“Welcome to Orange County!”
January 15, 2013 in Crime and police, David Lara, shooting from the hip", Decency By: Dave & Rebecca Lara
(Los Alamitos, 1/15/2013) Today we welcome a new contributor. Actually two new contributors, Dave and Rebecca Lara. They are Rossmoor residents who are perhaps best known for their leadership of the Rossmoor Predator Management Team, now consisting of over 1,500 Rossmoor and Los Al neighbors!
I’ve been posting info from them for years, and excited about having them as regular authors. Coyotes and criminals, & other predators are just one of many concerns shared by all residents of the 9070 zip code. And those are just a few of the varied topics I expect the Laras to share their perspective on in the weeks ahead, as their post for this week reveals:
by Dave & Rebecca Lara: Recently, two Orange County news stories received national attention.
The first involved an African-American family in Yorba Linda who had to flee Orange County due to racial motivated crimes against them. The couple were both peace officers in Los Angeles County and felt they had to flee for the safety of their family.
The second story involves acid bombs placed on the front lawn of an African-American Family who had recently moved into Rossmoor. One of the bombs actually exploded while the resident was on the phone reporting the bombs to the Orange County Sheriff.
Readers’ comments on resulting news stories ranged from outrage to “these are just teenage pranks” and” minorities are always calling everything ‘hate crimes’.” A frequent sentiment was that minorities are too sensitive and pull out the race card any chance they get.
Being a Hispanic couple who have lived in Orange County’s Rossmoor for over 30 years, we would like to relay the following two stories:
“A More Comfortable Neighborhood”
Thirty years ago while house hunting in Rossmoor, a real estate agent approached me [David Lara] at an open house. He stopped me in the living room, walked us outside, and said “let me show you some homes that you would feel more comfortable in”.
I was driven by this agent to homes in Westminster, but none of them interested us. The agent then said, “Let me show you two more homes that I know you would feel comfortable in. One of the homes is very close to the Catholic Church.”
He then drove me again to another neighborhood which was in Los Alamitos. Again, showing no interest, I questioned the Realtor why he was not showing me a home in Rossmoor.
He stated that Rossmoor homes are expensive and we couldn’t afford a home in Rossmoor. However, he never asked my financial status or ability to purchase home. Was I too sensitive to the words “comfortable neighborhood”?
“Why Don’t You Go Walk Your Dogs In Your Own Neighborhood?”
Maybe you’re thinking that was 30 years ago. Ten years ago, my wife went to Rush Park to walk our dogs. Upon seeing owners with their loose dogs, she requested if they would put their dogs on a leash so our dogs could also enjoy the park.
In response, one dog owner yelled at her, “Why don’t you go walk your dogs in your own neighborhood? Los Alamitos has a lot of parks!”
Not being a shy person, my wife returned the dogs home and then returned to the park. She walked up to the individual questioning how he thought he knew where she lived and why he didn’t think she lived in Rossmoor?
Her purpose was to make him responsible for his line and manner of questioning . He stammered for a quick response but could only come back with “Well, I have never seen you here before.” Do you think he asks this question to every resident he has never seen before? Perhaps Rebecca may have been too sensitive to the words “your own neighborhood?”
Recent Acid Bombs
In discussing the recent acid bomb crime among residents, it was interesting to note that if I asked an ethnic minority member of Rossmoor, they would recant their own racial experiences while living here.
Residents who were not minority members believed that no racism existed in Rossmoor or even Orange County.
Public officials first label the acid bombs incidents as mere “pranks.” Pranks that could burn skin, blind or cause death if swallowed ! The dictionary definition of ”prank” is “malicious mischief.” A prank is not a felony, but, per the California Penal Code, acid bombs are.
Public officials further stated that the acid bombs were probably placed in our community by “outsiders”. After all, no one in Rossmoor would commit a crime(?)
These same public officials had to eat their own words when they described the attempted murder of a female by a knife-welding suspect who probably was a gang member that lived in Long Beach. Not surprising to those in law enforcement, the suspect lived within Rossmoor just 3 blocks from where the attack occurred.
Yes, criminals do live in Rossmoor and racial incidents do occur. Wes, an Asian-American Rossmoor Resident stated that he fights racism by introducing himself and his family to new residents in his community. He invites them to his home and then introduces them to their new neighbors.
Wes says it has taken a few years but today he has the greatest neighbors and would never move out of Rossmoor. Perhaps empathy should be the new word we all look up in dealing with victims of racism?
It’s hard to rationalize when American soldiers fight wars away from home to maintain our freedom, yet when crimes against American ethnic groups are committed here at home, we look the other way.
No matter what the ethnicity we have to start talking about these issues and not in a manner of history but a matter of current events.
It’s not just an ethnic issue, it’s an American Issue!
Welcome Dave and Rebecca, I am a Los Al resident who has been on your email list since early on.
You guys do a great job. Your becoming a regular on Letsfixlosal is a wonderful idea. Thanks to you both and Dave E. for all the time you put in to making our community great.
Great job Rebecca and Dave! Thank you for all you do for our community.
Yvette Mejia
Great article Dave and Rebecca. It is good to get this topic into the light. I think people need to understand what racist behavior is.
