What is all the stir over in the City of Manassas? Do I hear the pitter patter of deja vus? What goes there? It seems that 9500 Liberty is all aglow with new construction, according to Chris@4:47 PM:
**off topic**
Looks like there’s yet another “liberty wall” being built. I can’t wait to see what the wall will read this time. Each sign has gotten progressively more offensive. Here we go again.…. I have the photographic evidence to prove my post.
Chris got the first scoop. She reported that the folks over at 9500 were socializing, painting and had completed construction. The verbiage is not finished quite yet. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and enjoying the sunny day after the brutal cold of the past couple of weeks.
Chris was kind enough to provide pictures. Others were kind enough to replay her broadcast.
(You know who you are)
We will sit back and watch the City handle yet another zoning issue. Or maybe they will just ignore the whole thing.
The sign reads..
PRESIDENT OBAMA ELIMINATE THE BORDERS THAT DIVIDE & CONQUER PEOPLE OF COLOR. STOP DEPORTATIONS. STOP 287G IN PWC & MANASSAS CITY.
SUPPORT UNITED FAMILIES & EDUCATION FOR ALL.
I agree with silver fox, the camera is facing the wrong direction. Does it rotate?
The camera was stuck in one position but supposedly fixed last fall. It rotates and takes a new picture every hour, so the wall will only be on the website a few times a day. I don’t know if the camera actually covers the corner of Liberty and Pr. Wm. streets but I would think so. If you looked at the current web-cam photo you can see that it would be pretty difficult to pick out wording on the wall. When I saw them doing the printing, I noticed that the lettering was much bigger than the previous one. Perhaps just a coincidence.
Here’s what has been written so far;
PRESIDENT OBAMA ELIMINATE THE BORDERS THAT
DIVIDE AND CONQUER PEOPLE OF COLOR!!
It seems as though Senor F. will be leaving a message to President Obama. He’s going to request the eliminations of borders that divide and conquer people of color.
It seems as though there was a stop work order issued yesterday, but to no avail. Senor F and crew continued their work. I sure hope the city gets the case in front of a judge ASAP.
http://www.myinsidenova.com/index.php/editorial_blog/comments/some_answers_about_9500_liberty/
Some answers about 9500 Liberty
UPDATE AT BOTTOM
Keith was just interviewing Gaudencio Fernandez, owner of the property at 9500 Liberty Street. It turns out that the sign is going to be a message to Barack Obama regarding our country’s southern border. It’s going to ask Obama to “…eliminate the borders that divide and conquer people of color.“ Fernandez built the wall on a slant not to get around any zoning regulation but because there is no footer. I had no idea what that was when Keith told me, but basically a footer helps keep a structure stable. Fernandez said the structure is temporary. “We are planning to remove this in no more than two months,“ he said. Also, Fernandez said people should be on the property tonight putting the message on the sign. Stay tuned for more.
UPDATE: A reporter just returned from his lunch break and told us that people are over at the property painting the sign. It is 1:49 p.m.
UPDATE: Keith just returned from the scene. While out there, he received a call from Manassas Community Development Director Liz Via. She said that a stop work order was issued Sunday. Fernandez ignored it. He says that his attorney told him he is in the right. He is going to keep working. Fernandez has already received two violations in connection with his work on the newest sign. It is 3:37 p.m.
IVAN,
Thanks for the update. I missed your post as I was posting the update from insidenova.com.
So did that take up much space since the lettering is larger this time?
Shocker, this guy gets a stop work order but ignores it. Oh well, I suppose another stop work order will be issued tomorrow to no avail, then maybe another, and another… why not throw down some serious fines. Maybe if he is hit in the wallet (and is forced to pay them) he will get the drift.
The lettering in place now takes up the top half on the wall. It looks like there will be additional lettering that is about half the size of the top on the bottom half.
I would hope that once a stop work order is violated, there are some serious penalties. Then again, if it goes the way it did last time the city will let him get away with it.
That webcam picture is interesting – I didn’t even know about that website. I’m glad though that hopefully the sign won’t be readable from it. I’m not familiar enough with the layout of downtown Manassas in the view of the webcam to be able to pick out where the property is, assuming that in the current picture the property is even viewable.
It sounds like though the only reason the wall is slanted is because of no footers. I think we give Mr. F. too much credit otherwise that he was trying to get his message viewable even on some website.
I didn’t mean to imply that MH said “real-time” or even near real-time – I was just pointing out that Google is not even near real-time (as in less than a year old) on its satellite pictures.
I’m hoping the city is going to be more agressive with him this time – he’s a repeat offender after all.
Rick, you can now change your name to “Censored by Anti-BVBL”
I still say Mackie should be THE official spokesperson for Anti-BVBL. I said that about someone else, too, but that was a mistake. You Go, Mackie!
