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03/29/2011 12:20:00 AM
There is a difference between living with and SUPPORTING illegals and the mess they bring with them. They have NO loyalty to this country and will never become part of what makes this country great. They are parasites...just like you. You scummy bigot. You are unworthy of the
blessings this country affords you and the sacrifices made in your name by our military.
If Mexico is such a great place...go there, try and pull your crap there. They'll slice you in a day. You are scum here and scum there and definitely in need of an enema.
Write again Darryn when you figure out who's side you're on.
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Miguel 06/05/2010 8:08:00 PM
The anglos should learn to "assimilate" to us mexicans... Great article but a little disappointed even mexicans/chicanos use words like "america" to describe the United States. Im refering to the phrase "Mexico AND AMerica..." Please get it straight. Mexico is a part of AMERICA. America is NOT a country it´s a continent. Why does the whole world except the USA seem to understand this?
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Reese Wiseman 10/10/2008 2:19:00 AM
I don't want my kids becoming impacted by latino children. They have Aztec blood. The Aztec's were a vicious people. And, it seems that the tradition has been passed down through the ages. We have nothing in common with them, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'd like to keep my children safe for criminals. The mexican is a walking war zone. I hear that they are conducting a clandestine war against black people these days. Is this true?
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C Wilson 09/20/2008 6:33:00 AM
My kids went to Santa Monica public schools, Spanish immersion program K thru 12. We did this so our kids could "assimilate into the Spanish culture that is de facto Reconquista in Los Angeles. English speakers must learn Spanish to succeed or live in LA. I am not happy with this turn of events but it is true. Our Founding Fathers must be turning over in their graves. I have no problem with pinatas at birthday parties. We did pinatas for each and every B day for our family. But I have no desire to live in Mexico. LA is defacto Tijuana. Walk down Pico Blvd from the Pacific Ocean to Pomona, it looks like Avenida de la Revolucion! in TJ!
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Art Guevara 09/19/2008 8:20:00 PM
WE IMMIGRANTS ARE NOT TERRORIST, WE ARE NOT CRIMINALS, WE ARE HONEST AND HARD WORKER INDIVIDUALS THAT WANT A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR CHILDREN.
"If I can reach the good part of every person and change the way they think,
my work is done; but then I�ll insist until I see the change is complete."
Guevara
02/19/2008
En un mundo de caos, nuestros gobiernos tienen que comprometerse
En alg�mento a resolver el problema de nuestros EMIGRANTES.
In a world of chaos, our country�s have to compromise
At one point to resolved the Immigration Issue.
For the last years 35 years I have seen the (Abuse, Use, and Discrimination against Undocumented Immigrants by our Governments Mexico & the United States) agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have carried out well-publicized immigration raids in factories, meatpacking plants, janitorial services, and other workplaces employing immigrants. ICE calls the workers criminals, because Immigration law forbids employers to hire them.
But while (Undocumented Workers) get deported, they are force to leave their children with relatives, or even strangers knowing that their sacrifice will only benefit their children in the feature only God knows, (The need of human touch is needed to be able to exist) don�t expect to see their employers to go to jail. Further, ICE can�t, and won�t, deport all 12 million undocumented workers in the country. Instead, (These raids have a political purpose) Special Interest, we know that.
We have to stop blaming others for the failure of our Government to lead this Nation like the way it was with the Clinton Administration, The current Republican President have fail to lead this Nation, and have fail to the Citizens of America.
The economic domino effect that we are experiencing, only will get worse we can not remove so many individuals with out taking care of the economy effect that deportation is causing to the (Economy of this Nation) we are smarted than that, what we need is, a (Comprehensive Immigration Reform)
Last year, after agents raided Swift & Co. meatpacking plants, Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff, told the media the deportations would show Congress the need for "stronger border security.
Why are we paying these individuals for? They have fail to take responsible solutions since they were elected, (Do they really think the American Citizens are that Ignorant) The only way we can correct this problem is with an agreement between the two Nations (Mexico and the United States) we need to stop wasting our (Tax Payers Moneys) with this ineffective interior enforcement, a temporary-worker programs is needed.'' And a (Comprehensive Immigration Reform)
Bush has said, �A program that would allow businesses that need foreign workers, because they can't otherwise satisfy their labor needs to be able to get those workers in a regulated program.�
President Bush visited Mexico and again proposed new guest worker programs. He proposed to allow corporations and contractors to recruit hundreds of thousands of workers a year outside of the US , and put them to work here on temporary, employment-based visas.
Congressmen Luis Gutierrez and Jeff Flake introduced a bill into Congress which would set up the kind of guest worker program the President called for. Corporations could bring in 400,000 guest workers annually, while the kind of sanctions that have led to the wave of workplace raids would be put on steroids. What are they thinking, we already have these people here lets just give them the proper paper work so they can work in peace.
The administration and Republican Senator Jon Cornyn proposed to eliminate all family-based immigration visas, and allow people to come to the U.S. only as a result of recruitment by corporate employers. All immigrants would become guest workers.
Labor schemes like this have a long history. From 1942 to 1964 the bracero program recruited temporary immigrants, who were exploited, cheated, and deported if they tried to go on strike. Growers pitted them against workers already in the country to drive down wages. Cesar Chavez and other Latino leaders campaigned to get the program repealed.
Advocates of today�s programs avoid the bitter �bracero� label, and call them �guest worker,� �essential worker,� or just �new worker� schemes. You can�t clean up an unpleasant reality, however, by renaming it.
Guest worker programs are low-wage schemes, intended to supply plentiful labor to corporate employers, at a price they want to pay. Companies don�t recruit guest workers so they can pay them more, but to pay them less. According to Rob Rosado, director of legislative affairs for the American Meat Institute, meatpackers want a guest worker program, but not a basic wage guarantee for those workers. �We don�t want the government setting wages,� he says. �The market determines wages.�
The Southern Poverty Law Center�s recent report, Close to Slavery, shows that current guest worker programs allow labor contractors to maintain blacklists of workers who work slowly or demand their rights. Public interest lawyers spend years in court, trying just to get back wages for cheated immigrants. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor almost never decertifies contractors who abuse workers.
AFL-CIO opposes guest worker programs, and says immigrants should be given permanent residence visas, so they have labor rights and can become normal members of the communities they live in. Since 1988, the AFL-CIO has called for legalization of the 12 million people living in the US without documents. Most unions oppose employer sanctions and the recent immigration raids, because they�re often used to threaten and punish workers when they speak out for better wages and conditions.
Millions people in the world already live outside the countries where they were born. In the countries that are the main sources of migration to the US, trade agreements like NAFTA, and market-based economic reforms, have uprooted hundreds of thousands of farmers and workers, leaving them little option other than coming north.
Many large corporations have moved to Mexico with the trade agreement forcing millions of small business to close, living them with no way to find work and a way to maintain their families and in same time forcing them to Immigrate.
A rational immigration policy (Comprehensive Immigration reform) should end trade and investment policies abroad that produce poverty and displace people. In the US, immigration policy should emphasize rights and equality, and protect all families and communities, of immigrants and native-born alike.
Using immigration raids instead as a pressure tactic to get the Federal Government and Congress to approve guest worker programs and (Comprehensive Immigration Reform) not a legitimate use of enforcement. It undermines the family and community values for which this country stands.
"Undocumented worker" versus "illegal alien"
First of all the word Illegal should not be used the proper word is (Undocumented)
"Massive deportation of Undocumented Immigrants will be catastrophic to the economy of this Great Nation�
Guevara�s Plan Create Secure Borders
Bilateral agreement between Mexico and the United States to secure employment for Immigrants in both sides of the border, legalize qualifying individuals all ready in the country, implement a Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
Guevara�s Plan Improve Our Immigration System
Every employer should sponsor employees to legalize their status in order to keep the families together and to keep the Nation Economy Strong at the same time employers will not loose any income for the lack of personal to maintain the production of their companies.
Guevara�s Plan Remove Incentives to enter the country with out the proper Documents.
Before any plan to remove any incentives and to avoid creating panic in the Nation, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform must be all ready done, in order to be able to legalize the qualifying Immigrants that enter the country with out the proper paper work.
