Buck Wargo
GLENDALE -- Although Glendale Police maintain the slaying of Raul
Aguirre on May 5 was not a hate crime, the issue of race relations has
since taken center stage in the city.
Aguirre, a 17-year-old student of Hoover High, was stabbed and beaten
with a crowbar in front of Toll Middle School. Police say Aguirre, who is
Latino, was killed by Armenian gang members after he came to the aid of a
friend who was being attacked by them.
On Thursday, three Latino gang members attacked three Armenian teens
in front of a restaurant, shooting one of them, police said. None of the
teens were gang members. The wounded teen was treated at a hospital and
released.
Authorities said the shooting might have been retaliation for the
death of Aguirre, who was not a gang member.
There are between been 12 to 20 incidents a year involving tensions
between Armenians and Latinos, Young said. Some involve gang fights,
stabbings and shootings. Others may be neighbors fighting each other.
City Councilman Sheldon Baker, said Friday that racial tensions in
Glendale have taken on a different tone since Thursday's shooting.
"We have some deep-seated problems in this community," said Baker, who
is chairman of the city's Human Relations Coalition. "We have racial
hatred among ethnic groups in this community, and we need to try to bring
about a better understanding of each other. It sounds so easy, but
obviously we have not succeeded."
It is important to calm emotions and keep any violence from
escalating, Baker said.
"I would certainly hope the worst is behind us. That would be my hope
and prayers," Baker said.
In the 1990 census, when 180,000 people were counted, Glendale had
36,000 people who identified themselves as Latino, and 25,000 as Asian.
Armenian groups have estimated there are between 40,000 and 50,000
Armenians living in Glendale today. Young said the Glendale Unified
School District is made up of 40% Armenian students, 28% Latino and 18%
Asian.
Racial friction in Glendale is also occurring in the rest of Los
Angeles County, said Robin Toma, acting executive director of the Los
Angeles County Human Relations Commission. A Glendale resident, Toma,
said as newcomers moved to the area, cultural and language barriers lead
to tension.
"There are multiple realities in the same city," Toma said. "On one
side, there is a tremendous amount of civility and healthy interaction
among the different races and cultures. On the other hand, there is a