As for Mr. Fernandez, I think he should be hired by the Manassas City Tourism Board!
Mackie, I read your 13:44 post.
‘Shrooms Kickin’ In!!!
Oh please, let there be a huge wind, and may it lift the sign to the heavens……….. and drop it on Fernandez’s house. Amen.
Seriously, the sign will never make it through the winds of March if it isn’t held down with footers. It will become a flying hazard. If someone should be hurt by flying debris, then Fernandez should be held criminally negligent. Just a thought, and a cautionary note.
Hey Slowpoke, I think your right, Mr. F has been working on his sign making skills. He should be a pro at it by now, maybe Manassas City Tourism Board could use him and his expertise. He is already well known in the area, any publicity is good publicity I suppose.
While you’re connecting with the inner truth Mackie can you drive down Liberty St. and identify the exact building that was used as the “Brown School”? The first PWC school for African Americans. Can you drive by the houses on that street and identify which “old” african american families still live there? Are you aware of how many generations they’ve owned the home? Funny thing is I highly doubt Mr F can, yet I can and egads I’mWHITE! I guess I have the desire to connect.
“Eliminate the Borders?!!”
What an astonishingly abysmal choice of words. If there is still a way to hand the Greg-N-Corey Show an opportunity for a comeback, this is the way to do it. How much do you suppose they paid for the advertising space?
I would assume the city has the right to inspect any structure to insure it is safe. They can probably enforce a ruling against the structure being unsafe and therefore having to come down immediately.
While it would be good for the sign to fall on Mr. F’s house as SA mentioned, I fear somehow that would be turned into a lawsuit against the city for failing to enforce safe building codes! It seems Mr. F’s lawyers will try almost anything, so I could see them trying that if the sign managed to come down and damage something.
I have other ideas for Mr. F’s billboard since it is pointed partially towards the sky. Maybe he can use it as a greeting for extraterrestrials who happen to pass by Earth. Or maybe he can turn it into a giant solar panel and have it do something useful and friendlier to the environment than the sign which is an eyesore. Or if he doesn’t want to go green than maybe he can light up the message so it can be seen at night too (in case those extraterrestrials happen to be passing by when it is dark).
Here’s a news flash folks. The City of Manassas has filed legal action against Mr. F. They filed for an injunction in District Court earlier this evening. If the City wins, Mr. F. must remove the sign immediately as well as pay court costs and legal fees. If the City loses, well you can add your own finish to the story.
May the law prevail for once…
IVAN,
Thank you for your updates throughout the day. I hope the City prevails.
update:
The new sign reads…
PRESIDENT OBAMA ELIMINAE THE BORDERS THAT DIVIDE & CONQUER PEOPLE OF COLOR. STOP DEPORTATIONS. STOP 287G IN PWC & MANASSAS CITY.SUPPORT UNITED FAMILIES & EDUCATION FOR ALL.
Doesn’t Senor F. know that ALL school aged children are required by law to attend school.
Geesh…
New pictures taken at dusk, and have been forward to MH.
I totally understand and support Elena’s efforts to “eliminate” hatred in our community.
I also unerstand and support everyone’s position that “no individual” should be punished for the actions of others as a result of gtheir race, religion, gender or ethnicity.
In fact my ONLY issue with this Liberty Wall, is not a free speech issue, but a “legal” issue and increasing anger that Fernandez (and “illegal” immigrant agenda in general) is blatently and without punishment ignoring the “law enforcement” rights of the community “AT LARGE” to have the law and city zoning ordinance enforced, to preserve a peaceful, serene landscape (not some in your face, arrogant eyesore), and maintain the social/cultural stability of the neighborhood preserved in the manner it has been for 50 years or more.
This entire blog was founded on the notion that people (primarily on the dark side all of you love to hate) should not be so upset that “illegal” immigrants and the legal immigrants that support them entirely are based on their bigoted preference for their own ethnic group argueing for “NO BORDERS” that are taking US jobs away, AND causing a downturn in economic, social and criminal conditions in US neighborhoods.
Here is my point OVER AND OVER, and I have said it from the beginning and I’ll say it again.
NO individual should be given preferences or special opportunities based on their RACE, GENDER, RELIGION or ETHNICITY. They should be held accountable only to the LAW if they are “legal” or “illegal” immigrants.
Having said that, here is why from my own experience we MUST stop “illegal” immigration.