Guevara�s Plan Bring People out of the Shadows
This system can only be implemented after the Comprehensive Immigration Reform is already in place most of the immigrants are in agreement with this fine, with the proper documentation most of them will attend their regular Schools and Universities, that they are not able to attend at this time for the lack of (Legal Documents) waiting in line has always being the way to be a Citizen this is not new.
Guevara�s Plan Work with Mexico
Back to the top, bilateral agreement between Mexico and the United States to secure employment for Immigrants in both sides of the border, legalize qualifying individuals all ready in the country, Implement a Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
"Undocumented worker" versus "illegal alien"
First of all the word Illegal should not be used the proper word is (Undocumented)
The terms "undocumented worker", "undocumented immigrant", and "undocumented alien" are often used to describe those who have broken the law of our land to enter and work in our country illegally. These are all misleading terms, deliberately used to "soften" the issue used by Nativist.
The Associated Press Stylebook, the primary style and usage guide for most newspapers and newsmagazines in the United States, recommends using "illegal immigrant" rather than "illegal alien" or "undocumented worker".
As example of newspaper policy, the Seattle Times avoids referring to illegal aliens, but uses the terms illegal immigration, illegal immigrant, and sometimes undocumented, explaining that in their use, "Illegal does not mean criminal, it simply means unlawful, not authorized or sanctioned, against the rules
There have been two major periods of mass deportations in U.S. history. In the Mexican Repatriation of the 1930s, through mass deportations and forced migration, an estimated 500,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans were deported or coerced into emigrating, in what Mae Ngai, an immigration history expert at the University of Chicago, has described as "a racial removal program". The majority of those removed were U.S. Citizens.
U.S. citizens and legal residents, has expressed concerns that history could repeat itself, and that should Undocumented Immigration be made into a felony, this could prompt a "Massive deportation of U.S. citizens".
Local enforcement
There have been extensive efforts on the part of local law enforcement to increase police presence at the border.[113][114][115] However, federal judges have ruled that control of (Undocumented Immigration) is the exclusive domain of the (Federal Government) and have prohibited local (Cities Communities and States) from attempting to enforce ordinances intended to control (Undocumented Immigration)
Wages and employment
Separate research by both George Borjas, Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Economics and Social Policy at Harvard University and Paul Samuelson, Nobel prize-winning economist from MIT has shown that (Undocumented Immigration) had a small effect on reducing the economic status of U.S. poor while benefitting middle class individuals and wealthier Americans.
Taxes and social services
The IRS estimates that about 6 million (Unauthorized Immigrants) file individual income tax returns each year.[125] Research reviewed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office indicates that between 50 percent and 75 percent of (Unauthorized Immigrants) pay federal, state, and local taxes.[125] (Undocumented workers) are estimated to pay in about $7 billion per year into Social Security.
A paper in the peer reviewed Tax Lawyer journal from the American Bar Association asserts that (Undocumented Immigrants) contribute more in taxes than they cost in social services.
Crimes committed by (Undocumented Immigrants)
According to Edmonton and Smith in The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration [78], "it is difficult to draw any strong conclusions on the association between immigration and crime". A study done by the Immigration Policy Center showed that immigrants and especially (Undocumented Immigrants) are five times less likely to be in prison than American citizens, it is thought that the fear of deportations serves as an incentive to be more law abiding.
US economy
Polls by NBC[161], ABC[162], CBS/New York Times[159], and the LA Times/Bloomberg[158] consistently show that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that the overall impact of (Undocumented Immigrants)is one of harming the US economy. But in the same CBS News/New York Times poll, when asked "Do you think (Undocumented Immigrants coming to this country today take jobs away from American citizens, or do they mostly take jobs Americans don't want?" by a ratio of 2-to-1 the answer was "Take Unwanted Jobs".
Jobs
One of the most important factors regarding public opinion about Immigration is the level of unemployment; (Anti-immigrant sentiment) is highest where unemployment is highest and vice-versa.[164]
A May 2006 New York Times/CBS News Poll shows that 53 percent of Americans feel that (Undocumented Immigrants) mostly take the jobs Americans don�t want�[165]. A related poll was also performed by NBC/Wall Street Journal on April 21-24, 2006. In this poll, when asked " If you had to make a choice, would you favor deporting (Immigrants in America) who are not legal citizens and do not have work permits, or would you favor allowing these (Immigrants to stay in America) as long as they pass a security check, meet certain conditions, and pay taxes?", 61 percent of the U.S. population responded "Allow to stay."
Community-based involvement
The Minuteman Project a gold rush with out digging and with out working embezzling mostly the Elderly citizens and asking them for contributions (fraudulent organization that embezzle hundreds of thousand of dollars (See LA Times Link) has been lobbying Congress for stronger enforcement of the border laws and is organizing private property owners along the U.S.-Mexican Border.
By the fall of 2006, the relationship between Gilchrist and his board began to deteriorate quickly every member want it their own piece of pay, again with out working. That at the time was more profitable than working their own pitiful jobs.
There were public accusations of secret bank accounts, missing funds, sloppy accounting and donations that had been collected without the full board's knowledge. None of the claims were made in court and proof wasn't offered. But the seriousness of the charges drove the former allies further apart.
Coe, Stewart and Courtney said in interviews with The Times that they finally concluded that there was as much as $750,000 missing from Minuteman accounts. They said they filed a theft report with the FBI and asked for an investigation.
See the whole article by Jennifer Delson
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-gilchrist11mar11,1,2097481,full.story? Coll
On April 28, 2005, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the Minuteman Project, saying that the group had been doing "a terrific job".[13] He reiterated his supportive comments the following day, noting that the Minutemen would be welcome to patrol the border between California and Mexico .
Communism was wrong and didn�t work so is the Republican Party, now we know what many people didn�t want to believe, when I told them about not to vote for this governor. Now that the Movie is over every one want to recall the Governor, How can they ask the citizens of this Great Nation to vote for the Republican Party, don�t they have enough? Wasn�t eight years enough?
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Shireen K. 09/11/2008 1:58:00 PM
To: Daffodil J. Alton
In Regards to: "In San Juan Capistrano's Schools, White kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another"
Reading this article, I as many found myself emotionally driven, ranging from tempered to sympathetic and at some points ridicule at the honesty and truth that lay within such an article and furthermore a society at large. The students whether Mexican or White have evidently been neglected the sense of not being given the right of say in this conflicting parent vs. administration. At time and time again it is the white parent that argues against their child being in a school of such undesirable demographics (impacting their children with the ok to the use of racism and segregation), which is ultimately linked into the bicultural mural. While reading this article, the 'concerned' parents seem to have a racist factor already in them, and build upon it by giving excuses as to why their young should not be subjected to this increasing number of the Mexican population claiming it as inferior to their child�s expected quality education.
All the while the student's voices rarely come to be of any consideration to the administration but rather are interviewed by outer curious sources such for this article; and when given the opportunity to voice their opinion on the current state of demographics and the issue on offense, amazingly the anger and animosity are absent in their response, and rather portraying the new generation of tolerance and unity that the true America bred. This conservative racist way of thought, that is shamingly still present in past generations, is clashing with this well adjusted and uneasily shaken tolerant mass of younger people and society.
And although racism and segregation are seemingly present, personal interest and opinion need to be quickly torn out of the picture and replaced with logic and reasoning; for the larger picture should solely concern students and the their education, only when that is met can issues of other conflict be considered. The student�s fundamental priorities ask for attention and the parents need to quickly adapt to this new tolerant society. If these patient students are failed at by the system, a greater crisis is likely to take place. The racist arrogance and opinion needs to be with held and the problem addressed because the parents reason remains unclear and lacks logic and the intentions are doubtful and very questionable and suspicious!
Sincerely, Shireen K.
