The Jastro Park HR4437 Protests: Part Two - By N.L. Belardes
I stood on the back of the stage and looked out to a sea of people. Journalists, reporters, cameramen all crammed the edges to snap photos. I watched Dolores Huerta on her birthday clapping to the song “De Colores” and at Gonzalo Santos, beckoning to the growing crowd who chanted. "Sí, se puede!" meaning “Yes, we can!”
In moment after moment I took in the sight: the incredible cacophony of flags, signs and eager people. It didn’t matter that 200,000 marched in Phoenix, or that more numbers marched in Dallas the day before, or that collectively, enormous multi-ethnic groups marched across the U.S. Proportionately, so many marchers in Bakersfield represented a historic and diverse Central Valley population, spearheaded by Latinos on a day for immigrants to speak out and say, “Yes, we can say we don’t need to be the scapegoats of the country! We don’t deserve to be criminalized!” I thought, Where would I be if my country found a loophole in the system to criminalize me over something as insane of wanting to work in a free country? If someone is desperate to get to America to work, should I blame them? No, I won’t. You can.
Let them come into the borders. Let them come into the vineyards and orchards. Let them come into the restaurants to cook, and to the streets to sell the ice cream that you and I eat. Let them come into my home and dine with me. Why not? Weren’t your ancestors immigrants? If America fell apart you better believe I would hop a fence with my kids if it meant an opportunity to not live in squalor. Go to CSUB or any college library. Open the history books and look into the world of immigration and educate yourself to the fact that many Europeans did not come to America legally. And what about the forced migration of millions of now African-Americans? Would you have considered that legal or illegal immigration by your standards; not today’s standards, but during such years? People were torn even then…
The hatred I saw against the protesters offered no solution to HR4437. It was racism, pure and simple. The uneducated racists who I saw speak out had a right to do so. But like the young lady of Irish-Basque descent on the march with her “Stop bitching” sign spoke to a diverse workforce represented by the marchers that included: government lawmakers, doctors, lawyers, professors, educators, musicians, media folks, businessmen, students, families, and more… her uneducated stand without clear arguments fell hopelessly on the ears of the masses marching past her.
In the end she looked like a young girl without a purpose hiding behind hatred.
On the western side of Jastro Park the march began. I quickly turned to text messaging to spread the word, typing at 11:22 AM, “The march is on…” Birthday girl Dolores Huerta’s daughter used a bullhorn to organize the beginning of the march.
I watched from atop the organizers’ stage. The head of the mass, the head of the snake meant to put a final poisonous bite into HR4437 came together. In the lead stood Dolores Huerta, Gonzalo Santos, Jess Nieto, Nicole and Pete Parra, Sikh representatives, Catholic priests, worshippers from Delano and the Campesino songster with his gritty guitar; there were members of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and UFW members, as well as thousands who felt drawn to march in the most historic of the four protests in central Bakersfield thus far in 2006. The chanting began, and people with a purpose marched into the streets, with the collective eye of the media walking backwards and snapping historic photos in memory card after memory card filled with images of the protesters first steps into Westchester residential streets.
The marchers moved slowly and sang. I took a few photos and then observed onlookers: people from nearby homes quietly whispering and watching the protest as it moved into the street and rounded the corner to head east on 18th Street.
I followed the leading edge of the protest, sometimes walking backwards to take photos, curious as to the power and energy of such a mass of people. Clearly with leaders at the front, this march had a spiritual glow, a purposeful step on such a warm Bakersfield day. I admired local newspaper photographer Felix Adamo’s ability to get in close to the marchers as they stepped forward, nearly overpowering him, though never intending to do so.
As the march continued to slowly make its way I saw Ishmael Kimbrough III, a history professor of African-American studies at Bakersfield College. Not only is he a bright man, he is engaging as well, and back in the day got out of his share of university parking tickets (I always admired that quality in a once fellow student). He snapped photos and I told him I was glad to see him out.
“I just live up the street,” he smiled then went and stood next to a guy sipping morning coffee.
As I ran out of photos, Matt Munoz allowed me to dump my memory card onto his work laptop that sat in Lydia ‘Chanclas’ Gonzales nearby pick-up. It was her notes I photographed that had the names of the spiritual leaders in the march. As Matt and I dumped photos Lydia moved up the street, snapping photos as she went. “We need to take her truck to the parking garage downtown,” Matt said.
Good, more adventure, I thought.
Of course how we would move the truck posed a problem.