Businesses and Government agencies are increasing giving preference to “illegal” immigrant preferences for work based on 25 years of “ignored” illegal immigration (and my own place of employment working within the government sector) is hiring new workers based on a “no borders” mentality for substantially less wages while people already here are having to collect unemployment. The MANAGERS within these organizations, and a significant percentage of the workforce, are NOW INCREASINGLY of a specific ethnicity, race, gender or religion AND they are ACTIVELY DISCRIMMINATING who and how many of their OWN ETHNICITY they hire underneath themselves BASED ON A PREFERENCE for races, genders, religions or ethnicities. They hire based on a “no borders” advocacy and give preference to workers based on which work applicants are most like themselves (in gender, race, religion and ethnicity) and they are getting away with this ILLEGAL ACTIVITY FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS.
1. They were encouraged to do this to meet “DIVERSITY QUOTAS”, and were told by social activists (in these various groups) it would increase their PROFITS.
2. They were NOT punished by any existing law when they hired discriminately, because the existing laws were to be applied “wink..wink” only to the majority “race”.
3. They were encouraged to hire people with different languages, to communicate within a narrow market segment of TARGETED INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS and targeted ethnic group relationships (with different rules for each of them), while blatently ignoring existing US immigration law and existing anti-discrimmination laws.
4. PEOPLE who were brought in on US work VISA’s were more desperate for work at lower wages, than people already here, BECAUSE “ILLEGAL” IMMIGRANTS WERE EVEN MORE DESPERATE FOR WORK AT POVERTY WAGES, and SHOWED THEM THE WAY. The managers (many of then ethno-centric in their decision making and hiring practices, and in their support for ethno-centric social advocacy groups, quickly learned the US work society could be converted to ALL foreign workers who would work for FAR less than the wages of the employees they replaced. (in variou forms known as out-sourcing or in-sourcing).
5. MONEY and BONUSES at the senior management levels (and personal bias and support for favored ethnicities) became more important than experience or skills of the people they hired (AND IT WAS POLITICALLY CORRECT based on “NO Borders” doctrine and Diversity Quotas, designed to racially balance the numbers of workers), and the customers could not complain about poor service or increased mistakes and reduction of communication clarity. Racial balancing of “ethnic numbers” is ILLEGAL according to the US Supreme Court.
6. WHY DO YOU THINK WAL-WART, and ALL THE STORES IN THE REGIONAL MALLs NOW ONLY HIRE “legal” foreign immigrants, and when they can get away with it “ILLEGAL” Immigrants?
Since most of you refuse to accept or understand the truth that the very DEMISE OF OUR ECONOMY and the current global ecomomic meltdown is a DIRECT RESULT of 25 years of ignored “illegal” immigration, causing a huge population and housing bubble, changes due to “illegal” immigrant foreign ethics infusion into our “ethics culture” that leans heavily toward discrimmination, criminalization of the political infrastructure, group preference and open and blatent discrimmination and priviliging of the “law” based on race, religion, gender and ethnicity, I doubt most of you can ACCEPT or understand what “illegal” immigration is going to do to ALL of your future (and current) job stability and future decay of existing wealth (American wages and wealth are tied together), as Discriminatory, ethnic-centric MANAGERS continue to hire only their own kind, continue to hire “illegal” immigrants, continue to ignore “immigration law” or quotas, continue to blur the concept of “legal” and “illegal” immigrant, continue to ignore and act extremely arrogant toward existing community laws and continue to give preference in work visas to “legal” foreign workers of very specific “favored” ethnicities.
You cannot do anything about “visa” preference, and community advocacy for “legal” foreign workers (AND YOU SHOULD NOT because that leads to HATRED) But you CAN DO something about the millions of Americans who are already here that are going to be laid off in the next 2 years of this growing depression and replaced by “12 million or more “illegal” immigrants. You can ONLY do something about “illegal” immigrant workers replacing 12 million Americans who are already here and are going to be laid off and you CAN PREVENT the replacement by even more “illegal” immigrants who are encouraged to sneak over our borders, or open our borders using “NO BORDER” advocacy groups to encourage our President, our US Senators and US congressmen (mostly democrats of specific ethnicity preferences themselves who have gotten into our government in the last 25 years of “illegal” immigration) will continue to press for legislation that will favor specific ethnicities and cultural groups, even though the US constitution forbids it. (Just look at existing 8A laws for a taste of the laws to come).
Have you ever been to the Capital region US Immigration Office?
95% of the current US immigration workers know each other’s cultures and ethnicity preferences very well, and are almost ALL prior “illegal” immigrant Asians or Hispanics working in the field offices, working hard to get “illegal” immigrants into the country politically. So are THEIR MANAGERS.
It is people like those who sympathize with “illegal” immigrants on this blog, that will someday WAKE UP and discover they no longer have a job if advocacy such as that represented by the LIBERTY WALL is not countered with COMMON SENSE and EQUITABLE LAW ENFORCEMENT (to remove “illegal immigrants”. THOSE people who continue to sympathize with “illegal” immigrants will someday realize they will never be able to sustain the current wealth they think they should have.
