Prop. 187 Student Demonstrations

Nov. 2, as I stood at my third-floor window awaiting the arrival of witnesses so that we could proceed to a hearing, I was greeted by the sound of young voices and the sight of multicolored banners. There, on the City Hall steps, across from the Criminal Courts Building, hundreds of young people had gathered to petition their elected leaders.

Spring Street from First to Temple had been effectively occupied by 10 to 15 police vehicles and the more benign bicycle units. All were there in response to a citywide tactical alert, declared in anticipation of incipient “student unrest.” Uniformed officers moved among those assembled while the neatly dressed and eminently orderly students sat or stood listening to speakers. Now and then they cheered in response to words that I could not hear.

As I watched and listened, in proud recollection I remembered other times and other causes of not long ago, times when their mothers and fathers may have been heard in similar protest on those very steps. And I recalled stories told by my mother and father who, at their advent onto the shores of this land, also encountered the anger and even the hate of those who had come before.

As I donned the black robe that signifies liberty and justice for all, I could hear the whispering voices of those others in fervent cadence declaring for all to hear, “We are . . . somebody, we are . . . somebody.”

Yes, our children, you are. And last Wednesday you were the very best.

JUDGE RICHARD G. BERRY

Municipal Court, Los Angeles

Students staging walkouts and demonstrations for the right to stay in school! Incredible! Maybe one of the side benefits of Prop. 187 is an appreciation of the importance of school.

On the other hand, maybe it is just another excuse to miss school and hang out with friends. Do these students have as much enthusiasm for their studies as they do for leaving campus to march down the street. I hope the former is the case.

JEFF SUMMERS

Sylmar

The anti-Prop. 187 comments in today’s Times (editorials, Oct. 30), are, of course, hogwash. Since The Times is blatantly pro-illegal alien, it is understandable that Prop. 187 is anathema to your editors. Both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the appalling illegal alien situation because for years Congress has deliberately underfunded the Border Patrol and the INS.

Prop. 187 shows unequivocally that the majority of the American people are utterly sick of our decadent political system and are attempting to accomplish what the government should have done years ago. The anti-Prop. 187 attitude of Clinton, Feinstein and their fellow parasites clearly show their special interest position. We need Prop. 187, Pete Wilson and a new U.S. senator.

C. J. D. HUGHES

Westminster

The illegal immigrants that are the target of Prop. 187 are here looking for a better life. They come from places that are economically depressed. They come from countries that are “democracies” in name only and that are happy to see these people emigrate, including Mexico. Most of these illegals, whether they cross our borders on land or from the seas, are good, hard-working people who deserve a better life.

It is often said that the United States is a nation of laws, not men. We punish our citizens for violating our laws. The opponents of 187 demand that we continue to reward those who violate our laws, as non-citizens, as if they are entitled to special dispensations because their home country is underdeveloped, oppressive or mismanaged.

For the first time I now have a means of saying “enough is enough” to Bill Clinton, Kathleen Brown, Mexico’s foreign secretary and others. I will vote yes on 187.

TOM CALABRESE

Los Angeles

Backers of the controversial Prop. 187 have claimed all along that the measure is not racist. I am sure that the people who scream “Mexican lover!” and “Beaner!” at me when they see a “No on 187” bumper sticker on my car will also agree that the measure is not racist.

ED PARADA QUINTERO

Woodland Hills

The people in favor of 187 have argued throughout the last few months that 187 does not violate any laws or deny California billions of federal money. The statement by the state counsel (Nov. 2) clearly disproves this. They found that 187 is in clear violation of the state Constitution and of privacy laws. In many ways, this is a truly un-American proposition. Teachers and law officials prying into children’s backgrounds and that of their parents violates the essential principles of this country. And 187 would cast us onto a dark and terrible road of suspicion and police mentality.

Let’s deport 187 out of California and vote no on 187.

KAY INGRAM

Los Angeles

When I was a teacher with L.A. Unified, my duties included distributing meal tickets to students.

Also, teachers are required by law to report to child abuse authorities, any “suspicious” injuries they observe on their students.

So, what’s all this fuss about Prop. 187 forcing teachers to act like Big Brother and report illegal aliens to the proper authorities? Teachers are already acting as agents of the government in many capacities.

MONICA DAVIS

Santa Monica

I was outraged by Pat Buchanan’s bald-faced attempt at scare-tactic journalism in his column, “What Will America Be in 2050?” (Commentary, Oct. 28). By tossing together such inflammatory images as a California secession and American apartheid districts, and mixing them in with a threatening nonwhite future and higher levels of racial tension, Buchanan has placed himself, in my opinion, on the cutting-edge of white supremacy.

His call for a stop to all immigration proves his own lack of belief in racial integration, despite his last-minute assurances that “the melting pot is in need of repair.” His mention of the “redrawing of political lines to ensure proportional representation” is an out-and-out proof of his belief that discrimination in government based on race is not only a good, but necessary concept.

Would someone please tell Buchanan that it is not the influx of people from other nations that is causing racial tension, but rather people like him who are telling them to stay away, and hoping that those who have already arrived will go away? Perhaps in all fairness, he should return to the nation from which his great-great grandfather traveled. How many of our own ancestors arrived in America “legally”?

BILL ARMSTRONG

San Clemente