el cajon mayor resigns
el cajon mayor resigns Chaldean leads effort to oust mayor By Vanessa Denha Garmo Mark Arabo, CEO of the Neighborhood Market Association (NMA), was a long-time supporter of El Cajon Mayor Mark Lewis prior to the release of an eight-minute audio-taped interview in which the mayor made disparaging remarks about several ethnic groups including Chaldeans. Disgraced Mayor Mark Lewis held his position for 25 years. There are an estimated 50,000 Chaldeans living in San Diego County; about 27,000 of the immigrants are in the East County. Of those, 10,000 to 12,000 are El Cajon residents. Arabo said that calling for Lewis’ resignation was not simply the best decision, but the only decision. The coalition also included the NAACP, Congressman Juan Vargas, and Former California State Senator Waddie Deddeh. “The coalition I led resulted in his resignation that took three days,” said Arabo. “But this was not a win for myself, but a win for the city at large. We sent a message to insensitivity, injustice and discrimination saying that the rights of minorities will not be trampled upon. This is because we are here to stay, we will fight for a voice, and will gain representation not because we want it, but because it is right.” The outcry by dozens of Chaldeans was prompted by a May 2013 story called “Little Baghdad, California,” that described Iraqi immigrants and life in El Cajon. The article quotes Lewis making what Arabo and others called derogatory comments about the Chaldean community. In the article Lewis was quoted as saying some Chaldean schoolchildren who receive free lunches are “being picked up by Mercedes Benzes.” “First time, they come over here, Mark Arabo led the coalition that called for the mayor’s resignation. it doesn’t take them too long to learn where all the freebies are at,” Lewis is quoted as saying. His questionable comments were not limited to Chaldeans; the mayor referenced blacks and Hispanics followed by negative comments including making remarks about being drug dealers. Lewis did not deny the quoted material, but said he was concerned with anyone who would allow their children to get free food and not need it, not specifically anyone of Chaldean background. Arabo said there is just no truth to his claims. “Every community has Mark Lewis was mayor for 25 years. individuals where progress can be made; rather than focusing on the lesser qualities of a people, we should focus on building their esteem and fostering success,” said Arabo. “The issue we had with the mayor was not that his statements were true or false, it was that they were discriminatory and insensitive to the already fragile “First time, they come over here, it doesn’t take them too long to learn where all the freebies are at,” Lewis is quoted as saying. minorities of El Cajon.” The relationship between the mayor and Chaldeans has been a work in progress. “A loss of trust can never be regained quickly, and even though Lewis has resigned from his post, we are a forgiving community,” noted Arabo. “We hope that reconciliation can be achieved, and we both work together towards a new El Cajon.” Chaldeans in San Diego have earned a reputation as a hard-working minority group much like Chaldeans in Michigan. Working closely with the Chaldean Diocese on the West Coast, Chaldeans are also involved in charity and humanitarian works throughout the United States. “Throughout history the majority populous has always looked towards minorities when hoping to find the root of an issue,” commented Arabo. “At times, it does seem as though there is a level of bias shown by both the media and public officials.” An example Arabo pointed out is a story called a “Chaldean Drug Ring” bust that actually ended up being a couple Chaldeans amongst a great many other ethnicities. “What the city needs to understand is that the issues precipitated by certain minorities are not a ‘Chaldean problem,’ ‘Latino problem’ or ‘African American problem’ but a San Diegan problem, an American problem. We must work on collaborative efforts to raise the integrity of our community on a macro level, so that benefits can be reaped by all,” Arabo said. The next step for this process is district-wide elections in the city and Arabo asked the city council to support this effort. “It is obvious that there needs to be greater minority representation at the highest levels of council. This can only be achieved through public pressure, hard work and accommodation shown on the part of our city council members,” he said. “We can only develop as a whole if our city’s governing body is reflective of the diversity that El Cajon has.” 30 CHALDEAN NEWS DECEMBER 2013
DECEMBER 2013 CHALDEAN NEWS 31