THAT is the consequence of a NO BORDER mentality.
Obama is the ONLY government leader who will NOT TOLERATE RACIAL and ETHNICITY PREFERENCE.
Oh Hell… there is more room at the bottom. I can only imagine what’s going to be on it tomorrow after noon.
Hello, your oh hell is probably well put. I guess we get to watch the continuing saga.
We are getting some great reports though from Ivan and our roving photographer.
Maybe we will get a huge snow storm.
WhyHereWhyNow, 2. February 2009, 20:19
“Eliminate the Borders?!!”
What an astonishingly abysmal choice of words. If there is still a way to hand the Greg-N-Corey Show an opportunity for a comeback, this is the way to do it. How much do you suppose they paid for the advertising space?”
WHWN, that’s a rather disingenuous comment, wouldn’t you say. What do you suppose “Mexicans Without Borders” means, and what is the organization trying to accomplish? Of course, next you’re going to try to justify the aspersion by claiming it was a joke, right?
I’m sure the “education for all” is referring to urging Obama to suppot the Dream Act, not that Mr. F doesn’t realize that all school aged children are required to attend school.
I have no idea what Sr. F means. I think that ‘wall’ or whatever it is just causes bad feelings in the community. Many people have tried to explain this to Sr. F but he stubbornly clings to his own ideas.
Too bad because a lot of innocent people get caught up in this one. No one was ever sold on an idea by getting beaten over the head with a baseball bat.
Perhaps Mr. F. is advocating taking the money now being spent on the 287(g) program and putting it to better use by applying it to our educational system.
AWC, as I understand it, “Mexicans Without Borders” chose their name a decade ago, long before FAIR and Lou Dobbs convinced John Stirrup to go into hysterics over the false notion, and false threat, of a North American Union that dissolves our border with Mexico.
I took the use of the word “border” on the new sign as a way of insisting that the word can still refer to superficial characteristics like race or religion that separate people … a losing argument I’m sure you agree.
But in the process they only managed to deepen the linguistic hole they are in by attaching the word “eliminate” to the word “borders,” which sounds like a Lou Dobbs propaganda campaign. In fact it might even be an inadvertently direct quote from one of his ridiculous news banners.
blah, blah, blah – same old, same old. The city will waste a ton of money fighting Senor F. to show that what he is doing is violating city code, all the while Senor F. laughing at us stupid gringos to our faces.
A sledgehammer would work wonders.
Like Rick said, let me put up a sign that says “Send Illegal Immigrants home. Keep them out of our schools. Don’t make me pay for their medical care. Jail tax evaders.” and I’d be thrown in jail faster than my head could spin (And BTW – please note that I would NEVER make a sign saying those things nor would I condone anyone making a sign saying that – using it as an extreme example).
Although – “jail tax evaders” could apply to people applying for Obama’s cabinet – maybe we *should* post a sign saying that! 😉
You Wish, can you give any actual evidence that you would be thrown in jail for words alone and not for a zoning violation? I doubt it very much. After all, there have been plenty of street demonstrations in different places with signs saying exactly what you describe.
In our society, in our Constitutional system, it can’t be the words on the sign, it has to be the sign itself. And if you were arrested for your political speech alone, the ACLU would be happy to take your case. Need their number?
Good Lord Lelia – get a grip.
Sorry – spelled your name wrong – Leila
You Wish, perhaps the grip to be gotten is yours. I was being sarcastic when I offered you the ACLU’s number. I did, however, think you were serious perhaps when you suggested you would be in jail if you had made a sign saying the things you said. Why did I think that? Because I have read repeatedly here and on the other blog posts that suggest that anyone expressing views opposite of Fernandez would not be allowed that speech.
Sorry, I didn’t realize you had written the whole thing as a joke.
leila, you are right you would not be jailed for the zoning violation, but you could be put in jail if ordered to correct the violation and you don’t. Many years ago a man in Fairfax was jailed because he was ordered to plant trees on the driving range he developed as was shown in the plans. The zoning departement took him to court and he was ordered to plant the trees. In short, he didn’t and was jailed for what I believe was contempt of court.
Well, then Fernandez is going to jail…I understand that he is already under a contempt warrant for ignoring a court-ordered cease and desist notice this past weekend. If there’s any justice, he’ll find himself in the same cell with someone named Bubba who is sure to make it a memorable experience. Perhaps then he’ll learn, and remember, that he is no more above the law than the rest of us.
FormerComEmployee, actually the question was whether you could be jailed for the words, or at least that is what You Wish appeared to suggest. Ie. that the words he/she was suggesting would force action taken against you, while the ones from Fernandez wouldn’t. But that was an interesting story you tell. Though as you note the jail was for contempt of court.
Wow, I posted at 0:00. Cool. Didn’t even realize it.