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MICHAEL MARTINEZ (Chairman of Civil Rights Advisor Board):
Fred Becker?
Becker: B-E-C-K-E-R
MARTINEZ: Your name please?
BECKER: Fred Becker
MARTINEZ: Do you need an interpreter?
BECKER: No, I speak three or four languages. I spoke English
within eight weeks. I was amazed how a gentleman here who worked
eight years in Montana and could not represent himself. That
to me is almost incomprehensible. Nobody taught me English. I'm
from East Berlin. I have three college degrees, including a law
degree. I'm qualified as an immigrant. My wife is half Japanese
and half Indian - so I'm qualified again - she's a physician
in this city.
As Paul Harvey says, And here is the rest of the story. You're
all federal employees and state employees and all that and you
have to be obviously politically correct; I don't have to be.
Isn't that wonderful? I think the Latino community does itself
and incredibly poor service when you're out here, they all speak
Spanish. This lady here says,I went through the checking stand
and I spoke Spanish to my child. And they didn't recognize that
and they thought they were supposed to be a Spanish speaking
person. What the heck else were they supposed to believe.
I came to this country, not to bring Germany to America, but
to become an American. I got drafted, I served in the U.S. Army
in Europe, and I got an education. And all I heard here today
is a lot of whining. Whining from people who came from a place
where the house was probably a dirt floor and all that and say
Gee, people don't greet me at the market. If that's the only
problems you have, anecdotal stories about how he didn't do this
and he didn't do that. We haven't heard the other side. This
is just the other side. Every prisoner at the p? of the mountain
could walk through here and tell you a big story about how he
really never did anything wrong.
These meetings portray something and I'm here to tell you
something, especially the Latino community. Because I truly believe
I speak for 85% of the people in St. George. We don't fear you.
We don't hate you. We dislike you, pretty much. Because we know
most of the crime is committed by Latinos. We know most of the
drugs come from Mexico. We know that my taxes pay for most of
your expenses. And we don't like it when you come here and tell
us that we don't give enough. Why should we have teachers teaching
your kids English? Why not Russian? What if a Bulgarian walked
in and says "I need an interpreter." What is this?
I do not wish the United States to become Mexico, or Meheeco.
I'd like you to become American. To act American. I'm German.
I don't come here in lederhosen and yodel. I speak English, and
I behave that way. Like I say, my wife is a minority, she is
very esteemed physicians in this community, and I'm not brilliant.
If I were to say, well I must be a genius, no, I'm and average
guy. In fact I have trouble remembering my phone number sometimes.
If I can do it, you can do it.
Forget the whining. Hold yourself up. Put your children though
school. Speak English for god's sake, it's the easiest language
to learn. And don't come to me and say I'm too afraid to call
the police when my husband beats me up because there are four
others here who are illegal aliens and so I don't dare call the
police. You should be afraid to call the police. What are these
four illegal aliens doing in your house?
MARTINEZ: Thank you very much. Does anybody have any questions?
He says he represents 85% of the people in St. George, and we've
just had a good example of why we have to be here.
Thank you very much.
BECKER: Nobody will tell you folks like that.
MARTINEZ: We appreciate that because it's always good to hear
the other side and how they feel. That 's why we exist. That's
why we exist as a commission. To gather the information and not
just hear one side. So we appreciate that very much. Jorge Acavedo.
