S A N TA M O N I C A
INSIDE SANTA MONICA FIREWORKS SHOW CANCELED
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY
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June 19 – June 25, 2020 Volume XLI, Issue 46
Councilmember Greg Morena Resigns
Photos: GregMorena.com
Councilmember Greg Morena
Santa Monica City Councilmember Greg Morena Resigns to attend to family business By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica City Councilmember Greg Morena, who was elected in 2018, has resigned effective June 24. Morena, whose family owns the Albright
restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier, said a statement that he has to renegotiate the lease or close the restaurant. The Santa Monica Pier is owned by the City of Santa Monica, and therefore Morena cited a conflict of interest as the reason behind his resignation. “Like so many small independent businesses, I have struggled over the last three months to protect my family and my employees and their families who work at my restaurant on the Pier. I have taken out loans and gone into the red to feed them, keep up their health insurance, and do everything possible to have jobs waiting for them once this crisis is over.
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But unless I am able to renegotiate my lease for July and onward, I will no longer be able to remain in business,” Morena said, who has lived in Santa Monica for 37 years on the same Sunset Park street he grew up on. Morena often recused himself from items on council meetings’ agendas due to conflict of interests with the Albright restaurant. Under California Government Code Section 1090, “officers or employees shall not be financially interested in any contract made by them in their official capacity, or by any body or board of which they are members.” Violators can face criminal charges even when
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they abstained from the decision to approve the contract. Prior to being elected to City Council Morena was a member of several city boards and commissions, including the Santa Monica Pier Lessee Association. Council will likely approve Morena’s resignation at its June 23 meeting. Santa Monica City Councilmembers who resign are not replaced by voters. Instead, the remaining Councilmembers choose a replacement. In 2018 when Councilmember Tony Vazquez resigned, Council selected Ana Maria Jara as a replacement.
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June 19 – June 25, 2020
Santa Monica Fireworks Show Canceled COVID-19 leads to cancellation of SMC’s annual event By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica College (SMC) has officially canceled its “Celebrate America” fireworks show due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions of large-scale, in person events. This would have been the 38th year for the popular community picnic and fireworks spectacular, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2020. “It is particularly disappointing that Celebrate America had to be cancelled this year, at a time when we at Santa Monica
College would love to gather with our community,” said Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery, SMC Superintendent/President. “I can’t predict when events like Celebrate America will be allowed to resume, or when folks will begin to feel comfortable in crowds again,” added Linda Sullivan, SMC Event Producer and Associate Dean of Facilities Programming. “But when they do, they will be greeted with the greatest enthusiasm.” Just last month event organizers canceled Santa Monica’s annual Fourth of July parade, also due to COVID-19. As of June 15, there have been 336 COVID-19 cases in Santa Monica and 22 deaths. In Santa Monica nursing homes and other residential congregate settings there have been 312 cases and 32 deaths among both residents and staff. Countywide there have been 73,791 cases and 2,926 deaths.
The 2018 Celebrate America fireworks show.
Photos: Morgan Genser
June 19 – June 25, 2020
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June 19 – June 25, 2020
Man Arrested in Monday DUI Crash Truck crashes into wall near Santa Monica beach By Sam Catanzaro
Santa Monica police say that a Van Nuys man was arrested Monday after driving under the influence and crashing into a retaining wall near the beach. According to Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Lt. Joseph Cortez, on June 15 at approximately 3 p.m., the SMPD responded to a report of a traffic collision in the area of the 2100 block of Ocean Avenue, near Bicknell Avenue. Officers made contact with the driver of the pickup truck that collided with the retaining wall, Cortez says. Nobody was injured in the incident. The driver, 58-year-old Francisco Flores of Van Nuys, admitted to drinking alcohol. “The Santa Monica Police Officers conducted a DUI investigation and determined Flores was driving while under the influence of alcohol,” Cortez said. Flores was placed under arrest and ultimately cited for DUI, according to Cortez.
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Photos: Citizen App.
The scene of a car crash in Santa Monica Monday.
