City Council ~Genoa

CITY OF VENTURA CITY COUNCIL ~GENOA

Supplemental Information Packet

Agenda Item - Father Serra Statue Posted July 6, 2020 (Input received July 6, 2020 through 5 p.m.)

Special Meeting of July 7, 2020

Supplemental Information: ) Any agenda related public documents received and distributed to a majority of the City Council after the Agenda Packet is printed are included in Supplemental Packets. Supplemental Packets are produced as needed. The Supplemental Packet is available in the City Clerk's Office, 501 Poli Street, Room 204, Ventura, during normal business hours as well as on the City's Website -www.cityofventura.ca.gov https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/1236/City-Council-Public-Hearing-NoticesSuppl

Ventura City Council Agenda www.cityofventura.ca.gov Anita Mair

From: Marilyn Kellar Sent: Monday, July 6, To: Council Subject: -EXT- Fwd: Father Serra Statue

Dear Council Members: Re: Saving the Father Serra Statue Below is my original email sent to you, before I attended the July 1st Historical Preservation Meeting. I'm grateful to see that a protective chain link fence has gone up to spare the Father Serra statue from forcible removal and destruction! I'd like to further recommend surveillance cameras, AND a police presence, in the form of designating a police parking spot right at the edge of the adjacent public parking lot. (Well lit, for nighttime! Perhaps even have a restroom installed there for police use, so they could use that parking space for catching up on their police reports, etc. I suggest a "Police Parking Only": designated/occupied "round the clock"?) IF there is a "church/state" precedent, is it possible to designate/DONATE that land to "private property"? Re: the "historical authenticity" of the present bronze statue, which, via exact measurements, replaced the deteriorating cement statue ... Could there possibly be a "City Council Resolution" to keep thE:! bronze one where it is, for another 10 years,(?) and to vote if the bronze statue THEN ("officially") meets "Historical Status"? Also, I think it would be a travesty to "give the wooden statue, (in the City Hall Atrium), back to the carvers' family"!!!! (Unless they have requested it.) I'd love to see it possibly moved to "The Museum of Ventura County", where it might go perfectly in the glass "atrium" to the left of the entry lobby. OR, perhaps "on loan" to the The Ventura Mission, or the Santa Barbara Mission, Thomas Aquinas College, etc.? (Perhaps gifted to the Ventura Mission, if the vote is sustained to keep the bronze one in place?) As a former, VUSD, adult ed art teacher, and former art consultant, I want to underscore that since Ventura has been dubbed, "The New Art City", I strongly support that this "world class" Father Serra bronze statue should remain at its prominent place on the hill, in front of City Hall! NOT to "diss" the Chumash Indians, wanting more recognition for their heritage ... IF the wooden statue were removed from the City Hall atrium, that could be the perfect venue for carrying out the beautiful basket weave mural backdrop, to incorporate more of the "Chumash History". I would like to underscore, listening to, respecting, supporting, the Chumash people, for some possible magnification of their place in Ventura's history. (I'm copying a "stellar Indian sculpture as a possible example. See below. Perhaps a Chumash statue could be placed in City Hall Atrium?) As you come down to your vote this coming week. please. please consider the wishes of the maiority of Ventura residents, over the unsettled, turbulent times of dissenters, to try to overthrow a historical figure/landmark. Please don't lose sight of the fact that Father Serra is a prominent "founding father" of the City of San Buenaventura!. (To quote former Mayor, Carl Morehouse, on a major decision that ultimately benefitted my neighborhood in 2007, "Can it be done? Should it be done?") Sincerely, Marilyn Kellar Attached is an idea I'm sharing re: a recognition idea for possible local Chumash Indian ancestry.: (Perhaps for the atrium in City Hall to replace the wooden sculpture of Father Serra?) 1) https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=lls0x8781373396695eb9%3A0xeb8e709b447d7761!3m1!7e115!4shtt ps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipO85O1o9knrsBJmVXpZUxNW43SSVETJSqNxjllP%3Dw213- h160-k-no!Ssdignity%20sculpture%20south%20dakota%20- %20Google%20Search!1SsCglgAQ&imagekey=!le10!2sAF1QipO85O1o9knrsBJmVXpZUxNW43SSVETJSqNxjllP&sa=X&v ed=2ahUKEwjfofe6p7nqAhVJOg0KHWlzAnYQoiowJHoECBcQBg

1 My previous email to you, before the July I Historical Preservation meeting ... Dear Council Members: Rather than having a "battle" over whether the outdoor sculpture of Father Serra remains, or is removed, I suggest a heartfelt dialog, and possible compromise, with the Chumash Indian "survivors". Perhaps only the wooden Father Serra statue, in the City Hall atrium, could be moved to Ventura County Museum, for display there? AND, the atrium turned into a showplace for Chumash history, as there is already a lovely Indian mural in place in the atrium.? (Ventura Museum also has a lovely tribute room to the Chumash Indians.) While I'm not of the Catholic faith, I'm a life-long "senior" of our beloved city. (Last time I spoke at a council meeting, I stated, "There's no place on earth I'd rather live!) I'm also an artist, and the Father Serra statue is, to me, as viable, as Michelangelo's statue of "David", which I travelled to Florence to see in person!!! My favorite view of Ventura is looking out from the steps of City Hall, down to the Father Serra statue, and out to the ocean!!! Please PLEASE do not remove the outdoor Father Serra statue! He is THE founding father of San Buenaventura!!! If you use the Chumash Indian logic of removing him, then the logic could proceed to tearing down the. mission as well, and turning that land into a Chumash memorial. At the very least, could there perhaps be a vote on the upcoming election ballot, where all Venturans could cast their vote, where Father Serra stays or is removed? Sincerely, Marilyn Kellar

