American countries, accounted for more than half of Eagle County's population surge from immigrants, and in Arapahoe County, 40 percent of the growth is attributed to immigration.

But there are forces at work that are unique to Rifle.

In the past five years, Rifle has been caught up in the resurgence of oil and gas drilling in the Roaring Fork Valley in Western Colorado.

Last year, a record number of drilling permits were approved, and hundreds of workers have come from throughout the country, attracted by high-paying jobs.

But the boom has driven up the cost of living. Rifle City Manager John Hier says the price of housing has gone up more than 20 percent.

"Rifle has always been a working-class community, but they're being priced out now," he said.

At the Red River Inn, where muddy construction boots line the hallways, pipeline worker Gene Stapp was getting ready to move back to Arkansas and leave his $40-an-hour job.

"We had to get a place here. Everything else is priced out," said Stapp, who was paying $60 a night for his motel room.

"I've worked all over, even Alaska, and I've never seen a situation like this. I don't think it's worth it. There's good work to be had all over the country."

Energy workers aren't the only ones driving up prices. As real estate in resort communities skyrockets, wealthy newcomers are discovering Garfield County, buying up large tracts of land and building "ranchettes," said John Nevonin, who has lived in Rifle for 41 years.

"There's a saying around here, that the millionaires are moving out because the billionaires are kicking them out," Nevonin said. "When they come here, they drive up prices on everything from land to a cup of coffee."

City Manager Hier said basic services haven't kept up with growth.

"Transportation, along with utility and sewer services, are already strained," he said. "Other services, like police and fire, are on the verge. We have numerous development proposals on the planning board, but for now, we're headed for trouble."

Some live in fear

Rifle has also become a magnet for service industry workers, many of them Hispanic, who work in Aspen, Vail and other resort communities. And a severe shortage of housing has led to a recent boom in construction, which employs a large number of Hispanics.

The 2000 Census, which provides the latest racial and ethnic breakdown, showed more than 16 percent of Rifle residents were Hispanic.

Rifle High School Principal Todd Ellis said the school's Hispanic student population soared from 20 percent just five years ago to nearly 34 percent this year.

"This change has left some residents uneasy," said Ellis. "When you have major economic change, or racial or religious change, it sometimes results in conflict."

State demographer Elizabeth Gardner emphasized that it isn't just a changing ethnic makeup that can disrupt a community.

"Rifle is being slammed by growth in all directions, with the oil and gas industry bringing much of that growth," she said. "You can't just say it's a white vs. Hispanic issue. It can also be newcomers vs. old-timers, middle class vs. rich or poor, old vs. young."

Nevonin, a landscape worker, remembers when Rifle was the kind of place where practically everyone knew one another.

"The Spanish people lived on Park Avenue," he said. "Whites lived wherever they wanted."

He doesn't understand why some locals resent their new Hispanic neighbors.

"If they work hard, stay out of trouble and pay taxes, why should anyone complain? It's the stupid, loudmouthed people who seem to get all the attention," he said. "I think it's the silent majority that are more reasonable when it comes to the whole immigration issue."

Nelly Vargas is a Mexico native who opened a piñata and candy store on the north side of town, where several Hispanic-owned business are clustered. She moved to Rifle in 2005, about four years after a gunman in town killed four Mexican immigrants and wounded three others.

"I've had good experiences here," she said, although someone recently left a flier titled "Immigration or Invasion?" in front of her home. She also recalled instances when she felt unwelcome when shopping at certain stores.

"I think it's very difficult for Hispanics who don't have their papers," she said. "I think they do experience discrimination."

Ruben Sanchez, whose store sells everything from cowboy boots to DVDs in Spanish, said some Hispanics in town "live in fear."

"We come here to work, not to cause trouble," he said. "But some people don't want us here just because we speak a different language."

Minutemen weigh in

John Kuersten took pictures of his daughter the day she was attacked. The images show her face covered with red scratches and a pair of black eyes.

Kuersten's daughter, a petite, soft-spoken girl, said, "I don't know how somebody could get so mad. Last year, our whole class got along. We were all friends."

