Even before Ku Klux Klan pamphlets showed up on Huntington Beach doorsteps Easter morning, the City Council was scheduled to debate a trio of agenda items addressing racism.
All three passed in flying colors Monday, April 5.
The first was motivated by the recent spate of violence, nationally and in Southern California, against Asian-Americans. The second condemns white supremacy.
And the third called for city-sponsored events to counter a KKK-promoted “white lives matter” demonstration scheduled at the pier on Sunday, April 11.
Councilman Erik Peterson, who repeatedly has complained that resolutions do nothing tangible, abstained from the first two votes. But then he offered surprise support for the final proposal, giving it unanimous approval.
“A 7-0 vote – that’s a big deal,” Councilwoman Natalie Moser, who authored the item, said afterward. “It’s very heartening to see the council demonstrate unity on this issue.”
Coinciding with the “White Lives Matter” protest, the city and Orange County Human Relations will cosponsor an online discussion about diversity Sunday afternoon.
Ku Klux Klan propoganda — advertising the April 11 rally — showed up first in Newport Beach, a week before appearing on lawns in Huntington Beach. The leaflets featured Confederate flags and urged “loyal white knights” to “say no to cultural genocide.”
Initially, Moser wanted to hold a live, in-person event to promote diversity at the same time the white lives matter march is slated to take place near the pier. But after speaking with the police chief, Moser changed her mind. “Creating another event on the same day could pull safety resources from downtown,” she said.
So instead a live gathering to promote diversity is planned for April 18 in Central Park.
“I don’t anticipate it being a rally,” Moser said. “My intention is for it to be a family event where people can socially distance and feel safe.”
Moser added that support from Peterson and Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz buoys the event’s purpose.
“My hope is that, with all of our city leaders uniting, we can all hear the voices that we don’t always hear,” she said. “We can start the conversation: ‘How do we talk to one another when we disagree?’”
Ortiz is often criticized for what some view as divisive hyperbole against Black Lives Matter protests. But without entering the debate, the MMA star on Monday quietly signed off on all three anti-hate items.
The sweeping endorsement could carry weight with Ortiz’s fans. “Everybody has their own spheres of influence,” Moser noted.
Mayor Kim Carr and Councilman Dan Kalmick submitted a condemnation of “all hate crimes.”
“When the COVID-19 pandemic began, inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric referringto the pandemic as the ‘Chinese Virus’ or ‘Kung Flu’ put Asian American and Pacific Islanderfamilies, communities and businesses at risk for bullying, harassment and hate crimes,” the declaration reads.
Other cities, as well as the Orange County Board of Supervisors, have issued similar statements decrying race-based violence.
But Kalmick, citing the prospective “white lives matter” march, presented a resolution excoriating “any and all acts of white supremacy, which promote fear and division within our community.”
In public comments at the beginning of the Zoomed meeting, resident Jeff Tang shared poignant memories of growing up in Huntington Beach as a Chinese-American.
“The first time I was told to go back where I came from I was 8 years old, on the pier with my dad,” Tang said. Now, he added, the KKK is touting a rally “at the very same spot.”
Tang said he experienced name-calling throughout his school years – including at Huntington Beach High, where he was one year behind Ortiz. Addressing Ortiz, who is Latino, Tang said, “Tito, I’m sure you enjoyed some of the same B.S.”
But Peterson dismissed the two resolutions as meaningless. “Of course we denounce hate crimes,” he said. “That’s why we have laws against them.
“I just can’t vote for something that doesn’t do anything, or just because it feels good… I actually don’t know when words started hurting. I grew up on sticks and stones may break my bones.”
While he abstained from voting on the resolutions, Peterson – without explanation – gave a thumbs up to the now-imminent events promoting “diversity, quality and inclusion.” He did not return a call asking for comment.
Kalmick defended the two resolutions as responsible statements by elected officials.
“It’s different from a private entity taking a stance,” he said. “Government taking a stance has a lot more impact. We are telling our residents, ‘We reject this ethos.’ And we are telling this small minority of people: ‘You have the right to be horrible.
“We can’t restrict you from being here, but we don’t want you here.’”
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