Ventura, CA 93003-3123 https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk025vM05BlvWYIFh44RZJFNJ3ESBng:1593978513494&source=univ&tb m=isch&q=ventura+the+new+art+city&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjd8M3Y8LbqAhULSK0KHefJCxkQsAR6BAglEAE&biw=1280 &bih=609 CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 12:42 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council T by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Megan Velzy

_Ad_d_r_e_ss______Ventura Ca 93003 apt E

Phone Number -

_Em_a_il _Ad_d_r_es_s______

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments The statue must be taken down and replaced with a statue picked by tribal elders. To have a religious figure in front of a government building directly goes against separation of church and state. It is innapropriate and wrong. Tjose who are fighting for the statue to remain do not care to 'preserve history' they seek to preserve their religion in our government, racism and denying the atrocities committed by father serra. This is not up

1 for debate, the father of the current catholic church agreed, most of his congregation agreed and most importantly the Chumash people agree. Take the statue down!

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 12:45 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Megan Lenington

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Na me of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments THE STATUE MUST COME DOWN. I am in full support of removing the satue of Father Serra. It is the responsibility of the city council to remove this statue and is the right thing to do.

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1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 12:46 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Paula Munoz

Address Ventura

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments I am a Ventura native. I attended Holy Cross was raised Catholic and a parishioner of the Old Mission. I support the removal of the Father Serra Statue and its placement on the Old Mission grounds. Father Serra was the founder of the Ventura Old Mission and many other California missions. He is not the founder of the city of San Buenaventura (Ventura). He aligned himself with the Spanish Inquisition. He was part of ------

1 Spain's guise using the missionaries of the Catholic Church, to convert Native Indians, who were considered pagan souls that needed to be saved from themselves and what was spiritually good and evil. Attempts were made to colonize the Indigenous Indians and use them as a productive work force for Spain. The Native Indians were required to live at the missions and conscripted into forced labor to build the Missions resulting in enslavement to the detriment of the native Indians and their culture. Remove the Father Serra Statue.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 12:49 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, _Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Jeanne Hunt

_Ad_d_r_e_ss______v_e_nt_u_ra_9_3_o_o3 ______

_Ph_o_n_e_N_u_m_b_e_r ______

_Em_a_il _Ad_d_r_es_s______

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments I believe it is time to remove the statue of Father Serra from in front of City Hall. As the great granddaughter of members of the Cherokee Nation, I feel we must stop paying homage to those who came to this country, stole the land from the indigenous people, and participated in their genocide. The time is now to respect the first people who inhabited this land.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 12:50 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on.Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Datel Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - seleqt City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Julian bocanegra

Address ------Phone Number _Em_ai_lA_d_d_r_es_s_____ - ______Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments I would love to see this taken down. Consider all the natives, especially chumash indians, that have to see this "saint" everyday. The saint that did very horrible things to them! Ventura can still learn the history without that statue standing tall in everyones face. Move it to the church if you dont want to destroy it! Thank you

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 12:54 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name SHEPHERD GINZBURG

_A_dd_r_e_ss______

_Ph_o_n_e_N_u_m_b_e_r---'------ Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Dear City Council, Saint or not, I've never liked what is essentially a religious symbol standing at the top of our city. As far as I'm concerned the cross should go too, but I believe it resides on private land. I thoroughly support peoples rights to do as they please on their own land.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 1:02 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Marilyn E Scott

_Ad_d_r_es_s______, ______

_Ph_o_n_e_N_u_m_b_e_r ______

_Em_ai_l A_d_d_r_es_s ______

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/6/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments The Father Serra statute never belonged at its present site to begin with. Despite his leading role in the early settlement history of the community, in fact, it was the Catholic Church that was the ruling entity. A religious symbol never belonged in front of the County Court House or, later in front of City Hall. Remove the statute and relocate it to Catholic Church property in town or with the Cross that is now on private property. Also,

1 to Councilman Friedman, "those people" on Ventura Avenue actually do vote!

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected]

Sent: 1 Monday, July 6, 2020 1:18 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Kari Aist

_Ad_d_r_es_s______en_t_ur_a_c_A_9_3_o_o_4 ______

_Ph_o_n_e_N_u_m_b_er ______!------

Email Address ------~----Name of legislative body City Council Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments You have heard from thousands of concerned community members via petition, emails, and other online communications, in social media posts, and from the people in person that you, our elected representatives in this city, have moral, legal, and personal obligations to remove the Serra statue from its prominent position in front of City Hall. The action you must take is clear: remove the statue! -·····-······-···------~-----·------·······-·--··•-··-~··

1 We are NOT a Catholic city, the statue is NOT a historical landmark, and Serra the genocidal colonizer is NOT worthy of commemoration. Now that we as a community know better we must do better to remove this stain which tarnishes our fine city.

If you do not remove it forthwith, you show that you are representing privileged religious interests, that you do not care about all your citizens as a whole, and that your public statements are not to be trusted. ~

Please do right, make a stand on the side of justice, and by your actions show that you support social justice .