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Edgar Perez 09/11/2008 12:00:00 PM
I believe that this article clearly portrays what we often tend to look past in our society, and that is that we do not have the level of unity and tolerance to other races and cultures that can usually be found in movies or television shows. In the case of Kim McCarthy, I understand her viewpoints, but I think that it was just the words that she chose to use in her statements that may have angered some people. If children are encouraged to speak Spanish much more than English, than I can agree with the argument that she makes, but I wouldn�t go as far as to say that the mural should be removed simply for having the image of the Mexican flag. The mural�s story for being made already shows that there were no intentions of promoting the Mexican culture, but was instead made to unify students of different races because this is land made up of all kinds of races. It seems to me that it is adults who have difficulties in developing tolerance for other races and that it is them who instill the seeds of racism into their own children.
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Sharmie Kong 09/11/2008 11:44:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of OC Weekly Register:
Your article, "White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another," demonstrates how other races were affected by the segregation between one culture to another. It made me think of how slavery were enforced by many Americans when English colonists first settled in Virginia and lasted until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. The community of San Juan Capistrano should not separate themselves based on their ethnicity. The purpose of the mural painted by the students and teachers is to represent �unity� amongst the residents, however in some people�s eyes it ranks Mexican heritage first before America which can lead to bigger problems and not just an argument. Sandoval believes that �her mural has become the visual focal point in a cacophonous debate� on whether her school exhibits �a Mexican public school.� The school only wanted to illustrate �Mexico and America as a united symbol� through the mural which should have not resulted into the isolation of schools between Whites and Latinos. I understand that various people have different interpretations on the mural but, they should look back on what the United States went through to provide rights for all of its citizens. People should not make any judgments on someone or in any ethnicity until they see their real character. Everyone should be open to accept new cultures within the environment such as the how the Mexicans desire to earn respect from the Americans in this article.
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Sharmie Kong 09/11/2008 11:43:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of OC Weekly Register:
Your article, "White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another," demonstrates how other races were affected by the segregation between one culture to another. It made me think of how slavery were enforced by many Americans when English colonists first settled in Virginia and lasted until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. The community of San Juan Capistrano should not separate themselves based on their ethnicity. The purpose of the mural painted by the students and teachers is to represent �unity� amongst the residents, however in some people�s eyes it ranks Mexican heritage first before America which can lead to bigger problems and not just an argument. Sandoval believes that �her mural has become the visual focal point in a cacophonous debate� on whether her school exhibits �a Mexican public school.� The school only wanted to illustrate �Mexico and America as a united symbol� through the mural which should have not resulted into the isolation of schools between Whites and Latinos. I understand that various people have different interpretations on the mural but, they should look back on what the United States went through to provide rights for all of its citizens. People should not make any judgments on someone or in any ethnicity until they see their real character. Everyone should be open to accept new cultures within the environment such as the how the Mexicans desire to earn respect from the Americans in this article.
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Ulises Maga� 09/11/2008 11:38:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of OC Weekly,
After reading this article, my attention kept trailing back to the mural the kids painted. That mural in itself was a sign of disbelief from the students to their parent�s actions, attempting to separate them from not only friends, but a positively charged education by maintaining them in one school instead of moving them around because of their prejudiced views on Latino education. Actions like constantly arguing and complaining about the individuals their kids are surrounded by not only shows a high level of immaturity, but constantly depicts racism towards underrespresented and defenseless elementary-aged children. I believe that before evaluating the level of intelligence of those kids and what the future might hold for them, the parents should reinforce their morals and viewpoints. While they argue that a lower level of education is taught at the Latino-filled schools, no attention is payed to the academic achievements of the children, even though they have had to suffer the turmoil caused by a disrespectful community. In truth, racial diversity will cause no harm, on the contrary, it will bring knowledge and harmony to not only schools, but to a whole city pitted against each other in a pointless battle. Kids will become more knowledgeable of different cultures, customs, and even languages while still maintaining a high-profile education. The immigration will not cease into such a rapidly developing community, leaving compromise as the ultimate solution. Parents should take into account their kids� futures, and the trouble they�re causing them now. No decision made will be appealing to everyone�s eyes, except the kids. By putting the kids� needs in front of their own selfish proposals, a whole city will prosper and create a better environment for years to come.
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jess 09/11/2008 11:25:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of OC Weekly Register:
Response to the article In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another.
I felt like the students in today�s society joke too much about prejudice, race and segregation. Students start teasing each other about their own culture and background and sometimes they may not realize that they are hurting someone else�s feelings. The jokes which are spoken amongst teenagers influence their own parents, in a way, that they start to see the jokes as facts. For example, many think that blondes are goofy and fake. A parent might not realize this until their child mentions it. This brings out segregation as a whole. In the article, it mentions that "Everyone knows that if you're white in this town, you send your kids to Del Obispo or Ambuehl and not to Kinoshita or San Juan Elementary," suggesting that the parents now feel confident about their students work because they are not influenced by their Latino peers.
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Andrew J. Jackson 09/11/2008 10:56:00 AM
To the Editor,
In your last week�s issue of �The OC Weekly,� Daffodil J. Alton wrote a story of how the schools of San Juan Capistrano still hold segregation between the Latinos and the whites. The story was based around the two nationalities being split between two schools. This racism wasn�t tolerated by most of the faculty, but the parents of the white kids refused to let their sheltered children go to the schools that where mostly Latinos. Through the whole article it was parents complaining about the excess Latinos in the school, but because of the lack of children irritable, it showed that the kids of the schools were not appalled by the greater number of Latinos because of the open mind to racism.
This article brings up once again the ridiculous topic of racism. Racism was a major problem, two hundred years ago in the United States, and with every passing generation the problem is reduced. In the article, the children are only upset when WAR points out stereotypes of the Latinos, but no where else in the article does it show the children being distressed with the number of Latinos in the school. The principal of Del Obispo, states, �It�s probably more of an adult issue than a kid issue. Kids are very accepting of all lifestyles,� showing that administration of the schools also see the fact that kids are accepting of most races. This pattern of the decline of racism will continue in the future, especially if Barack Obama wins the presidential race, this would be the ultimate cease to racism: to have the future kids of this nation seeing that not only has a white man has lead this country, but now this all around African-American is able to the same criteria as well. Racism is a dying epidemic in the United States of America.
With all Due Respect,
Andrew J. Jackson
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Andrew L. 09/11/2008 10:36:00 AM
After reading the article "San Juan Capistrano's Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another," it made me feel disappointment of humanity, for the W.A.R to stuff these meaningless yet effective fliers to the students in the lockers of the school. An immature act that they have done, and by doing this, it spreads the seeds of racism even more. And by doing this, it also creates prejudice comments such as the criticism from Kim McCarthy. By asking Bertini to stop promoting hte use of the Spanish language is also implies the stop of spreading their very own unique culture. McCarthy jumped to conclusion before getting to know the school itself.
I for one, am quite proud of Bertini's leadership for the school. By giving the students two periods of English rather then one, shows that she IS trying to encourage the students to learn English, and that goes against the thought of McCarthy who didnt knew that she was trying to motivate the students to learn this language. And by doing this, it can kill some of the seeds of racism from the world, and create a bridge closer to acceptance. No one is better then the other, everyone is the same. The only way we are truely different, is the morals that we learn in life, and that is one of the way we can spread Racism.
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Jonathan 09/11/2008 10:21:00 AM
It's funny how such a mural could cause such havoc in the small city. I guess it's because things get around much faster than they would in a larger city like L.A. but that still doesn't mean it should become such a clash between parents and school administrators.
I myself disagree with painting a mural that just has just the American and Mexican flag on it saying: "Between individuals, as between nations respect for another's rights is peace." The quote is a good one encouraging diversity and peace between different nationalities but why only the American and Mexican flag? Because the mural only has those flags African Americans, Asians, and Middle Eastern people feel segregated. They should have just had that quote and put up flags of every country in the premises of it, that way everyone would be happy.
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Lindsay 09/11/2008 10:07:00 AM
Parents of students residing in San Juan Capistrano are drastically overreacting when it comes to topics based on the unity of different ethnics. Yes, it was an important issue to mention that Hispanic students should be required to learn English because they are part of an English-based country, however, it is ridiculous for "white" parents to move their children to schools with lower Hispanic populations. Although not all of the Hispanic students speak fluent English, their lack of understanding does not lower education level being taught towards the other students. Parents should be encouraging their children to socialize with students of different ethnic backgrounds. America is described as "The Great Melting Pot"; and refusal to associate with all races contradicts the message our country tries to send.
