It was a long and emotional night at the Santa Maria Fairpark last evening, as more than 1,200 local residents came out to protest construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility (ICE). The Santa Maria City Council’s special meeting to discuss four appeals against the Planning Commission’s Feb. 5 decision to grant a development permit for the project started at 3 p.m. and dragged on for more than eight hours.
After listening to presentations from city staffers, the appellants, and the developers–as well as public comment from dozens of concerned citizens–the council voted 3-2, with Mayor Alice Patino and Councilmember Terri Zuniga dissenting, to uphold the Planning Commission’s decision.
The vote did not sit well with the several hundred remaining attendees, some of whom started chanting “We remember the KKK.” Others wiped away tears as they made their way outside and back to their homes. Dennis Apel, who recently made headlines because of his protests at Vandenberg Air Force Base, approached the dais with a sign opposing the ICE facility and loudly challenged the council members’ decision. The move caused Police Chief Ralph Martin and other officers to form a blockade between the public and the council members and developers as they left the building.
A full account of the March 27 meeting will appear in the Sun‘s April 3 issue.
This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 3, 2014.