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 1:24 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Jennifer Rosato

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments I'm writing to urge you to protect the Junipero Serra statue. Serra has become a controversial figure because he symbolizes, to some, the total reality of European colonization, with its many well-known evils and devastating effects for the native populations of America. But Serra is a poor target for anyone looking to criticize the evils of colonization, since he explicitly worked to protect the dignity and rights of the native

,,_,,.,,_,,._ ·-·····-·-·--· ------·-~---,.--,--,------·-·-----~----··------

1 peoples of alta California. While other Europeans of his day hoped to achieve glory or financial gain in the new world, Serra himself gave up a life of scholarly comfort and ease in Europe because he felt called to help improve the physical and spiritual well being of the people here. History is complex and our attitude towards it cannot be simplistic. We should remember, not tear down, the legacy of this saint whose love for and devotion to all the people of California are matters of historical fact.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 1:38 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Nicolette Walker-ltza

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/6/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Ventura City Council- You have heard from thousands of concerned community members via petition, emails, in social media posts, and from the people in person. We are calling on our elected representatives in this city to tell you that you have moral, legal, and personal obligations to remove the Serra statue from its prominent position in front of City Hall. The action you must

1 take is clear: remove the statue!

We are NOT a Catholic city, the statue is NOT a historical landmark, and Serra is a genocidal colonizer who is NOT worthy of commemoration. Now that we as a community know better we must do better!

If you do not remove it forthwith, you are showing us that you are representing privileged religious groups and are not acknowledging the horrific past that the statue represents and the trauma that it still inflicts on community members.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 1:38 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Kim Rangel

_Ad_d_r_es_s ______Ventura, CA 93003

Phone Number

_Em_ai_l A_d_d_r_es_s______- J..- ______Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/6/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Please write **TODAY BY 4 PM** to the Ventura City Council, or use the city's form

Ventura City Council- You have heard from thousands of concerned community members via petition, emails, and other online communications, in social media posts, and from the people in

1 person that you, our elected representatives in this city, have moral, legal, and personal obligations to remove the Serra statue from its prominent position in front of City Hall. The action you must take is clear: remove the statue!

We are NOT a Catholic city, the statue is NOT a historical landmark, and Serra the genocidal colonizer is NOT worthy of commemoration. Now that we as a community know better we must do better to remove this stain which tarnishes our fine city.

If you do not remove it forthwith, you show that you are representing privileged religious voices (in the absolute minority) and ignoring the vast majority of people who want it gone!

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 1:42 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Elyse Sparkes

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Hello, I am writing to support the removal of the Father Serra statue. A statue representing the colonization, enslavement and killing of the Chumash people should not be on public display in Ventura. It could be placed in a museum with the full context of the history, including why the city residents finally asked for it to be removed in 2020. As a resident of Ventura, I'm hopeful that the city has the capacity to change, grow, and ~------···----

1 show respect for all the people who are currently living here and have lived here throughout history. Thank you for removing the statue from public display.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 2:28 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Disclosure: Providing your name and contact information is optional to participate in a Public Meeting, however by providing, it will allow staff to follow-up with you on your item. You may only submit one comment form per agenda item. ------· ------·------·------·------··------·---·--· --·---···---··------· ------· ----·-- -·---·------.. - ··--· ------..... - Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

------····------Name Dayna Barrios

Address ------Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Haku Haku! City Council Members. My name is Dayna Barrios and I am Venturerio Chumash and a Ventura resident. Please see my attached letter regarding the Father Serra Statue. Thank you for your time.

Upload Files Dayna Barrios Ventureno Chumash-Father Serra Public Comment. pdf

1 Haku Haku City Council,

My name is Dayna Barrios, and I am a Ventureno Chumash woman. My family has lived in this city for thousands of years, spanning across multiple generations. Our culture, and our city, is a huge source of pride within our family. My father was Commander of the Ventura County Sherriff's Department for over 30 years, my sister and brother are Ventura County Sheriffs, my mother was a Ventura County . Probation Officer, and I myself am the Site Manager at the Tribal TANF here in Ventura. As you can see, we are dedicated to serving our community and making it a better and safer place for all.

I received my Master's Degree in Sociocultural Anthropology from Sacramento State, where my resea.rch was focused on inequalities and human right abuses in California Indian County. I studied numerous tribes within California and how our current and past political and economic systems have impacted, and continue to impact, the health and wellness of California Native people. I then went on to work at the Sacramento Native American Health Center as the Youth Initiatives Director where my work focused on improving mental health and reducing suicide in our Native communities.

I have been working with Native people for my entire adult life-as a Native scholar, and now as a working professional. I work very hard to help Native people heal from historical and intergenerational trauma. These traumas left untreated often leads to drug and alcohol abuse, mental illne~s, domestic violence, and suicide. We are a people who are deeply wounded from our past and present, but also a very resilient people who are reclaiming our cultural identities, our ancestral lands, and our traditions. These were all stolen from us because of Missionization, which was led by Junipero Serra.

I write to you to show you a very small glimpse of what it is likefor Native people to walk in two worlds; a traditional world and a modern world. A traditional world where we are stewards of our lands, culture bearers, story tellers, and tribal leaders that are navigating a modern world consisting of global warming, inequalities, poverty, and symbolic and structural violence. The Junipero Serra statue is symbolic violence.

As a child, and sadly still as an adult, I had, and still have to, drive by the Junipero Serra every single day. His statue brings images of pain, genocide, slavery, and all the culture loss us Chumash people have endured. The trauma of our ancestors is still with us, science has proven that this trauma is so intense, that it is embedded in our genes, just like the trauma embedded in the genes of the Holocaust survivors. That trauma will be with us and will be passed down from generation to generation, until we heal.

I ask you: how can we heal when the man who led the charge for Missionization is honored by city officials? How can we heal when the man who beat us into submission and forced us into slavery is glorified via a bronze statue overlooking our homelands? How can we heal when we have so little representation in the city tha~ we have been a part of for thousands of years? How can we heal if this city council decides to perpetuate symbolic violence against their own Chumash citizens? The answer is, we cannot.