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Dakota Voas 09/11/2008 10:03:00 AM
Article of the Week
San Juan Capistrano �s Schools
Based on the recent issues we face everyday involving race, the schools of San Juan Capistrano face serious difficulty with all the parents and their views towards positive and negative affects of diversity. Throughout this article we see how two elementary schools, Kinoshita and Del Obispo, start the train of many racial views towards children and their ways of learning. Never before have parents passed the line of preference with demands, as these did when they told the principals, of these many schools, that they would not allow their Hispanic children to associate with the white kids at Del Obispo, or vise versa, with the white kids attending Kinoshita where 96 percent where Latino. Throughout all these judgmental views however not once did the parents realize that school was not the only way these kids would interact; they failed to realize that these schools only make up eight hours of the day and that they all belong to the same neighborhood where their children share toys and laughter.
When summing up this article a negative and disgusted emotion released after each line passed especially when Yohana Sandoval stated,� a shinny new school� would be opening for the San Juan district, who had over populated and over judgmental citizens. This kind of solution asserts that the citizens of this town have no sense and are preventing their children from learning anything but the wrong ways of life, and how to accept other cultures and religions. This statement expresses that all these people would rather start a clean slate instead of work out their old fears of mixing their children with others of different backgrounds. Overall however the biggest problem that was addressed in this article was the fact about the laws of our American flag, and how it was the same height to the Mexican flag. This mural was suppose to represent unity among the different races, but instead all these people could think about was how their individual nation wasn�t honored more than the other, which proves that even today we have these issues that need to be fixed.
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Naomi 09/11/2008 9:50:00 AM
Dear Daffodil J. Altan,
I am responding to the article you published called "White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Inot Another." I was and still am very shocked to learn that adults would be so immature and stuff high school lockers with hate letters. Principal Bertini should be the example to her students but instead she is the exact oppisite. The teachers and principals job is to accepted any culture into thier school. McCarthy is half right because students should be taught and learn english, but this does not mean that you should destroy a mural that students have painted to show unity. I believe that childeren should be growing in a neighborhood with as much diversity of culture and language as possible. Therefore our childern will have no problem socalizing with blacks, white, mexicans,ect., and life will just be easier for them. Many people can be stereotipical, for example Cheryl Burns from Minuteman, says that Marco Forster "was a school that breeds criminals." Many people may jump to the assumption because most of the school is latino.
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Raymond Lam 09/11/2008 9:50:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of the OC Register:
After reading your article, �In San Juan Capistrano's Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another,� issues in �real school life� exploited the problems of inequality. Degrading issues on racism,segregation and lack of individuality, emphasized the importance of accepting people as they are. In your article, people did not agree to unite different cultures, and issues on racism were being ignored in the community. The idea of parents disapproving white kids to attend schools with Mexican kids, promotes the young generation of children to accept segregation and racism which is umbrageous in the sense that parents should be leading by example and not following in the steps of immaturity . When I heard that American parents had a standard that their white children were expected to attend, �Del Obispo and Ambuehl� it provoked my anger which later became a disgrace for the community I live in. To know that the �United� States is not so united, brings me to accept that the concept of equality will never be reached.
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Justine Dougherty 09/11/2008 9:45:00 AM
OC Weekly
In the past racism has been a main issue and still today it is a big problem. Yohana Sandoval is a leader not to just the Mexicans, but also the whites. She is friends with everyone and therefore decided to come up with the mural. The mural not only shows that all the students attending Marco Forster middle school don�t care about race, but it also unifies them. The students don�t mind being together it�s mainly the parent�s issue.
Since this, they really shouldn�t involve the students or the mural at all.
As a student race has never interfered with my teachings in school or making new friends. This issue has been around for many years and it�s about time it disappears. In every kind of way, we were all born to be equal and therefore should all be treated with equality. McCarthy is the one who is making this deal even bigger in San Juan Capistrano. She also shouldn�t really care about the mural, all the students created it together whether they were White or Mexican. Even though the Mexican flag is higher then the American flag it shouldn�t bring a big issue to the table, it�s only a middle school. With all this trouble of one school, it just shows how prejudice people are. No matter what this issue will continue to go on for many more years.
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Lucia 09/11/2008 9:37:00 AM
To: Daffodil J. Altan
After reading the article �In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another,� it caused me to realize the differences between the White kids population and the Latino kids. Besides the fact that the White kids tended to be in better financial situation than the Latino kids, I would have never thought that they�ll be placed in different schools. And for the population of Latinos who did attend school with the White population, they were the blame for using the Spanish language in school. Kim McCarthy wanted the school to �stop promoting the use of the Spanish language,� implying that she did not care for the other culture. But I don�t believe someone can stop the culture from spreading in the school. For that reason, maybe the Aryan Resistance attacked the Mexican children in Marco Forster Middle School with their racist remarks.
As for the mural that was painted, it was made to create some type of unity, both Mexico and America. But the fact that some people didn�t like both the American and Mexican flag along side of each other indicates that not everyone looks at the two countries as equals.
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Tommy Tang 09/11/2008 9:29:00 AM
In response to the article, I was frankly appalled at the fact that parents are shallow enough to relieve their children based on the preferences of the school. Students that are exposed to more of the culture around them show more tendency to work together as seen with the mural. The fact that students of different races, languages, and cultural backgrounds can even come together and work on a mural show true potential on how exposure to a diverse environment can do, especially at such a young age.
Though McCarthy attempts to rid the schools of any cultural influence, her logic does appeal to those that are in school for LEARNING, not to be showcasing your beliefs. I believe that McCarthy does have some reason in her judgment, yet she is still flawed, students would still learn the quickest by having some sort of exposure to different ethnic groups. So ridding all schools of all cultural evidence wouldn't be the best decision from a scholar's perspective. Furthermore, the increased contact with different racial groups will help to identify any racism within students while they are still young. This way it'll help to eliminate any problems we may have before it escalates to a more mature level, where racism only leads to extreme hate crimes, and murders.
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Cynthia 09/11/2008 9:18:00 AM
To: Daffodil J. Altan.
In response to the article �In San Juan Capistrano's Schools, White kids are painted in one corner, Latino kids into another," I couldn�t help but notice the complexity of this whole situation. I still cant believe that there is prejudice and racism among our modern world. The first issue that impacted me personally was the way WAR (White Aryan Resistance) approached this situation. WAR handed out 1,200 racist flyers around Marco Forster Middle School to dispute the different racial groups among schools . This was an extremely harmful way to bring up the problem. As a solution, a mural had been painted on one of the walls to symbolize peace; which amazed me.
Another issue that astonished me was how some parents voiced their fears over having their kids� educated with a large number of Hispanics. I believe that is ridiculous how a different race can impact the learning of another. We are all the same no matter the race or the color. However I do agree on how difficult in can be to attend an overcrowded school; however that could have easily been fixed if some students were transferred to Kinoshita. �It�s probably more of an adult issue than a kid issue. Kids are very accepting of all lifestyles�. As for the Mexican flag being higher than the American flag, the intention was to unify the school not to point out which one is better than the other. I myself am Hispanic and I believe that it can be benefiting to learn and socialize with different cultures.
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NATALIE CHAVEZ 09/11/2008 9:17:00 AM
This article is a great representation of how there are still traces of segregation in our community. It has really opened my eyes and now I see how harmful an issue like this can be. However, the WAR (white Aryan Resistance) weas taking the issue too when the fliers were put into the middle school. Not only did this impact the Latino students, it impacted many different people of many different races. Harsh racial comments should not be made towards middle school students. After all it�s not the students that have the problem with the school they go to, it�s the parents. I agree with Eric Gruenewald who says, "Kids are very accepting of all lifestyles." The kids aren't the ones that are complaining about the schools they are going to, it�s the parents.
