Property owner wants to display permanent sign
Keith Walker/News & Messenger
Gaudencio Fernandez wants to display a sign of protest permanently at 9500 Liberty St. in Manassas.
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By Abe Nelson
Published: April 2, 2008
Like it or not, former Manassas property owner Gaudencio Fernandez is planning on submitting a special use permit application for a much larger, more permanent sign to replace his controversial structure at 9500 Liberty St.
In January, Fernandez came to the city offices for what officials thought would be a building permit application for the existing structure. However, Fernandez instead presented plans for a 220-foot long, 16-foot-high L-shaped structure that would display murals “expressing the community’s ideas.”
“We wanted more room to display the great history of our country and show that it doesn’t just belong to white Americans, it belongs to us,” Fernandez said.
According to Manassas Community Development Director Elizabeth Via, the city denied a building permit for the proposed structure on Jan. 3 because what he was proposing would have necessitated a special use permit. On Wednesday, Fernandez said he would be applying for the special use permit by the middle of April.
Because of the reinforcements that were done last fall on the second version of the sign, the city had requested that Fernandez get a building permit because the city began to consider the once temporary structure permanent. Fernandez never applied for that permit and the case has been passed along to the city attorney’s office for possible litigation, Via said.
City code requires that a written application must be submitted and approved before a structure can be constructed, enlarged, altered or demolished.
If built, the new structure would replace a third version of the sign Fernandez recently placed on the site. It contains the angriest rhetoric yet since cloth was first draped across the remaining wall of the demolished house last summer.
The current sign calls Manassas and Prince William “the national capital of intolerance” and is littered with statements like “the actions of Prince William County and Manassas City Council are similar to the collaboration between local governments and the KKK in the 1900s.”
Fernandez said as long as the city and county back the newly instituted Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) program, he will not take the current sign down.
“As we long as we have not seen any changes, we will not remove our message,” Fernandez said.
The same week the building permit was denied in January, Fernandez and Montclair architect Don Little presented their case for rezoning the Liberty Street property to commercial to allow for a mixed-use building.
Via said a special use permit would require a public hearing and the city’s Planning Commission and Architectural Review Board would each have to review the issue before sending it to the city council.
A recommendation by the ARB would be necessary because the structure is located in the historic district. The property is zoned residential and would not have to be re-zoned to conform with what Fernandez is proposing, Via said.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 04, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Believe me their is mass outrage against the overt racism of that sign. I give it the bird everytime i pass it. Chris Cummings.
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 04, 2008 at 9:56 pm
6 million saved on ESOL deenrollment is enough proof for me to show that the Resolution is very effective. this does not include a decline in social services and public school useage which is at least another 6-10 million in savings. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 04, 2008 at 9:46 pm
A fair living wage and some higher prices are the end result of deportation of all illegals. A worthwhile result. Other than that it is third world status here we come. America is a land of opportunity not a land to dump human garbage. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 04, 2008 at 9:33 pm
All legal immigrants realize that illegal immigrants are the biggest drain on the economy costing more than the Iraq and Afghan wars and thats just since 1996 according to statistics of course. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 04, 2008 at 9:29 pm
According to the Constitution illegals have no rights. Amendment 14 needs to be amended in a bad way. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 04, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Where is the fairness in equality and justice when you give rights as a US citizen to an illegal immigrant, i know, i know, you will tell me amnesty. Even with amnesty the illegal will still have to pay and we all know since about 50% don’t pay income taxes we will have 1986’s amnesty problems all over again except that the illegal population will double again and half will not apply for amnesty. Sealing the border and enforcing employers non hiring of illegals and fining them severely. Enforcement at all levels of government is the only way to solve the most severe problem in history facing the United States. Go to Maryland Ray, see if we care. For $25 an hour i am sure you can find someone to do the job those former illegals are doing. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 04, 2008 at 6:36 pm
The Letieq blog has been around for almost a couple years and gets about 5 times as many hits in a day as opposed to that liberal rant blog by Kgotthardt and her cohorts in illegal immigrant apology land. Anyone who crosses the border with no papers, visa, is basically an invader per the Constitution and as such can legally be arrested, shot, or killed in all fairness for they are only entitled to the rights of a human being not the rights as a citizen of the United States.. The Letieq blog has been around for almost a couple years now and is very popular like Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( raywilliams ) on April 04, 2008 at 5:28 pm
cobra, the first thing I did was check the article on Robert Briscoe to see if you had posted condolences to the family of those killed by Mr. Briscoe while high on PCP. You know, the white, US born American killer. Nothing posted with your name .... My thanks to your Mr. Pearce’s son for serving his community and his loss reminds us of the dangers our police face each day.