Suddenly there stood Bako Carpetbagger, a well educated Asian-American blogger and advocate of the Jastro Park rally and march. His daughter was looking tired, so he said he had to get going home, though he looked torn about having to leave. He’s a good dad. Gotta take care of the little ones, I thought. I’m looking forward to his write-up on the event.
Nearby, a street had been blocked. Matt asked the police and they moved the barricade. I jumped onto the truck and took some photos. We then backed out and tore down side streets to a downtown parking garage.
On Eye Street the scene looked like a parade route with people lining the streets in anticipation of the protesters. Matt and I did a portion of an interview for his historic Bakotunes Radio podcast of the marches he has been compiling… We then crossed the street and took more photos as the untiring protesters continued in their "Sí, se puede!" chants.
Matt then conducted an interview with protest organizer, Jess Nieto. In what seemed like moments, the protest rounded onto Chester Avenue to head south in what was to be a huge loop to Truxton, and eventually back onto 18th Street and to Jastro Park.
I wondered about events in dozens of cities nationwide as protesters took to the streets in the tens and hundreds of thousands in dozens of other cities.
On Chester Avenue many police lined the streets near the liberty bell as traffic from Chester flowed east onto Truxton Avenue. While on the main downtown thoroughfare I heard that my kids watched the march from a 4th floor window. Other co-workers of mine headed onto the roof of the Washington Mutual Building for a towering view of the historic Bakersfield event.
Matt just finished an interview with Dolores Huerta’s daughter when rounding the corner to Truxton. After a few more photos I suddenly had to stop in my tracks. There outside of the Borton & Petrini building stood Jack Black with a super rad camera set-up. “Is that…? I said to Matt as we headed to the north side of Truxton Avenue. I snapped a photo and approached the guy who recognized me from my book cover. Man, you look like Jack Black,” I said.
“People tell me that all the time.”
“Well you do,” I said.
“Do you have a website?”
“Oh yeah…”
And then Matt eyed the Borton & Petrini building. “Let’s try to get shots from the top,” he said.
Who was I to disagree?
He asked a lady at the entrance who directed us to take the elevator to the 5th floor. Smelling like we had just walked ten city blocks, we got on the elevator and stepped off to a posh lawyer setting with lots of expensive hard wood décor and the most soothing elevator-lobby music you could ever hear. In front of us sat a lady on a telephone. She talked some company gibberish in a monotone voice as we stood in front of her looking like some kind of media SWAT team. Of course that’s who she said was on top of the building, so she would have to ask permission. “There’s some gentlemen here from the media who want roof access…oh they can’t? OK.”
She then looked at us and in her monotone voice without even a hint of excitement for what was transgressing on the street below, she said, “No.”
We took some photos from behind her desk. Then we thanked her, made a quick restroom stop (the music was quite pleasant in there too) headed downstairs past supporters, past Jack Black’s twin brother, and followed along as the protestors banged drums, chanted, sang, rounded a corner past a church and came to a brief halt as the tail end of the protest had to catch up.
It was then I took some of the most important pictures I think of the entire protest as the head of the march neared a church cross.
This protest had a spiritual theme. As I mentioned, the marchers were likened to Jasmine in milk. And here went the tip of the protest of thousands rounding a house of God, passing as if beneath a cross. No, it didn’t matter that the cross beyond the protesters was on a Presbyterian church. It didn’t matter that Sikhs and Muslim walked with people of many Christian faiths. What mattered was the message that many believed God and the cause of humanitarianism stood over the march, and that such spirituality is holy, and such a symbol can empower the very people walking in unison, no matter what faith.
Back on 18th Street we soon happened upon the angry counter-protester. As I mentioned before, she had no clear argument. She stood in a guise of hate and hid behind dark glasses. Clearly afraid of the masses, she had a condescending tone as if taking off her glasses meant she would have had to stare into the eyes of criminals. I heard her say, “These people are cussing and yelling at me.”
“Tell me, why do you have a sign with a curse word on it if you don’t want people cursing back at you?” I said.
She grew angrier. “I have a right to be here,” she snapped.
I laughed to myself. Without clear arguments how can people be educated on her position which may have been about legal immigration vs. illegal immigration. I find the whole argument of legal immigration as just a means to further scapegoat people who have been coming to America illegally for 100s of years.
I look at immigration this way: coming to America is like going to a football game. Some people buy tickets (at different prices). Some people are given tickets (to good seats even!) Some are let in by friends. Some are actually in the game and are expected to perform. Some are the media covering the game, the fans, etc., and some people actually sneak into the game by walking in gates, hopping fences, etc. All these types of people get in, and once in, enjoy the game and typically obey fan rules of participation. Any game goer may become rowdy, just as in any fan section of a sporting event: doesn’t matter how they got into the game. Everyone has the potential to get rowdy.