Men Sought in Series of Westside Sexual Assaults LAPD say two men sexually assaulted up to 13 women By Sam Catanzaro
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Los Angeles police are on the lookout for two men who they say sexually assaulted potentially 13 women or more in Palms, Venice, Culver City and Marina Del Rey. According to a bulletin released Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles Police Department are seeking the public’s help in identifying suspects in a series of sexual assaults occurring in the last month. Between May 14 and June 16, 2020, detectives with the LAPD’s Operations West Bureau have identified as many as 13 possible incidents, with potential additional occurrences in Culver City and Marina Del Rey. “In this series, the suspects approach young females who are walking or jogging alone on streets during early evening hours.
The suspects grab the women’s buttocks and breasts, then flee—on foot, on skateboard, on a bicycle and, in several instances, in a silver Mercedes Benz sedan,” the LAPD said. Witnesses describe the suspects as Black males in their early 20s wearing athletic clothing. One suspect is tall and slender, the other is shorter and heavier set, according to the LAPD. “Though they have not been seen together, both appear to be connected to the silver Mercedes and are likely working together,” the LAPD said. Detectives are requesting that anyone with information that could lead to the
identification of these men contact LAPD’s Operations West Bureau, Special Assault Section, at 213-473-0447. Councilmember Paul Koretz who represents Palms called the incidents “incredibly troubling and devastating to our community.” “My Director of Public Safety Gregory Martayan has been in communication with LAPD Area Commanding Officer for Pacific Division Captain Steven Embrich, to assure that all resources are being brought to bear to catch the perpetrator(s) responsible. Currently, significant resources are in the area working on this case,” Koretz added.
June 19 – June 25, 2020
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Santa Monica Restaurant Manager Filmed Buying TV From Looters
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May 31 video shows manager of Pono Burger allegedly buying TV from looters By Sam Catanzaro
A Santa Monica burger restaurant has put on leave a manager filmed allegedly buying a stolen TV from looters. As reported by Fox 11, on May 31 Amanda Barrie–who lives above Pono Burger on 9th Street and Broadway in Santa Monica– observed a group of looters attempting to load a stolen TV into a getaway car. Barrie then noticed a man approach the group and appear to begin negotiating with them. Barrie then realized then man was the manager of Pono Burger.
Photos: Facebook
As heard in the video, one of the looters yells “$300, right now!” and soon after the manager pulls out of his pocket a wad of what appears to be cash and hands it to a female. Fox 11 confronted the manager, showing him the video. The manager admits being in the video but denies that he bought the TV. In a statement, Pono Burger said that they have put the manager on administrative leave. “We have reviewed the video and report online regarding the activities of an employee at Pono Burger. We have contacted our employment legal counsel and have opened an investigation. We want to ensure that we thoroughly review all information available and quickly reach the correct decision based on the employees actions. In the interim the employee has been place on leave pending the conclusion of our investigation,” reads the statement. According to California Penal Code section 496, buying or receiving any stolen property is a felony crime with imprisonment in a county jail for up to three years and/or a maximum fine of $10,000. If the value of the product is less than $950, however, charges are reduced to a misdemeanor.