What people need to do is realize that we are all Americans. Even for the Latinos that can�t speak English fluently, they are still Americans and they contribute to our country in some way. We need to learn to put all racial labels aside and learn to live with people that may have a different culture. We need to learn to accept other cultures because all of the different cultures are what makes up the American culture.
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Sarah 09/11/2008 8:52:00 AM
In Atlan�s article, �San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another�, it explains how neighborhood communities are segregated by nationality. Usually parents and kids have different views toward their environment. Parents tend to jump into criticism while youth accept their neighborhood easily. McCarthy�s attitude towards the presence of Spanish language has a negative effect because she does not want to enable the Latinos to create another Mexico in the United States. Bertini encourages students who are fluent in Spanish to start speaking English and notes their language progression increases. Cheryl Burns of the Minutemen describes Marco Forster Middle School as a place that �breeds criminals,� without thinking about individuality of Latinos. Just because many focus on Latino injustices does not mean they are worse than others who commit crime. The lack of communication between different nationalities allow stereotypical criticism to interfere with understanding. Therefore, by learning a universal language such as English, enables foreign language speakers to interact with others for better understanding.
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Joanna 09/11/2008 8:16:00 AM
Dear Daffodil J. Atlan,
When reading your article �In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another� I felt disgusted by the segregation of the kids in the two very different elementary schools, Del Obispo and San Juan. As I read your article, I could not believe parents would set such a bad example to their children by protesting so their children would not attend to the same elementary as English Learning Latinos. Like you said, �the little ones had no problem mixing,� why should the problems of the adults affect the life of the children. The little kids are being taught racism by their own parents. I believe the �white flight� should be stopped and the schools of the Capistrano Unified School District should unite.
Also, the mural Yohana Sandoval and her classmates painted in Marco Forster Middle School was a great way to bring together the two different cultures. The argument McCarthy made was unnecessary. She criticized the mural for having writing in Spanish and for the Mexican flag being painted alongside the American flag. She stated that this was enabling Latino students from, �assimilation and integration,� then later when many arguments were brought up because of her comments she retracted and said she only wanted to, �bring Hispanic population out of their cultural isolation within our schools and neighborhoods.� The mural should stay because it does unite the two cultures, even if it is only in a painting.
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Peter Chavez 09/11/2008 8:08:00 AM
The problem is that people are arguing to no to avail instead of trying to fix the problem. The segregation of the two schools has obviously continued from the mid 90's because more and more of the parents are ignorantly deciding to separate the children. They're children and growing up in an all-white school only makes matters worse because they'll grow up with only one way of thinking and understanding, much like their parents. Yet in all fairness, one cannot criticize one for how they raise their kids. However, I find it funny how McCarthy quotes that "promoting Spanish" is creating a "Mexico within our public-school system". First off, I don't see how Spanish is being promoted within the schools just because the children have the ability to speak it. Secondly, it's ignorant to refer to Mexico just because the Spanish language is involved. Spanish is the official language of several South American countries, why does it have to be Mexico? This statement is ignorant just like the one Cheryl Burns made, saying that Marco Foster Middle School "breeds criminals". I'm not even going to comment on what Burns said except to say that she's African-American. You put two and two together to see how hypocritical and ignorant Cheryl Burns is in saying that.
The bottom line is that this is an issue that can't be fought. People have to learn to conform to it. Those children are there to learn and them being Latin-American is just a hard fact that people must accept. Parents like McCarthy are just taking advantage of the situation to show their true colors, speculating before they informate (I know that's not a word but you get the idea). She's just another stay-at-home mom looking for the spotlight.
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A.J 09/11/2008 7:55:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan,
The article has opened the eyes of mine and my class mates and has proven by example the prejudices and racism that still exists in our modern world. I myself am appaled by the reactions of many of the locals. The extreme lengths that many parents are going to ensure that their child�s education is not slowed down is incredible, any parent wishes the best or their child but I believe that the white parents are only assuming that their child will not be given the chance to reach their full potential. The comment given by the parent, Erin Kutnick, �I think it�s parents who don�t want their kids to be exposed to a different culture. Their doing their kids a disservice,� was true and give a sense of remorse for the parents she is referring to because they do not understand American culture is the result of many cultures crashing together.
I believe that to solve the issue CUSD must take action to help thin this barrier created by parents. I enjoyed reading the article because it opened my eyes and showed me that racism still exists in our free world and even though our country is a one of freedoms we as a people still create restriction.
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Andy V. Nguyen 09/11/2008 7:36:00 AM
Dear OC Weekly,
I have read this weeks atricle on the "San Juan Capsitrano schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner. Latino Kids Into Another" for my AP English Language Comp. class. The first issue i noticed was that Yohana Sandoval and several students have read a flier that has been passed around her school, which contained a 95% population of latinos, that had made racist remarks in which includes "comparing them to pigs." Students, such as Yohana Sandoval, are living the normal lives they should be living. When the flier incident came flying by Yohana's school it not only brought tears to the young students at Marco Forster Middle School in San Juan Capistrano, but caused a spark in what is soon to be a major issue in the South County and parts of Orange County.
My viewpoints towards Kim McCarthy are not very suppottive to what she has to say because the fact that she is trying to " stop promoting the use of the Spanish Language and, thus enabling Latinos to create Mexico within our public-school system." I'm only assuming that this is a problem because I'm not entirely sure. Any ways what I'm trying imply is that the racist remarks that has been exploited to the young kids at Marco Forster Middle School and other schools, sends a wrong and incorrect message about latinos in general.
Sincerely,
Andy V. Nguyen
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Andy V. Nguyen 09/11/2008 7:36:00 AM
Dear OC Weekly,
I have read this weeks atricle on the "San Juan Capsitrano schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner. Latino Kids Into Another" for my AP English Language Comp. class. The first issue i noticed was that Yohana Sandoval and several students have read a flier that has been passed around her school, which contained a 95% population of latinos, that had made racist remarks in which includes "comparing them to pigs." Students, such as Yohana Sandoval, are living the normal lives they should be living. When the flier incident came flying by Yohana's school it not only brought tears to the young students at Marco Forster Middle School in San Juan Capistrano, but caused a spark in what is soon to be a major issue in the South County and parts of Orange County.
My viewpoints towards Kim McCarthy are not very suppottive to what she has to say because the fact that she is trying to " stop promoting the use of the Spanish Language and, thus enabling Latinos to create Mexico within our public-school system." I'm only assuming that this is a problem because I'm not entirely sure. Any ways what I'm trying imply is that the racist remarks that has been exploited to the young kids at Marco Forster Middle School and other schools, sends a wrong and incorrect message about latinos in general.
Sincerely,
Andy V. Nguyen
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Nathan Lim 09/11/2008 7:24:00 AM
After reading this article, many are driven by a form of emotional response whether it is struck by anger or sympathy for the issue at hand. Choosing sides on this issue is the real problem here and it�s about time for a new approach to address this problem of segregation. That is where the true problem lies, in choosing sides, whether an individual follows McCarthy or sides with Bertini. The answer to this is simple, if everyone were to not even think of another�s ethnicity no problems involving it would occur. It appears that the parents cannot sit well with the rising Latino demographic but the students itself do not see a problem in this. The idea of a certain ethnicity rising over the predominately white does not fare well with these concerned parents and is difficult for them to accept. Maybe it�s time to remove such labels of ethnicity in order to fix this issue. This label of ethnicity such as �Latino� and �White� etc. is what�s causing uneasiness among everyone. By removing these labels within our society entirely we can then progress forward and address far more important issues rather than bicker about silly issues of one ethnicity overtaking the other merely by numbers. Instead of promoting our ethnicity which could cause issues, it would be easier to just agree that we�re all human could get along.
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Ron Mariano 09/11/2008 6:59:00 AM
I honestly believe that every institution of learning such as the schools mentioned in this article, should be a place of learning and growth. I deeply understand that certain people can be indeed proud of what they are, who they are and where they came from. However, I don't understand why people are take so much pride of their race and color, that they have to put symbols and paint murals depicting the bond within their race and the majority in the country they have moved into. I believe that pride should be reserved for the things one has accomplished and worked blood, sweat and tears for -- and not for the things that happened by a thing called genetic accident.
