Letters to the Editor, June 30

Bad decision

First, I want to thank the Channel 10 News and LGBT Weekly for disseminating the very bad decision made by Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Little Italy.

And, despite the reversal of its very bad decision concerning Mr. Sanfilippo’s funeral.

The Church will never shake the core of my 56-year Catholic faith. No matter how it, routinely, attempts to embarrass me.

Why? I do not worship the Catholic Church. That would be false idols.

The church only provides the “vehicle” for me to worship God! And, I am constantly practicing to do that better, every day. Despite who or what narrow-minded, righteous priests or parishioners might think my life should be. Those who misjudge will be forgiven, hopefully.

Your parish has demonstrated, yet, another occasion to embarrass so many good Catholics! I will be encouraging the church to take a look at your parish’s very poor leadership’s decision-making process. I hope Mr. Sanfilippo’s family will re-direct, to a more worthy organization, any monetary contribution left by his will to your parish.

With all those leaving the church, the church better be careful what it wishes for. But, more importantly, those of us good Catholics will overpower the opinion of the bigotry.

RAY CARTER
Washington, D.C.

Redistricting: Diversity and District 3

Let me first start by stating that I have little to gain from any map that the Redistricting Commission passes. Being party to various competing interests groups: Latino, LGBT, veteran, Republican, I am in that respect likely impossible to please. But being a new resident of District 3 I am concerned about where our lines are to end up.

The CLC’s LGBT Task Force, has put forth a tireless effort. Linda Perine, a personal friend of mine has done a great job in including various interest groups and considering many factors. Primarily their map unites Uptown and Downtown, includes Mission Hills and excludes City Heights, Fairmont Park and splits the communities of Normal Heights, Kensington and Talmadge. The new map is more progressive and is justified using results in voting strength in opposition of Proposition 8. Using the City’s Redistricting Tool, I compared the proposed map with the current map and found the following:

Current District 3 demographics:

• Population: 152,208

• White: 56.8 percent

• Latino: 38.33 percent (3rd highest)

• African American: 8.85 percent (2nd Highest)

• Other: 18.99 percent (2nd Highest)

Proposed District 3 demographics:

• Population: 142,375

• White: 71.59 percent

• Latino: 22.44 percent

• African American: 7.31 percent

• Other: 8.81 percent

Recently there has been a certain amount of drama between various of the leaders in our community. Race baiting, name calling, the whole nine, however lost in the battle of personalities is an issue I think is most important. The District proposed by the Task Force would be amongst if not, the least diverse with 70 percent being white and all other demographics being reduced.

Now the reasons for the unification of Uptown and Downtown are plentiful. For example shared issues of homelessness, parking and redevelopment. However I am concerned about the lack of diversity in the Task Force’s proposed District. Being from New York City, the most diverse city in the country, if not the world, I strongly believe that our voice as a community is enriched by diversity, and diluted without it. Sure our current Councilmember Todd Gloria, a person of color, will likely move and be handily re-elected, but the chances of that moving forward is greatly reduced.

The tragedy of Proposition 8 showed us that our community has failed in its outreach to minorities. Line by line the demographics of that election showed that majorities of Latinos, African Americans, Asians, voted in favor. In a minority-majority state like California, this is the key to our defeat at the polls and our victory the next time. We should be more inclusive of minorities in our community in every way possible from our outreach in our activism to where we draw our electoral lines.

The map proposed by the CLC LGBT Task Force, is going to be promoted as a chance for our community to “up our game,” to place our seat at the place of power, but it will be gentrified and less diverse. It may be good for business, property values and some issues, but not necessarily good for our movement. We should be reaching out and not pushing away.

WILL RODRIGUEZ-KENNEDY
North Park