Antelope Valley Human Relations Commission

This article appeared in the AV Press, Saturday, August 8, 2009

By Daisy Ratzlaff
Valley Press Staff Writer

LANCASTER – Palmdale and Lancaster officials hope a newly-instated mediation program resolving neighborhood disputes will help foster greater communications between neighbors and relieve courts, code enforcement and sheriff’s department personnel of having to deal with issues pertaining to matters residents could otherwise solve themselves.

Darren Parker, president of the Antelope Valley Human Relations Commission, said residents who have complaints about their neighbors’ cars being parked on their front lawns or overgrown tree branches that grow into their yards now have an alternative option rather than notifying city or deputies to handle “the more civil rather than criminal matter.”

“This program is designed to help neighbors who are in dispute at no cost to them t solve their problem in order to build safer, better and stronger neighborhoods,” Parker said.

The mediation program, which runs under the Neighbor Dispute Resolution Program, was developed by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and the Antelope Vally Human Relations Commission as well as Lancaster and Palmdale city officials. It officially began operation Thursday and will allow residents to call a special hot line and ask for one of 20 mediators and four senior mediators to help resolve neighbor-to-neighbor problems, Parker said.

“we found out that one out of every three cases that the task force deals with may at some point have started as a neighborhood dispute,” he said. “We are happy that we have law enforcement with us, and it looks like it will take the work off their desks and put in the proper place, where the issues can be addressed on a one-on-one basis.”

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Tags: Conflict resolution, Darren Parker, Mediation, Neighbors, Task Force // Add Comment »

WHAT:

City of Lancaster announces a joint effort with the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, Antelope Valley Human Relations Commission, and the City of Palmdale which will provide citizens with a neighbor-to-neighbor dispute resolution program

WHEN:

Thursday, August 6, 2009, at10 AM

WHERE:

Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse
42011 4th St E
Lancaster, CA 93534

WHO:

Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission
City of Lancaster
City of Palmdale

Tags: Mediation // Add Comment »

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Monday, August 3, 2009.

By DAISY RATZLAFF
Valley Press Staff Writer

LANCASTER – Despite cutbacks in many educational programs, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Stop Hate And Respect Everyone, or SHARE, tolerance program is still going strong and continues to teach Antelope Valley youth about respect and tolerance.

The unique program that aims to combat hate and intolerance with the help of a custom-built mobile theater has, since its start in October 2008, visited dozens of high schools within Los Angeles County and is now being joined by Los Angeles Police Department officers in an effort to spread the message even further, said Lancaster Deputy Greg Chatman.

“We want to infect the world with tolerance. We want to lead strongly and be part of change,” said Chatman, who took on the lead of the program about three months ago. “We want to educate our youth by sharing our knowledge, because we too had struggles to overcome. They have made us who we are today and we as a department and as sheriff’s deputies really care and we will take the trailer wherever there is a need.”

The SHARE program, which was in the planning stages for two years, was established in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the county Board of Supervisors, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Museum of Tolerance and other public and private organizations.

The idea for the trailer was developed when sheriff’s Chief Neal Tyler was 8 years old. He saw separate drinking fountains and bathrooms for nonwhites and “knew how screwed-up that was,” said Tyler at the August 2008 demonstration.

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Tags: SHARE // Add Comment »

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
Friday, July 31, 2009.

By DAISY RATZLAFF
Valley Press Staff Writers

PALMDALE – Racial and ethnic slugs, profanity and the phrase “white pride” were spray-painted in black letters on doors, walls and windows at Wildflower Elementary School in an apparent hate crime, sheriff’s officials said.

Graffiti was found on 90% of the walls of the school’s main building and of classroom bungalows when custodians arrived early Thursday at the campus on 35th Street East north of Avenue R, sheriff’s deputies said.

“I first saw the graffiti on the doors and then I saw the rest,” said custodian Roger Brown, who added he found the damage hard to believe. “I was like, ‘Holy moly.’ ”

Added Jesse Brunell, who works with Brown: “We are just blessed that they didn’t get the front of the school. I guess we can be thankful for that.”

Deputies believe the vandals entered the campus, which is closed for summer vacation, either from a dirt field off Avenue R or off 35th Street East overnight. Based on the lettering, deputies said they believe the vandalism was the work of more than one person.

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Tags: Graffiti, Hate, Vandalism // Add Comment »

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
Thursday, July 16, 2009.

By CRAIG CURRIER
Valley Press Staff Writer

LANCASTER – An attorney for the Mongols outlaw motorcycle club said they will sue to keep their rooms at the Desert Inn.

Called “domestic terrorists” by Mayor R. Rex Parris, who said the city will shut down the Desert Inn if necessary to keep their annual meeting out of Lancaster, Mongols members have agreed to pay more than $16,000 for 113 rooms, the banquet hall, restaurant and bar this weekend at the Desert Inn and also paid for 13 rooms at Lancaster’s Oxford Inn.

“The club’s constitutional rights are at stake by these threats made from the City of Lancaster, Mr. R. Rex Parris and Mr. David McEwen (city attorney),” attorney Albert Perez Jr. wrote to the Desert Inn’s general manager. “Club has also authorized my firm to proceed legally against any person and or individual who interferes in their right to associate, speech and contract.”

Desert Inn owner Hui Su said she had no idea she was doing business with members of the Mongols when she signed the contract to let them stay at the 144-room resort on Sierra Highway. Su said two men entered her hotel last week requesting a price quote for between 200 and 300 guests who would stay Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

They returned Monday and signed a contract with Su, renting the rooms for roughly $14,000 and agreeing to spend at least $2,500 at the hotel’s restaurant and bar during their stay. The restaurant and bar have been closing around 2 p.m. due to lack of business, Su said, but she plans to keep them open until 2 a.m. this weekend.

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Tags: Gangs, Hate Crimes, Violence // Add Comment »

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
Sunday, July 12, 2009.

By ALEXA VAUGHN
Valley Press Staff Writer

PALMDALE – Members of the Antelope Valley branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, city officials and more than 50 Valley residents celebrated the organization’s 100th year Saturday morning with music, cake and local stories of racial equality’s progression.

At the Poncitlan Square event, organized by Antelope Valley NAACP Vice President Juan Blanco, was Hank Dixon from “The Originals” singing the group’s 1969 hit “Baby I’m For Real,” a performance of the play “Slave Girl” by Palmdale High School graduate Naomi Derensbourg-Toppin and black leaders past and present from across the Valley.

Among those reflecting on the role of the NAACP in the Antelope Valley since the local chapter was founded in the 1960s, was the branch’s founding president, Lois Patton.

When Patton’s husband, an inspector who worked for Lockheed, was transferred to Palmdale, Patton said it was nearly impossible to get a house within the area’s white residential communities.

“Instead they would lead you to the outskirts, and I mean out – out in Sun Village,” Patton said. “Our house had an acre of land with it, but we didn’t want all that. We didn’t want to be farmers.

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Tags: Community, Darren Parker, Housing Discrimination, Juan Blanco, Lois Patton, NAACP, Progress, Task Force // Add Comment »

Tags: Health // Add Comment »

You are invited to attend:

Bullying & School Violence Prevention

Date: July 23, 2009

Time: 7:00 PM

Place: Lancaster City Council Chambers – 44933 Fern Avenue

Topics are:

• Possible signs of Bullying
• What are the signs of a ‘bully-victim’
• Ten actions ALL parents can take to help eliminate Bullying

All members of the public are invited to attend.

For further information or to R.S.V.P., please contact the Public Safety Office at 723-6063 or e-mail publicsafety@cityoflancasterca.org

Tags: Violence Prevention // Add Comment »