Community Members on San Jose’s Public Intoxication Task Force were making a point when they got up and walked out of the door of city hall in the middle of the meeting Wednesday night.
Skyler Porras, director of the ACLU, read a statement on behalf of other community groups on the task force, including the NAACP and the La Raza Roundtable, stating that they had nothing further to talk about until the city and police department agreed to release at least half of the 4,000-plus arrest records they have requested.
The members have insisted that these records will help them produce a better and clearer picture of why a disproportionate number of Latinos were arrested for public intoxication.
“While the City determines if and how to fulfill our basic information request we community stakeholders will understandably be unable to provide additional feedback,” Porras read aloud. “To be clear, we are not resigning from the task force, and [we] look forward to finding common ground that will allow us to move forward.” She and other members then got up and walked out of the committee room.
It was after they left that the remaining members of the task force—which include other community leaders, the police chief and the district attorney, did something they have not been able to accomplish since the group was formed in January: They started having a productive conversation. The remaining members didn’t flinch. They carried with the evening agenda, talking about various alternatives to arresting people for public intoxication.
Grand standing is never going to make things better. These groups are only hurting their cause by taking their toys and going home, after throwing a temper tantrum. Why don’t they work towards finding constructive ways to handle the problem, instead of looking for ways to set up the City for a lawsuit by demanding reports they will only use to sue them with?
Grand standing is never going to make things better. These groups are only hurting their cause by taking their toys and going home after throwing a temper tantrum. Why don’t they work towards finding constructive ways to handle the problem, instead of looking for ways to set up the City for a lawsuit by demanding reports they will only use to sue them with?
Good riddance….don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out. This is a total bullshit issue made up by the media. No one should ever have tried to appease these losers in the first place.
Heres a litmus test – wait until after next weekend when the city is spending lots of its extra cash to clean up after that beloved non holiday – Stinko de Mayo.
then we can look at the arrest records for drunk driving/public intoxication and purportionately determine whether there is an imbalance for arrests made.
No doubt those who walked out of the roundtable meeting will really have something to yap about then.
If they want to do something to address the problem why don’t they go downtown on any Fri/Sat night and stop the party people before they get arrested?
That would be “addressing” the problem, not just shifting the blame.
Its shocking how little people try mask their disdain for Latinos. This blog, I feel gives hate-mongers the courage they once had in crowds and public spaces where their fellow racists were welcome faces. Except, its no longer encouraged to express disdain in the public square, unless its under the guise of thinly-veiled policies that are designed to exclude the “ethnics”. In one of the largest economies of the world, why does life have to be short, harsh and brutal for some. They are integral parts of our economy and on a moral level, our fellow man who we live next to, go to school with, work alongside, and are buried near. For historical purposes, future generations will distinguish few differences, and most likely think of us a place whose whole was greater than the sum of its parts. We are in this together like it or not, guess what your daughters and sons are going to marry the very people you despise. Your name, your legacy will inevitably be intertwined with ours. So why don’t you unclench your fist and shake our hand?
Jaime,
I really think you’ve fallen into the PC trap of misidentifying sharp disagreement and criticism as “disdain” or hatred.
The level of racism and bigotry, in general, is overstated, and of whites toward Latinos, in particular, is GREATLY exaggerated.
I think that deep down you know this is true, but it’s politically to your advantage to pretend that it’s not.
This calculated disingenuousness on the part of minority groups is what prompts a lot of the “vitriol” from this side of the political spectrum. Can you blame us for “spewing” when we feel we are being manipulated thus?
#5-Jamie,
What exactly are you talking about? You are screaming racism, and making some pretty serious accusations in your post, but you are not making it clear to me, or anyone else exactly what or to whom you directing your rant at.
Ms. Sherbert wrote:“The members have insisted that these records will help them produce a better and clearer picture of why a disproportionate number of Latinos were arrested for public intoxication.” That’s a good goal, as long as this ad hoc group is honest in its assessment of what the reports show.
