Archive for the ‘Pepe The Frog’ Category

And the 2020 Lighthouse International Film Festival Award Winners Are – The SandPaper

Feels Good Man took home the Best Feature-Length Documentary award. (Courtesy of LIFF)

The 2020 Lighthouse International Film Festival announced its award winners on Sunday afternoon, June 21, in a virtual ceremony.Not surprisingly, films that dealt with Americas racial crisis did well.

The Subject, directed by Lanie Zipoy, won the Best Narrative Feature competition, beating out Her Name Was Jo, Milkwater, A Case of Blue and 1986. The scripted feature is about a documentary filmmaker who had success with his last film, which caught the murder of an African American teen on tape. Now someone else is videotaping his every move, threatening his idyllic life.

A timely film that explores the complex issue of race in America, greatly acted not only by Jason Biggs but the entire cast, wrote the judges. A very compelling story, well told of a very conflicted character.

Feels Good Man took home the Best Feature-Length Documentary award. Directed by Arthur Jones, it follows Matt Furie, who created the indie comic character Pepe the Frog. Pepe was appropriated as a symbol of the alt-right movement, and the film follows Furie as he attempts to regain control of his creation, confronting far-right-wing personalities such as Richard Spencer and Alex Jones. Feels Good Man competed against Higher Love, The Long Haul, No Fear No Favor and Shoot to Marry.

We were impressed by the arc of the story, wrote the judges, the storys relevance, high stakes, and broad appeal. What impressed us most was how the filmmaker visualized Matt Furies jouney paralleled Pepes jouney and how their lives intersected. This of course concluded with Matt killing Pepe in order to redeem a part of himself.

Lost In Traplanta, directed by Mathieu Rochet, took home the Episodic competition honors. This French and Belgian production was filmed in Atlanta and tells the story of Larry, a slightly whimsical Frenchman who explores the music scene in Atlanta, where Trap, a subgenre of hip hop that originated in the southern United States, rules the roost. In his acceptance speech, Rochet declared, Everybody in France is looking at you.

The Shorts competitions are always hard fought because of sheer numbers. This year no fewer than 59 were shown virtually.

The Best Short-Documentary award went to Ashes to Ashes, directed by Taylor Rees and Renan Ozturk. It was practically a shoo-in in an age of racial tensions, considering it centers around Winfred Rembert, the only living survivor of a lynching, and Shirley Whitaker, who is on a mission to memorialize the forgotten 4,000 African Americans lynched during the Jim Crow era.

The level of the short films is equivalent to the level of cinema documentary that you can see in feature films, opined the judges. We wanted to give the award to a film we felt is even more outstanding, especially dealing with such an important topic right now in the U.S. and in the world, but also doing so in such a sensitive and interesting way.

Ashes to Ashes also won the Social Impact award.

Many parts of American history are hidden from us and now, better late than never, is time to educate ourselves, to know the history, to learn from the mistakes, not to shy away from them, and Ashes to Ashes shows personal stories we had no idea about, said the judges. We are grateful to the filmmakers of this documentary, for reminding us that movies do not only make us laugh, cry, escape to other worlds, but educate us.

The Best Short Narrative Film category was topped by White Eye, directed by Tomer Shushan. A man finds his stolen bicycle and it now belongs to a stranger. In his attempts to retrieve the bicycle, he struggles to remain human.

Tomer Shushan, already awarded with SXSW Grand Jury Award, made a heartbreaking story about African refugees in Israel and how important to stay human, be compassionate, and to not follow your ego, but your heart and soul, said the judges.

Empty, directed by Vic Pater of Middletown High School, took the Student Films competition, beating out 14 other entries. The Convergence, directed by Noah Lipsitz of Pennsylvanias Lower Merion High School, was rewarded with an honorable mention.

By using poetic language, the narration of the film was lyrical, wrote the judges of Paters film. The animations moved beautifully along with the narration, making the piece feel dreamlike. The films ability to highlight mental illness through various metaphors of bugs and animals allowed for the audience to understand a different perspective and way of life.

The Jennifer Snyder Bryceland Award, with its $3,500 special prize, went to Why Is We Americans? directed by Udi Aloni and Ayana Stafford-Morris.

