I just got an email from one of our contributors telling me of a new sign on the Fernandez property.
[Original content redacted]
I have taken the content down because the viewers felt that we were giving someone attention who perhaps didn’t deserve it. The City of Manassas and Mr. Fernandez have been going back and forth over his signs for over 2 years. Mr. F has been ordered to take down his signs by the City, in accordance to their regulations. At the 11th hour before he was to enter court, he took the last one down.
Now he has posted another sign. Regardless of whether his sign violates City ordinance, it appears that most folks have gotten tired of his antics.
Rather than give free publicity to something many of our contributors do not approve of, I decided to remove the entire content of the sign and leave up the thread so we can continue the discussion. I hope this method of information sharing suits everyone. If it doesn’t, as they say on the street, sorry about that.
A big thanks to Ivan, Emma, and others who provided updates during the day. Thumbs down to the person who snagged the original.
May he wind up in court with a defamation lawsuit! Hell, he defamed the entire county and got away with it, but an individual who is a police detective?
Fernandez is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He once heard the president of the United States declare that police acted “stupidly” and with racist intent, before HE knew the facts.
I think he might have just heard that the police acted stupidly. The racist intent might just be a conjecture. Let the Obama bash begin! mmm mmm mmm
I doubt Mr. F. will take down that sign. I’m sure his view is his friend wasn’t guilty – and was somehow forced into pleading guilty. Let’s see – his friend assaults a police officer, and then he puts up a sign saying that police officer is a racist! Great logic, that is. Then again, I’m surprised he and his friends didn’t manage to get some article in the newspaper about how his friend was innocent and the police just targeted his friend, or some such nonsense.
Maybe they can change the name from “9500 Liberty” to “9500 Liberty puts police officers at risk”!
@Elena
I don’t think it is EVER right to try to take away someone’s means of earning a living (assuming we’re not talking about selling drugs or body parts, of course).
lol-“selling body parts”
Would we want to live in a world where police officers are anonymous?
Apart from undercover sting operations, don’t we always have access to the names of policemen?
When a police officer makes an arrest he fills out an arrest report and signs his name. It then is entered into the court’s data base and is then public information. Policemen are public employees and are paid with tax money. Jackson Miller is a PWC officer. How do I know? He puts that info on his campaign literature and on his website along with his home address. Is he putting himself at risk? Is he “outing” himself? Inquiring minds want to know.
Public servants are just that–public.
And this is what Obama said after the “stupidly” comment. You be the judge, Moon:
Doesn’t sound like “conjecture” to me. He was invoking race before he knew the facts.
Seperate from this incident is in there some place. The reporter asked him what the Gates incident says about race relations. Any race remarks were made generally speaking. Do you deny that there is a history of disparity between whites and non-whites?
You might want to listen to that video real closely.
I fault him for saying the police acted stupidly and have from the get go. The racial business I do not fault him on. It is common knowledge and easily proven.
And finally, what does that have to do with Mr. Fernandez? Poorly constructed syllogisms again.
Sorry, but Obama’s race remarks were knee-jerk and in response to the Gates incident, which had nothing whatsoever to do with race. Just because there is a history of racism in the US does not mean the Commander in Chief goes shooting his mouth off invoking race issues before he even knows the facts. Nice way to make Gates look like a victim when he was actually just an arrogant a@@hole with friends in high places.
The president has made it even more fashionable now to invoke the big “R” and to expect everyone to cower. Police actions against nonwhites–RACISM! Tea Parties–RACISM! No buy-in on the healthcare bill–RACISM!
Ever say a word over and over so many times that after awhile it seems to lose meaning?
Really, You see President Obama pulling the race “card”? When? In fact, in his latest interview, regarding the nuttiness of “death panels” etc, he said it had NOTHING to do with race, but fear of the unknown.
Emma, the reporter specifically asked him about racism.
Lynn Sweet: What does it say about race relations in America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvYTNYPDmgQ
I disagree that Obama has made it more fashionable to speak of racism.
Obama says he doesn’t know what role race played in it. I fault him for saying the police acted stupidly. He apologized. I don’t want him executed over this. I understand that you can take any subject and turn it into some jab at the President. However, let’s not hang him for more than he actually did.
The very fact that this discussion somehow landed in a post about Mr. Fernandex speaks to Emma’s skill at deflection.
Historically, Blacks and Latinos are stopped more by law enforcement. Do you deny that?
Actually, upon rereading what you have written: I have been saying that about the word racism since I hit this blog.
Who is saying everything is racism? Not the president. In fact, he is downplaying it.
Now seriously, doesn’t this deserve mention in Byler and Park’s “living documentary”? Should we expect youtube clips on the new sign, describing the convicted felon and the implicit harassment of the police officer? Community reaction? Maybe some comments on citizens who single out police officers as “racist”? Is this a rather vile abuse of the limited power that Fernandez had, the “power” that people like Byler and Park empowered him with?
Who among us actually believes that Byler and Park are unbiased enough to cover what is going on at the old “vigil location”? That’s 9500 Liberty Avenue, folks.
I don’t believe it. I believe those two are an abject joke.
Let me ask you this, Rick–did you see Anabel and Eric out filming the BBQ that got shut down on the Fernandez property? How about his Native American march through downtown Manassas? Were they out there involved with the woman who charged police brutality?
