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CARSON CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY REJECTS ATATURK MONUMENT MEASURE
Posted on March 5, 2015
CARSON, CA - Earlier this evening, the Carson City Council
unanimously rejected the proposal to erect a memorial monument for
Genocide Perpetrator and Denier Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the city's
International Sculpture Garden.
The 4-0 vote came after an overflow crowd of community organizations,
leaders, activists and concerned community members packed Carson's
City Hall to voice their concerns during the public comment session.
While over 298 members opposing the monument and 101 in favor submitted
cards to speak, only 6 from each side were afforded the opportunity
to comment.
In the weeks leading up to today's vote, the ANCA-WR, Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, Armenian Youth Federation, American Hellenic
Council, elected officials from neighboring cities, and the concerned
citizenry of the local South Bay community, respectively had all
been educating the Carson City Councilmembers who had been lobbied by
the Los Angeles Turkish American Association with the ill-conceived
proposition for erecting a statue of Ataturk on public grounds and
rallying the community for tonight's meeting.
"We thank our grassroots and the community based organizations for
their unrelenting vigor to time and again advocate for the truth,
which Turkish lobbyists shamelessly and unsuccessfully, as evidenced
today, try to bury with corrupt funding and preposterous schemes,"
stated ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. "We applaud Mayor
Jim Dear, Mayor Pro Tempore Elita Santarina, and Councilmembers
Lula Davis-Homes and Albert Robles for listening to the testimonies
and comments from our community and allies and voting against such
revisionist agendas," added Asatryan.
Glendale City Mayor Zareh Sinanyan was the first to speak in
opposition of the proposal, and recounted his family's personal story
of survival of the Armenian Genocide. He informed the Carson City
Council that Ataturk was idolized by Nazi Germany and by Hitler for
how he 'liberated' Turkey. This liberation, however, included trying
to finish what the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey
attempted but failed--total annihilation of the Armenians. At the end
of his comments Mayor Sinanyan urged the Council to vote against the
measure and noted that having an Ataturk Memorial would be the same
as having one of Hitler.
"To honor Ataturk is to honor murder, rape, dictatorship, repression,
ethnic cleansing and genocide. Today the Armenian community of S.
California made sure there is no place for that here or anywhere else
in the civilized world," stated Mayor Sinanyan.
Sinanyan's statements were followed by Honorable Mayor of Montebello
Jack Hadjinian, Glendale City Clerk Ardashes "Ardy" Kassakhian,
Professor Levon Marashlian, and the Vice Chairman of the American
Hellenic Council Aris Anagnos who shed light on the historical facts
surrounding the Armenian Genocide and Ataturk, all urging the Council
to reject this ridiculous measure. In his remarks, Anagnos posed the
question that crossed the minds of many "Why would an American city
choose to honor a General who fought against Americans?"
Professor of History, Dr. Levon Marashlian during his public comment
recounted the words spoken by Ataturk himself who once asserted,
"I am a dictator so that Turkey will never again have a dictator."
Marashlian noted that Mustafa Kemal continued the crimes of the
Armenian Genocide and read an excerpt from American nurse Edith Woods'
eyewitness testimony in 1922 of the atrocities committed against the
Armenians during Kemal's forced deportations of the Armenians from
Turkey. "The children would often be dead before I had taken their
names. 40 to 50 of the older women died each day, their mouths were
massive sores and their teeth were dropping out and their feet, those
poor bleeding feet. Deportation assured death, and a far more horrible
death than massacre. Unless one sees these things it is difficult to
believe that such monstrous cruelty and barbarity exists in the world."
"As elected officials it is our responsibility to properly identify
real historical figures and honor them for their true heroism or
public service rather than ignore the facts and glorify villains
who thrived from the blood of our ancestors or of any innocent man,"
stated Montebello Mayor Jack Hadjinian.
"Ataturk built the modern republic of Turkey upon the bones and ashes
of its minorities - Greeks, Armenians and others. My own family
survived the burning of Smyrna - one of the worst catastrophes
of the 20th century. To honor such a man is not only insult to
Armenian-Americans but to all Americans who believe that every person
is born with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,"
remarked Glendale city clerk Ardashes Kassakhian. "Ataturk and his
regime denied thousands of these rights. It is upsetting that the
Mayor of Carson has invited upon his city the stain of honoring a
Genocide denier by proposing such an inappropriate monument. A more
appropriate monument would be one to honor the victims of Ataturk's
regime," added Kassakhian.