Kuersten said school officials didn't call him or his wife until nearly two hours after his daughter was attacked, and failed to get her immediate medical attention.

He said the incident showed a lack of discipline at the school. His daughter is now being home schooled. The Hispanic girl no longer attends Rifle High, the superintendent said.

Rifle police said a summons was issued for second-degree assault to a female juvenile in the Feb. 23 attack, but would not confirm Kuersten's claim that a summons for disorderly conduct also was issued for his daughter.

Investigators said they could not release further information because the case is pending and involves juveniles. A court hearing is scheduled for today.

Dana Isham, founder of the Minutemen Rocky Mountain Region, a group that advocates for a stronger border with Mexico, said he believes the incident is tied to illegal immigration because the attacker was Hispanic and has since disappeared. He said a number of Rifle residents signed up with the group after it set up a table on a busy street.

"We were met with real enthusiasm. Some Hispanics also supported us. That shows that this is not a racial issue," he said.

Still, the clash stirred angry rhetoric by other opponents of illegal immigration.

"Invaders get racist and violent as they take over Colorado communities" screams a headline on a online blog set up soon after the Rifle attack.

A posting on the Americans for Legal Immigration Web site reads, "I hope there is an uprising and these scumbags are driven out of town by a mob complete with torches!"

Students take action

Rifle High seniors Alma Gonzales, Laura Hernandez and Tiffany Woody said they believe the racial aspect of the incident has been "blown way out of proportion."

"Every school has fights. I think this was more about maturity. It was a freshman and sophomore involved. If it were seniors, it wouldn't have gotten to that level," said Woody.

Hernandez blamed the victim for using a racial epithet, even though the Hispanic girl used one, too.

"That was her fault," she said. "She should have walked away. I've been called a beaner. It doesn't feel good."

But Alice Kuersten said her daughter didn't deserve what she got.

"I raised my kids to stick up for themselves. Besides, it's not uncommon for kids to use words they don't mean and later regret," she said.

Kuersten said she and her husband have received dozens of letters and phone calls from throughout the country, many of them anti-Hispanic.

"We didn't make this racial. The school did. The school characterized this as a Mexican girl vs. a white girl issue. This is a discipline problem. There are others involved besides the girl that attacked my daughter, and nothing has happened to them. And the girl who hurt my daughter, where are her parents in all of this?"

For its part, the high school has launched bullying prevention programs, increased vigilance of the school grounds by teachers and other staff, and is getting outside assistance from organizations like the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Relations Service, which offers conflict resolution and mediation services to communities affected by issues of race and ethnicity.

At Rifle High, students are taking action on their own. They've put up posters that promote racial harmony.

"It's encouraging to see how the students are showing initiative to take on this problem," Principal Ellis said. "I think that bodes well for our future."

Growing Rifle

4,636 residents lived in Rifle, according to the 1990 census.

6,784 residents called Rifle home by the 2000 census

8,038 residents is the 2005 figure, although city officials say that is conservative.

• Expectations: City officials said they expect the population to nearly double within 10 years - much of that from immigration.

• New residents: About a fourth of the 8,114 new residents in Garfield County between 2000 and 2006 came from other countries.

quinterof@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5250

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/l ... 03,00.html

I think it's very difficult for Hispanics who don't have their papers," she said. "I think they do experience discrimination."

REALLY? Guess being a lawbreaking criminal tends to make one a bit nervous and life then becomes difficult for them. Must be hard to sneak into another country, take a job or life that is not yours to have, take free education your kids are not entitled to, take social services you should not be entitled to, and then wonder why Americans are just a tiny bit ticked off!

Racial name calling, inmature, attacking someone over presumed name calling, criminal.

A posting on the Americans for Legal Immigration Web site reads, "I hope there is an uprising and these scumbags are driven out of town by a mob complete with torches!"

Hmmm.......nice to see Mr. McGregor quote something he reported reading from here, however, I couldn't find anything quoted from any of the pro-illegal immigrant group web sites. As Gomer Pyle, USMC, would say, "surprise, surprise, surprise."

Ever see an airport or a farm that after being in the middle of nowhere for years has houses built up all around and then the come lately residents demand the airport and the farmer move out?

Same thing.