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June 19 – June 25, 2020
OPINION
Two Principles for a New City SMa.r.t. Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow
Our City has been devastated by the coronavirus, by its economic fallout and just three weeks ago, by a looting disaster. The pain and panic of these disasters unleashed a flood of projects, proposals and policies to try to get us back to “normal” as quickly as possible. While some of these initiatives are no brainers, some are an attempt by certain groups to get dubious advantages unavailable in normal times, some are the same tired failed old bromides, and finally some are truly valuable to move our City toward a future better than the old dysfunctional “normal”. Citizens and policy makers both will be struggling to decide into which category any initiative must be placed. SMart (Santa Monica architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) would propose two principles to help us decide whether any proposal is worth pursuing: 1. DOES IT HELP US LIVE WITHIN OUR NEWLY LIMITED MEANS? Basically our City has taken a giant “haircut” or “pay cut “ which will require massive expense reductions. Capital projects will have to be cancelled or delayed, staff positions eliminated or have their pay grade cut. I do not envy the tough choices our City Council faces. Essentially, our previously fat, overpriced and overpaid City is now living in a shrinking universe and needs to go on a diet. We can see that tourism will come back very slowly while sales taxes will likewise struggle to recover. Many looted businesses are simply not coming back, while Amazon has permanently crippled our already deeply troubled retail sector: the Promenade was on the ropes long before the looters struck. Finally, the office sector will endure major shrinkage, since more and more information workers now find they can work at home. These contractions, once we get over the temporary surge of “pent up demand”, will become inexorable as leases are not renewed, businesses collapse or flee for cheaper venues. On the income side, our ability to increase prices, fees and penalties from our newly impoverished visitors, citizenry, businesses, and merchants is quite limited on our way toward a balanced City budget. This diet will require clear thinking under the massive pressure of entrenched interest groups. Tempting, unlikely, rosy, economic growth projections need to be disregarded to get to a realistic balanced City budget. Likewise clever accounting tricks will also have to be abandoned on the path forward. If later, we get State or Federal help, that will be a wonderful bonus, but we cannot rely on it today. Naturally the real estate vultures, who knowing the City is desperate, will be trying to pick up your City properties for a song. For example developers want to charge ahead with the unpopular 5th and Arizona
“our previously fat, overpriced and overpaid City is now living in a shrinking universe and needs to go on a diet, writes Mario Fonda-Bonardi in the latest SMa.r.t. Column.
12 story skyscraper to be built on land you citizens own. Our city assets must not be sold as they are too vital for our future needs: in that specific case a new badly needed park for an increasingly dense downtown. We do not need to incentivize new offices, retail or hotels until our crippled existing such services have had a chance to recover. In this time of crisis we do not want to threaten our existing often long term vendors with more unnecessary competition and we certainly don’t want to give up City owned land. This Tuesday June 23rd 5:30pm the City Council will be hearing this skyscraper project. You can voice your opposition at councilmtgitems@smgov.net or by calling (310) 458-8423. A massive public outcry will be needed to stop this unnecessary disaster. Historic recovery scenarios all suggest that enduring painful cuts early is the quickest way to stability and rebound. Failure to do so quickly, just extends the pain and freefall our City finds itself in. A frenzied increase of construction won’t solve our runaway budget issues. Living within your means is not new or sexy but absolutely essential to recovering municipal entities. Finally the inevitable cuts that must be made, should not be made gratuitously, but so as to distribute the pain as equally as possible among the City service beneficiaries and providers. If the City favors some over others, it feeds cynicism and reduces the buy in by a traumatized citizenry whose public health cooperation will be needed to avoid a second virus wave. 2. DOES IT MEET OUR REGIONAL NEEDS? While our City’s primary responsibility is to meet the needs and respect the capacities of its residents, it does have two other specific regional responsibilities. Our City’s primary regional role is to be the lungs of West Los Angeles, the way Central Park is the lungs of New York. We are the beach front playground for West Los Angeles, Downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando
Valley because of our exceptional light rail and freeway access to our glorious beaches. Only Long Beach has a similar role and configuration. Every weekend and all summer we host thousands of climate refugees who are cooked out of those inland saunas and who find relief in our views, open spaces, breezes and recreational facilities. Any time we gentrify and density our City we cripple this real most important regional purpose. These low cost visitors are a stable source of City income fortunately relatively independent of the status of international relations with China, independent of the exchange rate of the dollar and independent of shifting fads of desirable tourist destinations. We cannot rely on the rich continental or international tourist to build a sustainable economy since they are equally impoverished by the collapse of their economies, international fluctuations will always threaten, as will lingering virus fears and because our public reputation took a major hit when the police let the looters run rampant. If some of those wealthier tourists return quickly great, but lets not think they will “rescue” us soon. Our City has also had a historical job/ housing inbalance with more jobs than housing. This three decade planning failure is at the root of our housing affordability crisis. We see that every morning and afternoon with a 3 mile parking lot on the west and east bound #10 Freeway every morning and afternoon. Since our built out City does not have the water, the solar power generating capacity, the open space availability (essential both for a healthy and virus surviving city), public safety capacity, and the traffic/mobility capacity for much more growth, we should now try to reduce our excess commercial real estate and start to balance housing and jobs by repurposing offices and commercial spaces into housing. It is much cheaper and quicker to repurpose existing buildings than to build new ones plus this solution does not destroy existing housing. By adding local housing this way and
Photos: Sam Catanzaro
assisted by other cities redistributing jobs to their periphery of the LA basin, where land and housing are cheap, Santa Monica helps ease the regional transit gridlock improving the lives and air quality for the entire region. The state of California, infected with real estate and construction industry bias has tried to coerce our City with the fantasy of building 9000 new units in the next 8 years as a delusional path to affordability. This mirage will not happen as the County population has flat lined or even decreased, we don’t have the space, building new often destroys existing housing and always raises existing housing costs on a newly impoverished citizenry, new housing is too expensive to be ever be affordable so it only accelerates gentrification. Meanwhile the repurposing of office and retail to housing, adding accessory dwelling units in all zones, and the return of some Air BnB units to permanent rental housing (because of the collapsing tourist industry) will all reduce the real demand for more housing. The path to a stable housing environment is possible without destroying our City by going on Sacramento’s fool’s errand. So our City can meet its regional responsibility of remaining a low cost visitor destination for our eastern neighbors and of equalizing its jobs/housing imbalance without destroying its desirable beachside quality. These two principles, living within our means and equalizing jobs and housing can lead our city to a better future than a reflexive wishful return to our previous dysfunctional “normal”. By Mario Fonda-Bonardi for Smart Santa Monica Architects for a sustainable Tomorrow Thane Roberts, Architect, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Ron Goldman FAIA, Architect, Dan Jansenson, Architect, Building and Fire-Life Safety Commission, Samuel Tolkin Architect, Mario Fonda-Bonardi, AIA, Planning Commissioner, Phil Brock, Santa Monica Arts Commission. For previous articles see www.santamonicaarch.wordpress.com/writing
June 19 – June 25, 2020
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June 19 – June 25, 2020
Santa Monica Pacific Dining Car Closing Santa Monica location auctioning off contents of restaurant By Sam Catanzaro Pacific Dining Car is closing its 24/7 Santa Monica location and auctioning off the contents of the restaurant. In a statement, the Pacific Dining Car cited the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as the reason behind the decision to close the Santa Monica restaurant located at 2700 Wilshire Boulevard. “Our Santa Monica location is a casualty of the coronavirus crisis,” restaurant management said. “We’re deeply grateful to our staff and customers for nearly 30 years in business on the Westside.” According to the statement, the Downtown Los Angeles (1310 W 6th St) location will remain open. In 2004 famed interior designer Tom Hamilton brought “a lavish and extraordinary style” to the Santa Monica restaurant and now these items are being put up for auction. In addition, kitchen equipment is up for auction. The auction, being held online, ends June 22.
Photo: Courtesy
Brentwood Toy Shop Closing After Over 50 Years
Star Toys owner Lenny Lieberman in his store June 15.
After 52 years, Lenny Lieberman of Star Toys retiring By Sam Catanzaro A Brentwood toy shop that has been in businesses for over 50 years is closing its doors permanently but not before a clearance sale.
Star Toys, located at 130 S Barrington Place in Brentwood, was founded in 1968. Now 52 years later, owner Lenny Lieberman has announced the store will close due to his retirement. “It is with great sadness after 52 years in business I have decided to retire. To all my loyal customers over the years I would like to thank you for your business,” Lieberman said. “Being a part of the Brentwood community and bringing joy to children has been the highlight of each day.”
Photos: Sam Catanzaro
“Being a part of the Brentwood community and bringing joy to children has been the highlight of each day,” says Lieberman.