California State Assemblymembers submitted a letter in opposition to
the monument, which was presented at the meeting by a representative
of Assemblymember and former Carson City Councilman Mike Gipson,
and co-signed by Assemblymembers Adrin Nazarian, Katcho Achadjian,
Scott Wilk and Mike Gatto.
When Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles Raife Gulru Gezer, who was
one of the 6 to speak in favor of the proposed monument, addressed
the City Council, an overwhelming majority of the crowd in attendance
turned their backs to her in protest.
Carson Mayor Jim Dear, who initiated the monument proposal and
used unfair tactics including initially permitting an additional
speaker in favor of than in opposition to the monument and providing
unlimited speaking time to foreign agent Turkish Consul General of Los
Angeles Raife Gulru Gezer, while curtailing the voice of the American
citizenry, made a motion to table the item to a future meeting. The
motion was rejected by the other Councilmembers who did not want to
delay the vote.
Prior to making a motion to reject the monument Councilmember Robles
stated "This type of monument would bring bad notoriety to our City."
In the end, Dear changed his vote and spent over 10 minutes talking
about the atrocities that took place during the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian press, including Asbarez, was not allowed to enter the City
Council chamber. However, CNN Turk and ABC7 were allowed to cover
the proceedings from inside the chamber.
Upon confirmation of today's scheduled vote, ANCA-WR disseminated
an action alert, to which its highly mobilized grassroots responded
swiftly. Phone calls and e-mails expressed the grave concerns of
Armenian-Americans who questioned why the city of Carson would ever
consider memorializing a genocide denier, perpetrator and profiteer,
calling their attention to the precarious timing of the vote just
weeks away from the Centennial anniversary of the Armenian genocide of
1915-1923, committed by Ottoman Turkey, a crime still unpunished, and
for which recognition, reparations and restitution are justly sought.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.
http://www.ancawr.org/carson-rejects-ataturk-monument-measure/
From: A. Papazian
Posted on March 5, 2015
CARSON, CA - Earlier this evening, the Carson City Council
unanimously rejected the proposal to erect a memorial monument for
Genocide Perpetrator and Denier Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the city's
International Sculpture Garden.
The 4-0 vote came after an overflow crowd of community organizations,
leaders, activists and concerned community members packed Carson's
City Hall to voice their concerns during the public comment session.
While over 298 members opposing the monument and 101 in favor submitted
cards to speak, only 6 from each side were afforded the opportunity
to comment.
In the weeks leading up to today's vote, the ANCA-WR, Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, Armenian Youth Federation, American Hellenic
Council, elected officials from neighboring cities, and the concerned
citizenry of the local South Bay community, respectively had all
been educating the Carson City Councilmembers who had been lobbied by
the Los Angeles Turkish American Association with the ill-conceived
proposition for erecting a statue of Ataturk on public grounds and
rallying the community for tonight's meeting.
"We thank our grassroots and the community based organizations for
their unrelenting vigor to time and again advocate for the truth,
which Turkish lobbyists shamelessly and unsuccessfully, as evidenced
today, try to bury with corrupt funding and preposterous schemes,"
stated ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. "We applaud Mayor
Jim Dear, Mayor Pro Tempore Elita Santarina, and Councilmembers
Lula Davis-Homes and Albert Robles for listening to the testimonies
and comments from our community and allies and voting against such
revisionist agendas," added Asatryan.
Glendale City Mayor Zareh Sinanyan was the first to speak in
opposition of the proposal, and recounted his family's personal story
of survival of the Armenian Genocide. He informed the Carson City
Council that Ataturk was idolized by Nazi Germany and by Hitler for
how he 'liberated' Turkey. This liberation, however, included trying
to finish what the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey
attempted but failed--total annihilation of the Armenians. At the end
of his comments Mayor Sinanyan urged the Council to vote against the
measure and noted that having an Ataturk Memorial would be the same
as having one of Hitler.
"To honor Ataturk is to honor murder, rape, dictatorship, repression,
ethnic cleansing and genocide. Today the Armenian community of S.