I just don't understand why schools are now defined by how many Mexicans or Asians or Africans attend the institution. Learning picks no race, and Information picks no brain, and to virtually take these rights (education) away from any minority group would be a crime for me, because I don't believe that color should limit nor expand a person's potential.
To point out one more important thing, those fliers depicted real racism to the highest of its levels without even utilizing critical thinking. To judge a whole race -- Hatred imposed by racist arrogant people. Although this problem is not as big as Anti-Semitism, but doesn't this parallel the ideas of the beginning of Nazism?
Kids should be just kids, and let the kids live their childhood and teenage years, but guidance goes a long way. I know it is impossible to take away the idea of racism from the people, but to fully educate the people especially the students about racism would make a big difference. What race can really harm society? None! It's the idea of racism that harms us, and not the certain race itself.
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Maggie 09/11/2008 6:55:00 AM
This is a very interesting story for me because I never knew that people are willing to go far enough to move thier kids to a different school, because there are mexicans in teh same school, i find that ridiculous. Parents "show up in droves to protest" indicating that parents think that it is a bad thing. McCarthy is willing to get noticed with the problem she with the mural. "Yohana Sandoval sat quietly at the same board meeting and listened to complants about the way she and her classmates had positioned the american flag (side by side) on their mural and to call for its removal" revealing that they are sending a message by drawing the mexican flag next to the american flag that it is significant than the american flag. The mural is a symbol of peace, not a message meaning that the mexicans are bigger than the americans.
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Gabriela 09/11/2008 6:28:00 AM
Dear Daffodil J. Atlan,
Upon reading this article, I was a bit angered, yet I understood. The celebration of different cultures and races can be a tad annoying when another has already achieved toleration of all different traits and personalities that another person has. These so-called "struggles" that a race or culture might face, can be blind to those who aren't discriminative, coming up as annoying on those fellow people. However, we shouldn't forget that there are struggles, even still today, and that we should help create a tolerable environment for all.
These parents forget that children don't mind or don't notice that cultural diversity can "take over," as parents might see it. As each new generation is born, they're less discriminative and tolerable of different races and cultures as the generation before.
My point is that while I can understand why McCarthy was annoyed by the creation of the mural, seeing as how the majority of country is no longer discriminative, that doesn't give her an excuse to go out of her way to get rid of it. The mural is a symbol of unity, not a promotion of Mexican/Latino/Hispanic culture.
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Gabriela 09/11/2008 6:17:00 AM
These parents forget that children don't mind or don't notice that cultural diversity can "take over," as parents might see it. As each new generation is born, they're less discriminative and tolerable of different races and cultures as the generation before.
My point is that while I can understand why McCarthy was annoyed by the creation of the mural, seeing as how the majority of country is no longer discriminative, that doesn't give her an excuse to go out of her way, to get rid of it. The mural is a symbol of unity, not a promotion of Mexican/Latino/Hispanic culture.
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A.J Parmar 09/11/2008 4:49:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan,
The article has opened the eyes of mine and my class mates and has proven by example the prejudices and racism that still exists in our modern world. I myself am appaled by the reactions of many of the locals. The extreme lengths that many parents are going to ensure that their child�s education is not slowed down is incredible, any parent wishes the best or their child but I believe that the white parents are only assuming that their child will not be given the chance to reach their full potential. The comment given by the parent, Erin Kutnick, �I think it�s parents who don�t want their kids to be exposed to a different culture. Their doing their kids a disservice,� was true and give a sense of remorse for the parents she is referring to because they do not understand American culture is the result of many cultures crashing together.
I believe that to solve the issue CUSD must take action to help thin this barrier created by parents. I enjoyed reading the article because it opened my eyes and showed me that racism still exists in our free world and even though our country is a one of freedoms we as a people still create restriction.
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Eric Ballesteros 09/11/2008 4:35:00 AM
Dear OC Weekly
After reading Daffodil Altans' article concerning the segregation of Latinos and Whites in the Capistrano Unified School District I reflected upon how complex the issue was and how interesting points of view were involved. According to many of the individuals in this article from: the parents, to the principals, to the city council members, everyone claims they wish for the schools to be more racially integrated, but there actions betray their true desires. It seems that everytime the district tries to divirsify the schools racial population they face vehement opposition from the parents of the predominantly white schools' children.and are faced with completely baseless allegations that incorporating Mexican children into the "white" schools such as Del Obispo would have a negative effect on their won children's education. I believe that if all parents like Mrs. McCarthy were to voice suggestions and solutions to the CUSD's growing problem rather than giving public divisive statements, and inciting a firestorm of debates over things not even ralated to the topic, the children currently enrolled in the CUSD's public schol system and future generations would greatly benefit.
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Johanna P. 09/11/2008 3:33:00 AM
Dear OC Weekly,
I am just a student attending Magnolia High School, who is in AP English Composition, and I came across one of your article entitled �In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted In One Corner, Latino Kids Are Painted In Another� which illustrated a controversial argument. What I read was that 1,200 flyers were stuffed into every locker on campus and 300 more at Laguna Beach High School signed by San Diego County-based group WAR. Since many believed a student wrote them it brought sadness to many Latinos and other races. What the students ended up doing was painting a mural, which is the main reason why this article was written. While I read this article I couldn�t help notice that McCarthy seemed like the bad person in the beginning while Bertini seemed like the savior and it ended up being the opposite. What seemed to be the problem was the fact that the Mexican flag was painted slightly larger than the American flag, which many found themselves offended since this was America not Mexico. McCarthy wanted to argue that she didn�t want the Latinos making their own Mexico at school, when they should be learning English and not speaking their language. Then Bertini seemed like she supported the Latinos but ended up saying �Deport ALL Messican [sis] parents with their anchor babies and the problem is solved,� indicating that she just couldn�t handle the ciaos in the school since the school was over crowed. Many of the Latinos are suffering since the schools are over crowed and the whites aren�t. I couldn�t believe that many of the families decided to move their children to different school, yet it was proven that Yohana Sandoval succeeded in that school even despite her unfortunate of not speaking the same language. As I read this argument I myself felt terrible and remembered that the Latino race has been so unfortunate when it comes to education, and many of the poor students at San Juan are suffering still about this issue. Will this ever end?
Sincerely,
Johanna Prado
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Al 09/11/2008 2:28:00 AM
I was a teacher at Marco Forster when those flyers were discovered in the student lockers. I, along with about 5 other teachers and admins took locker keys, opened every locker on that campus, and removed those flyers. It was a difficult and emotional day on campus that was nuturing and positive. That campus no longer exists. Marco is no longer a nurturing place, and it hasn't been since the current leadership has been in place. My own child refused to finish her 8th grade year there because her perception was that there were two different sets of standards: one for Latino students, and one for everyone else. Having still been on staff there for her 6th & 7th grade years, I had to admit that she might have a valid point. While student population does effect the climate and culture of the school, the ultimate responsibility lies with the principal. The principal sets the tone for students, staff, and community. Perhaps those who are so worried about the presence of a mural should refocus on the real issue.
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Al 09/11/2008 2:28:00 AM
I was a teacher at Marco Forster when those flyers were discovered in the student lockers. I, along with about 5 other teachers and admins took locker keys, opened every locker on that campus, and removed those flyers. It was a difficult and emotional day on campus that was nuturing and positive. That campus no longer exists. Marco is no longer a nurturing place, and it hasn't been since the current leadership has been in place. My own child refused to finish her 8th grade year there because her perception was that there were two different sets of standards: one for Latino students, and one for everyone else. Having still been on staff there for her 6th & 7th grade years, I had to admit that she might have a valid point. While student population does effect the climate and culture of the school, the ultimate responsibility lies with the principal. The principal sets the tone for students, staff, and community. Perhaps those who are so worried about the presence of a mural should refocus on the real issue.