June 19 – June 25, 2020
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Is Your Face Mask Giving You Maskne? Remember the “good old” days when the only face masks we talked about were in reference to skincare? Now, face masks mean face coverings and with that comes a new skin concern for some. It’s acne! In fact, mask-related acne has become so common lately, there’s a new term for it—maskne. I asked a board-certified dermatologist in Santa Monica to clear a few things up for us. She says she is definitely seeing the side effects that come from having a face covering in contact with your skin for the better part of the day. Masks, while important for our safety, can trap in humidity, dirt, oil and sweat if you are not cleaning them properly or are reusing them for prolonged periods of time. (So gross.) How exactly does wearing a mask cause acne? The good Dr. explained when oil and debris clog prone and sensitive skin types.” (More stuff I have to buy.) Putting a physical barrier between your skin and the mask will also help. She says, “I have been recommending silicone tape or Duoderm, which is a hydrocolloid dressing that’s used to cover wounds, over any areas where the mask comes into contact with your face and applies the most friction (like the
bridge of your nose or tops of your cheeks). Acne patches are great for individual breakouts, because they apply acne medication, while also serving as a physical barrier to the mask.” (I love acne patches. I had a little break out on my cheek for several years. I tried everything. Nothing worked. Until those cute little patches came out. My acne is gone.) the pores, this manifests as whiteheads and blackheads. Any friction and irritation from the mask can push bacteria into your skin, which allow for easier entry of bacteria and dirt and can lead to further inflammation. (Lovely. Another way to get pimples.) What can we do to treat maskne? She says the best thing to do is keep a simple skincare routine. “When our skin becomes irritated or breaks out, our immediate tendency is to try every product in our cabinets. But this usually leads to more irritation and worsened acne.” (Been there, done that.)
Photo: Getty Images
For a gentle, but effective skincare regimen, apply benzoyl peroxide cleanser once a day to target bacteria and remove excess oil. Follow up with a gentle, fragrancefree and non-comedogenic moisturizer with hyaluronic acid to help hydrate and restore the skin’s protective barrier. Lastly, she recommends applying a pea-sized amount of Differin Gel 0.1% (which is an over-thecounter retinoid) to acne-prone areas. (I never
heard of this – back to CVS!) She says during the daytime, swap the retinoid for a sunscreen. “Even though our faces are mostly covered by masks, there are areas that are exposed to the sun so it’s best to apply an even layer of SPF as the finishing step to your morning routine. Look for non-comedogenic and oil-free options for
Your Face Mask, see page 10
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FILM REVIEW: Da 5 Bloods
June 19 – June 25, 2020
Rated R 154 Minutes Released June 12th on Netflix
“Da Five Bloods plays like a symphony, a tone poem, a sprawling vivid painting or tapestry. This film brings the Black experience from the Vietnam era to today in a resounding way,” writes Kathryn Whitney Boole. pathos of the Vietnam War, which led to mass protests at that time, underscore the current events of the past three weeks. Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
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BEHIND THE SCREEN By Kathryn Whitney Boole Da Five Bloods plays like a symphony, a tone poem, a sprawling vivid painting or tapestry. This film brings the Black experience from the Vietnam era to today in a resounding way. Don’t expect a straightforward narrative from Spike Lee. Sit back and go with the flow. You will be drawn along on a journey of self-realization. I applaud Lee’s choice to use his older actors in flashbacks as their younger selves with no de-aging technology or use of younger performers. At first that may confuse, as it’s not what audiences are accustomed to. However it works. Think about it. When you see yourself reliving an incident in your own past, do you really envision your younger self in physical detail? I believe you see your soul, which has remained the same. Lee recognizes brilliance as it arises and uses it. He has hired an incredible ensemble of actors. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel knows how to light black faces. He also knows how to record the lush scenery
Your Face Mask, from page 9 acne-prone skin. I like mineral sunscreens that contain zinc oxide because they’re less irritating and have antimicrobial properties that make it suitable for both acneA final note from my dermatologist -- keep your masks clean! My dermatologist advises for homemade
that is the backdrop for this journey. The environment is lush and messy, reflecting the story, shot in Ho Chi Minh City and Northern Thailand. Lee is one filmmaker who can mix styles skillfully, for effect. The changes hit you in the face and are very intuitive. A comedic buddy road trip creates disarming characters we identify with. Then they are swept into a roller coaster war drama, out of the past and into the present, wrapped in Shakespearean flawed personas. Originally written in 2013, by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo with Oliver Stone to direct, the script was rewritten by Lee and Kevin Wilmott with black protagonists. The musical score by Terence Blanchard features songs from the ‘70’s, most notably from Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album of 1971 – powerful. Delroy Lindo gives an astounding performance as “Paul,” the Vietnam vet left with PTSD (which was not recognized at that time) and an unbearable load of anger. He was Lee’s only pick for the role. Lindo extensively interviewed Vietnam and Iraq vets and watched documentaries. He read the book Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans, which Lee used as a concept bible for the film. Lindo
