"Anyone Who Disagrees With Me Is A Racist"
The race card is being played far too often in L.A. People now seem to call their opponents racist regardless of the issue under consideration, and regardless of whether it makes any sense.
Case in point: in the L.A. Times today, there is a story about whether the City should designate a neighborhood called Windsor Square, which includes many mansions built in the 1910's and 1920's -- including the Mayoral Mansion -- as an historic preservation overlay zone (HPOZ). Houses in an HPOZ cannot be torn down, and any remodeling and landscaping must be done in a way that preserves the historic character of the homes. HPOZ's are adopted if and only if three-fourths of the homeowners in a neighborhood vote for it.
One can make a legitimate case for or against HPOZ's. On the one hand, they preserve the valuable and historic features of a neighborhood, and protect one's investment from the poor taste and unlimited budget of one's neighbor. On the other hand, HPOZ's interfere with the generally recognized right of a property owner to do what he wants with his property, regardless of whether his neighbor would prefer a different style of house or color of paint.
But rather than debate the legitimate issues concerning HPOZ's, some pinhead lawyer hired to fight the historic designation decided to play the race card. According to the L.A. Times, attorney Fred Gaines "suggested that the designation was motivated by a desire to keep 'immigrants and Orthodox Jews and others who have different cultural styles and needs for their houses out of the neighborhood.'"
Yeah, right, Fred -- anyone who wants to preserve historic architecture must hate immigrants and Orthodox Jews. Brilliant argument. You must be the pride of your law school.
After all, everyone knows that the Torah mandates the use vinyl windows rather than wood ones. And people who move here from other countries can't possibly be expected to live in beautiful houses that are 80 or 100 years old, because, afer all, in their homelands, all buildings are torn down and replaced every 20 years.
Give me a $%^& break! Next, Fred and his ilk will probably argue that HPOZ's cost the city of L.A. $2 billion annually....
This town is so doomed.
Posted by Walter Moore @ 2/08/2007 09:53:00 AM
19 Comments:
they don't hate the people, they hate the ugly, character -less mcmansions that they build.
it is stereotyping, but history tends to support many stereotypes already.
male hairdressers are gay.
blondes are dumb
all politicians lie
anyone else got any more to add?
Yes, Matt Dowd is an illegal alien.
Is there a reason why walter keeps picking on orthodox jews?
Dowd is not an illegal alien. He just writes like one.
Dowd doesn't know who he means by "they" in his first sentence or "It" in the second. And "history tends to support many stereotypes already", what the hell does that mean?
In all "historical overlay/monument/district" disputes, it is interesting to follow the money. That is, who's actually the driving force of pro/con sides. These disputes typically reach political resolutions which only occasionally have some relationship to the merits of the arguments (or the dispute goes on interminably, see Lincoln Place).
listen 11.06, Walter's thread reads "anyone who wants to preserve historic architecture must hate immigrants and Orthodox Jews. "
there's the word 'hate'
my quote: they don't hate the people, they hate the ugly, character -less mcmansions that they build."
so obviously they refers to the 'anyone' in his thread.
"it is stereotyping, but history tends to support many stereotypes already."
this 'hate' is the it.
thats very simple to follow.
you must be an attorney.
trying to make it look tough so you can charge someone to explain it.
and 10.42? look up stereotype in a dictionary. cause that ain't one.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
11:01 -- Thank you for illustrating my point by accusing me of "racism." Anyone who disagrees with you must be anti-semetic, right? Because one can't possibly just argue the merits of HPOZ's, right?
But didn't you leave something out? Don't you want to accuse me of hating foreigners, too? I mean, obviously a person can't favor the preservation of historic buildings unless he hates Orthodox Jews and foreigners, right?
Staffers say the darndest things!
But by all means, do attack personally anyone who disagrees with you. Remember to claim they're anti-semitic, xenophobic, child-abusing, wife-beating homophobics. Why? Because unless you smear them, you will lose any argument on the merits, because lack the intellect, logic and evidence to do so.
My understanding is that the homeowners in Hancock Park don't care if the Orthodox Jews live there but they don't want them to setting up congregations in homes. That is probably why they have to modify the homes.
The orthodox group or at least their attorney is playing the race card.
You can imagine my view on this - if the Jews in Hancock Park want to modify their homes so they can conduct worship services that is their right. If they do things that bother other people like trespass, park illegally, etc. there are laws to deal with that.
I also believe Congress passed laws a few years back that prevent local cities from using zoning laws to harrass or inhibit religious facilities or congregations.