I ask you to recognize our ancestors, the original founders of this city and the caretakers of this land by trying to understand them, their history, and how that history is impacting your current Chumash residents. I ask you, to make your ancestors proud by beginning to right a 300 year old wrong. You have an opportunity to have an impact on the healing of your Native American residents, you have an opportunity to make a difference for generations to come. I implore you to remove the Junipero Statue. Thank you.

Dayna Barrios, M.A.

Ventureno Chumash

Ventura resident Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 2:59 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Disclosure: Providing your name and contact information is optional to participate in a Public Meeting, however by providing, it will allow staff to follow-up with you on your item. You may.only submit one comment form per agenda item. ------···--······---·---·--····-·······-··-·······-·---- Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Chris Ann Bennett

Address

Phone Number ···-----·--·---·-· --- Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/6/2020

···------·-·-·······-···--···· . --- Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments KEEP him. He's iconic and part of our city's rich history. Or leave it to a city wide vote. I have no doubt there are more Venturans that want to keep him!

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1 Anita Mair

From: Greenviper 343 Sent: Monday, July 6, To: Council Subject: -EXT-

Dear City Council of Ventura,

My name is Neirin Winter, I am writing to ask you to remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall. While Junipero Serra is often seen as a sentimental emblem of Californian history, the true history behind his Spanish missions is a history of oppression, racism, slavery, rape, and genocide.

Father Junipero Serra founded 9missions in Baja California, including the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura. The Spanish missions were systems of mass oppression and slavery. Spanish missionaries in the 1700s and early 1800s forced the indigenous peoples of the areas they colonized to build the missions and convert to Roman Catholicism. If they refused they were tortured and/or killed~ Junipero Serra was complicit in the enslavement of indigenous peoples. He enslaved the Chumash people and forced them into labor and conversion. He exhibited a white savior complex by referring to indigenous peoples as inferior beings who needed Spaniards and God to save them.

As statues of racists historical figures are being torn down around the world, including statues of slave owners and European colonizers, we need to acknowledge the racism that still plagues Ventura. One facet of this racism is the city's tolerance of the mass genocide of indigenous people, which it continues to perpetuate by allowing this statue to remain outside of City Hall. We need to remove statues in our own community that represent colonization, oppression, and the destruction of indigenous cultures. We need to work toward building a community that chooses to admire symbols that are inclusive of all people, including the Chumash people whose traditional homeland we live on and benefit from.

I urge you, as city council officials, to stand for justice and against the oppression of indigenous peoples by removing the statue of Father Junipero Serra. To keep that statue up is to uphold·the notion of white supremacy and represents a symbol of racism and systemic oppression. As we know, th~se ideologies are responsible for the continued and unjust killings, discrimination, and harassment of people of color today, and it must stop. NOW IS THE TIME!

Sincerely

Neirin winter

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1 Anita Mair

From: Seren Winter Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:39 PM To: Council Subject: -EXT-

Dear City Council of Ventura,

My name is Seren Winter. I am writing to ask you to remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall. While Junipero Serra is often seen as a sentimental emblem of Californian history, the true history behind his Spanish missions is a history of oppression, racism, slavery, rape, and genocide.

Father Junipero Serra founded 9 missions in Baja California, including the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura. The Spanish missions were systems of mass oppression and slavery. Spanish missionaries in the 1700s and early 1800s forced the indigenous peoples of the areas they colonized to build the missions and convert to Roman Catholicism. If they refused they were tortured and/or killed. Junipero Serra was complicit in the enslavement of indigenous peoples. He enslaved the Chumash people and forced them into labor a.nd conversion. He exhibited a white savior complex by referring to indigenous peoples as inferior beings who needed Spaniards and God to save them.

I urge you, as city council officials, to stand for justice and against the oppression of indigenous peoples by removing the statue of Father Junipero Serra. To keep that statue up is to uphold the notion of white supremacy and represents a symbol of racism and systemic oppression. As we know, these ideologies are responsible for the continued and unjust killings, discrimination, and harassment of people of color today, and it must stop. NOW IS THE TIME!

Sincerely,

Seren winter CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

1 Anita Mair

From: Elizabeth Curtis Sent: Monday, July 6, To: Council Subject: -EXT- Removal of Serra Statues

Dear City Council of Ventura, My name is Marie Curtis. I am writing to ask you to remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall. While Junipero Serra is often seen as a sentimental emblem of Californian history, the true history behind his Spanish missions is a history of oppression, racism, slavery, rape, and genocide. Father Junipero Serra founded 9 missions in Baja California, including the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura. The Spanish missions were systems of mass oppression and slavery. Spanish missionaries in the 1700s and early 1800s forced the indigenous peoples of the areas they colonized to build the missions and convert to Roman Catholicism. If they refused they were tortured and/or killed. Junipero Serra was complicit in the enslavement of indigenous peoples. He enslaved the Chumash people and forced them into labor and conversion. He exhibited awhite savior complex by referring to indigenous peoples as. inferior beings who needed Spaniards and God to save them. As statues of racists historical figures are being torn down around the world, including statues of slave owners and European colonizers, we need to acknowledge the racism that still plagues Ventura. One facet of this racism is the city's tolerance of the mass genocide of indigenous people, which it continues to perpetuate by allowing this statue to remain outside of City Hall. We need to remove statues in our own community that represent colonization, oppression, and the destruction of indigenous cultures. We need to work toward building a community that chooses to admire symbols that are inclusive of all people, including the Chumash people whose traditional homeland we live on and benefit from. I urge you, as city council officials, to stand for justice and against the oppression of indigenous peoples by removing the statue of Father Junipero Serra. To keep that statue up is to uphold the notion of white supremacy and represents a symbol of racism and systemic oppression. As we know, these ideologies are responsible for the continued and unjust killings, discrimination, and harassment of people of color today, and it must stop. NOW IS THE TIME! Sincerely, Marie Elizabeth Curtis

