Friday, August 18, 2006
Who's To Blame For The Shootings?
Another shooting in Costa Mesa occurred the evening of August
17, 2006. At last report, one young man was injured by as many
as five men who fired off seven or eight shots, then escaped.
This is the fifth such shooting this year and is initially being
called a gang-related event. Whether it is or not, it is
certainly a reason to be concerned. The shooters, of course, are
responsible for their actions, but what has caused this dramatic
increase in shootings in this city?
I've given this a good deal of thought recently, because our young jailer/mayor and his supporters immediately leap upon each such event as evidence of rampant crime among the illegal aliens in our midst - even though there is no evidence that the shooters or victims are illegal aliens. Of course, you will recall the wildfire of criticism our mayor incurred last week with his callous, insensitive remarks following the murder of one young man and the wounding of four others in an attack apparently similar to the one last night.
An activist and huge supporter of our young jailer/mayor - who very much resembles my theoretical character, Your Neighbor - is so in tune to these events that he somehow managed to post an entry on his blog less than 20 minutes after the most recent shooting. This means that he had to dash from his home several blocks away, observe the scene, dash back and pound out a blog entry in seventeen minutes. I know from his writings that he seems to consider himself some kind of a Superman, so perhaps he really can fly! In his blog report he mentions that the victim was bleeding profusely, but he didn't report whether he offered first aid or not, even though he was apparently among the first to the scene. My suggestion to him is to turn the scanner off and get some rest.
I find myself wondering what has changed in this town recently for there to have been so many shootings among the Latino population - all the victims in this series of shootings have had Latino names. Could it be that tensions are high within the Latino community because of changing circumstances? I wonder what those changes might be?
Let's see, now. Over the past eighteen months - since the current majority took control of this city - the following events have occurred:
After seventeen years serving the community, the Job Center has been closed, eliminating a model program for matching eager workers and needy employers. The majority of workers served by the center were Latino. Do you think that has caused heightened stress in this city?
The Human Relations Committee, which served this city well for nearly two decades as a place where issues between factions in this city could be hashed out and resolved, was unceremoniously dissolved by the council. Do you think it's absence has increased tensions in our city?
The activist in question, through his appointed role on the Redevelopment & Residential Rehabilitation Committee, orchestrated the reduction of funding for certain charities on the Westside of our city, many of which provide a support infrastructure for low income families - including a high percentage of Latinos. Do you think this caused an increase in tension in our city?
The city council passed a series of "revitalization" plans for the Westside of town which will eventually result in the demise of most, if not all, industrial businesses in that part of town. Those businesses employ a large percentage of Latino workers in good paying jobs. Do you think this might have increased the tension in the Latino community?
Last December the city council approved a plan to piggyback the plan the Sheriff's Department was developing which would permit the cross-designation of certain Costa Mesa Police Officers as immigration screeners. The objective of this plan, according to the mayor, is to remove dangerous felons from our streets. His avowed goal is to intercept previously convicted and deported criminals before they can prey again on our residents. However, the only way that can happen is through immigration sweeps. Demonstrations have been held, pro and con, regarding the mayor's plan. Decorum has broken down at city council meetings, with shouting matches occurring and our young jailer/mayor being repeatedly called a Nazi and worse. People have been arrested during meetings and have subsequently sued the city. Outside agitators on both sides of the issue have infested our city, attempting to influence public opinion with their rhetoric. Do you think all this turmoil and the specter of such sweeps has increased tension in the Latino community within our city?
For many months the activist mentioned above has been hounding the City Council to ban any kind of athletic activity in some city parks - raising the specter of serious injury to people in the parks from errant soccer balls. The majority on the council actually listened to that bunch of bull. This plan is obviously directed specifically at adult male soccer players - read that "Latino" - who gather from time to time to blow off some steam by kicking the ball around. Do you think this has increased tension in the Latino community?
All of the above actions and others have been part of a strategy on the part of some activists and elected leaders in this city to make life miserable for the Latinos among us. The theory, of course, is that if you make things difficult for them they will seek greener pastures elsewhere. The bigotry that underlies this plan ignores the fact that not all the Latinos in this city are illegal aliens, but every single Latino will be affected by this plan. Some of those affected are second and third generation Costa Mesans - immigrants to this country who sought and found a better life and have been hard-working contributors to our society. The narrow focus of intolerance that drives the plan to remove illegal residents prohibits the instigators from seeing or even acknowledging this fact.
