Tweet
Glendale News Press, CA
April 20 2013
Ron Kaye: Zareh Sinanyan admits racist remarks, expresses regret
April 19, 2013
It was a week Zareh Sinanyan will never forget. The man who left the
Soviet Republic of Armenia as a 14-year-old a quarter century ago took
his seat as a Glendale City Councilman on Monday, faced harsh
criticism from residents during public comment on Tuesday over hateful
comments he posted on the Internet several years ago, attended several
community events in his official capacity and then sat down to clear
the air.
"I engaged people in conversation in an unacceptable and emotional way
that I deeply regret," he said, repeating the word "regret" more than
20 times during our 40-minute chat.
"They were conversations - antagonistic conversations - about the
Armenian genocide, Armenian-Azeri relations, things my family
experienced directly. They would say things like, 'We should have done
more to you. We should have finished the job.'
"It's impossible for me to look at those conversations and even say
that's me. That does not justify it. I regret having made those
statements. I regret having hurt anyone. I regret using that language.
I'm not excusing myself in any way."
Those were hard words for a proud man to utter, a man who like most
Armenians will never be able to let go of what happened in 1915 and
what has happened so often to Armenians over the years until there is
official recognition of their suffering.
The anti-gay, anti-Muslim comments Sinanyan made on YouTube five years
or so ago came back to haunt him in the campaign's last month - "29
days before the election," he says, and he was called to account on
blogs, in the press and before the City Council, which wanted to know
if he should be removed from a city commission.
His response was to stonewall the issue, a non-denial denial that left
many in the community angry and seemed to jeopardize his chances to
win the election. But he went on the warpath and rallied the Armenian
community, which used its organizational and economic muscle to help
him win the open seat created by Frank Quintero's retirement.
"To say that I was jarred would be a gross understatement. The
campaign ground to a halt. I lost weight. I kept thinking, 'Who is
doing this? Why are they doing this?'
"My reputation has been a positive one. I knew they couldn't bring
someone in who knew me who would say, 'Yes, he's a well-known racist,
yes, a homophobe.' But I was accused of those things. I wasn't
thinking straight. I needed to get some sleep to rationally think
about this."
http://articles.glendalenewspress.com/2013-04-19/news/tn-gnp-0421-zareh-sinanyan-admits-racist-remarks-expresses-regret_1_zareh-sinanyan-armenians-council-meetings
April 20 2013
Ron Kaye: Zareh Sinanyan admits racist remarks, expresses regret
April 19, 2013
It was a week Zareh Sinanyan will never forget. The man who left the
Soviet Republic of Armenia as a 14-year-old a quarter century ago took
his seat as a Glendale City Councilman on Monday, faced harsh
criticism from residents during public comment on Tuesday over hateful
comments he posted on the Internet several years ago, attended several
community events in his official capacity and then sat down to clear
the air.
"I engaged people in conversation in an unacceptable and emotional way
that I deeply regret," he said, repeating the word "regret" more than
20 times during our 40-minute chat.
"They were conversations - antagonistic conversations - about the
Armenian genocide, Armenian-Azeri relations, things my family
experienced directly. They would say things like, 'We should have done
more to you. We should have finished the job.'
"It's impossible for me to look at those conversations and even say
that's me. That does not justify it. I regret having made those
statements. I regret having hurt anyone. I regret using that language.
I'm not excusing myself in any way."
Those were hard words for a proud man to utter, a man who like most
Armenians will never be able to let go of what happened in 1915 and
what has happened so often to Armenians over the years until there is
official recognition of their suffering.
The anti-gay, anti-Muslim comments Sinanyan made on YouTube five years
or so ago came back to haunt him in the campaign's last month - "29
days before the election," he says, and he was called to account on
blogs, in the press and before the City Council, which wanted to know
if he should be removed from a city commission.
His response was to stonewall the issue, a non-denial denial that left
many in the community angry and seemed to jeopardize his chances to
win the election. But he went on the warpath and rallied the Armenian
community, which used its organizational and economic muscle to help
him win the open seat created by Frank Quintero's retirement.
"To say that I was jarred would be a gross understatement. The
campaign ground to a halt. I lost weight. I kept thinking, 'Who is
doing this? Why are they doing this?'
"My reputation has been a positive one. I knew they couldn't bring
someone in who knew me who would say, 'Yes, he's a well-known racist,
yes, a homophobe.' But I was accused of those things. I wasn't
thinking straight. I needed to get some sleep to rationally think
about this."
http://articles.glendalenewspress.com/2013-04-19/news/tn-gnp-0421-zareh-sinanyan-admits-racist-remarks-expresses-regret_1_zareh-sinanyan-armenians-council-meetings