Essay 276

Wondering out loud with MultiCultClassics Minutes…

• Gangs of White youth rioted and assaulted immigrants on a public beach. Immigrants retaliated by attacking police, vandalizing cars and property. The nation’s leader condemned the ruckus, but insisted, “I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country.” Paris? Arizona? New Mexico? No, it’s Australia — where the citizens are facing off with Arab immigrants. One rioter’s back presented the painted statement: “We grew here, you flew here.” Wonder if it’s another reason for the koala bear to mutter, “I hate Qantas.”

• Conservative immigration activists in California are taking their fight to a new level — by attempting to expose and embarrass the people hiring illegal immigrants. The groups shoot photos of people hiring the workers, ultimately posting the pictures and more on sites like wehirealiens.com and operationshameonyou.org. Wonder if Al Gore still wants to take credit for having invented the Internet.

• Deputies in Los Angeles can’t keep up with gang violence. Gang-related homicides rose 30 percent in the past year. The force is apparently grossly understaffed. Plus, the officers are not properly distributed according to the needs of communities. Experts warn things could inevitably get ugly. “People need to realize that Compton’s problems won’t stay in Compton. Absolutely, they ought to be concerned about what’s happening, and they ought to help…We give foreign aid to other countries so they won’t fall apart. How about some domestic aid?” one law official stated. Wonder if someone should consider deputizing illegal immigrants.

• A new Black television network launched three weeks ago. “I was never able to identify with what I saw on television,” the network’s creator said. “What I saw was not part of my reality…nor did it embody the racial plurality that prevails [in the country]…Blacks will have starring — and not just secondary — roles as in other channels.” Should BET be worried? No, it’s TV da Gente, or our TV, in Brazil. Wonder how long it will be before the majority of its programming is music videos.

• The San Francisco police officers who created obscene videos continue to insist they did nothing wrong. “The precinct where they work is the Iraq of the city of San Francisco,” said a police union spokesperson. “They are outgunned and outmanned, and just a year ago one of their numbers was murdered…And so a bunch of officers, White, Black, Asian, women and gay, got together and made a video they thought was going to be shown at their captain’s retirement dinner. It was their way of dealing with the futility of their jobs.” Wonder if their captain would have preferred a gold watch.

• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to grant clemency to Crips gang founder Stanley Tookie Williams. “After studying the evidence, searching the history, listening to the arguments and wrestling with the profound consequences, I could find no justification for granting clemency…The facts do not justify overturning the jury’s verdict or the decisions of the courts in this case,” said Schwarzenegger. Williams is scheduled to be executed tonight.