The concept of legalization, that people have to earn their citizenship is a hogwash argument in the current HR4437 debates. People have come as immigrants to America and just taken land. People have come as immigrants to American and monopolized business. And one method of legalization that really gets to me is the “let an American purchase you as a bride” method that gets many people into America, legally. For some reason in American society it’s OK for some creepy old guy, or American soldier, too sad and embarrassed to ask a woman out, will play God on the Internet, meet and have casual sex with potential mail order brides, and then finally get one to suit his tastes to legally bring to America to fulfill some kind of sick marriage wish, only to get left a few years later by a duping wife who really just wanted a ticket into the land of the free. Can you blame her? No. Desperation causes many people to get into America by any means necessary—which is my point. But to argue legal vs. illegal means of immigration… come on, I can think of worse so-called ‘legal’ means than sneaking from Mexico in the trunk of a car to go work at a car wash.
Many families came to America, came to the football game, got on boats, whatever you want to call it, by however means necessary so your ancestors could take advantage of OPPORTUNITY. Is that so bad?
Two minutes to game time. Can we just play the game?
Coming soon: Part Three…
In moment after moment I took in the sight: the incredible cacophony of flags, signs and eager people. It didn’t matter that 200,000 marched in Phoenix, or that more numbers marched in Dallas the day before, or that collectively, enormous multi-ethnic groups marched across the U.S. Proportionately, so many marchers in Bakersfield represented a historic and diverse Central Valley population, spearheaded by Latinos on a day for immigrants to speak out and say, “Yes, we can say we don’t need to be the scapegoats of the country! We don’t deserve to be criminalized!” I thought, Where would I be if my country found a loophole in the system to criminalize me over something as insane of wanting to work in a free country? If someone is desperate to get to America to work, should I blame them? No, I won’t. You can.
Let them come into the borders. Let them come into the vineyards and orchards. Let them come into the restaurants to cook, and to the streets to sell the ice cream that you and I eat. Let them come into my home and dine with me. Why not? Weren’t your ancestors immigrants? If America fell apart you better believe I would hop a fence with my kids if it meant an opportunity to not live in squalor. Go to CSUB or any college library. Open the history books and look into the world of immigration and educate yourself to the fact that many Europeans did not come to America legally. And what about the forced migration of millions of now African-Americans? Would you have considered that legal or illegal immigration by your standards; not today’s standards, but during such years? People were torn even then…
The hatred I saw against the protesters offered no solution to HR4437. It was racism, pure and simple. The uneducated racists who I saw speak out had a right to do so. But like the young lady of Irish-Basque descent on the march with her “Stop bitching” sign spoke to a diverse workforce represented by the marchers that included: government lawmakers, doctors, lawyers, professors, educators, musicians, media folks, businessmen, students, families, and more… her uneducated stand without clear arguments fell hopelessly on the ears of the masses marching past her.
In the end she looked like a young girl without a purpose hiding behind hatred.
On the western side of Jastro Park the march began. I quickly turned to text messaging to spread the word, typing at 11:22 AM, “The march is on…” Birthday girl Dolores Huerta’s daughter used a bullhorn to organize the beginning of the march.
I watched from atop the organizers’ stage. The head of the mass, the head of the snake meant to put a final poisonous bite into HR4437 came together. In the lead stood Dolores Huerta, Gonzalo Santos, Jess Nieto, Nicole and Pete Parra, Sikh representatives, Catholic priests, worshippers from Delano and the Campesino songster with his gritty guitar; there were members of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and UFW members, as well as thousands who felt drawn to march in the most historic of the four protests in central Bakersfield thus far in 2006. The chanting began, and people with a purpose marched into the streets, with the collective eye of the media walking backwards and snapping historic photos in memory card after memory card filled with images of the protesters first steps into Westchester residential streets.
The marchers moved slowly and sang. I took a few photos and then observed onlookers: people from nearby homes quietly whispering and watching the protest as it moved into the street and rounded the corner to head east on 18th Street.
I followed the leading edge of the protest, sometimes walking backwards to take photos, curious as to the power and energy of such a mass of people. Clearly with leaders at the front, this march had a spiritual glow, a purposeful step on such a warm Bakersfield day. I admired local newspaper photographer Felix Adamo’s ability to get in close to the marchers as they stepped forward, nearly overpowering him, though never intending to do so.
