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Michael McMahon was walking his dog when he first heard the chants. He watched as hundreds protested in front of the Villa Park City Hall during the late afternoon. Some were holding signs that read “Unmask Pauly” and “Stop GOP Hate in the OC.”
As a resident of Villa Park for ten years, McMahon said he has never seen anything like this.
“Villa Park is a nice, quiet, non-controversial city,” he said. “Our sleepy town has been woken up.”
Protesters gathered in front of City Hall during a March 22 city council meeting to speak out against statements Councilwoman Pauly said at a rally outside a Muslim charity event in Yorba Linda.
There were about 500 protesters opposing Pauly and 50 of her supporters. Intense, emotional showdowns took place between opposing protesters. There were heated arguments about religion, politics and race. While the protest did not escalate to violence, at times both sides engaged in shouting matches.
At least 30 Orange County Sheriff’s officers surrounded City Hall as a precaution due to a San Pedro man who was arrested under suspicion of making death threats against the councilwoman.
“It looks like democracy in action to me,” McMahon said of the protests. “I see some heated debates going on but I’m just glad it’s non-violent.”
On Feb. 13, the Islamic Circle of North America Relief USA (ICNA) held their annual charity fundraiser event at the Yorba Linda Community Center. A rally was held outside of the fundraiser organized by the North Orange County Conservative Coalition. Speakers at the rally included U.S. Congressman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), Congressman Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) and Councilwoman Deborah Pauly.
Protesters criticized the backgrounds of two speakers at the charity event: Imam Siraj Wahhaj and Imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali. Wahhaj was an alleged co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center attack but was never charged. Malik-Ali has been vocal about his support for Hamas and Hezbollah. Both are involved in social activism and charity events on a regular basis.
According to its website, the organization is a social services branch of the Islamic Circle of North America and its projects include women’s housing, hunger prevention, family counseling, medical aid, emergency financial support and funeral and burial assistance.
A video of Villa Park Councilmember and Orange County GOP Vice Chairwoman Deborah Pauly’s statements circulated on the web garnered the most attention.
“What is going on in there is pure unadulterated evil,” Pauly said at the rally. “I don’t even care if you think I am crazy anymore. I have a beautiful daughter, I have a wonderful 19-year-old son who is a United States Marine. As a matter of fact, I know quite a few Marines who would happy to send these terrorists to an early meeting in paradise.”
The video, released by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), also showed a group of protesters later on in the evening hurling insults at Muslim families. The video went viral and acquired major media attention across the state and even the nation. A backlash ensued against the actions of those at the rally.
The North Orange County Conservative Coalition released a statement saying that a splinter group was responsible for the verbal attacks against Muslim families entering the charity meeting.
A photo of the front page of an issue of the Brea-Olinda High School newspaper listing the offensive remarks of the group harassing families entering the ICNA charity event. Image Credit: www.leenabutt.com
“While we held our peaceful, organized and informative program on the grass area, away from the building, a group of unknown, uninvited protestors gathered near the entrance to the community center to stage their own noisy protest,” a post by Jeremy Yamaguchi on the group’s Facebook page reads. “We have publicly denounced these badly behaved protestors.”
In response to the protest against the charity event, the ICNA stated on their website that they invite the protesters from Feb. 13 and other concerned individuals to meet with the Board of the organization to address any concerns.
Pauly has not issued a formal apology for her statements. She has condemned the speech of the “fringe” group outside of the charity meeting later on in the night, according to the Orange County Register.
The Daily Pilot reported that she was referring to two controversial keynote speakers who were invited to the charity event, not to all the Muslims who were assembled there. But she chose not to mention their names at the time because, she said, part of her was afraid.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Pauly called the protest against her statements outside of the Villa Park City Council meeting on March 22 “an act of terrorism.”
Demonstrators gather to protest Councilwoman Pauly
The protesters consisted of a diverse crowd of mostly Orange County residents. Some were more vocal and others watched as the two opposing groups exchanged heated words. Critics of Pauly, among other slogans, shouted “Racists go home!” while her supporters shouted “No Sharia Law!”
