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.
Low or high energy primary beam?
Huh?
Even then, those folks really should learn English too. One nation means one common way to communicate, or you don't have much of a nation on your hands.
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ConAgra blasts singer's remarks
Story By Perry Swanson
July 11, 2002 -- 03:14:29 EDT
The chief executive of Greeley's largest employer on Wednesday condemned comments from a country western singer who said immigrants to the United States should speak English or leave.
John Simons, chief executive officer of ConAgra Beef, sent a letter to the Greeley Tribune, calling the singer's comments "closed-minded" and "out-of-step with the 21st century." ConAgra employs 4,500 people in Colorado. Many of them are Hispanic and speak only Spanish.
Reaction to singer Chad Brock's comments has been fierce since he made them Friday during a concert at the Greeley Independence Stampede. Much of it has been in support of Brock. He later said he didn't intend the comments to be offensive.
At the concert, Brock said he was tired of adapting to accommodate people who speak languages other than English.
"Why should we adapt? You are coming to our country. We don't speak Russian. We don't speak Spanish. We speak English here," he said.
Greeley's city government is considering a forum where residents can talk about their opinions. Some Hispanic leaders also have called on Stampede sponsors, such as ConAgra, to speak against Brock's opinion. A spokesman for ConAgra said Simons drafted his letter before he received requests from outside the company to do so.
"We are a major employer of members of the Hispanic community, and we take that role very seriously," spokesman Jim Herlihy said. "We have had some calls from people in the community, but we wouldn't do it because of that."
ConAgra is a longtime sponsor of the annual Stampede festival.
Herlihy said he didn't know the details of the arrangement. Sponsorship packages range in price from $2,000 to $200,000. The Stampede reported $653,568 in direct public support for its 2000 season, or 21 percent of its revenues that year.
ConAgra is the first sponsor to take a public stand on the issue.
In his letter to the Tribune, Simons said ConAgra does not condone Brock's opinion but also does not dispute Brock's right to express it.
"Our nation is grounded in open-armed acceptance of peoples of all races and ethnic backgrounds," Simons wrote.
"Sometimes we're better at it than others. What makes this country great is our ability to ultimately learn from and adapt to each new wave of peoples who come to us from abroad."
The feedback from Brock's comments has largely focused on Greeley residents who were born in another country or who speak only Spanish. According to the 2000 census, 6,414 Greeley residents list a Latin American country as their nation of birth. Census data also indicate 18.5 percent of Greeley residents speak Spanish at home.
At ConAgra, 75 percent of production workers are Hispanic. Data do not exist on the number who speak only Spanish, but estimates range as high as 60 percent.
Delores Miller of Greeley said she feels sympathy for people who speak only Spanish. But they're experiencing the same cultural evolution other U.S. immigrants have, she said. Miller's family were Germans living in Russia before they moved here, she said.
"I am so happy my parents and grandparents decided to come to this country," Miller said. "Just because Mexico is closer, that doesn't mean we have to adopt their language in this country."
A man who speaks only Spanish said he agrees, but that's easier said than done. Armando Rios-Vasquez came from Guatemala five years ago. He lives in Greeley and works in Loveland.
"All the people should learn English when there is money and time," Rios-Vasquez said in Spanish. "But for a lot of people there is no opportunity."
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