The 2020 prize is proudly awarded to Why Is We Americans? an intimate and inspiring window into the poetic, progressive, and complex world of the renowned Baraka family and their revolutionary relationship with the city of Newark, New Jersey, said the judges. An insightful and layered film that would be an important and necessary story to tell at any point in time, Why Is We Americans? is even more timely and essential in todays world.

Chip Parham, who has volunteered with the LIFF for a decade and who coordinated the shorts competitions this year, won the festivals Volunteer Award. Beach Haven Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis won this years Community Award.R.M.

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And the 2020 Lighthouse International Film Festival Award Winners Are - The SandPaper

Wake Up With BWW 6/26: New Opening Dates For AMERICAN BUFFALO and THE MINUTES, and More! – Broadway World

Good morning, BroadwayWorld!

American Buffalo, written by David Mamet and directed by Neil Pepe, will officially open at the Circle in the Square Theatre (235 W 50th Street) on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, exactly one year after its originally scheduled opening date. Performances for American Buffalo will begin the week of March 22, 2021 on Broadway.

Steppenwolf's production of The Minutes by Tracy Letts, directed by Anna D. Shapiro, will return to Broadway opening exactly one year after its original opening date of Sunday, March 15, 2020 at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th Street).

Read more about these and other top stories below!

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1) VIDEO: Ben Platt Responds to DEAR EVAN HANSEN Film Rumorsby TV News Desk

Ben Platt was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday to talk about the new season of The Politician on Netflix. During the interview, Platt also addressed the rumors that the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen will be made into a feature film!. (more...)

2) QUIZ: Only People Who Had a Hamilton Phase Can Get an A+ on This Trivia Quiz

All of this hype for #Hamilfilm is making us feel like it's 2015 again! So many #Ham4Ham episodes and memorizing the entire show... take our ultimate Hamilton Phase quiz and see how well you do!. (more...)

3) Splash Mountain Ride at Walt Disney World & Disneyland to be Reimagined with PRINCESS AND THE FROGby TV News Desk

Disney Parks announced today that the Splash Mountain attraction in Walt Disney World and Disneyland will be reimagined with theming from The Princess and the Frog.. (more...)

4) Broadway Summer Party: How to Host a Virtual Watch Party!by Kaitlin Milligan

BroadwayWorld is here to walk you through the many options that will allow you to virtually watch from your favorite streaming services and enjoy with your family and friends in real time!. (more...)

5) VIDEO: Dame Judi Dench Expresses Concern For the Return of Theatreby Stage Tube

Dame Judi Dench recently chatted with Channel 4 about the future of the theatre and more.. (more...)

Today's Call Sheet - Upcoming Online Events:

- Today at 2pm and 8pm, Seth Rudetsky will continue his Stars in the House series, featuring new Broadway stars performing and answering questions! Watch live on YouTube here!

- The Met continues its Live in HD broadcast series with L'Elisir d'Amore, tonight at 7:30pm. Watch here!

- Lauren Molina and Noodle host Broadway Song/Story Time, and Vasthy Mompoint hosts Broadway Dance Party, for Broadway Babysitters. Check it out here!

- BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge will interview Lea Salonga today at 12pm! Tune in here!

- Marie's Crisis Weekend Warmup returns today at 4pm! Stuck inside and dying for a reason to sing out? Well get your vocal chords stretched and ready, because you're about to belt your way into this weekend! Tune in here!

- Andrew Barth Feldman and Alex Boniello's Broadway Jackbox series returns today at 6pm with special guests! Tune in here!

- BroadwayWorld's Next on Stage continues tonight at 8pm! Today is the grand finale, featuring both groups of students! Tune in here!

Learn about more online streaming events happening today, and in the future, on our streaming calendar at /streaming-schedule/.

BWW Exclusive: Behind the Rainbow Flag: Jenn Colella Shares the Story of Her First Pride Event in 1995

BroadwayWorld is celebrating Pride Month with Behind the Rainbow Flag. This series will feature theatre artists, who are members of the LGTBQ+ community sharing their stories, advice, or other pieces related to their identity.

In an exclusive video, Jenn Colella shared the story of her very first Pride event, in 1995.

What we're watching: Cast and Producers from POSE Perform Billy Porter's 'Love Yourself'

In a first look at the upcoming POSE-A-THON special, the cast and producers of the hit FX series Pose perform Billy Porter's Hit Song "Love Yourself."

