New Northern Califonia school named after Outlaw.

This is just wrong on so many levels.

Vasquez spent his short, violent life as an outlawed bandit who brawled, robbed, and horse rustled his way from Monterey to Salinas to Santa Cruz and beyond in Northern California. He was publicly hung in San Jose after he was convicted of murder. Vasquez was not seen as a bad guy by all, however. He was considered a hero by some in the Hispanic community and was a self-proclaimed defender of Mexican rights.

Yes, but the man based his life on murder of mostly innocent people.

The new 850-student school is slated to open in August 2013 in an area of Salinas plagued by youth gang violence. For the past two years, Monterey County has had the highest homicide rate in the state, Salinas has had the most homicides of any city in Monterey County, and East Salinas neighborhoods had the most homicides in Salinas.

Why would a brand new Public School do this. Is there not an honorable Hispanic deserving? This is an insult to all law abiding people. It should be especially offensive to Hispanics. I would think. I mean if they named a school after Charles Manson I would be offended. Charlie did far less than this killer.

Schools, streets, and cities are often named after famous, honorable and influential people to memorialize their contributions to society.

Leave it to California to screw up naming a School.

I am really stupefied...

KSBW.com

I just read over the story and I don't care for the choice but given the location, I do understand it given the options. They could choose this guy, a "Chicano Poet" or name it Hillside if they didn't care for the idea of immortalizing a former principle by naming a school after them. I notice 2 of the choices were made of up that. Errr... That's Interesting and I'd really have liked to see a wider selection to see how it may have turned out then.

As a former resident of Salinas I can assure you the name is fitting. That place is a hole, and I've lived in a combat zone and SE D.C.

The native residents are nice. So are the migrants who come to work the fields. It's the gangbangers who get run out of Stockon, LA, and Fresno who come to live with tio/a who ruin it.

reply to post by GreenGlassDoor
Hey, I have a question... Just where is all that happening?? I'm not challenging...I'm legitimately asking. I spent the better part of 5 years, on one end of my trip, in Salinas or right around it. Most of that was at the sheds like Mann Packing or out south of the Market St. sheds by T&A. I heard stories about violence...but never actually saw any in or around the many shed holding lots or truck areas and wondered about that. Since it comes up in this thread, it seems a decent spot to ask....?

I don't know about this, at first glance I'd say "What the hell are these people thinking?" but, once I've had a chance to think about it I'm thinking maybe it's not so bad. If none of the people voting for it could relate to the other choices and could to the Outlaw, I can mostly understand that. I think where I still have my most hesitance, is that it was a school that named for an outlaw. I have zero problem with an area that he used as a hideout being named after him as mentioned in the source.

I really don't think it's really that big of a deal. I don't know if there are any public institutions named after Billy the Kid or Jesse and Frank James, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were. The James Brothers, John Dillanger, and Bonnie and Clyde were actual or borderline folk heroes, the James because of Confederate sympathies after the war and the others because of the hatred of banks during the Depression. As a matter of fact, there are several US military bases named after men who rose up in arms against the United States in rebellion. Forts Lee, Benning, and Bragg are the first three that come to mind.

One of the most important things to keep in mind, is what are the motivations of both the original story, any news aggregator sites, and even the OP have in posting it. The source seems pretty much a local interest story, I'm not aware of any partisan news sites linking it, and I'm willing to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that they are posting this simply as an interesting story to discuss here despite the tone of the OP. I'd honestly like to know more about Senor Vasquez to form a better opinion.

Big deal. We have federal buildings named after outlaws.

FBI headquarters after J. Edgar Hoover, for starters.

Originally posted by solarstorm
Big deal. We have federal buildings named after outlaws.

FBI headquarters after J. Edgar Hoover, for starters.

edit on 13-12-2012 by solarstorm because: (no reason given)

Forgot all about that...

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Alisal. It used to be just old town Alisal and east of 101. Now it walked its Alisal road towards Hartenell.

If you want a good laugh, read about a Salinas Councilwoman's son and his thug life.

Leaving Salinas was a happy day for me. I lived near the Northridge Mall, and it was OK for a while. Then it was like somebody flipped a switch and we had break-ins, stabbings, and had two cars shoot at one another in the entrance to my apartment complex. The managment would just send out some notice telling us to be vigilant and call the police if we saw something. The people closest to the crime never did. The best was when the cops body-slammed some chick into the hood of my truck in the safeway parking lot. I guess she was hooking, from what I gathered.

Anywho, people in Monterey County always hear about the fun and its not like you'll see a murder in every alley. If you live there, though, you will eventually see the stuff that makes the news. For a town its size you'd think it wouldn't have those problems.

SE D.C. and PG County, MD was more gritty, but you'd really only find trouble if you were looking for it. Salinas has a problemmof boiling over.

From OP link:

For Salinas' newest school, trustees picked Vasquez over five others that were on a list presented to them by the district's naming committee.

According to Superintendent John Ramirez, other options on the list were: Trini Rodriguez, a respected Salinas school principal; Anastacio Cabral, another beloved longtime principal; Tomas Rivera, a Chicano author and poet; nearby hills (Hillside School); and nearby farms and ranches (La Hacienda School).

You have to wonder WHO the trustees are and what their thought process was. This for sure isn't a vote of the public. I remember a new street name in Portland Oregon for an existing street. It was against everyones wish yet, a new name was commissioned. This probably is a very small group of 'deciders'.

reply to post by whyamIhere


My high school was named after a US General who waged a campaign of ethnic cleansing across the Ohio valley, slaughtering thousands of Indians. Our mascot was, naturally, an Indian.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by whyamIhere

 

My high school was named after a US General who waged a campaign of ethnic cleansing across the Ohio valley, slaughtering thousands of Indians. Our mascot was, naturally, an Indian.

Well, I guess one man's hero...Is another man's Outlaw.

The way this was done seems intentional.