Let an American Speak!

 Let an American speak!

     In these times of fake patriotism used to form a shield from false prophets and their bigotry I turn back the clock to a South Gate of 1966. The Azalea city had not drifted into the "Times They Are a Changin'" of Bobby Dylan and the common Gate man was a Democrat but not woke by any means. In a very strange set of circumstances those of us schooled by John F. Sheehy stood with the ACLU and against Mr. Floyed Wakefield, a false prophet if there ever was one. We were taught about the First Amendment by the old sage and realized the importance of open discourse.  There was a brouhaha brewing when the city was renting the Girl's Clubhouse meeting room to a George Lincoln Rockwell Nazi organization for a meeting. Ironically enough, the far-right Floyd stepped in and demanded they be refused. Back then Nazis were considered the scum of the earth. However, even Nazis are allowed to speak their hate according to the founding fathers. There was little doubt that the Nazis would be sent packing until the ACLU and the venerable Abraham Lincoln Wirin stepped in to remind the SG Council about that darn First amendment. Back when even Jack was a democrat we went to the council chambers to support A.L. Wirin. A.L. was a truly great man who respresented Japanese-Americans during the shameful internments and he went to court to break the alien land law. He also fought restrictuve housing, segregated schools and was there for draft-resisters of the Vietnam War. Despite the almost complete unpopularity of the Meeting hosts in the Girl's Clubhouse he insisted it was their right as Americans to peaceably assemble. Wirin was to take on another even more unpopular client the following year when he respresented Sirhan Sirhan. So we were in the chambers admiring the eloquent A.L.when an angry cry rang out "LET AN AMERICAN SPEAK" It was a demand for the fine Floyd Wakefield to orate, the same American who stood against integration and all the other parts of equality we were going to ask for in the hippy days. These same shouting horse's butts may not have known Wirin was not a man to be silenced. He was a Jewish immigrant who came to Los Angeles in 1932 to file bankruptcies for those broken by the depression.  In a well-publicized 1934 incident, Wirin was abducted by vigilantes, including highway patrol officers, during a trip to address Mexican farm workers in Imperial County, California, who were attempting to organize. Our brave city council caved to Wakefield and the Americans and refused to allow any meeting not approved by the "wise" men of South Gate.

                                                   Abraham Lincoln Wirin