Goebbels’ traditions linger in immigration debate

Tuesday, April 16, 1996

Selective, inaccurate use of historical facts rampant in
Guerin-Gonzales’ letterBy William J. Upton-Knittle

P. Joseph Goebbels would be proud of Professor Camille
Guerin-Gonzales, who used a number of his techniques in her letter
("R-E-S-P-E-C-T," April 5) which, at the very least, smells of
racism.

She begins by combining the infamous beatings of two persons by
Riverside County deputies with the "daily existence" of all people
of color. She then uses a 63-year-old death and a 52-year-old
incident to make her point, which indicates either a lack of
current information, or an attempt to demonstrate she is a
historian or researcher.

First of all, we must separate the beating from the rest of her
comments. Although I have not seen the complete tape, there is no
doubt that a questionable use of force was used. As a martial-arts
pioneer in this country and a former police combat instructor,
there is no one who is more sickened than I to see such things
occur.

Back in the ’70s following the shooting of Eulia Love, I
lectured to the entire training staff at the LAPD Academy. I told
them at that time they needed stress training for their officers
and far more physical-control training, especially in the use of
the baton.

If this did not happen, I warned them (in almost perfect
detail), incidents such as what Rodney King and these two persons
experienced would become more and more frequent. Capt. Thomas
Hayes, the head of the academy, simply laughed and said he didn’t
like "outsiders" coming in telling him what to do, and later the
Christopher Commission also chose to ignore my comments.

It is interesting that Guerin-Gonzales describes the criminal
invaders who chose to violate the sovereignty of another nation as
"undocumented workers." They were neither ­ this is just
another good Goebbels technique. The truth is they are
well-documented in their own nation ­ some apparently more so
than others, judging from the uproar the Mexican Consulate raised
when the question of fingerprinting them was raised. And if they
had jobs, why would they be trying to cross the border?

And while we saw this beaten woman (who gave a phony name when
first asked) walking the first day, in a wheelchair the second day,
and finally, in a hospital bed (once she hired an attorney), and
while we felt for her suffering, however little or great it might
in reality be, I have noticed no letters to the editor from
Guerin-Gonzales about the physical condition of the two young
people who attempted to drive at high speed into Mexico.

A check with the Lakewood Sheriff’s station reveals the girl (a
minor) was shot in the back, while the young man has a broken arm,
several broken ribs and numerous lacerations as he sits in the
Tijuana jail. Apparently, basic human rights and the extent of
injuries is only important to Guerin-Gonzales when the criminals
are traveling north.

Further, I have seen not a word from Guerin-Gonzales about the
many Mexicans who died last weekend in a "copycat" attempt to cross
the border. Those deaths are on her hands and the hands of all the
others who publicly defended the initial invasion attempt.

Now to my real beef. This historian or researcher uses yet
another Goebbels technique when she tosses off Ruben Salazar’s
death as a "murder." Ruben and I were colleagues. He was one of the
finest journalists to come along in a generation. He was not
"murdered" at the end of the Chicano Vietnam Moratorium
demonstration. He was killed when that "demonstration" deteriorated
into a riot. He was sitting in a bar when a tear-gas canister, shot
into the bar from outside, hit him in the head.

I assure you, those of us newspeople who knew, loved and
respected him looked into the matter very closely … the official
coroner’s ruling (with which all of Ruben’s colleagues agreed) was
that the death was accidental.

I notice Guerin-Gonzales is chair of the César Chávez
Center here on campus. Chávez was another person I spent time
with and interviewed at length. You should know that BOTH Ruben
Salazar and César Chávez were very much against illegal
aliens criminally entering our country. They fought for equal
rights for people who were here LEGALLY. Stop besmirching their
memories through innuendo and lies.

If Guerin-Gonzales really wants to do some research, I suggest
she find out why the recently appointed Mexican head of immigration
has said (long before this incident) that "Americans in our country
have no rights"; or compare the rules for legal immigration to
Mexico vs. those for legal immigration to the United States; or,
since she is so interested in the respect for basic human rights,
examine the Mexican policies for treatment of criminal immigrants
coming from Central and South America across their southern
border.

Instead of using innuendo, untruth and selective memory in the
Goebbels tradition, Guerin-Gonzales should use her position to do
some authentic research and begin the process of change south of
the border.

Upton-Knittle works in the Office of Summer Sessions.