Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
In my latest contribution to National Review Online, I discuss the political turmoil in Anaheim, Calif., home of Disneyland. Recent police shootings have served to highlight what some believe are inequities in the city's political structure, in which city council members are chosen in at-large elections rather than by individual districts, thus denying Latinos a voice in city government.
Yesterday, the city council rejected a proposal to alter that system, this despite a recommendation by Disneyland, the city's largest employer, that it do so. Disneyland resort President George Kalogridis had written to the council, instructing them on -- what else? -- the glories of "diversity." “We believe that city leadership should reflect the diversity of its entire population,” he wrote. “We support a City Council elected from districts and encourage the city of Anaheim to move from at-large elections to district voting. This shift will allow each valued neighborhood to be represented by a local council member of their choosing.”
Phooey, said the council in a 3-2 vote against the proposal. The status quo is preserved, if only for now.
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Jun '10
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
The real racists are the people (in charge) who created this mess. Most of those were at the state level, probably. For political reasons, they see everything in black, brown, and white. They should've just ignored color from the start, and judged their citizens by whether they're good people, bad people, or just indifferent (stoned maybe.) California could've and should've been America's new start, a place where all the racial baggage was left behind. How did it turn into Detroit?
Edited on August 9, 2012 at 3:44pmJul '11
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
I wonder how Disney would feel if all the surrounding neighborhoods turned in to crime zones with outlying hotels as hot spots? Dropping revenue has a way of changing opinions. I'd hold on to your oppressive apartheid as long as possible.
Nov '10
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
Many years ago, in the course of defending my own town against a lawsuit to change its form of government to one such as you describe (member districts), I asked the plaintiff's witness, a very kind and pleasant fellow whom I knew and who was of my own generation) this question:
The plaintiffs' counsel objected and courtroom became noisy and the federal judge sustained (as I now remember) the objection. But, my point was, and it has proven correct, that the political apartheid would make the city's governing body a cockpit of racial tension.
I think that Anaheim would come to regret the proposed changes if ever they are made.
Sep '11
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
If I believed that a Hispanic, poor, single mother living in rental housing received the same courtesy, concern, and respect from government officials that a white, married, university-educated man receives, I'd agree that there's no reason to make a change.
Sadly, that's not the case.
The solution to the problem is not to say, we must create new forms of the old ghetto, with carefully-drawn lines to ensure that politically-correct constituencies get their say.
The solution might be first, to recognize that there is a problem. Do the residents of Anaheim, specifically--the poorer, the darker, the less-educated--believe that they're being left out?
How much of that is adherence to an entitlement culture? How much of that is based on real belief that a city clerk--or a city police officer--will respond differently to a Hispanic single mom differently than married, well-spoken Anglo man?
If it's the latter, you have a management problem--not a civic boundaries problem. You need to change the culture of the organization--not draw lines on a map. That's harder to do--but that's what you have to do.
Jun '10
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
Or...if you don't like the system where you are, move. America is a big place.
Aug '10
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
In 3 of the 4 shooting incidents you listed in the article, the cops responding to a crime in progress; the 4th was a response to a perceived crime.
How, exactly, will having a Latino on the city council change these occurrences? Do minorities in high places magically prevent criminal acts? (On a related note, I have this tiger-repelling rock I can sell you...)
Also:
Look, if a special interest group forms a plurality, but doesn't care enough about their political identification to elect one of their own via block voting, why on earth should the political system be changed to enable that specific outcome?
It is one thing for a minority to complain that it is unrepresented. It is another thing for a majority to fail to act cohesively. Apparently they can't organize a united push in favor of "Latino issues", whatever those are; why does that necessitate lowering the effort needed to push such issues?
Apr '11
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
The proposed policy is stupid, but Dunphy's article leaves out important information.
Dunphy gives us a long list of crimes in Anaheim. Then he writes
One sentence is devoted to the controversial police shootings that caused such outrage in the city. He devotes no space whatsoever to these shootings.
Despite Dumphy's insinuations, not all the Anaheim police shootings are the same. One shooting involved a known gang member who shot back at police. That didn't bring people the streets.
The shooting of an unarmed man, Manuel Diaz, did. Police shot him in the buttocks and then in the head. Police never called for medical assistance; they left the man to die. People took to the streets in protest. Police then shot at the protesters with non-lethal munitions. This just generated even more anger and fear.
And there's more to Dunphy's "backdrop", too. In an adjacent city, Fullerton, police killed an unarmed, handcuffed homeless man. Police beat him to death, while he was subdued.
This is a sorry article, a sophistry.
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
Jeff Younger,I suggest you read the article again. I devoted much more than one sentence to the shootings.
Jul '10
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
According to the linked L.A. Times article, it did. The protest was said to be against "two fatal police shootings", both Diaz's and Acevedo's.
As for the police firing at the "protesters", they did so after being pelted with rocks and bottles, and local businesses were attacked and vandalized, with customers and employees inside.
Tragic Kingdom, indeed.
Feb '11
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
Actually I'd say that poor, put-upon single mother gets vastly more courtesy and concern from the government than the average white educated man.
I note that odds are she is making her living by money given to her by that government, which extracts it by force from self-supporting people.
I also note that when the police attempt to enforce the law against a likely gang-bangin baby-daddy it's OMG teh racists are on the march and must be punished. The crime committed by these folks against non-gang-bangers is a non-issue for the diversity-hearting bunch. Side note: I wonder where that oh-so-concerned Disneyland President lives. Not Anaheim, I bet.
In fact as a long time resident of the Detroit area I'll tell you how this will end: Eventually the cops will stop attempting to enforce the law, and Anaheim will come to look like Detroit.
This will be blamed on white racism, just like everything else.
Sep '10
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
Even when Hispanics are not a minority they still "have no voice." convenient.
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
Jeff Younger:
. . . Dunphy gives us a long list of crimes in Anaheim. Then he writes
One sentence is devoted to the controversial police shootings that caused such outrage in the city. He devotes no space whatsoever to these shootings.
. . .
This is a sorry article, a sophistry. · 7 hours ago
Jeff Younger accuses me of sophistry, a serious charge to make against a writer. Either Mr. Younger failed to read my column thoroughly or he himself is engaged in sophistry. I spent three paragraphs and nearly 400 words of a 1300-word piece discussing the shootings, including the sensational allegation that Manuel Diaz was executed by the police.
Disagree all you like, but don't call me a liar. I'll be checking back occasionally looking for the apology from Mr. Younger.
Dec '10
Re: Trouble in the Land of the Magic Kingdom
I tend to agree with every comment from John Murdouch, but it'd my personal experience that almost any contact I have with government is with a relatively poor, single, hispanic, woman.
The exceptions are almost always poor, single, black, women.
I can't remember the last time I interacted with a government agency at the local level, that was not one, or the other.
My fiancee is a poor, single, white government employee. She hates her job. Everybody that works with her hates thier job.
For work purposes, when I am at the state capital, I mostly interact with attorneys, usually male, usually guys that would have no idea how to change a flat tire.
For the most part, there is no such thing as juries composed of my peers. If my neighbors are away and a critter gets its head stuck in a fence, I go pull that critter's head out of the fence. Nobody else in my neighborhood does that. Not anymore. Everybody is afraid.
Away from my neighborhood, people without their heads stuck in fences are here, at Ricochet.