But, will this less-than-unbiased group consider among the possibilities that a disproprotionate number of Latinos are indeed drunk in DT SJ and causing rpoblems for the rest of us?
Jaime # 5—I have little doubt that some of the arrests made could never hold up in court. The standard for drunk in public is quite high. Some of the arrests are undoubtedly for “attitude”; but a lot of folks with attitude need to change their attitude or be taken off the streets.
But just because some of us don’t like going DT SJ and dealing with a bunch of obnoxious drunks doesn’t make us racist. I can’t stand obnoxious drunks of any race; especially when they travel in groups and harass law-abiding folks.
For many years the Jamies of the world would call anyone with whom they disagreed a racist, even though the charge was patenly untrue. That was in lieu of a reasoned response to whatever had been said by the alleged racist. Early on people went whimpering and quivering away.
That arrow has come out of the quiver far too many times when it was unwarranted. The Jamies of the world who want to believe that the failure of every non-white is somehow due to racism just can’t sell the point.
Let em walk. Jaime this includes you and your fake outrage bec Latinos suffer disdain here. Always a victim. If it is not that “los mexicanos” were duped when they sold California, which is hilarious, then it will ALWAYS be something else here in SJ. Today it is the public drunkeness arrests. Tommorrow? Can’t wait to see. Por favor Jaime, ponte los pantalones.
I am thoughly sickened by what I have read here today. It is true we are a very sick few, on both sides of the regretable racist issues. It is however a blessing that for once it is the writen word that exemplifies that this sickness truly exists. I accept what I have read and understand, because as a child, my Dear mother explaned to me that the sickness that prevails amongts the few sometimes effects the whole . Hitler was such a fiend.
Because those few that spew on this site see yourselves as the ones that speak for the masses, you have lost site of what we are as Americans. Our boys are dieing over seas, and yet you waste your ink on some kid that is being arrested while having good times with friends. Jamie, you have spoken your feelings. Interesting that those that critisize you can not sit with what you feel.
I went to war as a kid of 17 to put an end to the discrimination I encountered as a child. I saw the sickness of the few and powerful right here in our own community. It discusted me even then. I was willing to die to iradicate that sickness in this world. I am changing my Village by first understanding what it is, I must change in my self first. It is my written word along side of yours that will give the future a choice of what to chose about honoring our humanity.
President Obama, the results of your being elected President was due in part by the votes of Hispanics. Perhaps it is this situation here in San Jose California, that you can cure and show a clear understanding of what so few are clearly trying to destroy in our country. The Unification of our United States. This is not a time to devide and acquire. This is a time to come together and solve the neglegence of the past.
I am still that inpressionable 17 year old, and I am still looking to slay those ideas that instill fear in children that don’t anderstand. but trust in adults.
The Village Black Smith
#11 Gil-
Fair Q: Are you dropping acid or indulging in E? I’m sorry but I am compelled to ask. Your soliloquy on race in America and the Blessed Obama coming to cure us of our sins is obsessive. Try caffeinated coffee and relax a little bit. Our city will survive the walkout of your desperate reps.
#12-Downtownster,
I think your statement is unfair. How is stating that the Task Force should not have walked out on the vital work being done could be considered racist? The Task Force received HUNDREDS of arrest reports. Are you honestly saying that these members don’t have an agenda of their own, and that by walking out instead of collaberating they are actually “helping” their cause??
#5 Jaime,
I know what you mean. Just wait til finfan gets on here and defends the rights of whites to talk trash about Latinos and demean them wholesale. And calling them out just makes them more angry and start calling you a racist. They will even defend the minutemen. Check out the comments on the Tea Party from tax day where minutemen were present and drew counter-protesters. http://www.sanjoseinside.com/sji/blog/entries/tea_party_draws_red_baiters/
I will say it is worth
Walking out is peevish, petulant, infantile, ineffective, and counterproductive. Maybe when the walkers grow up a bit, Chuck will let them back in the sandbox.
