Marching in Memory of Murder Victim

What are the politicians going to do differently after this murder that the didn't do after the other murders?

Are they admitting they've been complacent in the past, or have the masses come together in such a way that these elected official can proceed in a way that they couldn't?

Little doubt I'll be criticized for saying these things but haven't we heard all these platitudes in the past from elected officials?

Again, what's the game plan?

As long as the citizens of SB vote for people like Grant House, Helene Schneider and Das Williams, nothing will change.

Some neighbors have a concern about the semi-vacant lot at 512 Bath St, recently purchased by the city's Housing Authority.
Plans are in the works for a project with 55 to 75 units, possibly funded with federal dollars. Federal dollars come with federal strings attached, which could require that a high percentage of the units serve the chronic homeless. Why not use federal funds to build granny flats in R-1 neighborhoods to serve the homeless? The West Downtown already has a higher concentration of such housing than any other neighborhood in the City.

Intended not to duplicate the flavor of coverage by Independent or Noozhawk, here is my newsy account at Edhat Local News:

http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid...

This area has always had a bad rep as a area for crime hopefully the residents speaking out and demanding this will help change that. No neighborhood in our city should live in fear and the resident s are showing they are ready to assist in getting the help they deserve.

Even though the residents speak up, will the city officials hear them? I doubt it. Sure, times are tough, the economy needs to be attended to for the better of our city's future, we know the song & dance well.
However, that song & dance are ZERO excuse to ignore the problems that have been there for a long time & will only get worse.
I have personally lost track of how many stabbings have occured within the past couple of years, my question is this: Do you think it'll get worse when the thugs switch to guns? Of course it will!
We hear about all these programs to find jobs & educate these "potential" gang members.
Let's see: Linares, murdered in cold blood by Juarez, both attending high school.
Let's not even mention many a gang member picked up by police @ their place of employment (job) for participation in crimes. Remember the stabbing usher living out his 2nd chance?
There's schools & jobs, just some people think it exempts them from bad behavior.
The best program we got going is the prison system & long sentences, but that is too harsh, according to Santa Barbara's intelligentsia.
Instead of banning knives, guns, breeds of dogs or whatever else is available to everybody, why not ban gangs? :) henry

Good comment on Noozhawk pointing out that Pritchett, Falcone, House and Schneider all oppose local police cooperating with ICE to deport illegal alien gang members.

Revisionist, that may be a "good comment" on Noozhawk as many comments are to some people when they simply just fabricate allegations and then repeat them often as if they were true.

Revisionist and Tom Becker are entitled to their own opinions but they are not entitled to their own facts.

Mr. Pritchett, what then are the facts? It would be great if a candidate for city council would openly discuss their views on illegal immigration and its connection to crime, social divisions and reduced quality of life. Do you

1. Support or oppose ICE raids with local police support on illegal alien gang members? Support or oppose deportation of illegal aliens who commit any additional crime, e.g. DUI.

2. Support or oppose driver's licenses for illegal aliens? (House and Schneider strongly support. Schneider even compared a specially marked license for illegal immigrants to the yellow star worn by Jews in the holocaust.)

3. Support or oppose dual English/Spanish government operation and communications?

What it comes down to is that the U.S. has become a refugee camp for Mexico--a country which goes through leader after leader after leader yet somehow can't seem to spread it's resources around to help the poor/working class down their so rather than solve their problems they simply unload their poor up here.

So called "progressives" across the U.S. who normally are vocally pro-birth control/anti-growth contradict themselves on this issue because while they rail against the effects of too many people they have no problem with allowing unlimited numbers into already overcrowded neighborhoods, and as I've said to those who don't connect between illegal immigration and the gang problem even if the gang bangers are born here, the effect of crowding too many people into a given area results in the rats-in-the-cage feeling that results in this problem. The people crossing the border at night tend to move to crowded places because those places are where you're more likely to find jobs. In short, revisionist and others are right on the mark in their assessment of this.

"Schneider even compared a specially marked license for illegal immigrants to the yellow star worn by Jews in the holocaust.)" -revisionist-
This is a popular tactic. When I went to a Santa Barbara school board meeting back in the late 90's, a teacher (teacher mind you) actually compared ending bilingual education with "Hitler's Final Solution".

Santa Barbara has become politics version of the Gilded Cage; it's beautiful, but turning into a prison of fear and ignorance.

Now back to my original question--and maybe Falcone, Schneider, House or someone else can answer this: What is the game plan, and why didn't you implement this great idea (whatever the idea is) before?

Methinks between their utter refusal to offend La Raza and vested business interests, we're unlikely to see any words of substance from any of them, and of course this mentality has infected the nation.

One more thing: Don't direct your anger at the immigrants, direct it at yourselves for allowing such incompetent people to rise to power. It's up to all who live and vote in S.B. to make the change.

