Tweet
Pasadena Star-News, CA
Aug 31 2012
Pasadena officials speak out against denial of Armenian Genocide after
Turkish official's visit
PASADENA - When Councilman Terry Tornek learned about the Holocaust as
a boy, his mother gave him the novel "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh"
based on events in Armenian during 1915.
His mother wanted her 10-year-old son to understand that genocide
wasn't something that only happened to Jews; it had already been
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against the Armenian people, Tornek
said.
So when a Turkish consular official visited City Hall on Aug. 9 and
took issue with the term genocide for a proposed memorial the Armenian
community wants to erect in a city park, Tornek felt the move was
"very strange" but not entirely surprising.
"Apart from the Turkish government, there are very few people who
subscribe to the notion there wasn't a genocide" against Armenians,
Tornek said. "The whole concept of denial is not something I can wrap
my arms around frankly."
As many as 1.5 million Armenians were slain from 1915 through 1923 in
what was then the Ottoman Empire.
While the vast majority of historians assert the mass killings of
Armenians that started in 1915 was the 20th century's first genocide,
Turkey - a strong U.S. ally - has long denied there was a systematic
campaign to kill Armenians.
The nonprofit Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee last month
called for design proposals for the architectural design of the
memorial to be proposed in Memorial Park. Local Armenian-American
leaders say the memorial, if approved, would be paid for with private
funds.
Councilman Gene Masuda said while it's a free county and Turkish
officials can visit City Hall, using the word genocide for a proposed
Armenian monument is "very appropriate" since the city has long issued
a proclamation each year formally recognizing the Armenian genocide.
Having an memorial to commemorate the genocide, he said, "is a
longtime coming."
"It would be very respectful, appropriate and it shows that Pasadena
really supports the Armenian people," Masuda said.
Tornek, however, said it's "not a foregone conclusion" that an
Armenian Genocide Monument would be approved in Memorial Park since
all proposed monuments have to adhere to a number of city guidelines.
"I'm not sure what our policies are in terms of erecting monuments in
a city park, particularly concerning events that occurred overseas and
didn't involve Americans," he said.
While Tornek said he's not objecting to it, "I just don't know how it
fits in the context of our policy."
In the past, some memorial proposals have evolved significantly over
time during the approval process, he said.
According to the city's monument policy, all proposals "should be to
memorialize a person, place or event that is significant to Pasadena."
Proposals are also evaluated on criteria including appropriateness,
compatibility with the surrounding environment, impact on park use,
aesthetics, maintenance and safety.
Khatchik "Chris" Chahinian, chairman of the Armenian Community
Coalition, said the genocide's survivors have worked hard to make the
events known to the world, battling cover-ups, misinformation and
denial.
"As a community, we should stand together and join our Armenian
brothers and sisters in an effort to memorialize these fallen
ancestors and ensure this horrible act is not repeated," he said.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_21445144/pasadena-officials-speak-out-against-denial-armenian-genocide
From: Baghdasarian
Aug 31 2012
Pasadena officials speak out against denial of Armenian Genocide after
Turkish official's visit
PASADENA - When Councilman Terry Tornek learned about the Holocaust as
a boy, his mother gave him the novel "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh"
based on events in Armenian during 1915.
His mother wanted her 10-year-old son to understand that genocide
wasn't something that only happened to Jews; it had already been
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against the Armenian people, Tornek
said.
So when a Turkish consular official visited City Hall on Aug. 9 and
took issue with the term genocide for a proposed memorial the Armenian
community wants to erect in a city park, Tornek felt the move was
"very strange" but not entirely surprising.
"Apart from the Turkish government, there are very few people who
subscribe to the notion there wasn't a genocide" against Armenians,
Tornek said. "The whole concept of denial is not something I can wrap
my arms around frankly."
As many as 1.5 million Armenians were slain from 1915 through 1923 in
what was then the Ottoman Empire.
While the vast majority of historians assert the mass killings of
Armenians that started in 1915 was the 20th century's first genocide,
Turkey - a strong U.S. ally - has long denied there was a systematic
campaign to kill Armenians.
The nonprofit Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee last month
called for design proposals for the architectural design of the
memorial to be proposed in Memorial Park. Local Armenian-American
leaders say the memorial, if approved, would be paid for with private
funds.
Councilman Gene Masuda said while it's a free county and Turkish
officials can visit City Hall, using the word genocide for a proposed
Armenian monument is "very appropriate" since the city has long issued
a proclamation each year formally recognizing the Armenian genocide.
Having an memorial to commemorate the genocide, he said, "is a
longtime coming."
"It would be very respectful, appropriate and it shows that Pasadena
really supports the Armenian people," Masuda said.
Tornek, however, said it's "not a foregone conclusion" that an
Armenian Genocide Monument would be approved in Memorial Park since
all proposed monuments have to adhere to a number of city guidelines.
"I'm not sure what our policies are in terms of erecting monuments in
a city park, particularly concerning events that occurred overseas and
didn't involve Americans," he said.
While Tornek said he's not objecting to it, "I just don't know how it
fits in the context of our policy."
In the past, some memorial proposals have evolved significantly over
time during the approval process, he said.
According to the city's monument policy, all proposals "should be to
memorialize a person, place or event that is significant to Pasadena."
Proposals are also evaluated on criteria including appropriateness,
compatibility with the surrounding environment, impact on park use,
aesthetics, maintenance and safety.
Khatchik "Chris" Chahinian, chairman of the Armenian Community
Coalition, said the genocide's survivors have worked hard to make the
events known to the world, battling cover-ups, misinformation and
denial.
"As a community, we should stand together and join our Armenian
brothers and sisters in an effort to memorialize these fallen
ancestors and ensure this horrible act is not repeated," he said.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_21445144/pasadena-officials-speak-out-against-denial-armenian-genocide
From: Baghdasarian