How progressive is the Coachella Valley? That question is about to be put to the test with a Black Lives Matter protest scheduled in downtown Palm Springs next week. The event starts on Monday, July 25th at 7PM at Frances Stevens Park.
Of course, participation may be less than can be expected depending on how warm the weather is and people being out of town. So far BLM has done a good job of using social media to get the word out. And to their credit, the PSPD has acted professionally. The PSPOA (Palm Springs Police Officers Association) has uncharacteristically also been restrained. This is also welcome.
This being Oz with a plethora of new residents, many do not realize the problems faced historically by Latino and African Americans in the Valley. It was only a few years ago that Palm Springs finally apologized for the disgraceful behavior used in clearing Section 14 of minority residents back in the 60's.
My late brother Tom was an avid car collector. One of his pride and joys was a 1960's Chevy low rider. One weekend in the 90's, while he was visiting me in Palm Springs, we were pulled over twice by PSPD in the span of 4 hours. Imagine both officer's surprise when the passengers were 2 red headed Irishmen!!! The first official reason given was an obstructed plate and the 2nd was a faulty tail light. Neither was remotely true and we went on our way. I imagine that if we were Latino, the result would have been different.
If white readers want a surprise, ask your friends from the Black and Latino community how many times they have been pulled over or had their license plates run by local police.. I bet you willed be shocked at the answer.. I was working on a radio program last week when a black gay rights activist who lives in Palm Springs explained how many times he has had his plates run when a police car is behind him at a red light. He was obviously a perfectly respectable man and you could feel his sadness whilst recalling this?
Now this is not to imply that we are living in the Jim Crow South. But it does imply that we have some of the issues that BLM is protesting about right here. I am also wondering if any local elected officials will join the protest? There are no council meetings scheduled for Monday Night. Some are attending the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia but some will be at home.I bet that answer is zero.
This Wednesday, I will have lived in the Valley for 25 years. There has been much change for the better. The West Valley has become more diverse with a heavy import of LGBTQ residents. That diversity has greatly improved the landscape of the West Valley with a corresponding taking of political power, But that occurrence has not bridged the racial divide in the Valley. Monday night, a large diverse crowd at the protest would go long way to doing so.
Steve Kelly can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com or on Twitter at @skellynj
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