"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." - Ralph Waldo Emerson CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

1 Trac Oehler

From: Caravello, Jonathan Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:24 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Public Comment on Serra Statue

My name is John Caravello. I live in District 3 of Ventura. I'm writing to demand the removal of the Father Junipero Serra statue from outside of City Hall. Many people, including those at the Mission, erroneously believe that Serra's mission to convert the indigenous peoples of this land to Catholicism was done for their betterment. But this is patently false: the Spanish missions of which Serra took part committed heinous acts of racism, slavery, rape, and genocide. The Mission tries to say that Serra did not commit genocide purposefully. But if the indigenous people refused to convert, they were tortured or killed. It doesn't matter if Serra's intentions were "pure," if he genuinely believed he was their savior. It doesn't matter that this happened "at a different time." His actions were despicable and the city should recognize this. The city has continually shot down calls for removal of the statue in the past, which is indicative that they pay no mind to the wishes of those who've been here for 10,000 years. It's time for y'all to wake up - if you haven't already - to the truth of American history. This country was built by those enslaved by colonizers like Serra. What do they get in return? Colonized minds, colonized bodies, colonized culture, and a reminder of it in the form of a fucking 9 foot statue in the heart of our city. On Saturday, July 4th, a peaceful march for Black Lives was violently interrupted by people in white trucks and on motorcycles. The police did nothing in regards to these violent actions, opting instead to focus their attention on a statue already surrounded by a fence. As I am sure you will come to discover, if you haven't already, it seems as if these violent actors may have been in communication with the counter protestors who circled the Serra statue that same day. But despite the rumors and fear-mongering concerning the statue, we proved yet again that we are the ones seeking peace.

John Caravello

CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:28 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Barb Holden

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Field not completed.

Written Comments I'm very against moving the Fr Serra Statue! I grew up in Ventura at the Old Mission and went to school at Holy Cross! I believe Fr Serra to be our Founding Father and a Saint! I learned in my classes how Fr Serra helped the Indians to learn how to farm and become useful citizens of CA ! He taught them Catholicism and helped them to help themselves. He walked all

1 the way to Mexico and back for their cause! I don't understand why we should erase our History!

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:28 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Priscilla Van Gundy

Address Field not completed.

_Ph_o_n_e_N_u_m_b_e_r ______

Email Address - --". ~--- Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments My name is Priscilla De Los Santos Van Gundy. I have lived in Ventura for 68 years. Our family's ancestors were native indigenous indians from Mexico who intermarried with the Spanish. We can trace our Spanish ancestry back to 1697. The Padre Serra statue is a beautiful focal point in this city by the sea and a cherished figure to many of the people who live here. This beloved statue is part of the Hispanic culture in

1 Ventura and should not be moved from it's present location. Padre Serra is the first United States Hispanic canonized saint. What an honor for Ventura to have such an iconic reminder of someone who spent part of his life in Ventura ministering to the indigenous people, Mexicans, and settlers in the area. The Hispanic culture should be honored and protected just as the Chumash culture is protected. Instead of moving Padre Serra, wouldn't be more appropriate to give the Chumash their own place to honor their culture as they would like in Downtown Ventura?

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:36 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Taylor buck

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Ventura City Council- You have heard from thousands of concerned community members via petition, emails, and other online communications, in social media posts, and from the people in person that you, our elected representatives in this city, have moral, legal, and personal obligations to remove the Serra statue from its prominent position in front of City Hall. The ··-··•·---·-·-··-·-»••··-·-·······------·~------~----~

1 action you must take is clear: remove the statue!

If you do not remove it forthwith, you show that you are representing privileged religious

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: Jadzia C Winter Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:36 PM To: City Clerk; Council Subject: -EXT- Please remove Father Serra's statue.

Dear City Council of Ventura,

My name is Jadzia Winter. I am writing to ask you to remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall. While Junipero Serra is often seen as a sentimental emblem of Californian history, the true history behind his Spanish missions is a history of oppression, racism, slavery, rape, and genocide.

Father Junipero Serra founded 9 missions in Baja California, including the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura. The Spanish missions were systems of mass oppression and slavery. Spanish missionaries in the 1700s and early 1800s forced the indigenous peoples of the areas they colonized to build the missions and convert to Roman Catholicism. If they refused they were tortured and/or killed. Junipero Serra was complicit in the enslavement of indigenous peoples. He enslaved the Chumash people and forced them into labor and conversion. He exhibited a white savior complex by referring to indigenous peoples as inferior beings who needed Spaniards and God to save them.

I urge you, as city council officials, to stand for justice and against the oppression of indigenous peoples by removing the statue of Father Junipero Serra. To keep that statue up is to uphold the notion of white supremacy and represents a symbol of racism and systemic oppression. As we know, these ideologies are responsible for the continued and unjust killings, discrimination, and harassment of people of color today, and it must stop. NOW IS THE TIME! I Thank you, -Jadzia winter CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:39 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Sarah Aspell

_A_dd_r_e_ss______

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Dear City Council,

I am a resident of Ventura from District 3 who works primarily Downtown.