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Armando 09/10/2008 1:30:00 PM
TO: Daffodil J. Altan
Regarding: In San Juan Capistrano's Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another
Before any situation is discussed among groups, all sides must develop a sense of maturity, otherwise theres no point in talking as ignorance will just hold the truth captive. What I mean by this is that WAR (White Aryan Resistance) could've taken a different approach to their cause. What was the point of the fliers? Will hurting the innocent feelings of the middle school students cause them to lead their families all the way back to whatever country they came from? Of course not. Latinos didn't reach this country with a private jet. They strived and struggled, so would they even think for a split second about leaving the country just because some immature organization thinks (although noting their attack on the harmless students can lead one to believe that WAR's leaders are incapable to process logical thought) they can decide who can leave, who can stay, who has the closest physical resemblance to pigs? Of course not. WAR should have taken their protest elsewhere, somewhere where their voices can be heard, not among students of a middle school. We're all different so we're all the same. Black, brown, yellow, white, whatever, if you get cut, you bleed red just like the rest of us. There isn't one race that bleeds pure gold while the rest just bleed plain old red. What we should be doing is enjoying the numerous diversities! Sure this country isn't better than everything else, everything has its ups and downs, but just think about how great is it to live in a country where you can hang out with different friends and share your traditions. Fear hides within doubt, but that shouldn't be the case in this country. If one has a question regarding another race, that someone should have the courage to talk to a person of that other race, and ask "hey? so how do you feel about such and such?" not take an immature approach a wreak havoc among the innocent.
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Terry Nguyen 09/10/2008 12:45:00 PM
While reading your article, �In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids are Painted into One Corner, Latino Kids into Another,� by Daffodil J. Altan, I was drawn by the mural in itself. The fact that students actually took the time and cared enough to stand up for their beliefs, without the fear of being shot down, and creating such a beautiful piece of artwork amazes me greatly. Also, the students ability to defend their beliefs show a lot of courage and determination, modeling the perfect student. Because the students spend their time on the mural, it prevents them from getting themselves into trouble
In addition, I�m truly appalled the parents are the ones pulling their child out of a certain school or demanding their child be put into a different class based on the majority of the ethnics. Not only is it racist, but the variety of ethnic groups within a school or classroom does not relate to the success a child has in the class. As a student on the path towards college, the people in my learning environment are not a factor that determines whether I pass or fail; it is determined by the student�s work ethnic. If a student is failing a class, the only reasoning is the student is not prepared and fails; this has nothing to do with the races. Most students don�t pay attention to the races in their own school, knowing, like the artists of the mural, which arguments to stand for and which to not.
This article was quite enjoyable to read because, though there are no controversies considering race at the moment in time, happening in the Anaheim area, it�s interesting to see what other cities are going through, using our knowledge of their problems to prevent the same problem. Awareness of the situation is one of the most important things to take from this article.
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Cuper 09/10/2008 11:46:00 AM
Directed to Daffodil J. Altan's publishing,
In response to reading "In San Juan Capistrano's Schools, White kids are painted in one corner, Latino kids into another," I came upon some conclusions and opinions that critique this publishing. This feedback, for the most part, focuses on Kim McCarthy's view point and how her allegations target Latinos that affect her. In retrospect, this ethnic-social affair does not only target the latinos that influence her, but latinos across Orange County reading about a "modern-day de facto segregation." From a different perspective, some might say that McCarthy's reasoning aims for a higher standard of co-existing in this certain community, but at this point in time, I believe that a greater scope of the circumstances has to be understood in order to express ideas like these. Further, McCarthy's ignorant interpretation and expression of ideas leads the reader to think that ethnic groups, difference in languages, and maybe even race influence her strongly enough to target and make a declaration towards a community in such a manner. Although, I strongly believe that even thought this country is very diverse, these kind of conditions will inevitably continue to happen. Conclusively, ever since minorities have started immigrating this country, these individuals are put down and it will not be until a comprehensive settlement is agreed upon that either "corner" will be happy; by the same token, it won't be until this happens that the community in San Juan Capistrano will find some sort of peace.
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Ashley Villagran 09/10/2008 11:43:00 AM
TO: Daffodil J. Altan
Regarding: In San Juan Capistrano's Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another
This whole problem is just one example of what is going on in the country. There is always people who want to cause trouble for the minority. In this case Kim McCarthy wanted to erase the Latino�s culture from a Public middle school. She had many critiques of how the school was run. She mainly focused on the presence of Spanish in school, and in the students� homes. Homes where most of the parents only understand Spanish, and have no time to learn English because they have to work most of the day to feed their family. Most of the rich white people were upset because there was a growing Latino population in the schools. This is why they started to move but many stayed and decided to leave their kids in the schools, but still against the Latinos.
I was outraged to read the comment of Brown. Previously he had worked with Latinos, but now he vigorously speaks out against local organizations that help out illegal immigrants. This is a huge contrast were before he had said that the schools where there was more Latinos were fine and that his kids had done great, but now he is just agitated with the situation. When McCarthy wasn�t given attention, she went to the Minuteman Project, which is well known to be racist, and they helped her get all the attention she needed to �help� the Latinos �assimilate.� Her cry for attention was taken in consideration in a article that the register wrote. I was angry when I read the comments that partly agreed with her, they made very rude comments. When she read these comments, she admitted that she �could have said it differently, could have said different words.� When it came time for the board meeting, many people that supported McCarthy were there to voice their opinions. They argued and focused on �controversial� issues about the mural. One example is that the Mexican flag was bigger and higher than the American flag. This very �important� issue was mainly debated about the mural. The girl that collaborated in making the mural didn�t mean to disrespect or cause trouble to anyone, she wanted people to see the example of unity in the mural, but most people these days are influenced by "influential" political people that have unintelligent comments about our illegal immigrant situation. i think to myself, if people cannot see something good in being united and causing problems and difficulties to hard working people, then nobody is going to be able to solve the racist problem that plagues us, and this saddens me. Overall this article showed the real problem in this country. Great Job!
- Ashley
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Gerardo Esparza 09/10/2008 11:36:00 AM
Dear OC Weekly,
This article is very well written and provides great evidence on how the issue with immigration is affecting the outlook of the two different races included in the story. There is obvious racial tension between hispanics and whites especially now, and the underlying exclamation for peace thoughout the article helps people realize that having symbols of other cultures around an environment isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Kim McCarthy is not wrong for wanting to rid the school of any other cultural symbols. She probably just wants the schools in America to be places to learn and not to show pride for one race or another. Of course her logic has some flaws. If people are not exposed to other cultures as early as possible, there is a chance for racism to arise when the children grow-up. This is caused not by hatred of another race or culture, it is caused by ignorance and misinterpretation of the other race. I personally believe that there should be more cultures represented in schools, especially in elementary, so that people can have an understanding and appreciation of different people. This way racism can at least be fought and if possible eliminated.
Sincerely,
Gerardo Esparza
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Norma Chavarin 09/10/2008 11:18:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of OC Weekly,
Over the past decade, more Latinos than ever have made their pilgrimage to the United States of America in search for a better lifestyle, yet circumstances make it difficult or impossible. They have to battle the language barrier and the lack of knowledge to the new American culture. I can relate to Yohana Sandoval as a Mexican who struggled at first to learn English but just like her, I was able to overcome that obstacle fairly quick. Due to the amount of prejudice, it's difficult for us to be accepted as another equal individual in this country. On the morning of January 1994, it was not only the Mexican students at Marco Foster Middle School that cried, the entire Mexican population in the United States and others who thought that this was degrading to their culture. In a perfect world, "respect for another's rights is peace," just like Benito Juarez stated and was painted on the mural for a purpose: unity. It's amazing how far a little respect can go, but WAR (White Aryan Resistance) had no respect at all when they posted 1,200 fliers into every locker that said "racist marks about Mexicans," showing how Caucasians refuse to accept the people yet they seem to easily accept Mexican food and tourists enjoy Capistrano's Spanish/Mexican past.