As the march continued to slowly make its way I saw Ishmael Kimbrough III, a history professor of African-American studies at Bakersfield College. Not only is he a bright man, he is engaging as well, and back in the day got out of his share of university parking tickets (I always admired that quality in a once fellow student). He snapped photos and I told him I was glad to see him out.
“I just live up the street,” he smiled then went and stood next to a guy sipping morning coffee.
As I ran out of photos, Matt Munoz allowed me to dump my memory card onto his work laptop that sat in Lydia ‘Chanclas’ Gonzales nearby pick-up. It was her notes I photographed that had the names of the spiritual leaders in the march. As Matt and I dumped photos Lydia moved up the street, snapping photos as she went. “We need to take her truck to the parking garage downtown,” Matt said.
Good, more adventure, I thought.
Of course how we would move the truck posed a problem.
Suddenly there stood Bako Carpetbagger, a well educated Asian-American blogger and advocate of the Jastro Park rally and march. His daughter was looking tired, so he said he had to get going home, though he looked torn about having to leave. He’s a good dad. Gotta take care of the little ones, I thought. I’m looking forward to his write-up on the event.
Nearby, a street had been blocked. Matt asked the police and they moved the barricade. I jumped onto the truck and took some photos. We then backed out and tore down side streets to a downtown parking garage.
On Eye Street the scene looked like a parade route with people lining the streets in anticipation of the protesters. Matt and I did a portion of an interview for his historic Bakotunes Radio podcast of the marches he has been compiling… We then crossed the street and took more photos as the untiring protesters continued in their "Sí, se puede!" chants.
Matt then conducted an interview with protest organizer, Jess Nieto. In what seemed like moments, the protest rounded onto Chester Avenue to head south in what was to be a huge loop to Truxton, and eventually back onto 18th Street and to Jastro Park.
I wondered about events in dozens of cities nationwide as protesters took to the streets in the tens and hundreds of thousands in dozens of other cities.
On Chester Avenue many police lined the streets near the liberty bell as traffic from Chester flowed east onto Truxton Avenue. While on the main downtown thoroughfare I heard that my kids watched the march from a 4th floor window. Other co-workers of mine headed onto the roof of the Washington Mutual Building for a towering view of the historic Bakersfield event.
Matt just finished an interview with Dolores Huerta’s daughter when rounding the corner to Truxton. After a few more photos I suddenly had to stop in my tracks. There outside of the Borton & Petrini building stood Jack Black with a super rad camera set-up. “Is that…? I said to Matt as we headed to the north side of Truxton Avenue. I snapped a photo and approached the guy who recognized me from my book cover. Man, you look like Jack Black,” I said.
“People tell me that all the time.”
“Well you do,” I said.
“Do you have a website?”
“Oh yeah…”
And then Matt eyed the Borton & Petrini building. “Let’s try to get shots from the top,” he said.
Who was I to disagree?
He asked a lady at the entrance who directed us to take the elevator to the 5th floor. Smelling like we had just walked ten city blocks, we got on the elevator and stepped off to a posh lawyer setting with lots of expensive hard wood décor and the most soothing elevator-lobby music you could ever hear. In front of us sat a lady on a telephone. She talked some company gibberish in a monotone voice as we stood in front of her looking like some kind of media SWAT team. Of course that’s who she said was on top of the building, so she would have to ask permission. “There’s some gentlemen here from the media who want roof access…oh they can’t? OK.”
She then looked at us and in her monotone voice without even a hint of excitement for what was transgressing on the street below, she said, “No.”
We took some photos from behind her desk. Then we thanked her, made a quick restroom stop (the music was quite pleasant in there too) headed downstairs past supporters, past Jack Black’s twin brother, and followed along as the protestors banged drums, chanted, sang, rounded a corner past a church and came to a brief halt as the tail end of the protest had to catch up.
It was then I took some of the most important pictures I think of the entire protest as the head of the march neared a church cross.
This protest had a spiritual theme. As I mentioned, the marchers were likened to Jasmine in milk. And here went the tip of the protest of thousands rounding a house of God, passing as if beneath a cross. No, it didn’t matter that the cross beyond the protesters was on a Presbyterian church. It didn’t matter that Sikhs and Muslim walked with people of many Christian faiths. What mattered was the message that many believed God and the cause of humanitarianism stood over the march, and that such spirituality is holy, and such a symbol can empower the very people walking in unison, no matter what faith.
