All Refugees Deserve Tolerance at the Least

Southeast Asian refugees have been the victims of prejudice ever since they began arriving in Orange County nearly 15 years ago. But they did not expect, nor deserve, the show of intolerance they received before the Westminster City Council last Tuesday.

The entire Orange County community ought to be outraged by the insensitive, bigoted remarks made by Westminster City Councilman Frank Fry Jr., who, in voting to deny a parade permit being sought by a group of South Vietnamese military veterans, told them, “If you want to be South Vietnamese, go back to South Vietnam.”

The group was seeking the permit for a parade to honor all soldiers from the several nations who fought the Communists in Vietnam. The parade would be part of the celebration of a Vietnamese holiday in June that is similar to Memorial Day in the United States.

Fry denies that he is a bigot and says his opposition vote was a “protest against some of the divisiveness” that he says exists in the city, alluding to the city’s Asian community, which now makes up about 15% of its population and is seeking to retain many of its cultural customs.

The Vietnamese, like all the other immigrant groups who have settled in this country, should retain their ethnic roots as they assimilate and become part of the community. For the most part, they do.

Fry may not be a bigot, but his statement is bigoted. And it only encourages other intolerant attitudes. The remark was all the more repugnant coming from an elected public official entrusted with representing the interests of all his constituents, regardless of race, religion or nationality.

It was about 8 years ago that a petition signed by more than 100 residents was submitted to the Westminster City Council demanding that the city “deny granting any license to any Indochinese refugee attempting to set up any business in this Viet town area.” But other residents, however, submitted a second petition opposing that kind of city policy, which we doubt could ever have passed legal muster anyhow. The demand to deny licenses to Indochinese refugees was rejected. We believe that second petition was a more accurate reflection of the feelings toward Southeast Asians in Westminster. And we think that most residents and officials would show the same tolerant, supportive attitudes today.

In recent months, a cross was burned on the lawn of a black family in Westminster, and road signs directing motorists to Little Saigon (the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam), have been defaced. Now more than ever public officials should be setting examples of harmony and acceptance, rather than making prejudiced remarks and then trying to pass them off as the prevailing public opinion.

When the Irish want to march to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, no one tells them,”If you want to be Irish, go back to Ireland.” And when the Italians march on Columbus Day, no one tells them to go back to Italy.

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants who love this country but still retain, as they should, the cultural roots of the lands from which they came. The Vietnamese are no different. Nor should anyone expect them to be. Least of all a councilman who is supposed to represent them, not harbor and mouth bigoted attitudes that are much more divisive and un-American than the memorial parade the refugees are seeking and should be allowed to hold.