Baldwin Park public artwork angers group opposed to illegal immigration

sacbee ^ | 5-15-05

[LouAvul]

BALDWIN PARK, Calif. (AP) - A 12-year-old piece of public art has sparked a protest by a group that opposes illegal immigration.

The 20-foot-high arch has inscriptions that read, "It was better before they came" and "This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is, and will be again."

It has angered members of Save Our State, a 7-month-old organization based in Ventura, which organized a protest Saturday that gained attention when it was announced on a local radio station.

"I find it incredibly offensive," said Joseph Turner, the group's executive director. He said the quotation "is seditious in nature. It essentially talks about returning this land to Mexico."

Turner said he wants the offending quotations removed before the Fourth of July.

The artwork, called "Danza Indigenas," was created by artist Judy Baca and commissioned by the city.

She said the structure is a "layered history piece" that honors American Indians, immigrants and others who have lived over the centuries on the land now known as Baldwin Park.

Baca said that Save Our State's complaint over one of the quotes was misguided.

"It was better before they came" was uttered by someone Baca described as "a white man from Arkansas, a civic leader" who was complaining about the arrival of Mexican Americans after World War II.

"When it went on the arch, its ambiguity became profound," she said. "The 'they' could be any 'they.'"

The protest turned into a heated two-hour rally with protesters on both sides taunting each other and arguing face-to-face before police arrived.

[Czar]

"Let's make another 25 million of those legal while we're at it."

Kennedy-McCain and the companion House bill (Kolbe, Flake & Gutierrez) are intended to do just that. If he could, Bush would sign up right now.

Pathetic...

[La Enchiladita]

Although, it does seem like she's managed to stumble onto an easy way to make money.... just sell the stuff to some city officials who pay for it with other people's money. :-)

I happen to know a lot about this gal and you're right. For almost 3 decades now, she has created murals and "public art," all funded by government and foundation grants. Here's an irony: SPARC occupies the former Venice City Jail, probably for nothing, since it's on "public" land. Yes, Judy Baca's been working the system for a long time, all in the cause of promoting revisionist history (editing out white faces -- unless they're communists or union workers -- and any Americana, because that does not fit in with her view of "everyone").

http://www.sparcmurals.com/

[La Enchiladita]

The LA Times today buried a short article about the Minute woman who was injured in Baldwin Park, stating that police are investigating it as a DEADLY ASSAULT.

[La Enchiladita]

There really should be another demonstration, the sooner the better. I'll be there. Will check at SOS and let you know.

[Travis McGee]

You know any bill put forward by these two will be intended to wreck our nation.

[Czar]

Picture #1: a certified RINO nutcase, interested solely in photo ops, video/audio ops, and anything that will draw media attention. Now despised by conservatives (30%+ of the GOP).

Picture #2: a confirmed coward, womanizer and drunk, with his only claim to fame being a member of one of America's premiere crime families--the Kennedy's. So far left, he can no longer be considered a liberal. He's far worse.

One would hope the voters of both Arizona and Massachussetts will one day wake up and defeat these two fools at the polls.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

Here's the URL:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-protest16may16,1,3590771.story?coll=la-headlines-california

Does anyone with a paper copy know which page this ran on in which section?

[occutegirl]

Protest planned against Jim Gilcrest. I did not post this because the opposition has noticed my screen name and figured out who I am and made some threats. You can get more info at save our sate dot org.

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/126653_comment.php#126812

http://la.indymedia.org/uploads/nunca.pdf



"I'm sending this message out to make people aware of
the fact that Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the
fascist "Minuteman Project", will be speaking at the
Garden Grove Women's Club on Wednesday, May 25th at
7:30 pm.

Gilchrist has been invited to speak there by the
California Coalition for Immigration Reform
(C.C.I.R.), one of the groups responsible for putting
the racist Proposition 187 on the California ballot in
1994.

I live a couple of miles away from the Garden Grove
Women's Club, and I know as a fact there is a fairly
long public sidewalk that surrounds the building which
houses it. It's also right next to a major street.

Although I'm not currently involved in organizing a
counterdemonstration, I think one definitely needs to
take place! We need to show our strong opposition to
racism, fascism, and xenophobia!

Sincerely,

Duane J. Roberts



Comments
He is going to get slammed



If even a 10th of the people that came out for Baldwin Hills show up for this, that guy will need a police escort to get in and out of that hall.

Idea: Dress up like neo-cons and buy a ticket to get in. It' s worth the five bucks just for a chance to rush the stage and grab the mic. :-)

Also they will have to sneak him in and out of the back. So be sure to picket the building on all sides. Not just the front.