“They will even defend the minutemen.”—Downtownster
I’m surprised Downtownster linked to the Tea Party thread, given that in it he failed miserably, when challenged, to factually defend his trashing of the Minutemen. But now he’s here, warning others of what I might do. Why me? I wasn’t participating here. Has Downtownster made me his bogeyman, much the same as he’s obviously done with the Minutemen?
Well, here’s what the bogeyman is going to do: he’s going to take a complete sentence from Downtownster’s post and change the names to expose his hypocrisy.
Downtownster’s sentence: “Just wait til finfan gets on here and defends the rights of whites to talk trash about Latinos and demean them wholesale.”
Now look how well those sentiments fit him: “Just wait til Downtownster gets on here and defends the rights of Latinos to talk trash about Minutemen and demean them wholesale.”
What Downstownster, Jaime, and the Professor Irwin Corey of Blacksmithing seem incapable of recognizing is that this community has some very legitimate bones to pick with a certain segment of the Hispanic community, and I, for one, have no intention of pretending not to notice it. Sidestepping their many problems that are firmly rooted in economics, here is a quick tour down the Hispanic walk of shame:
Street Gangs: A good guess is that Hispanics represent 90% of this city’s street gang membership (who are responsible for 90% of the fear that other Hispanics live with daily).
School Dropout Rate: Other groups are disproportionate in valedictory honors; Hispanics have cornered the dropout market (allegedly due to that phantom army of racist school guidance counselors).
Serious Crime: Though still lagging behind their African-American competitors at the statewide level, Hispanics are #1 when it comes to committing serious felonies against the good citizens of San Jose.
Irresponsible Breeding: Fifteen, unmarried, and broke does not a responsible parent make. A child born to a teen mother starts out with two strikes against it and a slim chance of avoiding a third. Breaking News: Every baby deserves a daddy, the kind with a job and real values.
Uncivilized Behavior: If an organized celebration is marred by violence and vandalism, then you seldom need the media to tell you the race of the troublemakers.
None of these problems can be blamed on the economy, the neighborhood, or the actions/mindsets of others. No one in San Jose is telling Hispanics to join gangs, drop out of school, commit robberies, or ruin Cinco de Mayo. What these problems represent is the impact of parental failure and excessive societal tolerance on the lowest functioning members of the Hispanic community (these problems are virtually non-existent amongst high-functioning Hispanic families—those who value education, personal responsibility, and good citizenship).
The solution is simple, one that applies, and always has, to people of every type: the quickest way to get people to stop thinking you’re trash is to stop acting like it.
It is no doubt the personality of San Jose’s Top Cop (Al Davis), that inhibits the sharing of those arrests reports. And nothing and no one, barring a supreme court ruling, will force him to share that information.
Speaking from the vantage point of a humble citizen, he seems to have a disregard for authority (the people of San Jose) and the mayor can’t/won’t remind him that fact.
I’m sure he’s (Davis) able to present some sophomoric power point in an attempt to drown an argument or attend a Latino Roundtable with the “old guard” who is still trying to figure our how to use e-mail. But neither of those efforts will bring us closer to creating an equitable solution.
As far as my post concerning racism on this blog. Don’t think that because you are white and you post on this blog that my comments are directed toward you. Its funny, because everytime I post on here, I’m greeted with debate-style nitpicking that confuses the point.
The racism I’m talking about has to do with the history of this city. Until we recognize and admit the clearly defined inequities established by generations prior we will not be able to focus on the future. There was, as in many cities and metropolitan areas around the country, policies that excluded certain ethnic minorities from living in certain areas. Sometimes it meant asian, sometimes it meant black, sometimes it meant latino. These policies were a reflection of the times.