The City Council public comment session extended to over two hours. Many speakers condemned her statements and some demanded her resignation. Others defended Pauly saying that she was exercising her right of free speech.
Meanwhile, outside of the City Council chambers, Pauly supporters mocked the protesters, blasted horns with ear-piercing sirens in a seemingly attempt to drown out the rally chants. Protesters fought back with louder chants.
Noor Aljawad is 19-year-old University of Santa Barbara student who is from Mission Viejo. She attended the protest to show her resentment for Pauly’s remarks. She said she was appalled at the counter-protesters claims that Sharia Law could be imposed in the United States.
“There are so many different types of Sharia Law and some are more patriarchal than others,” Aljawad said. “Just because someone is Muslim in America does not mean they agree with the political laws put into place in other countries.”
Even though Pauly claims her statements were made out of context, she said, there were obvious racial undertones to her words and the rally in general.
Aljawad said attendees of the charity meeting included women and children with no ties to terrorism.
“Whether or not the rally was not directed towards them, they felt the stigma,” she said.
Protesters have a showdown with Pauly supporters
Mission Viejo resident Husam Seraffi attended the protest in front of the Villa Park City Hall to show his disapproval of the Feb. 13 rally. He said Pauly and her supporters appear to be uninterested in engaging a dialogue with the Muslim community. As a result, their intentions are not clearly defined.
“The rally created mass generalizations,” he said. “There seemed to be an overall antagonistic view towards Muslims.”
Seraffi said he feels Pauly’s statements, regardless who they were directed to, insinuated a random act of violence.
Marti Potter, an assistant Track/Cross Country Coach at Villa Park High School, has lived in Villa Park and known Pauly for 14 years. She said she came out to the demonstration to protest Pauly’s role in the community.
“Deborah Pauly is crazy,” she said. “She loves stirring the pot and getting a rise out of people. This is her mess and now she has to clean it up.”
Potter said during the course of over a decade since she has known Pauly, she thinks Pauly is not the best role model for children in the community.
“She is not representative of the kids I coach, my neighbors or our city,” she said. “We are all very diverse and tolerant. The next generation needs to know she is trying to speak for them and it is not right.”
Watch the video below to see footage from the March 22 protest in front of the Villa Park City Hall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjqQUJkh7sw
Read the full text of Deborah Pauly’s speech here: http://ca.cair.com/images/uploads/Pauly_Speech,_Feb._13_YL_Rally_.pdf
An ABC news clip of the charity meeting and rally can be viewed here: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7957084
The video that CAIR released, containing an excerpt of Pauly’s speech, can be viewed here: http://www.vimeo.com/20757802
Amber, I applaud you for an almost bias free story (compared to many on here). Of course you, like CAIR and ICNA, ignore the focal issue that had all those protestors there in the first place – why would they invite an imam who advocates for Sharia law in the US and another who not only supports Hamas but has said that another 9/11 directed at Israel may be necessary? And that is only the tip of the iceberg on Malik Ali’s violent hate speech directed primarily at Israel. Neither CAIR nor ICNA, to my knowledge, has answered that question. I read the statement CAIR put out in your link, and it shows that they are not serious about a real dialogue. CAIR knows full well that many of the protestors were there because of the two radical figures who were speaking. Did some go too far? Definitely. But that doesn’t absolve CAIR and ICNA from explaining why they invited extremists (and I’m being generous there) to their fundraiser. Their silence tells me all I need to know.
One of the spokespeople for the event said the speakers were there to talk about their charity work only and not their political views (ABC News link). Take that as you will but anything beyond that statement is just speculation at this point. You could also say the City of Yorba Linda allowed use of their community center for the charity event – but the rally on 2/13 didn’t seem to be directed towards the City. It would have been clearer who it was directed to with more real evidence to support their claims rather than reliance on innuendos. And it is arguable where the evidence stops and the innuendo begins.
Amber, if you can point to any evidence that Yorba Linda knew they were allowing the use of their facilities for an event where extremists were speaking, then I’ll call them out as well. However, the fact is that CAIR and ICNA knew exactly who was speaking as they have admitted as much. Their lame excuse that the speakers were there only to talk about their charity work only serves as more evidence that they are tolerant of their ideals. Do you think it would be acceptable for David Duke to speak at a charity event simply because he was talking about his charity work?
