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PERMIT NO. 30 JULIAN, CA
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ESTABLISHED
An Independent Weekly Newspaper Serving the Backcountry Communities of Julian, Cuyamaca, Santa Ysabel, Shelter Valley, Mt. Laguna, Ranchita, Canebreak, Sunshine Summit, Warner Springs and Wynola.
Julian News
PO Box 639 Julian, CA 92036
1985
Change Service requested
DATED MATERIAL
The Newspaper of Record.
Wednesday
For the Community, by the Community.
www.JulianNews.com
by Michael Hart
ESTABLISHED
1870
YEARS
“Protestors” in front of Town Hall they had some valid points, their presentation was filled with F-bombs and the crowd gathered around them shouting back. At this point someone requested that the sheriff’s intercede. The local sheriff’s, parking their vehicles in the center of Main Street between the town hall and the diner, walked into the area and observed the ruckus. After a few minutes the second dude was given an opportunity to use the microphone and express his anger. Once he had his say and exited the stage the two decided to leave and were escorted down Main Street toward the gas station. The Sheriff’s then cleared their own vehicles, and
“Black Live Matter” is a slogan that refers to this country’s history, the enslavement of black people which began in 1619. It is not racist, it is a reality for those who have yet to be seen by the majority as anything but a minority, as less than… and they are not alone. All people of color have more to overcome, to be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Julian is not immune to the issues that are causing these protests elsewhere. We have our own racial prejudices to overcome. How we treat the local indigenous people. How we react when “others” come to visit
The confrontation being peacefully defused by simply letting someone speak peace was restored. More speakers took the stage as the evening progressed, the subjects ranged from police brutality, white privilege, and general respect, plus loving ones neighbor. There was singing and chanting. People driving by honking their horns in approval. At the height of the rally approximately 200 people were on the streets of town stretching all the way down to ‘C’ Street. In the middle of the pandemic – most wearing face coverings, many staying six feet apart. What was accomplished? A statement was made by our little community. That we can hold a peaceful protest against the injustices we see. The next step? More conversation? Or action?
Julian, CA.
Volume 35 — Issue 45
Rally Proves Peaceful Conflict is eternal and inevitable. Only the manner in which we manage it, is our choice. Thursday evening Julian ran its own experiment with conflict. A small group of concerned locals wanted to hold a rally/ protest/demonstration to support oppressed people in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Word of the plans made it to social media and that is where the conflict became apparent. Although the organizers of the rally were stressing a peaceful gathering, fear of riots, similar to what had happened in La Mesa last week, took off. I grew up through the 60’s and 70’s and have memories etched in my mind of the fire hoses and police dogs attacking black folks throughout the country. The protests on college campuses against the war in Viet Nam that culminated in the killing of four students at Kent State. I remember the reaction to the not guilty verdicts of the police officers in LA after the “Rodney King beating trial.” The scenes on local TV from the previous week of the destruction in La Mesa and the actions that had occurred downtown in San Diego were eerily similar. They also had a distinct difference. The make-up of the crowd of protesters. Something was different this time, there were not just black folks or white college kids. There were both and not just the young, but families, multi generations out protesting. I watched the various threads from locals on social media and it became apparent that the community was split on what could happen. Some of the posts were truly concerning, bordering on threats of violence, even though some involved in organizing the rally kept stressing their intention to keep it peaceful. The fear of outside agitators, was a common sentiment. Somehow people, with no connection to the community, would feel empowered to drive up the hill and disrupt the event, reign havoc and burn down the town. Come on – This is Julian! As it closed in on 6pm Thursday, it became apparent that law enforcement had taken the threats seriously and were prepared to respond if something went south. A parade of black and whites came down Main Street and made their way to the substation. Over 25 deputies would be positioned around town as a precaution, with the potential of more in transit. By 6 o’clock about 100 people had gathered on the four corners at Washington and Main Street, most on the town hall corner. A trailer was set up as the stage in front of the Miner’s Diner. An upside down American flag was raised (signifying distress). A small PA system was fired up, let the protest begin. More people were walking into town, some stopping at the corner of ‘B’ Street, all with signs. Speakers began taking the microphone expressing their concerns, mostly for the racial injustice they had witnessed over the past week, some asked for understanding and compassion. About 20 minutes into the rally, two dudes, that no one seemed to recognize, began getting loud and making incendiary comments toward law enforcement from just off the stage. Initially it appeared they wanted to disrupt the gathering – one carrying a small sign that was particularly vulgar. A shouting match ensued, although
June 10, 2020
or move here. And it cuts both ways. We, as a country, have to do better. Law enforcement has to do better. Julian may have shown a way, deescalating the conflict, the sheriffs observing and not just reacting - when many thought they should. By 7:30 the PA system was turned off, people began dispersing back to their homes. Some folks came up to two of the local deputies and asked them to drive through town one more time so they could get a round of applause – the deputies declined. Saying they had done what they needed, the protest was over and town was still intact, that was thanks enough. more photos throughout
CAL FIRE To Suspend Burn Permits In San Diego And Imperial Counties
As the state and region continue the march toward summer and critical burn conditions, CAL FIRE San Diego is suspending all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Area of San Diego and Imperial Counties. This suspension takes effect June 8, 2020 and bans all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves. Since January 1st of this year, CAL FIRE and firefighters across the state have responded to over 1,700 wildfires, outpacing the 1,013 fires over the same time period last year. “This year, there have already been roughly 1,700 opportunities for wildfire to impact communities across the state. Residents once again need to recognize that the threat is real and will only get worse until the region receives significant rain later in the year.” said CAL FIRE/ San Diego County Fire Chief Tony Mecham. While outdoor burning of landscape debris by homeowners is no longer allowed, CAL FIRE is asking residents to ensure that they are prepared for wildfires by maintaining a minimum of 100 feet of Defensible Space around every home and building on their property. Here are some tips to help prepare homes and property: • Clear all dead and or dying vegetation 100 feet from all structures. • Create landscape with fire resistant/drought tolerant plants • Find alternative ways to dispose of landscape debris like chipping or hauling it to a biomass energy or green waste facility The suspension of burn permits for residential landscape debris does not apply to campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property. Campfires may be permitted if the campfire is maintained in such a manner as to prevent its spread to the wildland. A campfire permit can be obtained at local fire stations or online at PreventWildfireCA. org. For additional information on how to create defensible space, as well as tips to prevent wildfires, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org and www.ReadySanDiego.org.