As an Asian American, I have received racist comments here in Rossmoor at least 4 times. My family has lived here for over 22 years. On the few occasions that I have experienced racism, I would have to say that some of the perpetrators lacked awareness of how their comments were racist and insulting. Other times, the racist remarks were delivered deliberately to cause fear, intimidation and emotional pain.
Education is key, especially for the public to understand what type of remark is racist, what constitutes the labeling of a hate crime, and how penalties for such crimes are magnified.
I still believe Rossmoor is a great place to live and I am thankful for the warm and caring community we all share. Thank you for all you do to keep it great
Racism is NOT the only issue (and it doesn’t only affect Rossmoor) [and welcome Rossmoor authors and readers!].
Billy has two moms, and Sally has two dads. The Rothstein’s don’t put up lights during the holidays.
This is not about only race. It’s about a mentality that says “They are not like us.” Which while that is not “bad”, it does lead some to follow with “and they don’t belong here.” And that is where it passes over a line. We all notice people who are different from us, and the differences that they have from us. It is part of the human condition. But HOW we address those differences, and what we think and act on, are what pushes it from noticing to unacceptable.
I have a friend who is Catholic. I don’t call them “my Catholic friend”, yet when they reference me I am their “Jewish friend.” Another acquaintance had my family described to him as “You know, the tall white guy with the tiny Vietnamese wife in Carrier Row.”
People notice things that are different about “you” from them. They then use labels for the differences that distinguish you from them as part of your identity. Doing that is not always intended as a slight.
Martin Luther King said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” And the key word there is “judged”. We are all different, and those differences will be used to cubbyhole us in other peoples minds. That is human nature and can not be changed. MLK did not say that the colour of his children wouldn’t be noticed, but that they will not be judged by that feature.
Each of us is made up of a variety of characteristics that people will use to cubbyhole us. They will use them to label us. They will store these features in their internal databases like tags, for that is how our minds work, and how they cross reference things. Someone may tag me as “tall” “white” “big nose” “receding hairline” “old” etc. These tags all by themselves are nothing but internal markers that allow for recall. The problem is when judgements are assigned to these internal markers. “all tall people are aloof” is a generic judgement assigned to a generic tag, but it puts a value judgement on whatever that tag is associated to.
When I was in my late teens I was working as a caddy one day at a fairly exclusive golf club. As I was caddying for the foursome the two golfers I was carrying bags for had a conversation. It went something like “Well, you know they are okay for us to play golf with, but I wouldn’t want my daughter to marry one.” As I heard this I started to chuckle and then laugh out loud. The other caddy came over and asked what was so funny. I pointed out what happened and he started to laugh as well. At the end of the round one of my pair came over and as he paid me the tip he asked why we had been laughing on the 16th hole. My response was, “This is a rather exclusive Jewish membership club, You made mention that they were okay to play golf with, but not to have your child marry about the Methodist preacher. After starting a club because no one would have you in theirs, you still don’t get that you are no better than those that threw you out of their clubs, like the Yacht Club (which had no Jewish members) so your son’s wouldn’t marry their daughters. Not only are you guys no better, you’re worse because you know what it’s like to be judged unfairly and still do it.”
We all label and cubbyhole as part of our process of memory. But most of us are unaware that what we don’t like in others, the passing of judgements based on those labels, is something that we also do. The good thing is that simple admission and awareness that we do it is enough to start stopping that process. It takes a conscious effort, and it helps if as we correct ourselves we also correct it within our children.
We are all different, and we all wear labels that others attach to us, and label others as we come into contact with them. But we can make sure the labels have no judgements associated to them and that we pass judgement on those we meet based on the content of their character, not identifying labels that should carry no value judgements. This is not just here in Rossmoor or Los Al, but everywhere we go. If we all do that and teach our kids to do that, maybe we will someday see a world where people are judged only by the content of their character. I too have that dream.
Well said. When I first moved to Huntington Beach in 1976 to teach at Golden West College, some of my Los Angeles friends expressed surprise that I would do so, knowing the reputation of Huntington Beach regarding race relations (I’m still not sure what that meant, specifically). I was pleasantly surprised that I had no trouble finding a home to rent, with the help of a local realtor. I asked one of my Los Angeles contacts who happened to be in the mortgage banking industry why I had had so much trouble finding a home to rent in Los Angeles (due to over discrimination) and no trouble in Orange County, and she replied “Orange County has discovered that everyone’s money is green.” Fast forward to 1980′s and 1990′s and our life in Anaheim Hills. Members of my family did experience racist epithets and incidents similar to those I had experienced growing up in the Greater Boston area in the 1940s-1960s, which were like those described in David Lara’s article. Fast forward again to 1998 when I first moved into Rossmoor, and another surprised friend told me “if you had tried to buy a house in Rossmoor 25 years ago you could not have; they would not even sell to Jews or Catholics then.” Well, I have been here for almost 15 years and have not had any bad experiences or heard any epithets directed at me or my family in all that time. That does not mean, however, that I know what people might be thinking or saying to each other and other minorities. On the other hand, I have some wonderful friends and neighbors here, as well as in many areas of Long Beach and the rest of Orange County, and have truly enjoyed the many cultures with which I have met over the years.
We experienced several incidents of OVERT discrimination in the early 1970s trying to rent apartments in Los Angeles and vicinity.