The performance of "Love Yourself" features: Steven Canals (Creator, Executive Producer), Janet Mock (Executive Producer) Billy Porter ("Pray Tell") , Mj Rodriguez ("Blanca"), Angel Bismark Curiel ("Lil Papi"), Sandra Bernhard ("Nurse Judy Kubrak"), Dylln Burnside ("Ricky"), Dominique Jackson ("Elektra"), Jeremy McClain ("Cubby"), Indya Moore ("Angel"), Jason Rodriguez ("Lemar"), Angelica Ross ("Candy"), Hailie Sahar ("Lulu"), Ryan Jamal Swain ("Damon"), Charlayne Woodard ("Helena St. Rogers") and Patti LuPone ("Frederica Norman").

News:

AMERICAN BUFFALO Will Now Open in Spring 2021

American Buffalo, written by David Mamet and directed by Neil Pepe, will officially open at the Circle in the Square Theatre (235 W 50th Street) on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, exactly one year after its originally scheduled opening date.

Performances for American Buffalo will begin the week of March 22, 2021 on Broadway.

THE MINUTES Will Arrive on Broadway in Spring 2021

There is big news for Big Cherry! BroadwayWorld has just learned that Steppenwolf's production of The Minutes by Tracy Letts, directed by Anna D. Shapiro, will return to Broadway opening exactly one year after its original opening date of Sunday, March 15, 2020 at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th Street). The Minutes was a limited engagement and was originally scheduled to close Sunday, July 26.

See you bright and early Monday, BroadwayWorld!

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Wake Up With BWW 6/26: New Opening Dates For AMERICAN BUFFALO and THE MINUTES, and More! - Broadway World

Scarface, Capone, and Pepe the Frog Are Your Villains Today – News Lagoon

[Note: In the wake ofSXSWs cancellation this year,The Hollywood Reporteris reviewing select fest entries that elected to premiere digitally.]

From its forbidden beginnings to its decades-long staying power, onstage and off, the love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter has had a mythic hold on the pop-culture imagination. Walk the Line burnished that myth, with Reese Witherspoons Oscar-winning portrayal of Carter as Cashs destiny and with Vivian Liberto, his first wife and the mother of his four daughters, reduced to a small-minded blip on the radar screen, angry and petty and too pedestrian to understand the great artist.

That 2005 feature was made with the involvement of Cash and Carters son. Now, Cash and Libertos four daughters tell her story, and their familys, in an engaging and revelatory film thats also deeply affecting. A welcome corrective to the abridged and widely accepted narrative that dismisses Cashs first marriage as troubled,My Darling Vivian relates a little-known love story, great in its own right and immortalized in Cashs first hit, I Walk the Line. And it offers a nuanced portrait, loving but not fawning, of a complex woman.

Director Matt Riddlehoover and his husband and producing partner, Dustin Tittle, enjoyed special access to a breathtaking selection of home movies, letters and other memorabilia; Tittle is Liberto and Cashs grandson. The helmer, who also edited, interweaves exceptionally well-chosen material from public archives as well. Seguing from comedy features to nonfiction with this project, he employs a straightforward chronological approach that suits the saga, opting for clarity over flair (notwithstanding the occasional whimsical addition of animated smoke to vintage photographs of cigarette-wielding people).

The sisters, who range in age from late 50s to mid-60s, are interviewed separately. They sometimes disagree over the details of family lore, but theyre in sync when it comes to recalling Vivians elegance and beauty, her aversion to the spotlight, and her remarkable strength in often trying circumstances. Vivians voice is heard only once, at the very end of the film. And though it might leave you wishing for more, that final snippet works as a warm coda to a memory-piece quartet, skillfully orchestrated from the voices of siblings who are eager to tell an unsung womans story. (Liberto died in 2005 at 71.)

All of them singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, Kathy Cash Tittle, Cindy Cash and Tara Cash Schwoebel (whos credited as co-producer) are compelling interviewees, their anecdotes sharp and tender. Firstborn Rosanne, whos also an author, brings a writerly precision to her reminiscences, and also a psychotherapy veterans insights. Given the richness and wisdom of the womens recollections, the score might have been more judiciously used; its Satie-esque strains can provide the perfect punctuation, but at times it competes with the storytelling rather than enhancing it.