I fully support the community's demand to remove the statue of Father Serra from the front of City Hall for a lot of different

1 reasons. First, it is inappropriate to have a statue of a Catholic Saint 9n public city property. Second, and more importantly, keeping this statue up is disrespectful to our local Chumash community, who suffered great trauma at the hands of Serra, his mission system, and subsequent colonizers.

Removing this statue does NOT erase our history. In reality, preserving it contributes to the white-washing of Ventura's history by allowing community members to celebrate Serra as benevolent founder who "saved" the Indigenous people who actually got along perfectly fine without him for 10,000 years. This statue is not a historic landmark and does not deserve the resources the City has already spent "protecting" it with fences and police presence.

Do the right thing.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:39 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation ~ Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Marie Elizabeth Curtis

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments I am writing in solidarity with other concerned Ventura residents regarding the removal of the statue of Junipero Serra in the City of Ventura. I have often wondered why a statue memorializing a Catholic Saint was placed in front of a public building, and I am happy that steps are (finally) being taken to remove it. I recommend the City of Ventura remove the statues of Junipero Serra no later than July 14, 2020 to a private

1 location and replace them with a historically accurate representation of Ventura's legacy. It has been suggested by local Chumash people that it be replaced with a memorial to the Native inhabitants of this land, and those who rest in the mass burial at the mission must be memorialized as well. Additionally, I call for the renaming of both Junipero Serra and Blanche Reynolds Elementary schools. This is merely a fraction of the restorative justice that is owed the Native people of the Ventura area. Thank you.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: Elizabeth Curti Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:4 To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Removal of Serra Statues

Dear City Council of Ventura, My name is Marie Curtis. I am writing to ask you to remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall. While Junipero Serra is often seen as a sentimental emblem of Californian history, the true history behind his Spanish missions is a history of oppression, racism, slavery, rape, and genocide. Father Junipero Serr~ founded 9 missions in Baja California, including the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura. The Spanish missions were systems of mass oppression and slavery. Spanish missionaries in the 1700s and early 1800s forced the indigenous peoples of the areas they colonized to build the missions and convert to Roman Catholicism. If they refused they were tortured and/or killed. Junipero Serra was complicit in the enslavement of indigenous peoples. He enslaved the Chumash people and forced them into labor and conversion. He exhibited a white savior complex by referring to indigenous peoples as inferior beings who needed Spaniards and God to save them. , As statues of racists and historical figures are being torn down around the world, including statues of slave owners and European colonizers, we need to acknowledge the racism that still plagues Ventura. One facet of this racism is the city's tolerance of the mass genocide of indigenous people, which it continues to perpetuate by allowing this statue to remain outside of City Hall. We need to remove statues in our own community that represent colonization, oppression, and the destruction of indigenous cultures. We need to work toward building a community that chooses to admire symbols that are inclusive of all people, including the Chumash people whose traditional homeland we live on and benefit from. I urge you, as city council officials, to stand for justice and against the oppression of indigenous peoples by removing the statue of Father Junipero Serra. To keep that statue up is to uphold the notion of white supremacy and represents a symbol of racism and systemic oppression. As we know, these ideologies are responsible for the continued and unjust killings, discrimination, and harassment of people of color today, and it must stop. NOW IS THE TIME! Sincerely, Marie Elizabeth Curtis

1 Tracy Oehler

From: Kirsteen Clark Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:39 PM To: City Clerk; Council Subject: -EXT- Please remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall.

Dear City Council of Ventura,

My name is Kirsteen Clark. I am writing to ask you to remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall. While Junipero Serra is often seen as a sentimental emblem of Californian history, the true history behind his Spanish missions is a history of oppression, racism, slavery, rape, and genocide.

Father Junipero Serra founded 9 missions in Baja California, including the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura. The Spanish missions were systems of mass oppression and slavery. Spanish missionaries in the 1700s and early 1800s forced the indigenous peoples of the areas they colonized to build the missions and convert to Roman Catholicism. If they refused they were tortured and/or killed. Junipero Serra was complicit in the enslavement of indigenous peoples. He enslaved the Chumash people and forced them into labor and conversion. He exhibited a white savior complex by referring to indigenous peoples as inferior beings who needed Spaniards and God to save them.

NOW IS THE TIME!

Sincerely,

Kirsteen Clark CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:43 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Ian Gamble

_Ad_d_r_es_s______

Phone Number

Email Address ------Name of legislative body City Council Meeting Date 7/6/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments I want to say that the statue of a man responsible for the genocide of the Chumash doesn't represent this community, but after Saturday, almost being run down by motorcycles, being told I don't belong in this community, and a whole host of other ugly encounters with my neighbors, I'm starting to rethink that position. Regardless, this statue must be removed, just like we need to build bridges to our neighbors to eradicate the

1 hateful attitude of entitled white people that was on full display.

This moral act of removing a monument to our dark past, will at least allow us to begin healing the wounds that the Chumash people still suffer from. It's time our city council listened to the voices of a people that Serra tried to eradicate, don't let their voices fall on deaf ears again!

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:44 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes. during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by , 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Field not completed.

Address Field not completed.

Phone Number Field not completed.

Email Address Field not completed.

