On the grass that started it all

Deepa Bharath

A group of people armed with signs and Mexican flags staged a quiet

protest in the grassy area in Corona del Mar State Beach against

recent comment made by Newport Beach City Councilman Dick Nichols

about Mexicans using the grassy areas at the beach.

While discussing various aspects of proposed improvements at

Corona del Mar State Beach, Nichols said he opposed expanding grassy

areas there because “with grass, we usually get Mexicans coming in

there early in the morning, and they claim it as theirs, and it

becomes their personal, private grounds all day.”

In his defense, Nichols told a room jammed with residents,

reporters and TV cameras at Tuesday night’s council meeting that he

is not a bigot and that he believes the furor over his race-related

comments is the result of a conspiracy of his fellow City Council

members, the Daily Pilot and the Newport Beach Firefighters Assn.

Council members voted 5 to 2 at that meeting on a resolution that

states Nichols should resign if he cannot abide by his oath of

office.

Michele Rafael of Anaheim, who organized what she calls the

Anti-Racist Beach Party on Saturday, said she thought it was a better

idea to protest at the beach than at a council meeting.

“We felt that if he had a problem with Mexican people coming to a

public beach then that’s what we would do,” she said. “A lot of us

were offended by his comments.”

Rafael said she was happy with the response to the beach party

that began at about 10 a.m. and grew as the day went on.

“We had about 50 people there and not all were Hispanic,” she

said. “They were just there because they didn’t agree with what

[Nichols] said either.”

Corona del Mar resident Laura Dietz, who ran against Nichols in

the last election, said she was there because she believes that “a

vast majority of people in this community do not agree with what

Nichols said.”

“I deeply regret the black eye he’s given to the community,” she

said.

Others like Amanda Tarpley of Corona del Mar, who are regular

visitors to the beach, watched protesters assemble by the sidewalk.

“I think they have a right to protest,” she said. “This is a

public beach and anyone should be able to enjoy it.”

But at the same time, Tarpley said, Nichols should not be

ostracized because of what he said.

“He just said what many people think,” she said. “It’s wrong in my

opinion, but I’ve heard people talk like that.”

Rosa Carreon and her husband came all the way from Whittier armed

with a Mexican flag. It’s an issue of “the haves versus the

have-nots,” she said.

“People here have million-dollar homes and beautiful views of the

ocean,” she said. “What about people who live in closed quarters like

apartment complexes? They don’t have access to big yards or travel to

foreign countries with exotic beaches. This is all they have.”

Deborah Russell of Santa Ana said she sees an “ironic situation”

in Corona del Mar.

“I was jut walking down on Ocean Boulevard and I saw all these

Hispanic people working in the yards and gardens of these homes,” she

said. “They’re right here working, but people have an objection if

they use the beach.”