Watsonville festival flap grows with charge of racism

Emilio Martinez, charging fellow Councilman Manuel Bersamin with writing a racially charged e-mail, is asking him to resign.

[Danger Zone]

I wouldn't go to EITHER venues with all the violence that exists within certain parts of the South County community.

Well, I could as long as I wore a chain mail suit, armor, and carried a bullet proof shield. Naw...I'm not gonna go.

[Pedro]

Violence and Gangs will not deter our family from attending the downtown festival. We will not let the gangs dictate our Freedom!

[El Batman]

Pedro wrote:

Violence and Gangs will not deter our family from attending the downtown festival. We will not let the gangs dictate our Freedom!

That’s what you say now, but it will deter you once that gang violence hits you personally.

It's like that family member that didn't give a rats ass about drunk driving until some drunk killed one their siblings, now that family member turns into a full anti drunk driving advocate.

[Tabano]

A suggestion for insuring the downtown Strawberry Festival turns a profit: Provide dunking booths with Councilman Bersamin and Mayor Rivas sitting in them. At a dollar a throw, the city could cover the cost of the festival and possibly even balance its budget deficit.

[truthbuster]

Why is it ok for Latinos to second guess motives of an "anglo promoter" and claim it has something to do with race when there is no evidence whatsoever to make for that claim?

The word 'anglo' is highly charged racially as Bersamin well knows. It is often used by latinos in a racially derogatory context. Why did Bersamin feel the need to call the promoter "Anglo?" What does that have to do with anything?

And negative stereotypes about Watsonville? You have to be kidding. Several people were stabbed and one person was shot in the course of just a few days last week in Watsonville. And this is not uncommon. Guns are drawn on people regularly - as in every week. The stabbings in Watsonville are numerous and constant and are completely out of control. And most of the victims are latinos yet some politically correct latinos want to call it negative stereotyping by anglos.

Since when is reality a negative stereotype? Watsonville is not a safe community and everyone knows it but it's not politically correct to admit it because the reason it is not safe has nothing to do with "anglos."

Martinez has a point. It's amazing that he had the nerve to make it in one of the most politically correct communities in the United States where criticizing derogatory racial comments by latinos about whites is most definitely not politically correct.

[El Batman]

truthbuster wrote:

Why is it ok for Latinos to second guess motives of an "anglo promoter" and claim it has something to do with race when there is no evidence whatsoever to make for that claim?
The word 'anglo' is highly charged racially as Bersamin well knows. It is often used by latinos in a racially derogatory context. Why did Bersamin feel the need to call the promoter "Anglo?" What does that have to do with anything?
And negative stereotypes about Watsonville? You have to be kidding. Several people were stabbed and one person was shot in the course of just a few days last week in Watsonville. And this is not uncommon. Guns are drawn on people regularly - as in every week. The stabbings in Watsonville are numerous and constant and are completely out of control. And most of the victims are latinos yet some politically correct latinos want to call it negative stereotyping by anglos.
Since when is reality a negative stereotype? Watsonville is not a safe community and everyone knows it but it's not politically correct to admit it because the reason it is not safe has nothing to do with "anglos."
Martinez has a point. It's amazing that he had the nerve to make it in one of the most politically correct communities in the United States where criticizing derogatory racial comments by latinos about whites is most definitely not politically correct.

Thank you for putting it like it is!!

[Lucas]

Thank you Emilio Martinez, I'm glad I voted for you. Manuel Bersamin should step down. There is no place on the Watsonville City Council for him or his shills.

[Lucas]

NEVER FORGET

On May 8th 2,007 the Watsonville City Counsel voted on a resolution to make Watsonville a Sanctuary City by a vote of 4 to 3.

The city counsel members who voted for the resolution:

Manuel Quintero Bersamin
Oscar Rios
Greg Caput
Kimberly Petersen

Their contact information can be found here:

http://www.ci.watsonville.ca.us/departments/c...