County Fire Authority Now Stand-Alone Agency A milestone today in the development of the County Fire Authority: At my urging, the Board of Supervisors agreed to transform it into a stand-alone agency -- a step that gives the Authority, well, greater authority. It will help County Fire fully meet its mission to provide 24/7 fire protection to 1.5 million acres in our unincorporated area that previously had either limited or part-time coverage. The authority was established in 2008 to unify what had been a patchwork of fire agencies in our most highrisk wildfire areas. The agency has come a long way since then -- and our communities are better off and safer for it. A big thanks to Cal Fire and county staff for their hard work support.
ISSN 1937-8416
High School Graduation Thursday - Streaming Live
The final details for Julian High School's graduation are still being finalized as we send this to print. This is what we are expecting to occur: On Thursday - June 11, 2020 at 6:00 pm, with the help of SOS Entertainment, JUHSD will conduct a wonderful Julian High School Graduation Drive-in Ceremony. Due to the restrictions and guidance provided by San Diego County Health Department, Julian will follow the guidelines and the ceremony will be restricted to the graduates and their immediate families. In order to accommodate for those family members who are not able to attend in person, SOS Entertainment will livestream Julian’s graduation. The link to the livestream will be placed on Julian high’s website<https://www.juhsd.org/>. The students will have the opportunity to decorate their vehicles and under guidance, park in the school’s parking lot. The parking lot will be closed for all other vehicles. Each student will remain in their vehicle until they are called to the stage to either present their speech and/or receive their diploma. The stage will be facing the parking lot instead of facing the flagpole. Even though this is different than our normal graduation ceremony, we want the students to experience their achievement with excitement and recognition they deserve. The students worked hard with distance learning and they did a fabulous job attending all of their classes, everyday, remotely. The teachers did a fantastic job, meeting with all of their students everyday, continuing providing rigorous instruction and support to all of our students. The community will be proud of what we were able to accomplish under a world-wide pandemic. The Class of 2020 truly demonstrated the grit and perseverance we are proud to celebrate.
What To Expect If A Contact Tracer Calls You
By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office
If you get a call from a number you don’t recognize, don’t automatically ignore it. The person on the other end could be calling from County Public Health Services to tell you you’ve been exposed to COVID-19. The County has been scaling up its contact tracing efforts as some stay-at-home restrictions are eased and people are out more and heading back to work. Contact tracing is done by local and state health departments when certain infectious diseases are reported. This is a classic method that public health has been using for decades. The County has been doing contact tracing of positive COVID-19 cases in the region. To date, the entire COVID-19 disease control response team consists of about 400 disease fighters of which there are more than 200 contact tracers and more being trained. Since May 4, the team has investigated more than 3,100 close contacts in cases where tracing activities were initiated. Nearly 85% of these close contacts were associated with the same household as a confirmed case. Why is Contact Tracing Important? When trying to contain or mitigate the spread of COVID-19, time, and contact tracers, are of the essence. Tracers need to identify close contacts of a positive case immediately and make sure they do not interact with others. This is critical to protect communities from further spread of the virus. To effectively do that, the County has determined that 450 contact tracers need to be hired and trained. “Without robust contact tracing in place, the spread of COVID-19 is likely to increase to the point that the region would need to step back and adopt strict mitigation strategies to contain the virus,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. What a Contact Tracer Needs to Know When a confirmed case is investigated by Public Health staff, the investigator works with the case to identify all close contacts who may have been exposed. Contact tracers take it from there and attempt to get in touch with all these contacts so that they can be continued on page 5
WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER JULIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
