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Old 01-27-2010, 02:32 AM
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Default Kellar stands by 'proud racist' remark

Kellar stands by 'proud racist' remark
By Susan Abram, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/26/2010 08:07:38 PM PST
Updated: 01/26/2010 08:43:10 PM PST
VALENCIA - An overflow crowd crammed into Santa Clarita City Hall Tuesday night, most to support a councilman who called himself a "proud racist" and others to condemn his words as hateful rhetoric.
Opposing demonstrators engaged in heated exchanges of name-calling, finger-pointing and American flag-waving prior to the city council meeting.
The demonstrations were sparked by comments from Councilman Bob Kellar, who called himself a "proud racist" during an anti-illegal immigration rally two weeks ago.
On Tuesday, Kellar said his words were taken out of context and that he abhorred racism.
"Racism is wrong and should never be tolerated," Kellar said.
But many opponents have seized on it as reflecting the true mindset of Kellar and other opponents of illegal immigration.
More than 150 people packed the council chambers, with the vocal majority applauding Kellar as he entered the room.
"It's about red, white and blue - not white, brown and black," said Robert Crooks, a Canyon Country resident and president of a local Minuteman chapter. "It's about America, we the people. We are not racists."
Supporters of Kellar held signs reading, for example, "Bob Kellar `patriotic hero'."
But other demonstrators representing immigrant-rights groups held signs that read "Fire `proud racist' Bob Kellar."
"People who share Kellar's views want to see immigrants in concentration camps," said Carlos Alvarez, representing
the immigrant rights group Answer Coalition.
"Black, Latino, Asian, whites - we are all struggling together. Immigrants are not the problem."
Before the meeting, Kellar released a new statement standing behind his remarks, but saying some people had taken them out of context.
"Some have called me a racist regarding this issue," Kellar said. "Let me be perfectly clear on that point: I am not a racist. I abhor racism in any form, shape or fashion.
"However, the issue on the table is illegals and the failure of our government at all levels to deal with this `issue.'
"I am an American, a proud one. And I believe it is time we stand behind our laws and the principles that have made this nation great."
He specifically condemned racism, saying he had witnessed it when he served in the U.S. Army in Mississippi in the 1960s and in later years as he worked as a police officer and Realtor in Santa Clarita.
Those who supported Kellar called him a hero, saying no other politician has stood up to "decry the massive impact of illegal immigration on our community."
Supporters on Tuesday night called on the city council to enforce laws against hiring undocumented laborers, especially those who stand on corners under "No Stopping Anytime" signs, "waiting to find jobs meant for Americans," as a local Minuteman group said.
And many also criticized Mayor Laurene Weste, and council members Marsha McLean, Frank Ferry, and Laurie Ender for not publicly supporting Kellar.
Kellar, who has served on the council for 10 years, made the remarks at a Jan. 16 rally in Santa Clarita, attended by anti-illegal immigration groups and posted on YouTube.
He first referred to a statement from President Theodore Roosevelt that said the United States only has room for one flag and one language. He said he had quoted it at a past city council meeting.
"The only thing I heard back from a couple of people was `Bob, you sound like a racist'," Kellar said.
"I said, `That's good. If that's what you think I am because I happen to believe in America. I'm a proud racist. You're darn right I am'."
The rally was attended by members of several groups that are against illegal immigration, including the Santa Clarita Valley Independent Minutemen.
Also speaking at the rally was Jamiel Shaw Sr., an African-American whose 17-year-old son was gunned down two years ago, allegedly by a 19-year-old illegal immigrant and gang member.
Shaw made remarks similar to Kellar's about illegal immigration, saying: "If this makes me a racist, then hey, I'm going to be the best one I can. It's not racist to be pissed off, and I'm a pissed-off dad. I miss my son."
Coincidentally, as Tuesday's rally was happening at City Hall, about three miles to the west a local group was presenting a play exploring immigrant issues and seeking to end discrimination.
Santa Clarita's Human Relations Forum was scheduled to present the play "Wheels" at the Rancho Pico Junior High School Auditorium as part of the city's "A Season of Diversity program."
The play explores the freedom, mobility and dreams associated with United States citizenship and "will offer perspective on immigration, as well as the privileges and responsibilities of United States citizenship," through the eyes of a Salvadorian-American youth named Oscar.
"The City's `A Season of Diversity' program is devoted to empowering community members to eliminate all forms of discrimination,' Mayor Weste said in a statement. "The Wheels compassion play helps achieve this goal by offering residents a compassionate view of the immigration experience through a young person's eye."
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_1...nclick_check=1
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Old 01-27-2010, 03:16 AM
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Bob Kellar: ‘I'm Not A Racist.' Everyone Else: ‘We Know'

