Video:
http://www.tribunodelpueblo.org/2012/09/anaheim-kids-vs-anaheim-police-department/
The economic haves and have-nots and its effect on community services
has a long history of race and class discrimination and was once known as Klanaheim during the 1920’s for its large Klan membership. Over 70 percent of the city’s population is minorities (Latino 53%, Asians 15%, blacks 2%), who do not receive their fair share of resources as taxpayers. Tax revenues have been diverted to assist the corporate sector within the city while few resources are allocated to benefit the lower-income residents of the flatlands in terms of education, vocational training and youth programs.
In effect, the have-nots who do not have true political representation within the city are receiving the short end of the resource stick. Meanwhile, the politicians who represent the haves benefit from the present system, as do their corporate benefactors who repay these city politicians by supporting their electoral campaigns.
The current recession has created high unemployment within the lower-income barrios as 15% of the city now lives below the poverty level. Particularly hard-hit by the recession are Anaheim’s young people as the city’s population has a median age of 31 years.
This has created related problems such as an increase in high school dropouts, gang membership, drug use and a festering anger toward the city’s ruling elite. Mayor Tom Tait and the city council have consistently responded to these growing social problems with denial and a heavy police presence that relies on a traditional policy of harassment and excessive force to keep these communities in line.
Adding to these problems is the Anaheim school board, which blames undocumented students for the problems within the educational system and rejects the need for any reforms. This recent eruption of anger and protests by Latinos has demonstrated the failure of these inequitable policies of neglect by the city’s misleaders.
A series of fundamental changes needs to be made
by the city
There is a history of misconduct and abuse by the Anaheim police as these recent killings are not simply rare and isolated incidents. There is no excuse for shooting Manuel Diaz in the back of the head as he was unarmed and had committed no crime. Such an action by the Anaheim police is objectively an execution.
Legally, lawsuits need to be filed against the city for this latest killing and for the past practice of racial profiling and pattern of harassment aimed at barrio residents. In addition, political pressure has to be applied on the Orange County District Attorney and the U.S. Justice Department to investigate and file criminal charges in regard to any blatant wrongdoing by the police and their chief John Welter.
A political struggle waged by grassroots community organizations will be necessary in order to institute a permanent police review board that is truly independent and objective in dealing with alleged cases of abuse within the city and which can hold police officials accountable.
Economically, the city’s priorities and use of tax resources must be drastically changed by eliminating the present corporate welfare and instead focusing on improving the educational system, providing needed vocational training and creating youth programs that can assist in preventing gang membership and drug use.
In essence, the city’s tax revenues need to be utilized to develop the human resources of the community’s residents instead of continuing to promote the large profits of the city’s corporate-financial powers.
There are many Anaheims across the country whose social and economic problems require both the organized response of political unity as well as the will to resolve them on a national and local scale. These social prairie fires that are breaking out such as the one in Anaheim will continue to erupt and grow until a broad preventive plan for change is adopted, fought for and carried out in practice.