Back on 18th Street we soon happened upon the angry counter-protester. As I mentioned before, she had no clear argument. She stood in a guise of hate and hid behind dark glasses. Clearly afraid of the masses, she had a condescending tone as if taking off her glasses meant she would have had to stare into the eyes of criminals. I heard her say, “These people are cussing and yelling at me.”
“Tell me, why do you have a sign with a curse word on it if you don’t want people cursing back at you?” I said.
She grew angrier. “I have a right to be here,” she snapped.
I laughed to myself. Without clear arguments how can people be educated on her position which may have been about legal immigration vs. illegal immigration. I find the whole argument of legal immigration as just a means to further scapegoat people who have been coming to America illegally for 100s of years.
I look at immigration this way: coming to America is like going to a football game. Some people buy tickets (at different prices). Some people are given tickets (to good seats even!) Some are let in by friends. Some are actually in the game and are expected to perform. Some are the media covering the game, the fans, etc., and some people actually sneak into the game by walking in gates, hopping fences, etc. All these types of people get in, and once in, enjoy the game and typically obey fan rules of participation. Any game goer may become rowdy, just as in any fan section of a sporting event: doesn’t matter how they got into the game. Everyone has the potential to get rowdy.
The concept of legalization, that people have to earn their citizenship is a hogwash argument in the current HR4437 debates. People have come as immigrants to America and just taken land. People have come as immigrants to American and monopolized business. And one method of legalization that really gets to me is the “let an American purchase you as a bride” method that gets many people into America, legally. For some reason in American society it’s OK for some creepy old guy, or American soldier, too sad and embarrassed to ask a woman out, will play God on the Internet, meet and have casual sex with potential mail order brides, and then finally get one to suit his tastes to legally bring to America to fulfill some kind of sick marriage wish, only to get left a few years later by a duping wife who really just wanted a ticket into the land of the free. Can you blame her? No. Desperation causes many people to get into America by any means necessary—which is my point. But to argue legal vs. illegal means of immigration… come on, I can think of worse so-called ‘legal’ means than sneaking from Mexico in the trunk of a car to go work at a car wash.
Many families came to America, came to the football game, got on boats, whatever you want to call it, by however means necessary so your ancestors could take advantage of OPPORTUNITY. Is that so bad?
Two minutes to game time. Can we just play the game?
Coming soon: Part Three…
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Tuesday, April 11, 2006.
You can leave your response.
Your part two of the protest march is more historical, introspective, you express your opinion without shoving it down our faces. not that you shove your opinions down our faces I just meant that with politics people get riled up and that can happen. But instead of doing that you inform, educate, observe...
The angry protest lady was an interesting differing opinion who although stood behind a sign, didn't have much to say. The jack black guy was funny. I liked that you guys smelled of walking the city streets, great aroma description... and the church photo was really good.
All the photos are great and really capture the moment, the cause, the attitudes of the day and unity of the various people marching.
You've really immersed yourself into the moment and made the whole experience real for me.
i love how you help all of us feel like we're all there with you witnessing history because we can't be there physically...
It gave me goosebumps..it made me relive the day. Thanks so much for this wonderful article NL..I was overwhelmed by the size of the march and I just walked and chanted.
I used to work at Borton,Petrini..who represent corporations and big business...I didn't last long:P
Nick,
Just saw your Part II page and it reads and look great! I'll share it with my networks and thanks again for your very unique coverage of the march
&
rally.
Saludos,
Gonzalo Santos
This by far the best coverage I have seen! Not bad for a grass roots novilist, scene covering, arts promoting, full time father of two, with a fourty hour work week!
It would be interesting to hear from some Mexican families that think HR4437 is well needed. The feedback I've been hearing from a lot middle class Mexican Americans is nothing like what I've heard from the media. A few comments that I have heard are "I'm embarassed" and "My Grand parents came over legally, as far as I'm concerned, they want to be apart of America but they are already breaking our laws before they even get here."