Liberto and Cash were married 13 years, and their relationship began with three years of long-distance courtship, an epistolary romance for the ages. After meeting at a San Antonio roller rink in 1951 she was 17 and he was two years older, an Air Force cadet on his way to Germany they wrote each other daily. A voluminous trove of letters attests to their long-distance devotion. (And a memento from their first encounter will appear, late in the film, with heart-stopping poignancy.)

Even though Vivians strict Catholic father forbade her to visit Cash in Europe, they became engaged across the miles (he mailed the ring), and they married soon after his return to the States. His music career took off fast, and so did their family. Out on the West Coast, wannabe actor Cash fared no better as the lead of Door-to-Door Maniac than he did as a door-to-door salesman back in Tennessee. So he went back on tour, leaving Vivian with four children, one of them a newborn, in their newly built hilltop dream house in a remote area north of L.A., a rustic setting replete with rattlesnakes, bobcats and rabid fans.

Then came the drugs, the arrests, June Carter, and the racist hysteria that ensued after a news photo ignited rumors that Cashs Sicilian American wife was black. He made an unequivocal stand against the idiocy, but it was Vivian, fearing a KKK attack, who stood vigil in their isolated home. Its no wonder that her fondest memories involved their penniless years in Memphis, before her husband became ensconced in the culture of celebrity.

The films most searing revelations involve the insults she was forced to endure, in her anonymity, after she and Cash were both remarried specifically, the way Carter publicly claimed Vivians four daughters as part of her brood, even though she wasnt raising them. The general image of Carter, promoted by Cash and embraced in Walk the Line, is that of a pistol with a touch of saint, the woman who saved Cash from his demons. But in this revisionist telling, she comes across as insensitive and self-aggrandizing while Cash was seemingly oblivious to the hurtful effects of her maternal boasting.

In this context, excerpts from the all-star Nashville tribute to Cash not long after his death are painful to watch, and proof of the way a half-told story becomes the official one. Only Vivians former son-in-law Rodney Crowell acknowledged her, and his remarks were cut from the broadcast version of the event.

Late in life, Vivian did tell her story, in I Walked the Line, a posthumously published memoir. It contains many of Cashs love letters that early torrent of affection and confession being perhaps the ultimate truth about their relationship for her. Riddlehoovers documentary, which could inspire many viewers to seek out the book, makes vividly clear that Vivian wasnt the harridan portrayed onscreen in various tellings of the Johnny Cash biography, nor was she an angel. Through her daughters memories, My Dear Vivian captures her contradictions, her suffering and joy, her vibrancy and resilience. Those memories are steeped in emotion, but also clarified through time and reflection. A woman of her generation, Vivian Liberto didnt analyze her life; she simply lived it.

Production companies: This Heart of Mine, Element Twenty TwoDirector: Matt RiddlehooverProducers: Dustin Tittle, Matt RiddlehooverDirector of photography: Josh MoodyEditor: Matt RiddlehooverComposer: Ian A. HughesSales: The Film Collaborative

90 minutes

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Originally posted 2020-03-30 09:56:57.

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Scarface, Capone, and Pepe the Frog Are Your Villains Today - News Lagoon

Charen: Trump smashes the right’s ability to police itself – Standard-Examiner

Among dozens of addled tweets from the commander in chief over the past few days, one in particular deserves pausing over because it demonstrates not just the weak-mindedness of our president but also the way his leadership is sabotaging conservatism.

Trump retweeted a post featuring disgraced columnist Michelle Malkin, who complained about being silenced on social media. Trump responded: The radical left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. The administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events. Thank you Michelle!

In the name of standing up for aggrieved conservatives, Trump soils the brand. First, a detail. The radical left is not in control of those outlets, and even if it were, they are private entities and therefore perfectly free to make their own judgments about content. There is nothing illegal about it. If the administration were working to remedy the situation, that is what would be illegal. Another detail: Trump has 19.7 million followers on Instagram, 26.7 million on Facebook and 80 million on Twitter. Perhaps what keeps him so popular is his audiences inexhaustible appetite for whining.

The woman Trump thanked is a columnist and social media entrepreneur who was a respected member of the conservative commentariat emphasis on the past tense. In the past two years, she has been shunned by respectable conservative outlets. She is no longer welcome at CPAC. The Young Americas Foundation has dropped her, and the Daily Wire and National Review discontinued her syndicated column.

