In his book Custer: Cavalier in Buckskin, former National Parks Chief Historian Robert Utley provides a vivid account of General George A. Custer’s famous “last stand” at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Before the battle, Utley intimates, Sitting Bull called the largest-ever gathering of plains Indians to Ash Creek, Montana to discuss a strategy for handling the whites. The native group was so large, they eventually migrated to nearby Little Bighorn River. The bloody battle that ensued between the natives and the US Army became one of the most famous of the Indian Wars; the name “Little Bighorn” was forever etched in the history books of this great nation.
Little Bighorn became the battlefield for this infamous confrontation because it was unfortunately in walking distance of Ash Creek.
All of this leaves me to wonder… will Santa Clarita become the Little Bighorn of the illegal immigration debate?
Make no mistake: the group that will congregate in the SCV on February 27 will mostly come from outside our valley. That nuance will unfortunately be lost on the local and national media, especially with the presence of City Council members and hopefuls who have apparently lost their sense of responsibility to the reputation of Santa Clarita. No matter where you stand on this issue – it’s hard to argue that our city is more attractive to businesses and potential families, of all colors, because of the ‘proud racist’ debacle sandwiched between two slices of familiar, stale protest bread.
Fewer illegal immigrants, more protesters
Save Our State, the group organizing the rally with the support of SCV Minuteman Roger Gitlin and Antelope Valley Minuteman Frank Jorge, has a history of invading suburbs in an attempt to capitalize on the fear and apathy that is so prevalent in towns like ours.
Despite essentially zero change in public policy since SOS’s founding in 2004, tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have already fled our state. But the economy has tanked since then, so there are more scapegoaters who blame their financial woes on those willing to work for less than they. In that context, it’s easy to see why a town like Riverside birthed this group, why a place like Fillmore sources the coordinators, and why areas like the Antelope Valley provide the numbers and rhetoric that give these rallies a certain, err, “flair.”
Oh… Hi…
If you want a preview of what you’re going to see in a couple of weeks, witness the malaise that took place in March 2008. In those days, local politicians generally kept their distance from such extremism. 12 individuals from Save Our State stormed sleepy Ojai, CA with pepper spray and bullhorns, only to be outnumbered by a larger group of pro-amnesty activists, also from out of town. I can empathize with poor Ojai, which is also guilty of being in driving distance of Fillmore and Antelope Valley, and some of the residents who resented the presence of the out-of-towners:
One spectator of the commotion … said, “They say they represent every American, but they don’t represent me.” She added that she disliked that the protesters mostly came from outside of the county and were making a “spectacle of themselves.” She added that she felt that Ojai was a place of peaceful coexistence and most of its residents would disagree with such protests.
Here’s some flavor from the Ojai event:
Same folks, same message – this time energized and legitimized with the juice from our local representatives and hopefuls. Hell, slap a ‘tea party’ label on it to make the pill go down easier (the SOS organizers don’t like that at all).
I admit being upset at this group for storming my town is somewhat inconsistent; I harbor more resentment toward businesses that hire illegally than those who live in our sanctuary state. It’s the businesses that ultimately validate illegal immigrants’ decision to trek to this great country. In that vein, my anger and disappointment are primarily directed at the politicians and wannabes that exploit the fear and anger of the masses in the hope of winning a few votes and establish a platform — especially the ones from Santa Clarita, by their actions validate the broad assumption that this rally represents us.
CHARGE!
The rally also stokes extremists on the other side of the debate, who we can fully expect will congregate on the other side of Valencia Blvd. Together, the groups will form a sort-of pincer movement on our valley, with a Custer-like David Gauny leading the charge. And the residents of SCV will be left with the stain of this ridiculousness long after each side retreats to their respective message boards.
It’s times like these I wish we weren’t in between Fillmore and the AV. And then Sunday comes… and I get to enjoy their bounty at the CoC Farmers Market. I can thankfully do that every other weekend of the year.
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