Hi... first time poster...thank you for giving those of us frustrated Legal American Citizens a place to interact with Americans who value our Country. I live in Northern Nevada...home of the west's largest Cinco de Mayo Celebration. My kids love the great outdoors, horses, rodeo...etc...We participate in junior rodeo and horse games events at several various arenas in the area. One in particular is the arena depicted in the article below. Last year, my kid's rodeo followed the Mexican Rodeo at this arena that had been held the day before. When the parents arrived with kid's and horses and other livestock in tow to set up for our rodeo, we arrived to find the rodeo grounds completely trashed with broken bottles all over the place, about 30-40 empty syringe needles on the ground and in the shoots where the animals line up for entry for their event. Empty food containers and trash from the day before were everywhere you looked. It took our families 2 hours just to secure the area for our events to take place that day and insure that our animals and families would be safe. The article I'm posting is this years turn of events at their "Wonderful Family Event". I can tell you in the 4 years we have been going to rodeos in the area...we have never seen this kind of violence. Yeah there have been beer brawls...but no one ever pulled out a gun and shot a horse and potentially killed several people! This really scares me that we are heading in a direction that turns our communities for the sake of "Preserving our Mexican Traditions" into some gun toting crazy Mexican old west.

Anyway.... the irreverence for anything American...hello that is where you "Migrated" to, is unheard of. Thanks for letting me vent! The article below makes it sound like everythings fine in lil' Mexico. I'm all for keeping ones heritage, traditions, etc. But I've had enough of the ZERO assimilation into our Country. If people from Mexico are only "Migrating" as their Presidente states...never pointing out the "ILLEGAL" part....then I guess that all our rodeos will become shoot outs at the "No it's NOT OKAY" corral!!!! Because we will be the great Norte American Territory, not a seperate sovereign country. We are just a continuation of the Mexican States. Wake up America!!!

D



Organizers of Mexican rodeo say shooting mars family event
JACLYN O (online@rgj.com)
'MALLEY
JOMALLEY@RGJ.COM
May 16, 2006

A day after gunfire erupted at a Mother's Day-themed Mexican rodeo in Sparks -- killing a horse and grazing one person -- organizers fear the incident could mar the traditional family event.

No arrests had been made as of Monday. It could not be confirmed whether the incident was gang-related, said Sparks police Commander Steve Asher.

Police said a man brought a gun from the parking lot after a fight broke out at the Gandolfo Sports Arena. Several people were injured, most of them in the fight. Authorities and event officials say it was lucky that no one in the crowd of about 2,000 was killed or severely injured by the random gunfire.

"We want to make it clear that the Mexican rodeo with its professional riders had nothing to do with (the shooting)," said event organizer Joe F. Salinas. "It was odd to look up and recognize gunshots and then looking at people, trying to make sure everyone was safe. Everyone was in fear of their lives.

"We don't want any (gang) stereotypes," he said. "This was a positive event until the shooting."

Just before 7 p.m. Sunday the event had started to wind down. The music had stopped. Professional charros, or Mexican cowboys, had led their horses out of the arena, where spectators began to gather. The nearly 2,000 people who packed the grandstands were walking back to their cars. Then the shooting started.

"People were panicked, crying and hiding behind buildings," Salinas said. "There was popping (of the gun). Moms were frightened and grabbed their children. There were a lot of children."

Salinas said police arrived quickly and many people were questioned. Cars were being checked until about 9:30 p.m.

Salinas and Jose Valencia, another official who saw the shooting, said the incident started when a group of young men challenged people laughing at a woman or girl who fell off a horse in the arena.

Police said the heckling led to a fight. Then a group of young men ripped off their T-shirts, exposing many tattoos, and ran to the parking lot, Salinas said. One man, 16 to 19 years old, came back with a gun and began shooting, apparently at someone, as he stood on a hillside rock, Valencia said.

"We're lucky no one got hurt," Valencia said. "I don't know why he had a gun. He didn't seem like he had been hurt in a fight. This kind of thing does ruin the event."

"It's one of those things you don't expect and you can't prevent," he said. "They'd have to be crazy to do something like this. It's just stupid."

The eight unarmed security guards at the event chased the group of young men who ran from the arena, he said. For future rodeos, Valencia said it's likely more security guards will be hired and possibly begin searching cars for weapons. Currently, guards had just been checking for alcohol in vehicles.

Sunday's jaripeo, Spanish for rodeo, was the first one this year, Salinas said. The Mexican rodeos have been held in the area since 2003, he said. Last year there were four. This year, three more have been scheduled.

"Everything had been perfect," said Sergio Morelos, president of the local Charros federation and shooting witness. "This sport is an opportunity to keep children out of gangs and to keep up with Mexican tradition. I feel so sorry that this was meant to be a very professional event for Mother's Day and now this. It's really sad."

Morelos, of Rancho Haven, and his wife, Mariam, said they were disappointed that "a beautiful family event" had to be ruined by violence.

"This is a tragedy," Mariam Morelos said. "This has really scared a lot of people. It's sad to say we should profile (gang members), but it's come to that extreme though. Next we'll have to search vehicles.

"This is not the image we want," she said. "This wasn't supposed to happen."