The most memorable one which came from a Grandparent in-law who has been a legal citizen since 1998 was this ... "I came to America to work hard and live in a country of great opportunity. After working in the fields day after day, the pickers would get their pay and send most of it home. They had no interest in being American, they only wanted the jobs. After a few months of picking, friends would go back to Mexico and another would come in their place, this way they really only had to work a few months out of the year. I wanted to be American, so I started learing english and filed for my papers. I worked for about 2 years as a supervisor and when I knew enlish really well, they made me a forman. I saved my money and married a woman from my home town in Mexico and brought her home to Buttonwillow. We built a house and I saved for retirement by canning 20 $5 dollar bills and storing them as Squirrel meat with an old expired date. When I retired, I sold the land I worked so hard for and I earned full citizenship as an American. While I owned my farm I would encourage my workers to try and learn english and blend into the American culture, but they didn't want to put in the effort. I never hired illegals and I managed just fine. There are a lot of legal workers and they deserve the opportunites. It was never easy for me and I did everything on my own, unlike the younger generation today. I still have my farm in Mexico that my family has had for gernerations. I came to America to live my dream, but it wasn't easy and it wasn't just handed to me".
The problem is not that some people want to stay and some want to go, but the bill HR4437. And the bill as of today as lost even more steam. No longer will the bill consider immigrants guilty of a felony. That is a huge victory for immigrants and folks who just want to work temporarily in America.
Just exactly how were the european immigrants here illegally? I like the way You say anyone that doesn't want to pay for mexicans' welfare or medical care or education is a "Racist". Why is that? Do You own a home, Nick ? Can I squat at Your place ? No ? Does that make You a Racist !
It is a cop out to label others as "racist" just because they don't side with You.
Good grief, some of you folks can't read.
1. I can't possibly list on here every means Europeans came and do come to America illegally. It still happens today! Go educate yourself!
2. I never called people who didn't want to side with anti-HR4437, racists. The people who I saw along the march counter protesting presented racist hatred, not clear arguments. There are many non-racist supporters of the bill, but I didn't see them counter protesting.
3. Squatting happened a long time ago. Go read your history books!
4. Educate yourself!
It seems to me You are saying " People have always broken laws in many different ways, so it's OK for Us to break laws". Freedom of Speech is not the same thing as Free Goods and Services! If I own a nice house, You don't have any right to just come and live in My House, plain and simple. You didn't answer my question as to whether I could squat in Your Home. I like Your reasoning that someone can come here because "This is the land of the free". That is a simple case of taking a simple slogan and changing it's meaning to justify your theft. Land of the Free? OK. Can I come and take your camera, then? Hey, it's FREE, right? You said that you "saw" racism, but didn't "report" any specific words or points that anyone actually said. How convienent. I am aware that there are many ways in which people illegally came to the US, nice deflection, Nick. When Your argument is destroyed, just call Me uneducated. Great tactic. It's so cool the way that Mexicans can't possibly be racist! Ooohhhh, anonymous steps behind the line, shoots, SWISH, 3 points, game over,Belardes goes back to stealing from the American Workers, but what the heck, people have been doing it for years! Hey Nick, I'd love to hear Your justification for stealing cable tv, eating out of the candy hoppers and downloading pirated songs!
This will be my final response to the anonymous commenter:
1. I never said it is OK for everyone to break laws. Laws are ethereal. You definitely see them in black and white. Yet you are generalizing and digressing from the issue. I don’t have a problem with illegal immigration. I would have a problem with someone stealing my camera. Wouldn’t you? Here is where your argument is: you believe illegal immigrants are stealing from you whereas I look at the human side of the issue where I don't feel ripped off and I sympathize with desperate people who come to American seeking opportunity.
2. Once again, the land squatting I referred to you can learn about in history books.
3. Yes, I did report on what my opinion was of racism during the march: here we had a young woman standing on a sidewalk and name-calling protesters without providing clear arguments. I would consider her actions racially motivated. That’s just my opinion. The old man yelling “wetbacks!” was racist as well. The Californian reported on that. If you don’t think you live in a racist, segregated society, then go sit in East LA or on Cottonwood Road, or in the heart of Oildale and then report what you see…
4. I never said Latino’s couldn’t be racist. Racism takes place in all forms and colors. In fact, I reported on a jumping by Latino boys on who they thought were white kids. It was racially motivated. I called the attack what it was. Why are you calling all Latino’s "Mexicans"? And why are you singling out Mexicans? That is a racist statement. "Latinos" include many nationalities. Understanding the march means understanding multi-racial issues.
5. No, my argument was not destroyed. You are an anonymous angry commenter in need of an education.
6. Even though you can’t stick with the issue I will still humor your questions: Stealing cable TV is not something I would do. I haven’t stolen from the candy hopper at work though I do have the company record for 18 Hot Tomales with one quarter, and I don’t have a problem with people downloading pirated songs.
7. You may have sunk a three pointer, but this was one of those games where I was already ahead by 50 points and put my cheerleaders in the game to play against you.
wow.... SCORE, NL!
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