In case you’ve been oblivious to the facts, here they are straight from the horse’s mouth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2zdiLPq1NU&feature=fvsr
Try to claim that is nothing but innuendo.
The community center requires a facility rental – http://www.ci.yorba-linda.ca.us/~ci26/facility-rental
With your claims – less innuendo at the rally would have given the Coalition an upper hand then, I would think.
Amber,
Nothing that I could see in their policies required CAIR/ICNA to identify the speakers that night, so I again ask for some proof that Yorba Linda knew these 2 individuals were going to be there. In any event, you’re still ducking my point that CAIR/ICNA knew who was going to be there, invited them, and still has not explained why they would knowingly allow two extremists to speak at their fundraiser. I think we all know the answer, but it’s too easy for liberals to admit.
Hate was present, but it was INSIDE the event, not at the organized rally:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is29KAIHXfA
Did you not see the organized rally? How can you even suggest hate was not it’s foundation? Its because you are a racist, one who ignores facts, distorts truth and hates themselves because they are primative in thought and deed.
silly sally,
Did you not see the video? How can you even suggest hate was not at the foundation of the 2 radical Islamist speakers? It is because you are one who ignores facts – distorts truth and cannot see the true haters in the world through your rose colored glasses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is29KAIHXfA
Newbie,
I’ll take the bait at the risk of having “junior” jump all over my shit.
Couldn’t the same thing be said about George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld (the later who recently visited Yorba Linda)? Both are considered war criminals by many of the worlds population, Rumsfeld won’t visit france for fear of arrest.
The fact that the uncalled for and unprovoked invasion of Iraq that killed a million innocent people including many children, should be enough to protest thier presence right.
You comment that niether CAIR nor ICNA have explained why these guys were invited, I too wonder why our publically elected officials (Royce and Miller chose) to attend. Nor am I aware of any explaination of why the county Human Resources commission disapproves of yelling at children, but telling people with different looks to “GO HOME” is OK.
This whole episode was regretfull and stupid.
Even more, keep up the spotlight on it as it is crushing the GOOP, solidifying the common veiw that the OC GOP is a bunch of racist white guys (and gals) who don’t give a shit about anything but scaring people.
Yep, there is the silver lining, ken.
Wow, where do I start? Such a mishmash of non sequitors. I guess by your logic, you forgot to add Obama and Clinton to the mix re uncalled for and unprovoked invasions.
As to why Royce and Miller came, if you really don’t know that, then we can’t have an intelligent conversation. It’s precisely why CAIR and ICNA won’t condemn the two speakers (and likely why they invited them in the first place) that the people were there.
And again another liberal has failed to explain why the fundraiser invited two Islamic extremists to speak, focusing again on the inappropriate actions of a few of the protestors and ignoring the hateful and violent rhetoric of the imams.
So you can keep up your meaningless comments, and I’ll try to respond to the relevant parts, difficult as that may be.
Do you think it would be acceptable for David Duke to speak at a charity event simply because he was talking about his charity work?……. Hmmm
Vern Nelson would be!
Nice article Amber!
I wonder why the fundraisers chose Malik Ali as a speaker as he is quite radically violent toward “the infidels”. Still the disgusting display of virulent anti-Muslim hollering was aimed directly at women and children– like a mirror image of the anti-American crowds filmed in many Middle Eastern countries who shout “Death to America!”. There are many reasons why Muslims harbor these sentiments. Too numerous to mention in a short comment. Suffice it to be said that here in the bosom of democracy hate-mongering has no place in the public discourse, especially by elected representatives of the people.
They should EXEMPLIFY our principles. Apologies are in order. Or didn’t your American upbringing include this concept of making a mistake and asking forgiveness? I remember hearing that from the son of someone……he was Jewish……..it was a long time ago……
TO, since you’re invoking Jesus, I’m just wondering if the “They” you refer to includes CAIR and ICNA for inviting such polarizing extremist figures to the fundraiser or if you are limiting it only to the protestors who made disgusting comments of their own?