MARKING MURDER: EVENTS COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Carl Kozlowski
Pasadena Weekly, CA
April 19 2007
The 1915 genocide in which more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed
by the Turkish Ottoman Empire stands as one of the darkest episodes
in human history. And thanks to the efforts of the tens of thousands
of Armenian emigrants who have settled in Glendale, Pasadena and
throughout the Los Angeles area, that senseless slaughter will never
be forgotten.
But in their efforts to spur an official recognition of the genocide
and an official condemnation of the Turkish government by Congress,
the local community has faced a couple of major roadblocks.
First, Congress has continually rebuffed the efforts of Pasadena
Democratic US Rep. Adam Schiff to formally recognize the genocide.
And Glendale city government leaders have continued to back off from
the bold stand it took in 2000, when it flew the US flag at half-mast
to mark the occasion.
"I wasn’t involved in the council’s decisions yet in 2000, but
the controversy over whether flying half-mast violated the US Flag
Code caused an argument that distracted from the main purpose of
our efforts," recalled Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian, who at the time
was a community activist who had yet to be elected. "Now we offer a
number of programs to commemorate the genocide in two different ways,
focusing on the Armenian genocide itself while also marking other
genocides that have continued to occur, such as in Darfur."
In an exclusive statement to the Weekly, Schiff pressed again for
his case that the Turkish atrocities must be recognized as genocide
in order to help avoiding their repetition by other governments in
the future.
"I have introduced a resolution in the House that would recognize the
Armenian Genocide, and the United States has a compelling historical
and moral reason to pass the resolution," wrote Schiff. "But we also
have a powerful contemporary reason as well – how can we take effective
action against the genocide in Darfur if we lack the will to condemn
genocide whenever and wherever it occurs? With the new leadership in
Congress, I am hopeful we can finally get this resolution passed."
Glendale Councilman Bob Yousefian noted that the city’s week of planned
events includes not only discussion groups, but also a blood drive
on April 22, as well as an elaborate memorial at the Alex Theatre.
"The first portion is dedicated to all the genocides of the 20th
century, and the latter portion is entertainment and deals with the
Armenian genocide," said Yousefian. "We also received a proclamation
from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and will be shown at that time and
there will be another proclamation from the mayor on that day also."
For those interested in taking part in other activities throughout
the week, here are a few prime events:
Youth Rally for Recognition at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Pasadena
Armenian Center, 740 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena.
Blood Drive at 11 a.m. Sunday at St. Mary’s Church, 500 S. Central
Ave., Glendale.
Seventh annual Genocide Commemoration of Over Nine Decades of Denial
at 7 p.m. Monday at Glendale High School, 1440 E. Broadway, Glendale.
March in Little Armenia at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the corner of Hollywood
Blvd. and N. Hoba Blvd. in Hollywood.
Armenian Genocide Remembrance: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Alex Theatre,
216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Free.
Protest demanding recognition of the Armenian Genocide at 4 p.m.
Tuesday at the Turkish Consulate, 6300 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.