Now, back to YOUR plan. That’s it? You spend hours writing and your plan is “sit and hope”? Are you going to come here each day, rattle some cages and slither away without offering ANYTHING new or productive? Perhaps, just perhaps, you open your mind a little and work with us to devise a plan - however less than perfect - that allows PWC to start making some progress on the illegal immigration issue. Or not. At least now I know not to entertain your sillyness anymore.
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Posted by ( Equality 7-2521 ) on April 04, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Cobra, I think you’re confusing my comments (and it’s not Tranquility by the way), with Ray’s. So I’ll answer your second paragraph since I think that’s the one that was directed to me.
I don’t know what the one has to do with the other (again, I’m specking of your in terrorum arguments). Let’s go with your number: 12 million. If there really are that many “illegals” rampaging around, then why are there so few incidents on the website you provided. Each crime is horrendous, and I am truly sorry for the victims. But sprinkling in a horror story here and a horror story there doesn’t make your argument more credible.
As for the story about the Senator, I appreciate his son’s service, as I do for all police officers. But what exactly is him being shot by an illegal immigrant supposed to prove? Bad people don’t discriminate, “illegal” or not. So you pointing out that he was illegal is meaningless. The Senator’s son could have been serving a search warrant on a citizen’s house and been shot there too.
So I’ll say it again, in language that’s easier to understand this time: Bad people commit crimes, when you survey any large population you’ll find bad people within it, the numbers may even seem high when you see them out of context, but are likely very small in comparison to the whole of the population (as seems to be the case here).
So stop pointing to this or that story as support for your ridiculous musings about traitors, invaders, and appeasers.
Get real, really.
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Posted by ( cobra ) on April 04, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Tranquility,
the reason I rant is that I don’t believe for one moment that you and others want some type of sensible immigration reform that includes those returning to their home countries to apply for entry. I dont know what other word would fit to describe over 12 million people coming or staying in this country illegally. I have in the past spoken to immigrant groups here and I tell them the compassion has run out. They have abused our good will. Just how many low skilled workers do you think we can absorb into our society? We are not a third world country. We have worked very hard to make the US the beacon of light on the hill but we will not sit back an allow one class of people to come here as they please. Yes there are many other ethnic groups living here illegally but the dominant race are those from the South. I dont agree with your term extreme. The immigration bill that Capital Hill tried to shove down our throats would have been a diasater for middle America. The bill would have allowed all illegal immigrants who had been in the US since Jan 2006 to stay and apply for a VISA. Now that was extreme. They were going to conduct 24 hour back ground checks. The American people did not fall for that bull. The amnesty of 1986 was passed with the promise of more border and work place enforcement. We are not going to sit by and allow this to happen again with 6 times as many illegals. I use the word Traitor to counter those that use the word Racist just because we dont agree with their open border stance.
And for Ray Williams, I don’t belong to HSM but know many who do. They are School teachers, Ex Marines to name a few. My plan is for self deportation. When they cant find work then they will go home. Now I answered your question. Did you check out the website that I provided for you?? Answer that question?? One of the stories involves a Russel Pearce of Arizona. He is a state senator who was in Washington speaking to the Brookings Institute about the problems of illegal immigration in Arizona. While speaking, he was summoned out of the room to take a phone call. That phone call was to advise him that his son who is a police officer in Arizona had been shot by an illegal immigrant. Now what is your response Ray????
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