<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>
<> LA VOZ DE AZTLAN NEWS BULLETIN <>
<>.<>.<> Los Angeles, Alta California <>.<>.<>

April 19, 2007

"Academia Semillas del Pueblo" school sues "Disney" hate radio

A Los Angeles Unified School District charter school that serves children of Mexican descent has filed a lawsuit against Disney owned radio station KABC 790 AM and its host Doug McIntyre.

The lawsuit claims that the radio host made constant racially motivated remarks that resulted in the school receiving a number of serious threats. One was a "bomb threat" that was left on the school's telephone recorder resulting in the school's evacuation.

In court papers filed Tuesday, school administrators allege that Doug McIntyre is guilty of civil rights violations for inciting others to harm the kindergarten through eighth grade school and its students. McIntyre created a “racist fury against Latino school children, teachers, administrators and staff at the school” that led to a bomb threat and ongoing security risks, the lawsuit said. As a result of McIntyre's comments, the school has had to hire security guards, adding tens of thousands of dollars to its operating costs, Principal Marcos Aguilar said.

Doug McIntyre said, according to the lawsuit, that the job of Principal Marcos Aguilar was to “keep his school, his madrasa school, open so they can train the next generation of Aztec revolutionaries. Again, I want to make sure that we emphasize this: This school should close.” The lawsuit also quotes McIntyre as saying, “Aztecs butchered and ate Spanish invaders. I wonder if they're teaching that at Academia Semillas del Pueblo.”

Academia Semillas del Pueblo has 327 students and over 90 percent are of Mexican descent. The school was founded in 2002 and its mission is “to provide urban children of immigrant families an excellent education founded upon native and maternal languages, cultural values and global realities.”

The lawsuit follows the firing of radio host Don Imus last week over a racist and sexist remark, which set off a large-scale debate over whether some talk-show hosts are out of control.