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/6/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Ventura City Council -

I urge you to stand with your community in taking down the Junipero Serra statue. Over the past few weeks, we have peacefully gathered at the Serra statue. We urge you to follow the lead of neighboring communities that have recently taken down their Junipero Serra statue. You see, the statue to me, ~---·------·-·······--·-···--·--··----·-~--·-·------

1 represents enslavement, genocide, rape and violence towards the original people of these lands, bringing pain and trauma that we carry for generations. We need you to understand that as indigenous people, we have our own medicine, our own traditions and places of prayer. We do not impose those practices on others. But unfortunately Junipero Serra did impose HIS religion on our people. You may not, if ever, understand what we as indigenous people have experienced and continue to experience, but we hope that you will listen to our peaceful voices.

We urge you to take down the statue so that indigenous people may finally begin to heal.

Kindly, Noemi Tungui

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:47 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Paul Aist

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Please remove the Serra Statue. Bottom line it a religious statue that doesn't belong on public grounds. It's also a symbol of colonial conquest and cultural genocide of the Native People. To brush aside his brutality and keep the statue on public land is to deny the humanity of Chumash People.

The elected representatives of the Ventura have a moral, legal

1 and personal obligation to remove the Serra Statue. If Catholics want to enshrine Serra let them do so at one of their churches.

This should be an easy one for the council as we are not a Catholic City, we don',t have to worship their "Saints", we don't answer to their Pope.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:48 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Steve Pinsky

Address Field not completed.

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments The Serra statue must come down. It's clear by the statue's placement that its function is to venerate Serra as a figure rather than to teach about history, and there is no valid reason for our municipal government to venerate this man. Serra is a religious figure who at the very least was party to the systematic enslavement and cultural genocide of our region's indigenous inhabitants, and who arguably was a principal

1 architect of these atrocities. It was a mistake to place his statue in front of our City Hall in 1936, a further mistake to replace it in 1989, and an ongoing moral failure every day it continues to stand. Remove the statue, remove the replica in the atrium, and strip Serra's name from the schools attended by the descendants of his victims. Our Chumash neighbors have seen how little regard our government has for them and their history, but maybe with these small steps we can begin to heal old harms and reconcile the long list of thefts and abuses inflicted by colonizers.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: Farah Crown~ Sent: Monday, July~ To: City Clerk; Council Subject: -EXT- Serra Statue

Dear City Council of Ventura,

My name is Farah Crown. I am writing to ask you to remove the statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside of City Hall. While Junipero Serra is often seen as a sentimental emblem of Californian history, the true history behind his Spanish missions is a history of oppression, racism, slavery, rape, and genocide.

Father Junipero Serra founded 9 missions in Baja California, including the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura. The Spanish missions were systems of mass oppression and slavery. Spanish missionaries in the 1700s and early 1800s forced the indigenous peoples of the areas they colonized to build the missions and convert to Roman Catholicism. If they refused they were tortured and/or killed. Junipero Serra was complicit in the enslavement of indigenous peoples. He enslaved the Chumash people and forced them into labor and conversion. He exhibited a white savior complex by referring to indigenous peoples as inferior beings who needed Spaniards and God to save them.

I urge you, as city council officials, to stand for justice and against the oppression of indigenous peoples by removing the statue of Father Junipero Serra. To keep that statue up is to uphold the notion of white supremacy and represents a symbol of racism and systemic oppression. As we know, these ideologies are responsible for the continued and unjust killings, discrimination, and harassment of people of color today, and it must stop. NOW IS THE TIME!

Sincerely, Farah Crown Ventura Resident for 30 years CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:57 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by .4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Tony Murphy

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Unfortunately today good is bad and bad is good. We live in a world of manipulative suppression through lies and propaganda. Racism is promoted by the media. History is something that should be learned from not destroyed. The Padre Serra statue, even though not the original, is part of history. How do you validate the removal of the statue for the sake of prejudice.

1 Next it will be religious statues of Jesus and Mary and eventually the Churches. Do we change our culture and give up our freedoms? All lives matter and I hope it doesn't only refer to the organizations destroying our cities. I pray that today whats good is whats good and whats bad is whats bad. Thank You,Tony

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: Lorena Saruwatari- Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 3:57 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Public Comment Agenda Item 8A: Junipero Serra Statue

Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council Members

I am writing to you regarding Junipero Serra Statute. I ask that you will vote to keep the statute instead or removing it. Junipero Serra played an important role in the history of our county/city of Ventura he worked on the planting of 21 missions throughout California which led to a population assimilation. The keeping of statute does not say he was a perfect man or we are to bow down to him, although some people may do so, but it tells the story of what happen here either if the event was for good or bad. Like other statues, he is also a reminder to all of us that if you "Dwell in the past you will lose an eye; forget the past and you will lose both eyes."

Beforehand, Thank you for keeping the Junipero Serra statue.

Sincerely,

Lorena Saruwatari

Camarillo, CA 93012

TION: This ema1 originated from outside the City of Ventura. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 4:02 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment ·Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Sta'tue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Patrick Burke

_A_dd_r_e_ss______.______

Phone Number

_Em_ai_lA_d_d_re_s_s ______

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/9/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Before I had more information I was glad to have the Father Serra Statue in front of City Hall. Now that I have more fa~ts about the mission system in early California I agree that this symbol of oppression should go. I am proud of Ventura for civil discourse and creative problem solving. It sounds like Chumash elders and the Pastor at the

1 mission church are respectfully working out a win-win solution. Let's support that.

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: Brenda Guzman Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 4:11 PM To: Council; City Clerk Cc: Brenda Guzman Subject: -EXT- Fwd: REMOVAL of Serra Statue

Ventura City Counsel,

The removal of the statue of Junipero Serra would be a good step towards the healing of our local Indigenous "Chumash" People and others effected by its presence along with repairing a broken bridge between the government and native people.

