| Subject: |
|
Latino activists join Human Relations Task Force |
| Name: |
|
AV Press |
| Date Posted: |
|
Oct 17, 07 - 4:19 PM |
| Email: |
|
jkoren@avpress.com |
| Where are you from? |
|
Antelope Valley |
| Message: |
|
LEADER LISTENS - Anthony Topete, commander of the Antelope Valley chapter of the Brown Berets, on Monday attends a meeting of the Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force, representing the Latino civil rights and student organization.
KELLY LACEFIELD/Valley Press
Latino activists join Human Relations Task Force
Group discusses anonymous fliers found near Knight High
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Wednesday, October 17, 2007.
By JAMES RUFUS KOREN
Valley Press Staff Writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LANCASTER - The Antelope Valley chapter of the Brown Berets, a Latino civil rights and student organization, was unanimously accepted Monday night as a member of the Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force.
The 11-member Brown Beret chapter was able to join the body after submitting its mission statement and bylaws to the task force and attending several task force meetings. Representing the group at Monday's task force meeting was chapter commander Anthony Topete, along with several associates.
Other Hispanic and Latino organizations participate at task force meetings, including the Mexican American Political Association and the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Also at Monday's task force meeting, members discussed the discovery near Knight High School of anonymous fliers depicting reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. The fliers involved derogatory language and racist epithets and contained the words "don't come to Antelope Valley."
Lt. Larry Gregg and Lt. Ed Cook of the Palmdale Sheriff's Station brought a copy of the flier to Monday's meeting of the task force.
"It sounds like somebody trying to stir the pot and keep this thing going," Gregg said, referring to the community tensions ignited by a Sept. 18 lunchtime scuffle at Knight High between students and security guards.
The fliers were turned over to the Sheriff's Department, the FBI and the Human Relations Task Force, said task force President Darren Parker.
"This looks like an act of stupidity," Gregg said.
The sheriff's officials said the school has been relatively quiet since the Sept. 18 incident, which resulted in the arrests of three students and a parent.
"The number of fights are down," Cook said. "There was nothing going on (Monday) at the high school. Everything was very calm."
Gregg said anyone who has seen the flier likely has written it off.
"I think people have seen it for what it is and have let it go," he said.
Parker said he expected some degree of community backlash, but he asked for reason and restraint.
"Community leadership have taken the ball to move forward and to try not to create any more division in our community," Parker said.
Gregg said sheriff's detectives are working to trace the fliers' fax numbers to "see if we can form any leads on this thing."
jkoren@avpress.com |
|
Replies:
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
Home
bravenet.com