Complaint Filed Over Councilman's "Proud Racist" Comment
A shouting rematch erupts outside City Hall in what has become a familiar sight
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Santa Clarita's self-described "proud racist" council member says he did nothing wrong. Some community activists disagree, and they made their case Tuesday night with a formal complaint.
During Tuesday's council meeting, members of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition handed Councilman Bob Kellar and his colleagues the complaint. According to The Signal, the complaint detailed which parts of the city's ethics code the group's members think Keller violated.
"You apologize when you've done something wrong," Kellar said before the meeting.
Before the meeting, the coalition conducted a news conference outside City Hall that was attended by Kellar's supporters. You see where this is going.
The two groups confronted one another shouted back and forth. A woman driving a white car stopped in front of City Hall and yelled at coalition members: "Get the freak out of my town! ... What's wrong with you people?"A sheriff's deputy walked over to tell her to keep driving.
While the coalition was holding its conference, Randy Thompson, 47, of Saugus yelled in coalition members' faces.
"I don't want to hear what you have to say because you're here supporting illegal immigration," Thompson barked. "Not one of you lives in Santa Clarita."
Some coalition members shouted back. During the screaming match, Thompson and others tried to drown them out by loudly chanting Bob Kellar's name.
The coalition also announced Tuesday that it sent formal complaints to the U.S. Department of Justice, the state attorney general and the Los Angeles County district attorney.
The uproar and subsequent shouting matches began after a rally last month in Santa Clarita. Kellar said that if his support for an America with one flag and one language -- English -- leads some to call him racist, then he's a proud racist.
Kellar said the comments have been taken out of context.
The coalition's complaint comes after a Jan. 26 council meeting at which the city attorney and council members said Kellar did not violate the ethics code. The Signal reported that a majority of people who spoke at that meeting supported Kellar.