Let me answer–NO. They covered the original wall, which spoke to the issues in both Manassas and Prince William County.
Actually, no one has shown more support of police officers than Anabel and Eric. That fact is theme throughout their film.
You are fighting film demons in your own head that simply do not exist. If you want a movie that just tells PWC’s story from the Rick point of view, this is not your film. If you want a film that looks at the situation from all sides, then I recomment 9500 Liberty.
Rick, I believe they are unbiased enough to cover it. You are acting the part of joker because you are being the mouthpiece for the dark side (unlike you usuaully) and you haven’t seen the film in final form. If you would give me specifics that you don’t like from video clips perhaps we could discuss it but…you haven’t.
Okay, I haven’t seen it.
But do you disagree that this latest antic is relevant to the film?
And do you think they have any interest in including it – say on their youtube channel?
9500 Liberty is the man’s address. I don’t see how you can argue that it’s not relevant to their rather activist efforts.
The film is final. Mr. Fernandez is acting independently. You will not see it on youtube or lets put it another way, I would be extremely surprised to see the lastest sign on youtube under Byler’s banner.
I think the 2 incidents (film debuting and Mr. F’s 4th sign) are irrelevant. In fact, until you spelled it out, I didn’t even make the connection.
I don’t believe they are as activist as you imagine. They simply documented what was already there. They created a chronology of what our community was experiencing.
Well, they picked a poor stopping point. Will they mention, say on youtube videos or on their website, the higher satisfaction with County government in evidence the past two years? Will they show what Fernandez is doing at the “9500 Liberty” address they took their name from, and promoted as some sort of meaningful location nationwide?
What is this obsession?
The higher satisfaction with county government came from blacks and hispanics after a huge drop in satisfaction the year before. In other words, once probably cause was removed, the ratings went up. Hardly a surprise.
I don’t know why they would go film what Fernandez is doing. Did they film his march through downtown? NO. Did they film is out of compliance bbq? No. The film’s name is 9500 Liberty. Their names are Eric and Anabel. The name deals with epicenter. Much like today’s 2 earthquakes, I doubt if the epicenters there are said with terms of endearment as much as just a location.
I’m with Rick – that sign is relevant to the film – even if not the latest version of it (only because the film is “finished”) the one prior version of it that was extremely racist. However, the latest version of it is relevant too, and as they seemed to be continually updating their film they should put this in. That sign, if considered the “epicenter” of the debate – well all it’s versions should be shown – including this latest version which is truly disgusting in regards to calling out the police officer – and probably threatening his life, essentially.
What’s interesting is that when the side they favor makes bad remarks, those don’t seem to be highlighted – at least in the youtube videos. No, I haven’t seen the film – but if they weren’t highlighted in the youtube videos, what makes me think they would be in the film?
Either that or change the title of the film. How about calling it the Prince William County Immigration Debate. Then at least my objections to the 9500 Liberty sign stuff would be mitigated.
There actually was a case of someone selling kidneys and getting people to voluntarily sell one of theirs to this person, who in turn sold it to someone who needed one at a huge profit.
Why does it matter what the film is named?
Yes, the sign was very racist, in my opinion. (the third one)
I don’t think I ever said the sign wasn’t relevant. I said I didn’t think the sign that is up now is relevant to the film. How is it relevant? It has nothing to do with the immigration debate that was raging within the county or the city.
At any rate, the movie went to press a while back. There is no possible purpose of even giving Mr. F the attention. He is irrelevant. I don’t know what you think is in that film, but Mr. F is not the hero. If anyone is a hero, it is Chief Deane.
Back to the title, I don’t think the film makers intended for any of us to be comfortable. Is there an ending, just because the film went to dvd press? Maybe they will make a sequel.
I think the sign is relevant, though that doesn’t mean Annabel and Eric approve of everything Mr. F does or even did. It was a symbol of heated debate and still is.
Mr. F. has become increasingly entwined with the Native American community, and some of their rage can be heard in his later board postings. The problem is now he is taking on layers of social problems, including those stemming back to the founding of this country and the inhumane way the Native Americans were relegated to basically wastelands. The messages are becoming convoluted and the recommendations for solutions nonexistent. All that is left is the rage.
Here’s the official story: http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/manassas/article/another_sign_on_liberty_st._in_manassas_this_one_is_legal/44326/
Pinko, I agree that there are just too many layers here. The Native American issue is one that is sort of lost on the East Coast also because it has been settled for 400 years.
I just see a lot of opportunism going on. On many levels, Mr. F has thrown the local Hispanic community under the bus in exchange for his new found buddies.
I would also like the clarify that I am very pro Native American and I make a point of visiting a reservation each time I go within miles of one when I travel. I try to infuse money into the local economy. I just do not feel what Mr. F is doing is pro-Native American.
Most people are just tired of Mr. Fernandez and think he is the town irritant. He ceases to be relevant. Anyone who ever sympathized with his message or cause has long gotten over it.
@Moon-howler
“I would also like the clarify that I am very pro Native American” Ditto for me.
“I just do not feel what Mr. F is doing is pro-Native American.” Ditto for me. It is hurting everyone more than helping.