This statue is a constant reminder of the torture our Ancestors endured, an untold history of the Chumash people, my people. Today I, ask for the removal of the statue of Fr. 'Junipero Serra to not only honor those Ancestors who were victims of genocide, enslavement, rape, erasure of our; language, traditions and religion, to only name a few, but to heal and save our Youth along with the generations to come from the pain we live seeing this statue daily along with knowing the City of Ventura would support such acts of inhuman oppression, genocide of Native Lives while glorifying the assailants with a statue overlooking Ventura.

Please know many of our ancestors (great grandparents and grandparents) and current family members continued to be submissive to Catholicism however many are very disconnected and unknowing of our true Chumash ways. This was what Serra intended on during his forced conversion of our people. Their voices were silenced yet we their children know of our history because they never let it die with them. Theses stories were not spoken outside of our homes. Many of us are still unlearning the forced Catholic ways.

Words spoken and written over 300 years ago "merciless savage Indian" such as in the Declaration of Independence were also spoken by Junipero Serra. Those words are still being taught through hatred and glorification statues of the very indivuals who spoke then. The removal of the statue does no remove history. It is in fact is forcing us to respect the untold stories and teach all history to our country especially or future leaders. I personally believe the statue should be destroyed however that may not be an option so give it to the Catholic Church to preserve in the confinement of their property were it could be admired by

1 those who continue to be submissive and oppressed to Catholicism. I must add the property the Catholic Church sits on are the graves of the Chumash ancestors who were forced into the Catholics religion and voices were silenced of Ventura. As stated during the Historic Preservation Committee 7/1/2020, this statue is not a historic landmark. Please do not remove the statue based on a loop hole but rather the respect of the Chumash people. Please stand for justice and against the oppression of indingenous people by removing this statue. NOW IS THE TIME TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ALL PEOPLE! Brenda M Guzman Ventureno and Barbareno Chumash City of Ventura resident 11!1101

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 4:12 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council - by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation . Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Peter LaFave

_A_dd_r_e_ss______anta Paula, CA 93060

Phone Number

Email Address ---

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments Please keep the statue remain where it is.

Two months ago this statue was not a major point of contention. Two months ago, there was no question that the statue is a historic landmark. So what happened? Why is the founder of our city and key part of California history swept up in the emotional zeitgeist? -~-~------·-,-··-·---·-··-"-,--·-~------·------·-·-·-·

1 This man was mourned by hundreds of natives at his funeral , yet our mob demands his removal: https://www. cathol icnewsagency. com/news/history-truth-and pol itics-researcher-seeks-to-clear-the-record-on-j uni pero-serra- 27662

I ask that we return to clear and rational thinking and leave the statue where it stands.

Thank you,

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2 Tracy Oehler

From: City Clerk Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 4:22 PM To: City Clerk Subject: FW: -EXT- A peaceful resolution on Father Junipero Serra statue

From: lisa Lubert Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 10:29:48 PM (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik To: pio Subject: -EXT- A peaceful resolution on Father Junipero Serra statue

I think a win-win situation would be, to leave the statue where it is and to add a plaque explaining what happened, (even if it puts Father Serra in poor light). It can be used as a teaching/learning tool.

There will always be people getting offended at something, and we will never be able to please everybody. The key is to find that happy medium .... meet both sides half way.

Regards,

Lisa Lubert

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 18, 2020, at 8:29 PM, lisa Lube ~rote:

You should take a vote with City residene first. This is insane

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1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 4:24 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Disclosure: Providing your name and contact information is optional to participate in a Public Meeting, however by-providing, it will allow staff to follow-up with you on your item. You may only submit one comment form per agenda item.

Submission Deadlines: Submit by hour listed below on Meeting Date OR before Agenda Item Concludes during a Live Meeting to be considered part of the record. City Council- by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Water Commission - by 3 pm on Meeting Date I Administrative . Hearings by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Design Review Committee by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Historic Preservation Committee by 2 pm on Meeting Date I Planning Commission by 4 pm on Meeting Date I Parks and Recreation Commission by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Downtown Parking Advisory Committee by 1 pm on Meeting Date I Economic Development Strategy Committee (Council Committee) by Noon on Meeting Date I Finance, Audit and Budget Council Committee Meetings by 2 p.m. on Meeting Date I Safe, Clean and Homeless Committee by 2 pin on Meeting Date I Public Input on the Father Serra Statue - select City Council for the Legislative Body when completing this form

Name Marlene Y Houlihan

_A_dd_r_e_ss______1--v_e_nt_~_ra_9_3_0_01 ______

_Ph_o_n_e_N_u_m_b_e_r _____L- ______

_Em_ai_l A_d_d_r_e_ss______.______

Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments In support of all the Chumash ancestors, they should have the ultimate input on moving the statue to the mission or museum. Thankfully, we have continued to evolve since he was erected in the 30s. Our statue in front of city hall should be a true hero, non religious, and in no way controversial to any group of people. Please do the right thing. Thank you.

1 Tracy Oehler

From: [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 4:44 PM To: City Clerk Subject: -EXT- Online Form Submittal: Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Electronic Agenda/Public Comment Form

Name Mary Olson

_Ad_d_r_es_s______~-----'------

Phone Number

_Em_a_il_A_dd_r_e_ss______- '------Name of legislative body City Council

Meeting Date 7/7/2020

Select a Topic: Public Input: Father Serra Statue

Written Comments I was very happy to learn that a collaborative process for removal of the Father Serra statue was underway. I would love to see this used as an opportunity for recognition of all the people who have been part of this place and a process initiated for citywide participation in a new artwork to replace the statue.

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