uses the word “violation” to describe the way black veterans were treated when they returned from Vietnam. The actor was able to portray the intense anger that consumes Paul, an anger riveted on his life and his country. Yet he reveals the humanity of the character, who volunteers for service, and on returning home, is betrayed by the people for whom he fought. A piece of Paul’s wardrobe may surprise you. It reflects misplaced anger that fuels our president’s base. In the end, anger is anger, a disenfranchisement any citizen can feel - in this case the anger of African Americans fighting overseas for human rights when their rights were constantly violated back home. The wrap up at the end of the film is perfectly fashioned. Lee as usual does not package his story in a tidy box. The action moves on several planes, reflecting the confusing backdrop of war. There are moments of beautiful drama and epiphany. This is a film in which you can immerse yourself. You will sense the drama of life more than anything else. The story is just the framework. Lee makes movies to inspire thought. This movie could not have been released at a better time. The chaos, questionable morality and
masks, make sure you hand wash them regularly in hot water and try to have a backup mask (or two) at the ready so you can rotate a clean one in before each outing. If you’re wearing a paper mask, spray them down with a sanitizer that has at least 60% isopropyl alcohol after each use in order to minimize bacteria that may be accumulating on the surface. (I have a feeling we are going to be
wearing these things for a long time. I try to look at the bright side – this is a new fashion accessory! I’m getting some made in a variety of colors to match my wardrobe. I now have a black one with a diamond pattern, another black one with a polka dot pattern, and a cheetah print with crystals. Even high fashion designers are jumping on the bandwagon. Halloween should be interesting.)
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: VERNA REY ZANDERS A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by MARK S. ZANDERS in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests MARK S. ZANDERS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This Authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative wiII be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: July 16, 2020 at 8:30 am. in Dept. 11 located at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and maiI a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE - 154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Petitioner MARK S. ZANDERS, pro per 7449 RESEDA BLVD. #255 RESEDA, CALIF. 91335 (818) 746-6172 Published in the Santa Monica Mirror, June 12, June 19 and June 26, 2020
June 19 – June 25, 2020
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Viruses are in the Air: Racism & COVID-19 in Small Town & Suburban America
By JULIE a. WErnEr-SImon
During these months of quarantine and the more recent eruptions of protest and anger (in regions big and small across the nation) the teachings of Santa Monica College’s Dr. Marisol Moreno have not been far from my mind. Moreno, an expert in American history and Chicano American studies, is known for making history come alive. There’s no sugar coating in her classroom. For Moreno, history is about race. It’s filtered by race and race informs the choices made across modern time. Having taken classes (in my dotage) with this professor, I can practically hear her voice calling us to understand the difference between prejudice and racism: the former is against a person and the latter against a people. Our founding document, the 1787 Constitution, was premised on racism. The framers took care to endorse the trafficking in black humans in three (3) separate provisions of the U.S. Constitution. First, black people were deemed to be three-fifths of white people for the purpose of congressional representation; second, the slave trade (that is, stealing humans in foreign lands for enslavement on these shores) was expressly permitted for an additional twenty years from the date of the Philadelphia signing, and third, if any slave escaped to another state (even one where slavery was not condoned), the new state, the one “in possession” of the slave was mandated to return the slave to the initial state from which he fled. This was the deal made in Philadelphia by the 55 men who wrote the Constitution. Their goal? To form a “united” country of states from the north and south. Half of the founding fathers at the Constitutional Convention, who hailed from twelve of the former colonies, owned slaves of their “own.” And even though just this month, the U.S. Marine Corps and NASCAR have banned confederate flags, the Civil War is still with us. Lincoln’s death and the warm embrace of the south by his successor, President Andrew Johnson, doomed reconstruction. And so here we remain. We are fighting two viruses and
Photos: Getty Images.
