City Councilman Steve Blair spearheaded a public campaign on his talk show at Prescott radio station KYCA-AM (1490) to remove the mural.Because he's a kid that goes to the school and an Arizonan and we're all Arizonans?
In a broadcast last month, according to the Daily Courier in Prescott, Blair mistakenly complained that the most prominent child in the painting is African-American, saying: "To depict the biggest picture on the building as a Black person, I would have to ask the question: Why?"
Blair could not be reached for comment Thursday. In audio archives of his radio show, Blair discusses the mural. He insists the controversy isn't about racism but says the mural is intended to create racial controversy where none existed before.Actually, that would be you exciting some kind of diversity power struggle, Councilman dude.
"Personally, I think it's pathetic," he says. "You have changed the ambience of that building to excite some kind of diversity power struggle that doesn't exist in Prescott, Arizona. And I'm ashamed of that."
In a broadcast last month, according to the Daily Courier in Prescott, Blair mistakenly complained that the most prominent child in the painting is African-American, saying: "To depict the biggest picture on the building as a Black person, I would have to ask the question: Why?"Wow. If it were a kid with brown hair, no one would ask "To depict the picture on the building as a brunette, I have to ask: why"
Blair could not be reached for comment Thursday. In audio archives of his radio show, Blair discusses the mural. He insists the controversy isn't about racism but says the mural is intended to create racial controversy where none existed before.
Keep in mind, there are a lot of us (inappropriate term) in Prescott. We are not comfortable around non-white people or their images. People need to be more sensitive to our ideology.posted by delmoi at 7:55 PM on June 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
Prescott is a town full of racist back woods idiots who complain non stop about any people who want to drag that sorry town into today's world. Long before this debacle was the harassment of day laborers, any Latino who drives a vehicle the police suspect they can't afford, etc, etc. If you are Latino, you can't stand on any street, nor can you drive a car out of your suspected price range...and it has been this way for years. Prescott wants and expects tourism dollars to pay for everything, but they are also anti tourist. Their latest brainstorm is to install parking meters all over downtown so that people have to park in the empty city owned garage which is well off the beaten path. The place is a dump and should be avoided at all costs.posted by delmoi at 7:59 PM on June 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
Some guy called me and says, "Doesn't that look like a big ol' black guy in the middle of that picture?"At least the fuckery seems largely isolated to him (and that equivocating wimp of a principal). For instance, the city's promotional Twitter account is firing on all cylinders to denounce the guy and dissociate him from the town.
And I said, "It does... maybe it has something to do with the guy that's in the White House?"
Whether you like it or not, he's our president, and he is black. There's nothing racism about what I just said. It's a statement, and it's a fact. But everybody wants to paint you as being some kind of crook.
"I am not a racist individual, but I will tell you depicting a black guy in the middle of that mural, based upon who’s president of the United States today and based upon the history of this community when I grew up, we had four black families — who I have been very good friends with for years — to depict the biggest picture on that building as a black person, I would have to ask the question, 'Why?'... The focus doesn’t need to be on what’s different; the focus doesn’t need to be on the minority all the time. ... What these people don’t like is somebody forcing diversity down their throats. ... Art is in the eye of the beholder, but I say (the Miller Valley mural) looks like graffiti in L.A. ... I don’t see anything that ties the community into that mural"Jesus Fucking Christ...what a asshole!
Until recently, downtown Prescott, AZ had two large banners encouraging people to participate in the 2010 Census—one in English and the other in Spanish. However, the Spanish-language banner has been taken down “after at least four dozen citizens and two city council members questioned its appropriateness”:posted by kipmanley at 11:42 AM on June 5, 2010 [1 favorite]City of Prescott Executive Assistant Patty Crouse said she also fielded five or 10 calls from people angry about seeing a banner in Spanish near the entrance to the city.
[Council member John] Hanna said he personally didn’t like the sign, either.
“If you’re here in the U.S. and can’t speak English, you need to go home,” Hanna said, especially people who are here illegally. “If you’re counting them…you’re saying you’ll do whatever you can to cater to their needs.” [...]
When The Daily Courier asked about why he was concerned about visitors seeing a sign in Spanish, [Council member Steve] Blair explained, “It would seem like we’re a Spanish community rather than an English community,” and most visitors are not Hispanic.
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posted by Mister_A at 7:17 PM on June 4, 2010 [22 favorites]