A council meeting to remember
Happens all the time. People ask me, “Do you miss the city
council? Do you miss being mayor?” “Not really,” I answer. But now
and then, I really do.
Last week’s council meeting was one of those times. Most council
meetings are dry, lifeless affairs, downright dull at times. But
every once in a while, when the moon is full and the planets align
just so, a meeting comes along that is worth far more than the price
of admission. Last week’s meeting was one of them.
If it were a movie, you could call it “When Protests Collide.” But
the opening scene wasn’t last week. It all began on July 4, just
outside Niketown, beneath the Great Dome in the triangular square.
On that fourth day of July, sometimes referred to as Independence
Day, most of us were doing festive things involving large quantities
of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, barbecue sauce, sunscreen,
chips, salsa and a few fireworks, legal of course. But a group of
protesters assembled beneath the great Niketown dome to let the world
know they were mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.
Do they not like the dome? Do they hate sports? Do they not want
to just do it? None of the above. It was the low wages for foreign
workers issue. The big American company has things made in distant
lands where workers are paid a paltry sum by United States standards,
et cetera.
There is rarely any mention that in most of the countries in
question, an unemployment rate of 50% is considered an economic
recovery and those wages are more than most people will ever, ever
make -- but that’s a story for another day.
Most of the protesters were self-described anarchists. When
anarchists express their discontent with something, it is usually
quite spirited. Refer to your notes on the demonstrations last year
against globalization, the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund in Seattle, Wash. and Genoa, Italy. Yikes.
One of the protesters was a man named Naui Huitzilopochtli. Never,
ever again will I complain about having to constantly spell my last
name for people. If Naui can deal with Huitzilopochtli, then I can
darn sure manage Buffa without whining.
I suspect Huitzilopochtli is not Naui’s given name, since
Huitzilopochtli was the Aztec god of the sun and war. Not a lot of
people are named after Aztec gods, but hold that thought. You’ll need
it later.
At Niketown, the protestations became unpleasant and harsh to the
ears when three young men expressed opinions in opposition to the
protesters. Who should be arrested by Costa Mesa’s finest, but Mr.
Huitzilopochtli -- booked on suspicion of assault and battery for
allegedly throwing red paint at one of the men. These are allegations
Huitzilopochtli denies.
But now things become, to quote Alice, “curiouser and curiouser.”
The fact that Huitzilopochtli is there at all, beneath the dome, has
nothing at all to do with where the Nike swoosh is being stitched and
how much the swoosh stitchers are being paid. According to
Huitzilopochtli, his only connection with the anti-swooshers is a
spontaneous show of solidarity. He was there not to denounce the
swoosh, but to pass out fliers for an upcoming and totally unrelated
protest -- a protest against school mascots, to be precise.
You see? Now being named after an Aztec god begins to make sense.
As you know, school mascots and nicknames referring to ethnic
minorities are politically incorrect. A nickname like the “Mighty
Chieftains” clearly implies that members of a certain group are
“mighty” and “chieftains,” which as any fool can see, is demeaning.
So there they were -- the anarchists, Naui and the three men --
gathered beneath the dome, with too many opinions in too small a
space. There was a lot of venting going on, which spilled over to
last week’s Costa Mesa City Council meeting, for which the
anti-swooshers turned out in force.
They said that not only should Huitzilopochtli not have been
arrested for paint-tossing, but that the three men hurtful remarks at
them and kicked their signs. The trio, however, deny that and say
that it was the anarchists who were behaving badly, including trying
to paint them red, which made them angry enough to make a citizens
arrest of Huitzilopochtli.
As if the meeting wasn’t curious enough, when the anarchists were
done expressing their discontent, representatives of the Orange
County Gay and Lesbian Alliance stepped to the microphone and
explained they are in the midst of planning the “Orange County Dike
March.”
Yes, that’s what it’s called and, no, I didn’t make it up. It’s
their name, not mine, so there. The alliance respectfully asked that
a section of Newport Boulevard be closed for this year’s Orange
County Dike March.
The request was duly considered and denied, and the meeting slowly
returned to the world of open space variances and change orders.
Every once in a while you just have to see this stuff for yourself.
And it’s at those moments that I miss it so. I gotta go.
* PETER BUFFA is a former Costa Mesa mayor. His column runs
Sundays. He may be reached via e-mail at PtrB4@aol.com.
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