Written by Jon Dell Wednesday, January 27 2010

Santa Clarita City Councilman's words scrutinized in multi-hour public participation period.
Whoever said words are powerful things was absolutely right. A few words landed our City Councilman Bob Kellar smack in the middle of public affairs blitz which the Council was forced to face down at Tuesday night's meeting amid local and Los Angeles market media outlets.
Speaking at an anti illegal immigration rally January 16th, Kellar lamented the financial and public safety burdens he believed to be a result of rampant illegal immigration. Kellar reminisced to the crowd about a time when he quoted Teddy Roosevelt before a Council meeting some years ago. Afterwards, Kellar said that he was approached by a few people who said "Bob, you sound like a racist." Kellar's reply was "That's good. If that's what you think I am because I happen to believe in America, I'm a proud racist, you're darn right I am." For more on Kellar's original comments, click here.
The crowd before Kellar on that day cheered. Little did he know at the time, his comments would quickly gain a head of steam among media outlets in and outside of the Santa Clarita Valley. "Proud racist" flashed in newspaper headlines, angry emails were sent to the City and residents came together in outrage or support.
The action culminated Tuesday night during the City Council's public participation period. 41 people addressed the Council and seven others submitted written comments. Of those, 38 offered explicit support for either Kellar's character or his views on illegal immigration. Eight admonished Kellar's choice of words, of which a handful requested that he be censured or punished for ethical violations. Two offered insight on immigration or racism separate from Kellar's comments. Not one comment accused Bob Kellar of being a racist.
Even those who spoke out against his choice of words expressed disbelief that he was, in fact, a racist. The consensus among the public speakers and Kellar's four fellow Council members was that he chose his word's poorly.
That left one issue resolved, and the numerous Los Angeles television stations slowly disassembled their cameras and retreated to the parking lot. However, another issue remained; did Councilman Kellar violate the City's code of ethics?
The Code of Ethics was a series of rules passed by the Council meant to govern their behavior and that of City staff. One such rule reads "When presenting their individual opinions and positions, covered persons shall explicitly state they do not represent their body or the City of Santa Clarita, nor will they allow the inference that they do." Full Code of Ethics.
At the January 16 rally, Kellar was introduced as a Councilman, although the man who introduced him testified to the Council that he was not instructed to do so. During his speech, Kellar did not specifically announce that he was not speaking on behalf of the City. On the other hand, he didn't suggest that he was speaking on the City's behalf either. However, some of the speakers at Tuesday's meeting asked for the Council to censure Kellar for violating the Code.
There are no specific punishments for violating the code of Ethics. The language was adopted not long ago and it doesn't include penalties.
The Council did seek the advice of City Attorney Karl Newton, who stated that he interpreted Kellar's comments to be "irrefutably" his own personal views.
The Council did not take any action against Kellar.
The lack of action proved to be the end of a four-hour Council meeting, in which the topic of illegal immigration took center stage. After requests from multiple speakers for each Council member to announce their position on the topic, all five reported that they were against any kind of illicit activity, including illegal immigration.
The debate over where to have discussions such as these may be next. Kellar stated that the discussion should be held at all levels of government. City Attorney Karl Newton reported that the City's hands were tied in handling some potential evidence of illegal immigrants within the City because the federal government has preempted immigration enforcement.
The turnout for the meeting was high, with many left standing in the back. Security was increased in Council Chambers, however aside from some applause and one expletive, the crowd was respectful of the rules.

http://hometownstation.com/index.php...news&Itemid=97
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Old 01-27-2010, 03:22 AM
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Jeanfromfillmore Jeanfromfillmore is offline
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UPDATED: Kellar backers pack City Hall; no action taken
Council adjourns after more than 3 hours of public comment
By Signal Staff
Posted: Jan. 26, 2010 5:51 p.m.
POSTED Jan. 26, 2010 9:55 p.m.