David Pritchett: I read the Edhat article you provided and read that Steve Cushman might run for mayor. Isn't he with the Chamber of Commerce? As I recall, (and I may stand to be corrected here) the National Chamber of Commerce has been under fire for it's de facto open border policy.

The fantasy town or state that people like Tom Becker or Bill Clausen envision---whitewashed and free of people from Mexico---has never existed her nor will it ever. Thank God.

sbsleuth -- nobody expects California to have a white supermajority. However, you should read Victor Davis Hanson's "Mexifornia." He describes growing up in the Central Valley in the 50s and attending integrated schools where half the students were Latino. The difference was that everyone was taught in English, and as he describes, patriotism and assimilation were emphasized by the teachers. The point was that both Latino and White students viewed themselves as Americans.

Today, VDH describes the same towns as over 90% Latino with schools more concerned with maintaining Mexican culture than imparting American values. As VDH points out, "the United States can survive as a multiracial society, but not as a multicultural one." What is the point of recreating the same failed Mexican state that so many immigrants are fleeing? We need more diversity among immigrants (today over 80% are from Latin/Central America) and less overall immigration if our goal is assimilation and not multiculturalism/reconquista. But maybe the latter is your goal.

Nothing will change as long as our mayor, police chief, and city council continue to do nothing in favor of not having to deal with the hard facts about where this violence is centered.

In the same neighborhood, only hours after this rally a young man was nearly beaten to death, he was hit over the head with a cinder block by gang members he was trying to stop from groping a young woman.

Our city's leaders speedily dealt with underage drinking by passing the "social host" ordinance, well what about some repurcussions for the parents of these gangsters.
Isn't that where it all starts, parents who allow this type of behaviour?

Why are we waiting for them to actually join gangs and then offer them a summer job as the solution?
Very clearly that is not working.

Until our city's soft hand on gang violence is changed to zero tolerance and our leaders not only accept, but seek out what ever aid in fighting the violence that is available..........i.e. federal gang injuctions, ICE cooperation to deport illegal criminals, etc..................we are being told that they really don't care and it is the public's problem to deal with.

Our leadership needs to be held accountable for ignoring this problem.

Yesterday at 11:56 "revisionist" asked David Pritchett some pointed questions about his positions on subject matters related to the topic of neighborhood violence. Usually Mr. Pritchett seems quick to follow up with responses to questions or comments directed at him. I'm interested in hearing a response given Mr. Pritchett's hinting at running for office.

revisionist: sbsleuth99 is just another blogger who throws accusations of racism at people when he/she can't address the core of a problem. Sleuth has no answers, so of course we're racists because we dare to actually point out cause-and-effect.

The truth is, people such as this don't care about the people who are being mowed down in cold blood but would rather spew their ridiculous left-wing P.C. nonsense and avoid the issue at hand while young kids get sucked into the gang lifestyle and end up killing people and if caught (which they almost always are) going to jail for a significant portion of their lives.

Sbsleuth99: If you have a modicum of concern for the world that's crumbling in your P.C. paradise, then you will face the fact that what I said had *nothing* to do with race, but it had to do with the sociological ramifications of cramming too many people into one place, and the deliberate creation of poverty by forces that serve their own vested interests. What disturbs me about people such as yourself is not that you pull the race card out and bear false witness against people, but that you contribute to the problem by not addressing logical points people raise but instead attack people with your unsupported rhetoric while people are dying violently.

You know most of the gang related B.S is not from people that grew up here it's the people that come here to make a better life for themselves but make it worse for us. So called gangs members are mostly kids from homes that are spanish speaking and possibly people that came here illegally. I have seen latinos go to the swap meet with babies riding on laps kids jumping in a moving car, they drive like they have half a brain. for the most part they follow no laws.. why because they have More rights then us americans born in the U.S. and more help from government. Kinda sad when a family born and raised here are turned away from Calworks (welfare) but yet some one born else where gets it right away, yet they drive up in nice relativly new cars. Most work 2-3 jobs under the table so they can get the help. I say give those gang members a one way ticket to Iraq and send OUT boys home.. they wanna kill they can do it there...

wow, justacitizen, your explanation of the Mexican immigrant experience offers such clarity and insight!

Maybe you could utilize your gift for stereotype to nail Catholics, Jews, or Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants. Nothing like turning lives into cartoons!

Here's a great example!
http://www.hsp.org/files/irishdeclaratio...
and another!
http://www.hsp.org/files/unclesamslodgin...

Binky, here are some more recent examples of stereotypes common among academic, political and journalistic elites

http://mmcisaac.faculty.asu.edu/emc598ge...

http://www.uccs.edu/~wpc/

http://www.dickshovel.com/priv.html

http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article...

Binky: Remember that scene in Blazing Saddles where the guy says "But we don't want any Irish"? Anyway, I'm glad you have a sense of humor.

We can go back and forth sending cartoons and magazine articles but the point is this: The current way of running things isn't working, and people are getting killed as a result of it, and it is not being addressed.

