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GUESTS: Gustavo Arellano, Staff Writer with the OC Weekly, Author of “Ask a Mexican,” available in paperback today, Rusty Kennedy, Executive Director, Orange County Human Relations Commission

Last week, residents of Fullerton, Orange County spoke in defense of a series of Chicano murals targeted for removal by one of the city’s council members. Shawn Nelson has called for the removal of artwork displayed on a pedestrian overpass saying that it encourages gang activity. The council member’s comments have sparked a controversy as neighborhood residents claim that the historic 1970’s murals of classic cars and the Virgen de Guadalupe actually discourage vandalism and are symbols of “lowrider,” not gang culture. Meanwhile, a new report by OC Human Relations Commission finds that hate crimes against Latinos in Orange County has increased significantly. The commission attributes the jump to heightened xenophobia as the national debate over immigration continues. The annual report also found that two-thirds of the reported cases against Latinos involved acts of violence. The real number of hate crimes committed against Latinos in Orange County is feared to be much higher as an unknown number of cases go unreported.

Read Gustavo Arellano’s column online here: www.ocweekly.com/columns/ask-a-mexican/