The Problem with Orange County

Yes, I'm from there.  Yes, I grew up a little differently than those who live in the nicer parts of Orange County and even those who live in what some people consider to be the slums of Orange County.  I'd like to think that I've shed most of what some people consider to be the Orange Curtain by living a few years up North and by living in Los Angeles for a while now, but in some sense, OC is still familiar enough to be "home."

Which is why it makes me sick when I read the comments left by a few citizens of Orange County in this article.

Initially, the article piqued my interest, given that the incident it mentions takes place at one of my favorite taquerias in Costa Mesa, but reading the reaction of certain people to this incident makes me sick to my stomach.  If it isn't because of the blatant racism and ignorance pasted about the comments, it's because I'm not surprised people in OC feel entitled enough to make comments like this. 

Personally, my experience with racism is very limited.  I will always remember the feeling in my stomach when my mother told me how someone in line at Mervyn's told her to "Go back to Mexico."  I remember how angry she was and how defiant she was in the face of egregious insult.  What's more, I remember how proud I was of my mother to not let such an affront stand and she proceeded to slap the offending party in front of everyone else at the store.  It taught me two things:  1.  Always stand up and be proud of where you come from and 2.  People like this can exist in your own backyard. 

Obviously, these comments constitute number 2 and here I am, trying to uphold number 1.

Orange County, which was built on the groves of oranges, the oil fields of Huntington Beach, and the backs of my people, still has this element that existed 20 years ago when my mother took a stand for herself in that store.  Sure, the crime that was committed really overshadows a much bigger problem in the community, but shouldn't that be the bigger issue than race?   Sadly enough, for these people it never will be, since all they can see are their own Orange Curtains staring back at them.

Please, take a moment and write a letter to the writer of this article, Kimberly Edds,  and even if you can, send one to the editor of the Orange County Register.