The midwesterner in me says, “wah wah, get over it” but its not that simple. There are ways that people feel/act toward each other that are clearly unjust. These feelings and actions are not eliminated once you become a public servant. Police officers, being public servents, are subject to these sentiments. Nevertheless, it is their duty to protect public/private property and people as well.
Latinos have been wondering, who protects them from the ingrained prejudices of police officers (of any race)? Is it the mayor? city manager? task force?
If we sit here an nitpick what was an attitude arrest, what was a bonified public intoxication arrest, we are missing the issue.
The issue is that when you have 30% of your population that feels violated and discriminated, public officials have an obligation to call attention to the real situation in a manner in which not only addresses the situation, but creates viable solutions.
Furthermore, the issue is about dignity. Its not an Us vs. Them world. This is an antiquated concept and gets us farther from a solution here in San Jose, and the world at large. This is the kind of thinking that has caused resentment around the globe towards US policy to grow like a bacteria.
My disdain is limited to blog-contributers that spew blatant racist remarks toward Latinos or any other race for that matter. What grounds do you have for making generalizations towards an entire ethnic class? Do you know everyone personally to make that sort of judgement? You don’t, and your collection of experiences no matter how extraordinary are sufficient enough to classify an entire group of people. Honestly, I feel sorry for those who have pledged allegiance to these sad ideas and propaganda that gets peddled as journalism, the Rush Limbaughs and Michael Savages of the world need to go to rehab for more than just prescription drug treatment.
“Stinko de Mayo”, “always the victim”. Its the story of the scapegoat, and as countries have a need to build a narrative and create scapegoats, so do municipalities. So spew all the venom you want people, it will only help my argument
#14 Kathleen
I wasn’t actually talking about your post on this article (although you did defend the minutemen as not racist in the Tea Party article comments referenced above). Specifically, I was referring to:
#4 with the “stinko de mayo” comment
#6 with the pompous denial of racism on the part of white people
#9 with the assertion that all allegations of racism against white people are now null and void because he feels that not all of the accusations have been correct in the past
#10 dismissing the war of aggression and territorial conquest by the U.S. against Mexico (Mexican American War of 1845) as hilarious
That sort of racist nationalist jingoism is what I’m talking about. Most people experience racial and ethnic insults as signs of disrespect and hatred. A site like this is worth reading and posting on because of the substantive issues that are on the table and the interesting conversations that can be had here. But that is in spite of racist trash talking against people of color, especially when they challenge the police or economic system.
I would love to see JMO, Hugh biquitous, John Galt, and finfan bust out their condescending racist swagger on the Eastside, or just about anywhere other than behind their computers safe at home.
Downtownster,
When you write you reveal. You tried and failed to come up with the facts to justify your hatred of the Minutemen and your hateful stance changed not one iota. Now we find you digging desperately through the distant past to account for the derangement you suffer today. Face the truth: you hate without reason and believe in original sin (for white Americans). Yours is a résumé that Torquemada would’ve loved.
As for your desire that some of us put our thoughts and opinions to the test on the street, let’s examine exactly what it is you object to and what it is you want to see. First of all, the opinions posted on this site are done so with the expectation that they may be challenged, and thus tested, in a contest of words. That’s apparently not good enough for you, at least when it comes to those with whom you disagree. What you want is to put them into harm’s way, to send them out amongst the riff-raff who react to unwelcome words and opinions with violence and destruction. In other words, what you hope that the Eastsiders of your dreams do to bloggers is very similar to what you’ve falsely accused the Minutemen of doing to illegal aliens, which is using vigilante-style violence against non-violent people. The main difference is that your favored targets are citizens of this country, while your favored victims are foreigners violating the sovereignty of our nation.
What a piece of work you are! Do you own a single opinion that is not founded in pathetic liberal bullshit?
#17 Jaime
San Jose’s “Top Cat” is not “Al Davis”. He is the owner of the Raiders. The Chief of Police in San Jose is Robert Davis.
#19 finfan
Why is it that the biggest bullies always scream the loudest and lash out the most obscenely when confronted?
