Posted on 12/18/2012 3:19:18 PM PST by Altura Ct.
A California school district is defending its decision to name a new elementary school after an infamous murderer – by calling him a hero and a role model to children. The decision has infuriated many parents and law enforcement officers.
The Alisal Union School District in Salinas agreed to name the new school in honor of Tiburcio Vasquez – who was eventually hanged for killing at least two people in the nineteenth century.
Superintendent John Ramirez defended the board’s decision telling Fox News that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
“Tiburcio Vasquez, along with others, was an individual who was a revolutionary,” Ramierz said. “He was not okay with the oppression.”
Vasquez “was probably the most notorious bandit California ever saw,” according to the University of Southern California library. He was 14-years-old when he committed his first crime – stabbing a constable.
In 1875 Vasquez was convicted of two murders and subsequently hanged. Other historical records indicate he may have killed as many as six people – including a law enforcement officer.
“He took from the rich and gave to the poor,” Francisco Estrada told KION. “He was your inspiration of Zorro.”
Estrada sat on the naming committee for the new elementary school and said the convicted murderer was a good man who should be a model to the youth of East Salinas.
He said Vasquez was simply misunderstood.
“Mr. Vasquez, number one, was not a murderer,” he told the television station. “He was framed by the system at that time.”
“The history was written by mainstream whites,” he said. “It wasn’t written by Californians or people of Mexican descent. When do we have our history written by us? When do we stop having our heroes branded as villains?”
(Excerpt) Read more at radio.foxnews.com ...
Why those Hispanics.....they are just natural republicans. The GOPe says so. We even got 30% of their vote/s
He was an individual who was also a "revolutionary". Rumor has it he was not OK with the prevailing system "oppression", either!
“Well, at least they didnt call it Che Guevarra Elementary . ....”
Be patient. That will happen. It takes time for the stars to become aligned such that the Heroes of the Left may be accorded the honors they so richly earned./sarc/, mebbe.
leftists and others make a lot of stupid claims
Like Hillary being named for Sir Edmund, and Liawatha......
I remember in Charles County Marylkand when a new school was to be named Raphael Semmes.
Raphael Semmes was the Captain of the Confederate ship Alabama, and was hugely successful in his fight against the North. His ship was sunk under him and he returned to the south to be made an Admiral of what was left of the Confederate Navy.
The screams and cries from the left were awesome enough to remove Semmes name from that school.
WTF ping
He means like Timothy McVeigh.
Maybe Ramirez will rename a school, "Timothy McVeigh Elementary", just to show how "diverse" he is.
What a scumbag.
bump
I bet Mr Superintendent makes a pretty penny. I wonder if he considers himself rich enough to be robbed? He shouldn’t bother calling the cops if he gets mugged since he doesn’t think it’s a crime.
Why not? The Mexicans could not read or write, a condition still common amongst them.
Next they’ll be naming things after Harvey Milk!
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