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Aloma Sagiao 09/10/2008 11:06:00 AM
Dear Daffodil J. Atlan,
In regards to Article: �In the San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted into One Corner and Latino Kids into Another�
Everyone is entitled to their opinions, concerns and ideas given to us by our right of �Freedom of Speech.� Each parent has the right to decide what is best for their child, whether their decision may be negative or positive. One part of the article that caught my attention was the comment made by Kim McCarthy. Kim McCarthy asked that the principal of the San Juan Elementary school �to stop promoting the use of Spanish Language,� thus taking away their sense of pride within their own individuality and culture. Why take away the language when it can benefit the child in the future.
Learning a second language is required when pursuing a higher degree of education, meaning a college degree. Also, being Bilingual increases opportunities when pursuing a career. So what better time to start learning another language then when you are young. Towards the end of the article, after exposing the issue to the media, she made a comment that contradicted her initial complaint. She said, �Let our common goal be to bring the Hispanic Population out of their cultural isolation�uniting our families in friendship.� In regards to her statement, I personally had no idea that the Hispanic Culture was isolated from the rest of us. I myself have many Hispanic friends who have always been open to sharing their culture with me. I have come to hold high respects for the Hispanic community and what they offer us, because their morals and qualities are a lot like that of my own culture. I have come to learn that a culture is more than just food and history, but the knowledge and wisdom we gain from their diversity.
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destiny 09/10/2008 10:10:00 AM
After reading this artical I am angry at the fact that the fliers were given out to young middle school students I am even more angry at the fact that this is something maybe a little kid would do but to know that this was the work of an adult shows ignorance. This indicates how adults acted immaturely on there feelings. YES everyone is allowed there opinion but it is the way that there opinion is addressed that is NOT. How can a person let alone and ADULT and ADULT wake up in the morning and decide hey let me go stuff 1,000 copies in some lockers at a middle school with dimeaning comments about a race this does not prove nor should make that person feel good that for the sake of his own pleasure dimean another race this is unacceptable. To know that children! children! read these horrible comments that were made to adress their race would be outragous. I am speaking from a highschool students poit of view, myself being latino. Furthermore, the fact that caucasion parents felt the need to change their student to another school based on the fact that the demographics were changing shows ignorance in the parents. First off, each student is in charge of their own future they hold the power in their education it is the responsiibility of the student to grasp and take in their education it does NOT matter nor effect them if the room they are in is filled with 10 latino student 10 african american student nor 10 asian students nor 10 caucasion students it is up to the student to determine what education they recieve. I beleive that the more diverse the school is the better it opens students eyes to various cultures and backrounds instead of narrowing it to only one race. I agree with what Jim Williams that �the little ones had no problem mixing it is so great to see little ones not caring what the color of their friends skin is as in reality it shouldn't matter. Overall, the solution is not to change schoo just because of the demographics but embrace the diversity. I am very happy that I can say my school is very diverse compared to most in my district it has given me the chance to gain friendships of various races and religions this has opened my eyes to the unique cultures there are in the united states and around the world. Overall, this article has showed me what a ways there is to go to unifying schools and embracing various races and religions instead of demeaning
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Tony Huynh 09/10/2008 9:16:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of OC Weekly Register:
Response to the article In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another.
Dear, Daffodil your article has brought me to think about the issue of overcrowded schools. What really strikes me is that when the CUSD considered a plan to "relieve overcrowding," there would "almost always causes considerable outcry from parents," which is a bit disturbing how parents would not allow their kids to go to schools with white kids. It brings out a racist sort of issue into the subject, because "Everyone knows that if you're white in this town, you send your kids to Del Obispo or Ambuehl and not to Kinoshita or San Juan Elementary," suggest that the parents disapprove that their kids have contact with people other than their race. What is also disturbing is how the parents did not want Kinoshita and Del Obispo Schools to become "neighboring schools." Which leads me to believing that their is a bigger issue involved rather than some dispute about kids who are born as this race are only allowed to go to this specific school. Your article has very intersting facts about the controversy in the CUSD and has brought light into the issue of racism which has seem to progressively become a large issue in today's society.
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Tony Huynh 09/10/2008 9:15:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of OC Weekly Register:
Response to the article In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another.
Dear, Daffodil your article has brought me to think about the issue of overcrowded schools. What really strikes me is that when the CUSD considered a plan to "relieve overcrowding," there would "almost always causes considerable outcry from parents," which is a bit disturbing how parents would not allow their kids to go to schools with white kids. It brings out a racist sort of issue into the subject, because "Everyone knows that if you're white in this town, you send your kids to Del Obispo or Ambuehl and not to Kinoshita or San Juan Elementary," suggest that the parents disapprove that their kids have contact with people other than their race. What is also disturbing is how the parents did not want Kinoshita and Del Obispo Schools to become "neighboring schools." Which leads me to believing that their is a bigger issue involved rather than some dispute about kids who are born as this race are only allowed to go to this specific school. Your article has very intersting facts about the controversy in the CUSD and has brought light into the issue of racism which has seem to progressively become a large issue in today's society.
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Gianni Perez 09/10/2008 8:29:00 AM
To Daffodil J. Altan of the OC Register:
In response to your article In San Juan Capistrano�s Schools, White Kids Are Painted Into One Corner, Latino Kids Into Another, I commend you for your article as I�m sure it opened the eyes of my many peers. The struggle between the Mexican and white student conflicts has been debated frequently, and this story highlights the main facts that our society deals with today. The San Juan Capistrano School�s incident is in fact a very prejudice, if not, racist ordeal and the solutions to fix these ordeals aren�t easy to attempt, especially when the audience take offense through different focuses each. When you bring up the case in which the parents of the white student body start �moving their kids out of the school� once the Mexican students start moving in is indeed an act based on prejudice; the parents whim to move their children out was based on their ideology that �they won�t get a good education� sincerely because a new class of students have moved in. Stereotype plays this role in this case because the long chain of white students attending schools has been affected by a new race moving in, eager to learn.
An interesting comment was when you included parents such as Kim McCarthy and Erin Kutnick, who in mind stated, ��I think it�s parents who don�t want their kids to be exposed to a different culture. They�re doing their kids a disservice.�� The point in this argument is that school is about learning, and what better way to learn about culture that to have a class mixed with many racial bodies, learning about one another�s culture. The divisiveness has gone out of hand, and many parents have mixed ideas of how to solve it. Either deport or report. Teach the newcomers how to deal in America or send them off where they came from basically, and the idea is that since school is a place of learning, why not choose the first respective option. An anonymous parent has brought up the very point in which this opinionated debate has been conflicted, ��Tell the children they are in America now, and we speak English here. It�s not a cultural event, it�s a SCHOOL!�� This is not the only debate considering culture clashes, but this article is very intriguing to bring up to the community of Orange County.
Sincerely,
Gianni Perez
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Aleka Sagiao 09/10/2008 8:18:00 AM
After reading this article, anger was my first feeling. At the beginning of this article, the author writes that even with that flier, the young students or the youth showed that they wanted unity amongst each other. Sending all the Latinos and Caucasians to two different schools won't solve anything. Sending them to two different schools, demonstrates just how America isn't unified as implied. Furthermore, by putting all of this in front of the eyes of our children allows them to develop into racist people.
All of the choices that will be made about this issue may not appeal to everyone�s interest. No decision ever will. So, instead of the children's parents focusing on the interest of them, they should focus on the best interest of their children. That way the choices they make now will shape the future that both the children and parents want.
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DARRYN 09/09/2008 2:00:00 AM
Read the article you stupid idiot or pay a visit to the San Juan Capistrano mission and then you'll see who the real invaders are. The invasion began in 1492 !!!
Besides amnesty AND a guest worker program are coming in 2009, so you either get used to living with brown people or get your white asshole back to Plymouth Rock !!!
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Steve Jorgenson 09/05/2008 10:59:00 AM
Illegal Immigrants have been invading our country for decades, millions have piled in and the federal and state governments do very little or have liberal judges do it for them.
Why should we be upset?
Our schools and hospitals have been overrun.
Why should we be upset?
Our neighborhoods and cities have been destroyed.
Why should we upset?
Racist acitivist pro-Mexican groups threaten us when we speak out.
Why should we be upset?
School children tell us that this is part of Mexico.
Why should we upset?
We spend billions on them and they have the nerve totell us that this is not our country.