Tuesday, 9:55:
George Thomas of Route 66 was the last to speak, in favor of Councilman Kellar, who broke procedure to make a brief statement thanking those who turned out to support him. They applauded for approximately 30 seconds.

Mayor Laurene Weste then asked City Attorney Carl Newton to review laws relating to illegal immigration and how those laws are enforced locally.

Newton also said Kellar had every legal right to express his personal views at the rally.

Councilwoman Laurie Ender said she had initially expressed shock that Kellar had called himself a racist because she knew he was not racist.

Councilwoman McLean said Kellar's choice of words was not good, and that she did not support illegal anything.

Councilman Frank Ferry said he was against illegal immigration, but he didn't want it to be a racist issue.

Mayor Laurene Weste said the issue is not racism, it's the rule of law. She congratulated the speakers for keeping things civil, and assured the public that the city would continue to seek what she called "equitable solutions."

There was no further discussion, and Weste adjourned the meeting at 9:49 p.m.

Check tomorrow's edition of The Signal for more coverage.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tuesday, 9:15 p.m.:
After taking care of agenda business including voting 5-0 to OK plans for a medical center in Canyon Country, the Santa Clarita City Council opened its meeting to pubic comment.

More than two dozen members of the community weighed in on Councilman Bob Kellar's remarks at the Jan. 16 anti-illegal immigration rally at the Civic Center.

Most of the speakers supported Kellar as a pillar of the community and thanked him for bringing attention to the illegal immigration issue.

Several speakers thought Kellar should apologize.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tuesday 6:20 p.m.:
It's standing room only at City Hall as more than 200 people have gathered to address Santa Clarita City Councilman Bob Kellar's fiery comments about illegal immigration.

When Kellar walked into the council chambers, about half of the audience gave a standing ovation while the rest remained seated and quiet.

Public comment has not begun yet. A verbal clash between protesters occurred before the meeting.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tuesday 5:45 p.m.:
Crowds of protesters have gathered outside City Hall following Santa Clarita City Councilman Bob Kellar's controversial remarks about race and illegal immigration at a recent Minuteman rally.

Supporters and opponents of Kellar are expected to storm tonight's City Council meeting to address the City Council.

About 10 deputies are at City Hall, but as of 5:45 p.m. there have been no incidents so far, said Lt. Tom Bryski of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station.

Check back here for updates tonight and tomorrow's edition of The Signal for full coverage.
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Old 01-27-2010, 04:50 AM
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Quote:
On Tuesday, Kellar said his words were taken out of context and that he abhorred racism.
"Racism is wrong and should never be tolerated," Kellar said.
My lucky stars! Finally I hear the magic words. This whole affair thus far has been pretty difficult for me, mainly because there was very little of this originally. I'm glad he cleared that up publicly. That is something I can support, and now have few reservations about supporting him personally.
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Old 01-27-2010, 01:17 PM
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I happened to catch a glance at the news this AM on channel 4 with Fred Rogan. He had a segment on Bob Kellers' remarks at the rally and showed that part of the youtube video. He had LA's Jack Weiss (I think it was Weiss) and an opposing opinion from a blonde woman (didn't catch her name) about this event regarding Keller.

Jack Wiess was all over Keller for the remark and agreed that he meant he was a "racist", while the blonde woman was countering him by saying she thinks the remarks by Keller are being taken out of context. At the end, Fred Rogan gave his opinion and sided with Jack Weiss saying he thought Keller spoke of racism.


What a dupe Fred Rogan is, he should stick to sports reporting.
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Old 01-27-2010, 01:26 PM
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Jeanfromfillmore Jeanfromfillmore is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MowMyOwn View Post
I happened to catch a glance at the news this AM on channel 4 with Fred Rogan. He had a segment on Bob Kellers' remarks at the rally and showed that part of the youtube video. He had LA's Jack Weiss (I think it was Weiss) and an opposing opinion from a blonde woman (didn't catch her name) about this event regarding Keller.

Jack Wiess was all over Keller for the remark and agreed that he meant he was a "racist", while the blonde woman was countering him by saying she thinks the remarks by Keller are being taken out of context. At the end, Fred Rogan gave his opinion and sided with Jack Weiss saying he thought Keller spoke of racism.


What a dupe Fred Rogan is, he should stick to sports reporting.
Another Keith Ohbermann
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