The occasion for the deplatforming was Malkins swan dive into the right-wing fever swamps. In 2017, she endorsed alt-right candidate Paul Nehlen (Paul Nehlen slams ... corporate open-borders elites!), and contributed to the VDARE website which frequently hosts white nationalists, racists and anti-Semites.

Her most grotesque relationship though, and the one that got her booted from the Young Americas Foundation, was with a group calling themselves groypers, led by a 21-year-old YouTube host named Nick Fuentes. To get a sense of just how loathsome this figure is, have a look at this video in which he wonders, grinning, about whether 6 million cookies could really be baked in ovens and how the math doesnt add up. Holocaust jokes. How droll. Fuentes, you will not be shocked to learn, is one of the very fine people who marched with neo-Nazis at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Remember Pepe the Frog? Hes their mascot. He described the mass murder in an El Paso Walmart as an act of desperation. Turning Point USA is too tame for his tastes, and his group has lately been heckling speakers like Ben Shapiro, Dan Crenshaw and even Donald Trump Jr.

Yet, Malkin has declared herself the mother of groypers and called them good kids. When she was rebuked by mainstream conservatives, she declared her allegiances proudly:

They want me to disavow Nick Fuentes and VDARE and Peter Brimelow and Faith Goldy and Gavin McInnes and the Proud Boys and Steve King and Laura Loomer and on and on.

They did want that, but now Trump has vitiated that work by praising Malkin. The thing Trump retweeted was not actually a Malkin post, but a tweet of Malkin speaking to a Fuentes event. America First Clips is a feed for one of Fuentes outlets. Naturally, Fuentes is gloating.

Trump defenders will no doubt protest that Trump knew nothing of Malkins descent into neo-Nazi land. But thats no excuse. In fact, Trump probably did not know much about those he praised, either Malkin or, by extension, Fuentes. But he has a duty to know. Yes, hes an indolent ignoramus, but guess what, the taxpayers are paying for a huge staff. He has people who can check. He doesnt use them because he doesnt care. His moral reasoning is primitive. If you are pro-Trump, no matter what else you are (a murderous dictator, a racist troll), youre fine in his book. Loutish protesters harass a TV journalist using the F words (fake news and, you know, the other one), and Trump proclaims them great people. He has no objective moral standards. Everything is about him. On a scale of moral reasoning, he is subzero. But the world of conservative opinion-shapers does still attempt, however weakly, to maintain some guard rails. With every passing day of Donald Trumps leadership, those standards crumble a bit more.

Mona Charen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

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Charen: Trump smashes the right's ability to police itself - Standard-Examiner

Behind the swastikas in Santee – San Diego Reader

KKK hood inside Vons

On Saturday, May 2nd, a man wearing a KKK hood made his way among fruit stands inside the Vons store in Santee, CA. In the era of social media, his picture went viral and made the international news.

On May 7th, Dustin Hart and his wife Brittany Hart went shopping at Food 4 Less in Santee pushing a stroller while wearing velcro swastikas attached to their masks. The woman wore a T-shirt with Pepe The Frog and the word Honk on it, which are white supremacists symbols used by the alt-right.

The hooded man was not charged and his name was not published, although he was identified by the Santee Sheriffs department.

Hart posted a 14 minutes video recording on BitChute (preferred for hate speech content) showing the altercation with the store clerk and the deputies who asked him to remove the Nazi decals. On May 18, Hart removed the video from BitChute, leaving on another recording showing him yelling homophobic slur and profanities at an unidentified man who confronted Hart about his swastika on May 8th in front of a post office building.

Hart is operating under several aliases. He has at least two Facebook accounts as Dusty Shekel and Dusty Shekel III. Hart signs as reichard_nixon on IG and uBeartron on Twitter and BitChute. On one of his Facebook pages, Hart posted his donation to Planned Parenthood followed by a meme stating When you realize Planned Parenthood might be a good thing - Abortion is the leading killer of black lives in America.

Asked to comment about his recent public actions, Hart said, I cant talk about anything until the hate crime investigation is over. He added there are no charges against him at this moment, but apparently there is still an investigation. They called me, but havent informed me that the investigation is closed. Hart wrote on his Facebook page that he is a TransJew and therefore cannot be anti-semitic.

