Posted on 07/09/2002 10:43:24 AM PDT by Tancredo Fan
Singer's remark riles Hispanics -- Greeley debates 'English' comment
By Michael Riley
Denver Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
A country western singer who told his audience at the Greeley Independence Stampede that immigrants should learn to speak English ignited an emotional debate in a community that has seen an influx of Hispanics over the past decade.
Warner Brothers recording star Chad Brock said Monday that his comments were meant to express his "pride in being American." But Hispanic leaders said they were racist and the failure of Stampede organizers to condemn them shows the refusal to embrace newcomers.
Brock stepped on stage Friday to belt out hits like "Lighting Does the Work," but he salted his performance with some sharp opinions.
In a speech between sets, Brock said he was tired of having to adapt to the widening influence of the country's newcomers. "You are coming to our country. We don't speak Russian. We don't speak Spanish. We speak English here," Brock told an audience of 7,000, according to the Greeley Tribune. While many Hispanics in the audience walked out, people who attended the event said many non-Hispanics cheered.
Brock, a former pro wrestler, said Monday that the comments came out of an honest patriotic fervor, inspired in part by a recent court decision declaring the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional.
"I'm not a racist. I wasn't directing the comments toward any particular group. I was speaking my mind as an American" during the Fourth of July holiday, Brock said.
"But I had no idea there were so many Hispanics in Greeley," he said. "I didn't mean to offend anybody."
Hispanic leaders said "offend" doesn't even begin to cover it.
"His comments were bigoted, inflammatory and hateful," said Roberto Cordova, a local college professor.
The issue goes deeper than Brock, said Jorge Amaya, director of the Northern Colorado Latino Chamber of Commerce. "The problem isn't what Brock said. The problem is that our community leaders didn't step up to condemn it."
At a news conference Monday, the Hispanic leaders demanded an apology from city officials, the event's corporate sponsors and Stampede organizers. They said this isn't the first time the Stampede has offended the city's growing Hispanic population.
Citing poor ticket sales, Stampede organizers last year canceled the fiesta section of the annual event.
Stampede marketing director Kyle Holman said organizers wanted to make the fiesta more inclusive and renamed it Family Night.
"Mr. Brock has the right of free speech just like every other American," Holman said. "But his opinion aren't necessarily the opinions of the Greeley Stampede."
But some here said they share Brock's sentiments.
According to census figures, Greeley's Hispanic population nearly doubled in the 1990s, as immigrants, many with limited English skills, took jobs in the region's meat packing plants and feedlots.
As the ethnic makeup of schools and neighborhoods shifts, some residents say they feel left out. Language has become both a divide and a flashpoint.
"If we're going to communicate, everybody needs to speak the same language," said Billie Messner, a patron at a local coffee shop.
Greeley City Manager Leonard Wiest said the city is working to accommodate newcomers.
Brock said Monday that while he's sorry if his comments offended anyone, he won't apologize.
"I had the guts to speak out, but I think a lot of people feel the same way," he said.
Here, here, and that's all this boils down to.
Those that want us flooded with people that could care less about America and that make endless excuses for these people, and those that are trying to stem the tide of these millions upon millions that are changing this nation by shear numbers alone, as illegals are now changing the course of our elections. As time goes by, this will be more of a factor. Bet the rent. It's happening right before our very eyes.
Apologize for what? LOL. Brock just said what many people are thinking. More power to him.
We're supposed to bend over backwards and make them feel as if they are back home. All illegals should be deported asap.
You are the thick one.
Again, these people have left no doubt as to their feelings about assimilating. They walked out, remember?
Second, I don't remember hearing about these Germans agitating for a "Greater Bavaria" in the United States; unlike the "we want parts of the US back" that we keep hearing from the 'patriotic' new immigrants.
Third, all we keep hearing from your quarters is how we should let illegals vote, let's not have photo ID's at the polls, blah, blah, blah.........
These early immigrants you speak of didn't try to bring and enforce their corrupt political systems on the US, unlike the new, government entitlement driven, Clintonian immigrants (voters)
You sound angry.
Because we use a common language to communicate with each other. We might not always agree with one another, but hell, we sure have fun beating up on each other 'cuz we use ONE language.
</RANT OFF>
That's right, yes.........vote for us, and we'll hand you whatever you want. Maybe California, Arizona, New Mexico too.
That's the difference. These people aren't interested in the least about what they can give to America......it's all about what they can take.
Wall Street Journal | 7/2/02 | N/A
Mexico Expects to Issue More Than 1M Consular IDs in US The Associated Press, July 1, 2002
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- The Mexican government is expecting to issue more than one million consular identification cards in the U.S. this year as part of an effort to help more than three million undocumented immigrants get increased access to public and private services.
Sounds like you are the angry one here.
They walked out because they found the remarks offensive. BTW, I know this may have been a bit subtle for one of such limited intellect, but they were there listeing to one of the few truly American forms of music---country western, being sung in English no less! And it appears that they understood English well enough to take offense to the comments.
Not bad for people not assimilating!
One last thing, they paid to listen to this guy sing, not to get be lectured about his ideals.
Are you sure about the old Germans? We are going to conveniently ignore the fact that the Founders discussed the possibility of adopting Deutsch as the official language, aren't we?
MY quarters? Where pray tell, did you come upon my posts in favor of illegal aliens voting? Lying like that destroys what little credibility you have left.
How ironic, you continue to come up against this, and continue to defend yourself.
LOL!
It was, "Hispanics do this, hispanics do that", "It's too much trouble to get a photo ID, takes too much time to safeguard a voting process from fraud, it's too inconvenient for hispanics"
Still looking for it. Positively sickening.
I can't imagine why anyone would think that Luis Gonzalez would support, stick up, fight for, argue for, debate in support of illegal aliens.
I don't know where anyone would get this impression....
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