only one we cannot see. We cannot ignore the echoes of sin against a people. Not for another minute or for another 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Quarantining to prevent COVID 19 exposure has afforded me plenty of time to think and to read. I have been reading a lot about George Floyd and his family. I was struck by an account of his aunt, Angela Harrelson, who was raised in North Carolina, trained in the medical field, served as a captain in the Air Force reserves and relocated to Minneapolis to work as a nurse. “Minnesota Nice” was not what she experienced at a hair salon in her adopted state. Harrelson was visiting a shopping mall in a Minneapolis-adjacent suburb when she spotted a hair salon, noticed that it carried black hair products, and so she entered and asked for a stylist. The hairdresser-on-duty initially refused Ms. Harrelson’s request for service telling Harrelson that she “had never styled black hair.” Ms. Harrelson declined to accept the rebuff. She insisted that the hairdresser “do” her hair. When George Floyd’s aunt ultimately left the mall, she was sporting not just a new do, but also carried away a concession from the hairdresser that the discomfort expressed was not because of
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“hair type” but because Harrelson was black. Midwestern hairdresser-denigration-of “the other” happened to me too in Wisconsin, the sister-state just to the east of Minnesota. In the early 1990s, I flew-in to attend a female law school classmate’s Gunsmoke-western themed wedding. It was held in her home town which was some 150 miles north of progressive Madison, Wisconsin where we had met. At the bridal shop, after my first and only fitting of my bridal attendant’s corsetedblue-green-taffeta-with-black-lace gown (something Miss Kitty, the “bartendress” in the TV show would have worn) I went, as instructed by the bride, to the town’s hair salon for a wedding ceremony hairdo. Once covered in a plastic cape, before the transformation of my long, frizzy hair into piles of saloon-ringlets, the hairdresser exclaimed, “I have never done Jew-hair!” Intolerance, lack of knowledge, or perhaps the innate fear of the stranger, in places far outside of urban centers in the Midwest, was not new to me. But I long believed it was a one-off, some failure to understand, or at worst, a discrete prejudice against an individual. The year was 1979 when I (far from my east coast home) spent a weekend with that same classmate’s family in that same, small, upstate Wisconsin town. My classmate brought me home and proudly introduced me to her assembled extended family as “the gal from the east coast of America.” Without shame or discomfort, a few stated that they had never met a Jew, and one asked me a question which flummoxed me: “Where are your horns?” At some point during the weekend, I asked if I could use the (land-line) phone to make a long-distance collect call. I stepped into a bedroom and dialed my mother in Philadelphia to ask her what I should make of the “horns question.” My mother told me that the comment came either from ignorance or enmity, or both. My mother explained that as early as the Middle Ages, Jews of Europe were excluded from commerce as they
were thought to be “products of the devil” and thus, had horns. She added that Jews were depicted in the art of the time (many woodcuts) as animals with tails and horns to include bovine imagery (more horns) and that all of this was exemplified by Michelangelo’s statue of Moses (from the early 1500s) which featured a sitting Moses holding the Ten Commandments with two nubs sticking out from his marbled head of hair. My mother related that Michelangelo was attempting to sculpt the marble to depict rays of light emanating from Moses’ head to artistically convey the spiritual exchange Moses had with the divine on Mt. Sinai. Unfortunately, the stubs ended up looking more like horns. As a result of this, into the modern era, horns as derogatory “Jewimagery” stuck. Weeks ago, when images of burning Santa Monica were in the national news, my law school classmate reached out by text. She (who I hear from every other year or so, and who is now retired from law practice and still living in that same small town) asked how I was faring with the “Chinese Wuhan flu” quarantine and “the riots.” I texted back that we were in a moment-in-time when our country’s history of racism was being held-to-account and that I hoped the revolution-in-the-streets would cause us to finally acknowledge and address the original sin of our 1787 constitution which endorsed slavery. She wrote back that “gangs of people with weapons, driving around in cars, yelling ‘kill the white people’ were not having a revolution.” There was nothing more to say. I then knew what she watched. I erased her contact info from my phone. I realized that my far-away former friend was much more than prejudiced. Racism was in the groundwater of where she had always called home. Julie A. Werner-Simon is a former federal prosecutor and a Fellow in Constitutional Studies at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles
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