The individuals behind the plans to expunge the Latinos from our midst must share, in large part, responsibility for the increased tension within the Latino community that may have contributed to this string of shootings. The mayor's mantra of wanting to make Costa Mesa a safer place to live is all well and good, but we didn't have this kind of lawlessness before he and his mob took over. It's obvious that something in this city must change. November provides an opportunity for that change.
8:20 am pdt
I've given this a good deal of thought recently, because our young jailer/mayor and his supporters immediately leap upon each such event as evidence of rampant crime among the illegal aliens in our midst - even though there is no evidence that the shooters or victims are illegal aliens. Of course, you will recall the wildfire of criticism our mayor incurred last week with his callous, insensitive remarks following the murder of one young man and the wounding of four others in an attack apparently similar to the one last night.
An activist and huge supporter of our young jailer/mayor - who very much resembles my theoretical character, Your Neighbor - is so in tune to these events that he somehow managed to post an entry on his blog less than 20 minutes after the most recent shooting. This means that he had to dash from his home several blocks away, observe the scene, dash back and pound out a blog entry in seventeen minutes. I know from his writings that he seems to consider himself some kind of a Superman, so perhaps he really can fly! In his blog report he mentions that the victim was bleeding profusely, but he didn't report whether he offered first aid or not, even though he was apparently among the first to the scene. My suggestion to him is to turn the scanner off and get some rest.
I find myself wondering what has changed in this town recently for there to have been so many shootings among the Latino population - all the victims in this series of shootings have had Latino names. Could it be that tensions are high within the Latino community because of changing circumstances? I wonder what those changes might be?
Let's see, now. Over the past eighteen months - since the current majority took control of this city - the following events have occurred:
After seventeen years serving the community, the Job Center has been closed, eliminating a model program for matching eager workers and needy employers. The majority of workers served by the center were Latino. Do you think that has caused heightened stress in this city?
The Human Relations Committee, which served this city well for nearly two decades as a place where issues between factions in this city could be hashed out and resolved, was unceremoniously dissolved by the council. Do you think it's absence has increased tensions in our city?
The activist in question, through his appointed role on the Redevelopment & Residential Rehabilitation Committee, orchestrated the reduction of funding for certain charities on the Westside of our city, many of which provide a support infrastructure for low income families - including a high percentage of Latinos. Do you think this caused an increase in tension in our city?
The city council passed a series of "revitalization" plans for the Westside of town which will eventually result in the demise of most, if not all, industrial businesses in that part of town. Those businesses employ a large percentage of Latino workers in good paying jobs. Do you think this might have increased the tension in the Latino community?
Last December the city council approved a plan to piggyback the plan the Sheriff's Department was developing which would permit the cross-designation of certain Costa Mesa Police Officers as immigration screeners. The objective of this plan, according to the mayor, is to remove dangerous felons from our streets. His avowed goal is to intercept previously convicted and deported criminals before they can prey again on our residents. However, the only way that can happen is through immigration sweeps. Demonstrations have been held, pro and con, regarding the mayor's plan. Decorum has broken down at city council meetings, with shouting matches occurring and our young jailer/mayor being repeatedly called a Nazi and worse. People have been arrested during meetings and have subsequently sued the city. Outside agitators on both sides of the issue have infested our city, attempting to influence public opinion with their rhetoric. Do you think all this turmoil and the specter of such sweeps has increased tension in the Latino community within our city?
For many months the activist mentioned above has been hounding the City Council to ban any kind of athletic activity in some city parks - raising the specter of serious injury to people in the parks from errant soccer balls. The majority on the council actually listened to that bunch of bull. This plan is obviously directed specifically at adult male soccer players - read that "Latino" - who gather from time to time to blow off some steam by kicking the ball around. Do you think this has increased tension in the Latino community?
All of the above actions and others have been part of a strategy on the part of some activists and elected leaders in this city to make life miserable for the Latinos among us. The theory, of course, is that if you make things difficult for them they will seek greener pastures elsewhere. The bigotry that underlies this plan ignores the fact that not all the Latinos in this city are illegal aliens, but every single Latino will be affected by this plan. Some of those affected are second and third generation Costa Mesans - immigrants to this country who sought and found a better life and have been hard-working contributors to our society. The narrow focus of intolerance that drives the plan to remove illegal residents prohibits the instigators from seeing or even acknowledging this fact.
The individuals behind the plans to expunge the Latinos from our midst must share, in large part, responsibility for the increased tension within the Latino community that may have contributed to this string of shootings. The mayor's mantra of wanting to make Costa Mesa a safer place to live is all well and good, but we didn't have this kind of lawlessness before he and his mob took over. It's obvious that something in this city must change. November provides an opportunity for that change.
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