It's too easy to say that Mexicans are just a bunch of gang bangers, or that White people are lazy and don't want to work, or that anyone who doesn't kowtow to the left-wing party line is a racist. We don't need to be told by socialogists who are ensconced in their comfortable enclaves of academia that violence is decreasing and that we are blowing things out of proportion, the point is, the gang problem is exploding right in the "paradise" of S.B.

Last night, I heard on KEYT that there was yet another violent gang-related incident in good old S.B. Here is the link to the article. http://www.keyt.com/news/local/40577482....

Hey guys (and I assume I am writing to men here - don't see any names that indicate women)

I am one of the women that organized the march. What were we trying to accomplish? Well, the reporter nailed it pretty much. We wanted to put West Downtown (the area bounded by Carrillo to Castillo to Gutierrez to State) on the map. We also wanted to send a message that we're sick of the violence and crime in our neighborhood. We're 2 blocks off State, and 4-5 blocks from the beach. We have kids, dogs, families, and jobs here. I am a graduate student. We just want a safe neighborhood.
Unfortunately, we angered our local gang, it appears. They attacked Brownies on Sunday, in broad daylight, mimicking our rally, robbing the store, and knocking out the cameras. Then there was the cinder-block beating incident on Castillo.
Our neighborhood is overserved with homeless, medical marijuanna facilities, and gang violence. We are a little scared of the gang now. It's apparently Eastsiders, and they tagged our neighborhood heavily following the rally.
I wish you could have seen the faces at the march. We had mature, youth, hispanic, white, business people, residents - all of West Downtown was represented. A lot of people were happy to come together in unity that day, meet each other, see the police (who supported us), and hear what the people running for mayor and city council had to say.
We want to keep going: fighting a housing authority project going in on Bath nearby funded with federal dollars to house...more homeless. Brownies is trying to change over to a Cantwell's type of store, which we desperately want. We are going to do a neighborhood get-together to keep the sense of community alive. We also have a neighborhood food exchange for people growing fruit trees or veggies in their yards.
I was stopped by 5 people on the street today that I've never met, but who are excited by what we're doing, and want our neighborhood to gel, to come together.
That's what it's all about for us.

MesaAnon: Mr. Pritchett does not debate with anonymous commenters who could be anyone from anywhere, especially when they already have confirmed that they fabricated their own facts in their prior comment intended as an attack.

Voting in the City election starts in 217 days.

Pace yourselves.

Mr. Pritchett: I am not running for office. I am a registered voter in the city of Santa Barbara, that appreciates the secret ballot. I just asked if you would respond to some questions about your positions concerning local police enforcement raised by another poster, that's all. I'm not seeking a debate with you. If you don't want to state your positions, just say so. No need for an attack.

I agree with MesaAnon that those who speak at such rallys and post on blogs should have no fear of stating where they stand on the issues. Of course, addressing issues such as immigration and multiculturalism will bring controversy no matter what stand a person takes.

As for David Pritchett, he should not be afraid to debate with anyone--anonymous or otherwise--if he is convinced of the strength of his ideas, otherwise it appears as though he's hiding something.

MesaAnon, you seem to think my prior comment was referring to you, which apparently was not clear in my pithy writing there. I actually was referring to "revisionist" and your query about whether I should reply to his questions about immigration policies even after he verified he fabricated his own facts in an earlier attack on me and some City Councilmembers.

I am sure you are a City voter and I hope we can actually talk sometime. I would have to learn who you really are, though.

billclausen seems to be confusing fear with foolishness about one-sided debates with pseudonymous critics. I am not biting.

Actually David, I'm not confused about any of this. You have a certain set of ideas, as does revisionist, myself and others, and whether or not someone posts anonymously or signs their name is not the issue but rather presenting ones ideas and seeing if they are valid.

Woooaahhh duuudes!

Why would a guy who is a candidate for city council want to debate you proven nutcases on anything here when he does not know who you are and where you are coming from?

I think he is plenty busy with real people in the real world of Santa Barbara instead of wanking away with right-wing nutjobs who hide their identities!

Maybe if you keyboard warriors got out and cleaned up some traviesos tagging out in the Hoods then you might get a grip on the reality the people in this article are living?

So, going back to the very first post in this thread: What's the game plan?

Well???

Our city's leaders speedily dealt with underage drinking by passing the "social host" ordinance, well what about some repurcussions for the parents of these gangsters.
Isn't that where it all starts, parents who allow this type of behaviour? -jimboheinrich-

Jimboheinrich: While I agree with the rest of what you wrote, and agree in part with what I copied and pasted of your post, I disagree with part of it.

Many of the "at-risk" youth (codeword for gang members in training) grow up in situations where both parents are working so many hours that they simply are not around to actually raise the kids--hence demand for more social programs for these kids. There are people who somehow think that schools and Boys/Girls clubs are going to take up the slace for absentee parents but there simply is no substitute for the love and discipline that parents provide. In short, this is yet another problem in our decaying society.

"slace" was meant to be written "slack".