Nobody is saying that white people have original sin and nobody is conducting an inquisition and nobody has strapped thumbscrews on you or white people at large.
What I think is that the people on the task force are interested in is doing away with the modern thumbscrews of racial profiling and arbitrary arrests by demanding the sunshine and accountability that Reed has promised but failed to deliver.
Come on, you are better than this. We deserve better than sophomoric name calling. This is serious.
#21-Downtownster,
You said, “What I think is that the people on the task force are interested in is doing away with the modern thumbscrews of racial profiling and arbitrary arrests by demanding the sunshine and accountability that Reed has promised but failed to deliver.”
May be, but I think they are preparing to sue the City. They are requesting documentation they are NOT legally entitled to, and are creating a paper trail. Any one working in law can tell you that this is clearly the way case preparation begins. I also think that they have acted in “bad faith” by making unreasonable demands and storming out of meetings, while maintaining their right to return at their own whim. So what is everyone else on the Task Force supposed to do in the meantime? Wait until these brats decide to come back? I think not. This is too vital an issue to grandstand over.
Let us be clear about one very important point here, it was never the intention of the City to form a Task Force to investigate the Police Department, or arrests records. My understanding of the purpose of the Task Force was for them to look at the problem, and to bring suggestions back to the Mayor and Council. They used this olive branch as a way to maneuver themselves into a position of power that they were never granted in the first place. When they didn’t get their way, they turned this into a battle, threw a very public tantrum and left. They also refused invitations to work with the Consortium because they were pissed that the City went forth and asked for “expert neutrals” to step in and study the situation. (Let me point out too that in all probability they would have been privy to records they’ll never get now.) How very, very sad for the people they are supposed to be helping. It is politics as usual in San Jose.
And finally Downtownster, I think if you go back and read your own posts, you’ve done the very thing you are accusing FinFan of. You’ve called Minutemen racists without producing proof of said accusation, you’ve made other such remarks numerous times about other posters, but in your recent post you say, “Nobody is saying that white people have original sin and nobody is conducting an inquisition and nobody has strapped thumbscrews on you or white people at large.” Huh?
You have called Fin Fan a bully in the very post you ask him not to use name calling in. May be I don’t get your logic here, but I think you are holding him and even me, at times; to a higher standard of behavior than you hold yourself.
Downtownster,
In your outrage against racist white people in the past two weeks you’ve cited:
– The 500 year resistance of indigenous people against colonial genocide
– The Mexican American War
– The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
– The KKK of the 1920’s
In light of your absolute failure to support your allegations of racism by the Minutemen (and others who support the enforcement of immigration laws), and given that not one person reading this website could have participated in any of the historic episodes you cited, I think it was very reasonable of me to conclude that what you were doing was to imply that white people possess some sort of original sin. Now I understand why you object to such a characterization, as no “progressive thinker” appreciates being exposed as using the same tactics and thought processes that have served the worst of history’s religious zealots; but if you choose to play with incendiary but unsupportable charges, then don’t be surprised when you get singed.
As for you deep-seated desire that I, and others, suffer physically for our opinions, well, if you don’t understand that some might equate your interpretation of punishable-thought with the philosophy of Torquemada, I don’t know what to tell you. The Inquisition was the political-correctness of its day, and I have no doubt that if today’s progressives had the power, politically-incorrect thinkers like myself would wind up on the rack.
I don’t mind you calling me a bully or accusing me of sophomoric behavior, not because I’m immune to insults, but because I understand your desperation. The best you can do is to hold tight onto your beliefs, deny all contradictory facts, and continue to attack your enemies. You stake your faith on the existence of racial profiling and arbitrary arrests, two types of conduct that make for big pay days in civil courts, yet where is the flood of big pay days to go with your theory of widespread misconduct? Is there even a trickle? All you have in your favor is a crowd of enraged believers… the same type of crowd that once surrounded the burning witches.