California made sure there is no place for that here or anywhere else
in the civilized world," stated Mayor Sinanyan.
Sinanyan's statements were followed by Honorable Mayor of Montebello
Jack Hadjinian, Glendale City Clerk Ardashes "Ardy" Kassakhian,
Professor Levon Marashlian, and the Vice Chairman of the American
Hellenic Council Aris Anagnos who shed light on the historical facts
surrounding the Armenian Genocide and Ataturk, all urging the Council
to reject this ridiculous measure. In his remarks, Anagnos posed the
question that crossed the minds of many "Why would an American city
choose to honor a General who fought against Americans?"
Professor of History, Dr. Levon Marashlian during his public comment
recounted the words spoken by Ataturk himself who once asserted,
"I am a dictator so that Turkey will never again have a dictator."
Marashlian noted that Mustafa Kemal continued the crimes of the
Armenian Genocide and read an excerpt from American nurse Edith Woods'
eyewitness testimony in 1922 of the atrocities committed against the
Armenians during Kemal's forced deportations of the Armenians from
Turkey. "The children would often be dead before I had taken their
names. 40 to 50 of the older women died each day, their mouths were
massive sores and their teeth were dropping out and their feet, those
poor bleeding feet. Deportation assured death, and a far more horrible
death than massacre. Unless one sees these things it is difficult to
believe that such monstrous cruelty and barbarity exists in the world."
"As elected officials it is our responsibility to properly identify
real historical figures and honor them for their true heroism or
public service rather than ignore the facts and glorify villains
who thrived from the blood of our ancestors or of any innocent man,"
stated Montebello Mayor Jack Hadjinian.
"Ataturk built the modern republic of Turkey upon the bones and ashes
of its minorities - Greeks, Armenians and others. My own family
survived the burning of Smyrna - one of the worst catastrophes
of the 20th century. To honor such a man is not only insult to
Armenian-Americans but to all Americans who believe that every person
is born with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,"
remarked Glendale city clerk Ardashes Kassakhian. "Ataturk and his
regime denied thousands of these rights. It is upsetting that the
Mayor of Carson has invited upon his city the stain of honoring a
Genocide denier by proposing such an inappropriate monument. A more
appropriate monument would be one to honor the victims of Ataturk's
regime," added Kassakhian.
California State Assemblymembers submitted a letter in opposition to
the monument, which was presented at the meeting by a representative
of Assemblymember and former Carson City Councilman Mike Gipson,
and co-signed by Assemblymembers Adrin Nazarian, Katcho Achadjian,
Scott Wilk and Mike Gatto.
When Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles Raife Gulru Gezer, who was
one of the 6 to speak in favor of the proposed monument, addressed
the City Council, an overwhelming majority of the crowd in attendance
turned their backs to her in protest.
Carson Mayor Jim Dear, who initiated the monument proposal and
used unfair tactics including initially permitting an additional
speaker in favor of than in opposition to the monument and providing
unlimited speaking time to foreign agent Turkish Consul General of Los
Angeles Raife Gulru Gezer, while curtailing the voice of the American
citizenry, made a motion to table the item to a future meeting. The
motion was rejected by the other Councilmembers who did not want to
delay the vote.
Prior to making a motion to reject the monument Councilmember Robles
stated "This type of monument would bring bad notoriety to our City."
In the end, Dear changed his vote and spent over 10 minutes talking
about the atrocities that took place during the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian press, including Asbarez, was not allowed to enter the City
Council chamber. However, CNN Turk and ABC7 were allowed to cover
the proceedings from inside the chamber.
Upon confirmation of today's scheduled vote, ANCA-WR disseminated
an action alert, to which its highly mobilized grassroots responded
swiftly. Phone calls and e-mails expressed the grave concerns of
Armenian-Americans who questioned why the city of Carson would ever
consider memorializing a genocide denier, perpetrator and profiteer,
calling their attention to the precarious timing of the vote just
weeks away from the Centennial anniversary of the Armenian genocide of
1915-1923, committed by Ottoman Turkey, a crime still unpunished, and
for which recognition, reparations and restitution are justly sought.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.
http://www.ancawr.org/carson-rejects-ataturk-monument-measure/
From: A. Papazian