Lamppost symbols will not be removed

Karen S. Kim

Historic preservation won over a proposal by Mayor Rafi Manoukian

on Tuesday night, when the City Council agreed not to cover, alter or

replace a ring of decorative backward swastikas on the base of

Glendale’s lampposts.

“I think it’s sad that ... a maniac that was around in the ‘40s

came around and took a symbol that was around ... for many

generations and destroyed its meaning,” Councilman Bob Yousefian

said. “And I think us turning around and doing the same thing would

be a way of aiding that maniac. If I covered that up, you know what,

Hitler came back from his grave and struck one more. I won’t let him

do that.”

The council had considered different options for changing the

symbols, which appear on 930 green, cast-iron lamps in Glendale, at

costs that could range between $99,000 and $5.78 million. But four

out of five council members decided against those choices, opting

instead to launch an education campaign about the origin and history

of the symbols.

“To me, they’re insulting,” Manoukian said. “Beauty is in the eye

of the beholder, and to me, they’re Nazi swastikas. If I had my way,

I’d remove them all, but it’s apparent I don’t have the support of my

colleagues.”

About a dozen residents at Tuesday’s meeting vehemently urged the

council to leave the lampposts alone.

“We like our street poles,” resident Carol Jean Felkel said.

“Don’t change them. Don’t touch a thing.”

Many of the residents said the council should preserve the history

of the lampposts, which were installed between 1924 and 1926 for

about $215 each.

“What you’re doing is defacing historical property,” resident

Margaret Hammond said. “These lights are a part of Glendale history,

and they make downtown Glendale what it is. You’re wrong to change

it.”

Other residents said “censoring” the symbols would deny their

historical significance. The swastika was originally a spiritual

symbol of Indian culture that has been used by Asians, Greeks and

Native Americans as positive decorations.

“Let’s not continue the genocide of their culture,” resident

Sharon O’Connor said of the Native Americans. “Let’s educate.”

The city’s efforts to educate the public on the symbols might

include plaques on the lampposts, and information posted on Charter

Cable Channel 6 and the city’s Web site, council members said.

Manoukian, though unsupported in his proposal, was praised by

fellow council members and residents for his efforts.

“It’s very good when people are sensitive to what can even be

perceived as a symbol of man’s inhumanity to man,” Glendale

Homeowners Coordinating Council President Carole Sussman said.