The Hancock Park people better be nice to the Jews or Mayor Sam will put a Home Depot there!
first Walter goes after Jews who want to build eruvs then he goes after Jews who don't want to have their zoning restricted by NIMBYs.
What gives, Walter?
Walter when are you going to deport Matt Dowd?
Some of the people who have supported the HPOZ are concerned with historic preservation. Others are upset that "those people" are moving into the neighborhood and are "changing things." Attend the neighborhood meetings and the public hearings and you will hear about "those people" over and over again. Maybe they are just talking about architecture, but I don't think so. The problem with the HPOZ is that it is overbroad, was established illegally, and vests a small Board of non-experts with the arbtirary discretion to decide what you will be able to do with your property. If you took the time to actually identify the truely historic buildings, and then applied objective criteria to any application for remodel or demolition, you could have a fair and workable law. The discriminatory aspects of the law are inherent in the arbitrary, subjective and political application of "historic perservation." Remember, historically, none of "those people" lived in Windsor Square.
Fred, the problem with you is you tried to play the race card instead of sticking with legitimate arguments.
If YOU took the time to read the HPOZ statutes, and to spell "truly" correctly, you would realize the HPOZ boards ARE qualified, and DO apply specific, objective criteria. For example, Fred, remodeling must be done with the same kind of materials as the original. You can't replace wood windows with vinyl. Taking another example, HPOZ boards must include an architect. Members of each board are vetted before they are appointed, and the boards decisions are subject to review and appeal.
All we ask, Fred, is that you quit trying to paint people who favor historic preservation as racists, xenophobes, etc. And did it ever occur to you that "those people" refers to people who lack taste? You know, as in people who buy a beautiful house with a beautiful yard, and replace it with a McMansion on a paved lot?
There are over 20 HPOZ's in this city, and PLENTY of places for people to live if they don't want property in an HPOZ. But there is no room for lawyers who try to stir up and turn religious or racial hatred to their own advantage.
I support the Orthodox group and their members' right to their properties.
I know of Fred Gaines to be a usually rather succesful zoning and land use attorney.
But Fred I am confused by your approach - even if there are individuals who are anti-Semitic I don't sense that is the motivation of the NIMBYs. I think you are doing you and your clients a disservice - when you have an othewise valid case - by bringing in the anti-Semitism issue.
did you check up on Matt Dowd?
Word has it that Fred Gaines went to Peeples Collij of Law.
Maybe Fred Gaines and Shelly Sloan could be Matt Dowd's dream team when he faces deportation hearings.
Walter, if you don't want folks to keep calling you a racist, then stop calling everyone who disagrees with you a staffer. Some of your most bitter opponents revile the current political establishment. What gives?
You do tend to pick on the Orthodox Jews, though...
Ok - so I am a couple of months late on this discussion but I can vent. My area was slapped with an HPOZ despite overwhelming opposition by the community. (I have proof 180 signatures to 60) Having spent 5 years in architecture school - I can only cry. Were such draconian tactics in place when Frank LLoyd Wright turned the world on its head or Le Corbussier came up with "modern" (pronounced mo-durn -emphasis on the durn by the frufri)there can be no doubt that some of the very properties the Conservancy is so keen on protecting would not even exist. Somewhere in the article or in the responses I read that the HPOZ was not too bad, it required members of the community to be appointed, an architect etc etc. I was recently in an HPOZ meeting where a homeowner was stopped from replacing a chain link fence with a concrete block wall at the REAR of his property because the HPOZ board really wanted to maintain the use "wood" fences(so much for saving trees ). The real kicker was that the owner's property was surrounded on two sides with a block wall already - the project would have simply complete what was already in place. What I found most curious is that despite the fact that there were 5 members of the board (all of whom could not have appeared more impressed with their power)not one of the them said a word and simply waited for "the architect" to make his decree. Do we really want appointed -frustrated at their own lack of creativity -architects to have control over the future look of our neighborhoods? Don't get me wrong - I am all for preservation but it should NOT be forced upon unsuspecting homeowners whose poor taste can become a criminal offense (look at the fine print in the HPOZ ordinance). I have no idea if the matter has been resolved in Hancock Park but I hope that Mr. Gaines succeeds in figuring out a way to stop the spread of the HPOZ in some way. Preservation is quickly becoming a blight on our once great nation of independent thinkers. Around me all the houses are now in varying shades of brown with red trim, brown with green trim or the green version of the Green and Green Pasadena House. As for me I am doing everything I can to temp the HPOZ gods into striking. My house is red, green, blue and I recently painted a single window yellow - just because. If the gods were to finally come crashing down on me I think I would like Mr. Gaines to claim racial discrimination. After all these years being a Mexican should count for something.
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