Many of you have heard about Farmers Branch, Texas, a bedroom community directly north of Dallas on Interstate-35, where the city council, under the “leadership” of a neo-conservative wannabe named Tim O’Hare, who will undoubtedly be seeking higher office in 2008,
This May, there will be referendums, widely publicized across the nation, the primary initiative being about forcing landlords not to rent to so-called illegal aliens/immigrants. There have been demonstrations, protests and accusations hurled like football across Texas Stadium.
In all the pronouncements, proponents of the anti-immigrant measures have tried to make the case that race is not involved. But they have lied; it’s ALL about race and the entire issue is an anti-Hispanic attitude among the city’s white residents – mistakenly thinking that they can retain some sort of plantation mentality while the demographics change around them.
Now the proof is in the pudding … that could be sold at a grocery store in Farmers Branch that (horror!) caters to Hispanics!!! And it has the community in a racist uproar, peeling back the truth for all to see.
The corporation known as Minyard Foods has developed a store brand, named Carnival, which, yes, caters to Hispanic customers, the largest growing population base in North Texas. In fact, the store is the biggest money-maker within the Minyard chain. Minyard’s closes its flagship store in East Dallas to open (wait for it) a Carnival.
So why should Farmers Branch think its shit don’t stink on this issue? Not because the white folks say so. Sorry, your white sheets are showing.
And the debate, which isn’t really a debate because Minyard's hasn’t announced a damn thing to go into Farmers Branch, is couched with the kind of racist code words which find bigots hiding behind language.
The building in question was built in 1959 at the corner of Josey Lane and Valley View Lane called the Four Corners (nearly 50 years old and 50 years since substantive renovation). It was once a Skaggs Alpha Beta (a blast from the past for your Southerners) and then Albertson’s moved into the structure in August 1991. It became a Super Saver in December, 2004, and closed late last summer.
Oh yeah, Super Saver? NOT high-end, Senor O’Hare.
There is also a rumor that Brookshire Brothers (oops, NOT high-end) might move into the space. Except Brookshire’s seldom ventures in large urban areas. The Tyler-based chain like smaller, often rural locales … which is NOT Farmers Branch, which hasn’t seen farmers in years.
“I think it is a reasonable thing to wish for to have a grocery store that appeals to higher-end consumers,” O’Hare told the Dallas Morning News. Of course that implies that Hispanics aren’t HIGH-END customers.
More from Mr. O’Hare.
“If a fast-food joint was coming into the Super Saver parking lot, and I said, ‘Hey, can’t we get a Chili’s?’ who am I discriminating against?" he said.
Hey, Tim, you classify Chili’s as HIGH-END????????? Dude, read a Zagat once in awhile.
There is an e-mail (aren’t they becoming the tools of the devil lately?) floating around Farmers Branch from a City Council candidate named Tim Scott, which “encourages residents to call the company to say they want a Minyard, not a Carnival. That has prompted others to distribute fliers or go door-to-door with the same message. Mr. Scott said that he doesn’t recall who told him about the store’s possible arrival but that he heard it from a couple of people,” according to the Morning News story.
And he is quoted using more of that deceptive “language.”
“I don’t think we need any sort of ultra-discount store in there at all. We’re a town of ultra discounts as it is,” Mr. Scott said in the paper.
Gee whiz. So ultra-discount means LOW END, eh? And lots of people believe Farmers Branch caters to that crowd because of the number of businesses chasing that dollar.
Doncha think white people shop there, too?
Time to speak truth to power. The debate that has engulfed Farmers Branch and much of this state (and nation) is NOT about illegal actions by immigrants, or homeland security. It’s about white people’s fears about Hispanics and specifically people of Mexican descent and having Hispanic surnames.
I hope Minyard’s builds a freaking Super Carnival and let’s see if Mr. O’Hare and his followers reject the increase in the sales tax base, thanks to folks with darker skin and Hispanic names.
Perhaps they need to recite some Bob Dylan before the next council meeting.
The times they are-a changin.’
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6 comments:
i think this is ridiculous. every letter to the editor in the DMN i read tries to say "i'm not against hispanic markets, but we are entitled to a whole foods or something". well, let me say, putting in a carnival is a private property issue- if the space is zoned for a supermarket, its blatantly an intrusion of private property rights to say it cannot be a hispanic themed store. also, clearly the white trash demographics in farmers branch dont support upscale supermarkets- you can complain all you want about "press one for english" but dont tell me you're not being racist by not wanting a hispanic supermarket in place of a vacant crumbling former supermarket. the part that kills me is this is the work of "Christian" right wingers who display anything BUT Christian love when it comes to discriminating against others. Another example of truly cynical and hateful values.
Maybe the people in Farmers Branch are worried the area will become litered with used pampers and beer cans like the Mexican deep discount store parking lots are here in California ? Just a thought.
Sorry, you are quite wrong here.
I am married to a Latina, speak fluent Spanish and I live in Farmers Branch. My wife came here legally from El Salvador - doing all the steps correctly. We have paid thousands of dollars and the process took years, all the way from the very start, with a fiance visa. We both supported this ordinance, because we are a country of laws. The real issue is that the Federal Government refuses to enforce the laws that we have in place. Immigration Laws, which I might add, are already far more lenient than just about every country on the planet. My wife and I know many people from the church in El Salvador who were tried to emigrate to Mexico, and guess what? Mexico is far more ruthless in deporting people on their southern border than the US is with theirs. If so many people are trying to leave Mexico, then maybe the Mexican government needs to ask itself why things are so bad there, rather than trying to make our southern border non-existent.
Illegal immigrants try to make this about racism, but it is not. I have two awesome mixed-race children - Latino/Caucasian. They are definitely better for it. We speak Spanish and English in our home and we both admire the good qualities of each culture.
So how dare the author of this essay try to make this about "racism". To us this is nothing about race, but about following the laws of our country.
If you think illegal mexicans are so awesome should move to a neighborhood full of illegal mexicans. There is a barrio full of them near 1-30 and East Grand in Dallas. See how long you last there! Enjoy stepping over dirty diapers on the sidewalk. Thrill to the nightly gunplay. Good luck trying to sleep through the blasting oompah music and "Latin Rap". There are some good illegal drug deals to be found there, too! Cluck cluck about how wonderful cultural diversity is when you hear the rampant wife-beatings disturbing your dinner. Experience their "wonderful culture" first-hand. I write from personal experience. I saw 3 people get shot in 6 months. I saw 10 drunk mexicans beat up their wives over those 6 months. I saw one woman run over and killed by a drunk mexican and also saw over 25 car wrecks caused by drunk illegal mexicans. If you think illegal Mexicans are so great, move to their neigborhoods and let's see how fast you become a "racist".
Also, it is not about "dark skin color". I personally know many people from India and they are all a million times more civilized and intelligent than any illegal Mexican in my neighborhood, and guess what? They have darker skin than the Mexicans.
You are an idiot and unless you live in a neighborhood surrounded by illegal Mexicans then all your words are nothing more than stinky turds plopping down onto your keyboard.
These idiots will definitely hate me im mexican amd muslim. I dont know how can people be so ignorant
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