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Save Our State vs. Baldwin Park
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So how did a decade old piece of art become the center of California illegal immigration activism over the weekend? By Save Our State finding some of the quotes on the Judith Baca piece that stands at the Baldwin Park Metro Station offensive.
Along with the quote featured in the picture is a quote by Gloria Anzaldua
This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is, And will be again.
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and quotes by Baldwin Park residents with ambiguous intent like "It was better before they came."
Save Our State believes that the monument is a publicly funded glorification of "radical revisionist history and militant separatist rhetoric calling for the return of the Southwestern United States to Mexico" rather than what Judith Baca and the city of Baldwin Park intended. As Baca explains (and explained 12 years ago when the piece was commissioned by the community):
The monument consists of a 20 ft arch, 100 ft plaza and 400 ft train platform. Produced with extensive public input, the monument includes five languages: English, Spanish, Gabrielino, Chumash, Luiseño and is a layering of indigenous, Spanish and mestizo history, which is associated with the site.
But no matter. Obviously recognition of the many diverse populations living together in Baldwin Park isn't worthy of tax payer dollars so 20 members of Save Our State came to the monument (most of whom were not from Baldwin Park) to protest on Saturday and were met with a much larger anti-protest rally.
Unfortunately, there was some violence. One of the members of SOS was struck by a bottle and had to be taken to Intensive Care at a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Baldwin Park says that while he wasn't on the commission that approved the monument and that he doesn't agree with everything said on the artwork, he will continue to stand by it.
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