[Valley boy]

Hopefully the Sentinel will print Councilman Bersamin's complete letter as did the Register_Pajronian in today's edition. Then readers will see some of his more bizarre statements like: "We have held this event within our city limits so that the low income Latinos who make up 90% of the city's population could easily walk to and attend the event after a hard day's work in the fields." 90% of Watsonville residents are low income farmworkers? Absurd. Probably 20% have good jobs with the city government, school district, and the city's many non-profits. I doubt if 205 actually work in the fields. And his statement "We want our town to be known for the Strawberry Festival and not just the negative stereotypes that non-Latinos have of Latino cities." So he's condemning non-Latinos by stereotyping them as being guilty of stereotyping Latinos? Wow, that makes my head hurt!

[Really]

Wow! And we wonder why Watsonville has problems! Councilman needs to go. I'm going to the fairgrounds. Last time I checked the fairgrounds was in Watsonville. Am I missing something here? Oh and by the way, it's interesting to me that the Latino's are prejudice against white people but it's their own kind they are shooting and stabbing. What's up with that?

[Sad Day]

Sad day for Watsonville when their leaders write these types of letters. I have to wonder if the writer even asked for others opinions before sending the letter.

[Serf City]

I hope Les Peterson sues Manual Bersamin for violating his civil rights and interfering with a legal contract between himself and the band.

Imagine if a White councilman wrote that letter to a White band and told them not to play for the dirty Mexicans, because it was White community event exclusively for Whites.

Every liberal in Santa Cruz would be up in arms.

It is not surprising the Santa Cruz liberal community is stone silent in this instance of racism.

Santa Cruz liberal hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me.

[Foolish Racist Bersamin]

No matter how you spin it (and I'm sure Bersamin is working on that right now), it's racism. Makes the troubles of former mayor Richard de la Paz look like exemplary leadership by comparison. Emilio Martinez is a good man for speaking up.

[Lucas]

Valley boy wrote:

Hopefully the Sentinel will print Councilman Bersamin's complete letter...

http://santacruzlive.com/blogs/watsonville/

[jarbee]

I'm glad Emilio Martinez knows racism when he sees it. Good for him to call for Bersamin's resignation.

[jarbee]

Oh yeah, and good luck to the Anglo promoter on suing the hell out of Watsonville.

[American Taxpayer]

www.taxpayerrevolution.org

Print and sign. Let's VOTE!

[jarbee]

I was checking out the entertainment line up for both events and thought it was funny that there's a bunch of "Anglo" bands playing at the Latino party and there's some of the best Latino bands around playing at the "Anglo" party.

[Soooo not funny]

Lucas wrote:

<quoted text>
http://santacruzlive.com/blogs/watsonville/

"Anglo" and "Raza"...after wading through an awkwardly written first paragraph or so, I scanned the rest. Those two words are about as racially charged as any...especially en La Ciudad de Watson

I can't wait to retire and get out of here. Wish I could go NOW.

[Reality Check]

"We are proud of our Latino heritage and we are fighting to uplift our Raza..."
So I guess the non-Latino citizens of Watsonville are simply not welcome at the event?

I really like the part where he rails against the 'Anglo' promoter for moving the festival, then rails again because he CHANGED THE NAME (uh, if the festival is not in Watsonville, doesn't it make sense not to include 'Watsonville' in the name??)
Heck, the 'Watsonville Strawberry Festival at Monterey Bay' is a bit of misnomer, as downtown Watsonville isn't really by the bay, is it? Or would Bersamin claim that festival attendees could 'easily walk to the bay after a hard day of work in the fields' after attending the festival?

"Most of all, our Mexican community will think that our Latino city and community was not considered “good enough” to have our own festival as a people, as Raza."
Once again, Bersamin states the Watsonville is a 'Mexican community'- dang, I thought we were Americans. Silly me. Is an anglo living in Watsonville not part of the 'Raza', or do they get an exception due to proximity?
Oy vey.