By Michael Hernandez
VENTURA—The City Council adopted a racism resolution unanimously (7-0) written by Deputy Mayor Sofia Rubalcava and City Councilmember Lorrie Brown that declares Ventura stands for racial justice and acknowledges Black Lives Matter (with an amendment removing the word “do”). The resolution declares “Racism as a public health crisis” and condemns “police brutality.”
The resolution in-part states and adopts Mayor Matt LaVere’s #8CANTWAIT Policy Recommendations for the Ventura Police Department:
“WHEREAS, the killing of Black men and women, including queer and transgender persons of color, is an unacceptable violation of the human rights due to all people; and
WHEREAS, the Black Lives matter movement, like the civil rights and other movements before it, has effectively articulated the injustice that exist at the intersections of race, class, and gender; including mass incarceration, police brutality, poverty, unaffordable housing, income disparity, homophobia, gender inequality, poor access to healthcare, and educational outcomes, demanding that action be taken to end this violence; and
WHEREAS, acts of racism, are an undeniable part of this nation’s history, continue to plague our country despite many pleas for change and has resulted in centuries of brutalization and dehumanization of Black people and people of color from slavery to Jim Crow to the criminal justice system; and,
WHEREAS, these are not isolated events and the list of names and number of similar tragedies is unconscionable long, we denounce racism, condemn police brutality, acknowledge implicit bias and believe that Black lives do matter.”
(Editor’s Note: To see Agenda Item 12B go to: https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22228/12B.)
“I want to thank Councilmember Brown and all the people who contributed to this resolution,” said Deputy Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “Black Lives Matter in Ventura for our Black residents and our Black visitors that come to this city. We eradicate white supremacy.”
“I thank Councilmember Brown for putting this in the agenda,” said Mayor Matt LaVere. “It is critically important that Black Lives Matter and that we denounce racism and stand up against racial injustice.”
“I had a fear of being alone,” said Councilmember Lorrie Brown. “I am not alone today. I have Black joy that you my colleagues are standing with me today supporting that Black lives do matter.”
Michael Hernandez, Co-Founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service; editor of the History Makers Report and founder of History Makers International—a community nonprofit serving youth and families in Ventura County, is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. He worked 25 years as a middle school teacher in Monrovia and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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How about a resolution condemning the highest homeless death rate in the nation? Ventura County strong!
This unanimous vote business is just pure cowardly ‘convenience’ governing. These are the most shallow, cowardly group of clowns a city can have. When all this BLM crap has blown over these clowns will still be cowards and a bunch of shallow knuckleheads. These are the same cowards who cower to public safety unions and why California cities are always broke and in need of more taxes. COWARDS
Last Wednesday the anti-police League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) failed to get the same thinly veiled, by-proxy resolution passed in Camarillo.
The Camarillo resolution was designed as a pretext for police defunding; this resolution is a pretext for defunding the Ventura Police Department. Different locations, different outcomes – same end goal.
View this through the eyes of LULAC and every Ventura City Council member – specifically what both want the average Venturan to see:
The issue is not the issue; the issue is the ‘resolution.’
The REAL issue is that LULAC and the Ventura CC feel the Ventura Police are too adequately funded; therefore the Ventura CC must DEFUND it by any means necessary.
One of the means to that end is this ‘8CANTWAIT’ resolution.
The City Council adopted a racism resolution unanimously (7-0) written by Deputy Mayor Sofia Rubalcava and City Councilmember Lorrie Brown that declares Ventura stands for racial justice and acknowledges Black Lives Matter (with an amendment removing the word “do”). The resolution declares “Racism as a public health crisis” and condemns “police brutality.” Do these council members know what BLM stand for? They are Marxist thugs. Ventura county is a nice community that have no need for council members who are not representing all people and all races. You are put in there to use good judgement, which I am questioning right now. The Statue stays and in my opinion the Council members can go. !!
Fearful council members reacting to fear mongers. Is this what the city voted into office?
None of the incidents cited in the resolution happened here in Ventura County. Is there racism in Ventura County. Certainly there are individuals who are racists, and those individuals can be white, red, brown, or black. Racism, is part of our fallen human nature. But the majority of people are not racists, they work with people of all races, and even have members in their own extended families of different skin colors or races. The resolution was not needed and implies that the people of Ventura are largely racist.
The resolution claims that racism is a health crisis. What kind of nonsense is that? Furthermore the resolution claims that there is a “national nonviolent peaceful movement … to address the racial and policy issues ..” but while we did see a few peaceful protesters on TV, for the most part those peaceful demonstrations ended up with violence, looting, and burning down private businesses, etc. Then there are all the people and law enforcement officers, who were killed by the violent mobs.
Did people catch racism on a toilet seat? Did someone coughed and spread racism? Health issue?
This is a Marxist organization with further radical ties… This is Ventura And this reverse racism is not acceptable in this country let alone this nice little town of Ventura… I am 44% native American and I do not have a problem with the statue but I do have a problem with this so-called organization and their violent manipulating ways.. all of you who voted for this will be voted out sooner or later, trust me I grew up here in Ventura and I know the community very well and we are not happy with any of you..
My tribe will never love your tribe like I love my tribe. We can all pretend we love your tribe, but it’s fake. It’s not hate it’s human nature, baked into the DNA
We are tribal, get used to it.
Has anybody seen a bandwagon around here to jump on?
Granted, there is racism in this country and there are individual incidents of police using excessive force. Neither one is systemic or widespread.