(CNN) -- Tiburcio Vasquez, a 19th century outlaw, is remembered in historical accounts as a notorious criminal who terrorized southern California.
But one school district in California wants to remember him another way: as a hero to the Hispanic community who fought back against injustice.
The Alisal Union School District set off a controversy last month when it announced that an elementary school in Salinas to be opened this year will be named after Vasquez.
The move has led some local leaders, including the Salinas mayor, to criticize the controversial choice.
"We had a young man killed in Afghanistan who was from the Alisal area. He would have been a nice person to name the school after," Mayor Joe Gunter said Wednesday. "There's a lot of good people we could name a school after, in my opinion."Salinas California is in Monterey County, 56.1% Hispanic, 32.4% Anglo. More to come; in the next few years Hispanics will gain a plurality of population in California and soon a majority in the state.
Back in 2000, Anglos made up 46.7% of the California's population while Hispanics accounted for 32.4%. California is now 39.7% Anglo and 38.1% Hispanic. There's been almost a 13 point swing of population percentage, Hispanic vs Anglo, in just 10 years. If you follow the Hispanic Population percentage from 1970 (12%) to 1980 (19.2%) and to 1990 (25.8%) the trend is obvious at about 7 percentage points gain per 10 year period.
A lot of good hard working Hispanics have come to this state but along with them has come a lot of crime and poverty. The once bucolic farm towns of the Central Valley now more like Mad Max. Is it any wonder this state has 1/3 of the welfare recipients in the US and has gone dark blue politically. Due to poor immigration enforcement, the Dems have gained what they wanted in California, absolute political control. Watch out, this scenario is coming to a state near you.
By the Alisal Union School District's logic, school districts in the Midwest should try school names like Jesse James Middle School or Bonnie & Clyde Union High School. |
|