In the video of the incident now removed, Hart claimed he wore the swastika as a peaceful protest against governor Newsom mandate to shelter at home during the covid pandemic and that it was not intended as a Nazi speech. However, both him and his wife wore t-shirts adorned with white supremacist symbols.

Before the public incidents, Hart used Threadless and Weebly to sell these t-shirts. A local group of activists succeeded to have his stores removed from the two platforms. Hart is now using http://www.wix.com and one of the activists who intends to remain anonymous said, Our efforts with web hosting site Wix were unsuccessful though. The activist said one of the people who worked to have the stores removed had to go to the police after Hart retaliated. Hate should not be profitable and companies have the power and authority to remove it from their platforms. Therefore we need to demand accountability. Dustin makes a profit, and the online platforms make a profit from the sale of hate-related items and speech. They are not government entities. It isnt a free speech issue, the activist said.

The activist took action because white supremacists are a direct threat to me and my family and silence is compliance. Members of our family were murdered at the hands of Nazi. Jewish people were murdered last year in Poway. The activist said their child was a victim of hate at school when another child started going up to Jewish kids and telling them that he should put a plastic bag over their head, to do like Nazi did to the Jews.

Cati Marie lives in Santee and went to school with Dustin Hart. The kid was always looking for attention. My strongest memory of him was doing gross things in front of as many people as possible. It was like he got off on it. I dont believe he is a racist, but I do believe he was seeking attention.

Hart changed the name of his Wix store on May 18 and deleted the Facebook post where he advertised it. As of today, May 19, the store is still operational under a different name. On the main page, Hart writes, We are proud to offer censorship-free service. The website is not certified, nor registered for e-commerce, has no company name listed or if it is licenced for business in the state of California and no tax ID number. Hart has no contact info posted, but has a link for donations.

Hart sent the reporter an invoice for $30 for a t-shirt ordered with the design of a pink Pepe the Frog and a black and white hat inscripted with the word Honk in big fonts surrounded by Nazi SS symbols and several swastikas in red. Hart demanded the amount to be paid upfront by sharing credit card information via email.

Screaming match during the Santee city council meeting

Hart is an Alpine resident and many people questioned his choice to come shop in Santee while wearing Nazi and alt-right paraphernalia. Santee city council member Stephen Houlahan said, This individual lives in Alpine but grew up in Santee, so its a failure of our community to reach out to this individual and theres probably more like him. He did not choose to go to Barrio Logan or to an area that is predominantly minority. He felt a great degree of safety to bring a baby with them - they had a level of comfort.

Houlahan faced a heated argument with council member (R) Rob McNelis during the last virtual board meeting on May 13 after local residents accused McNelis of denying there is racism in Santee.

Moreover, several of the public comments singled out McNelis as complicit when his supporters led racist attacks against a woman of color, Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfield, who was his opponent during the 2018 elections.

Andrade-Heymsfield wrote to the council and her words were read out loud during the meeting along with other 31 public letters. She wrote, I lived in Santee for one short year and during that time I was constantly told I didnt belong there, I was not one of them. Out of fear of safety for my family, we had to instal a security system for our home. When I ran for office, people suggested I look in the mirror because people who look like me cannot win in Santee.

There is racism in Santee and it is offensive to people like me to claim this is not who we are anymore, so please stop saying it. Do something to change this current reality. Denying racism exists in Santee when many of us have experienced it is insulting.

McNelis was the first to request the microphone to say few of these comments are super disturbing to me because they have no idea who the heck I am. The council member said he is the first generation of Hispanics who does not pick fruit. Thats how I was raised.

McNelis said his moms real first name was Guadalupe. She was ashamed by that and changed her name to Marie. He said he wanted to change his last name to match his moms, but his wife said she will not take my name if I did that when we got married because I was so proud of my Hispanic culture.

McNelis claimed there were no Hispanics in Santee when he moved here in 1994 and he became best friends with one of the few he met at his daughters kindergarten. He then added that the majority of people in Santee are thriving here regardless of their background.

McNelis claimed people who are looking for trouble in Santee, find trouble. He takes personal offense when people say Santee is a racist community because of everything Santee provided for himself and his family. None of these incidents were racist in any way, shape or form, because the people involved protested governor Newsom. He blamed the media for looking for opportunities to call Santee, Klantee because thats what the media does.

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Behind the swastikas in Santee - San Diego Reader