Originally scheduled to take place in front of Live Oak High School the morning of May 5, the “WeThePeople MH” group’s Unity, Peace and Respect Rally—a celebration of Mexican culture and a promotion of cultural awareness—shifted to the early evening at Community Park behind the Centennial Recreation Center.
Organizer Juan Lopez, an attorney and parent of a current LOHS student, said his group decided on the change in venue after taking the pleas of other LOHS students to heart during a pair of community meeting leading up the Cinco de Mayo holiday.
“I didn’t want to be part of the problem,” said Lopez, whose objectives of uniting the Morgan Hill community, protecting the students and celebrating his Mexican heritage were all achieved in a different, more suitable manner. “Every ethnic group is represented here.”
The holiday celebration at Community Park in west Morgan Hill featured traditional Mexican art, music and dance performances. A number of local residents—including students, parents and local public officials—spoke to the crowd, promoting peace and tolerance.
Lopez, who organized the event through a Facebook page titled “WeThePeople MH,” pointed to the 100 or so attendees who gathered in a large circle surrounding a group of native Aztec dancers—known as Kupalli Izkalli—sporting ornate and colorful dresses to open up the last of three scheduled demonstrations in Morgan Hill on the Cinco de Mayo holiday.
The two previous public demonstrations—one organized by the Gilroy-Morgan Hill Patriots in front of LOHS starting about 8 a.m. and another involving the 2 Million Bikers to D.C. motorcycle group starting about 1:30 p.m.—went off without incident. City and school district staff noted those participating in the day’s events were generally well behaved and respectful of the students.
“I was so proud of this community,” said Morgan Hill Unified Superintendent Steve Betando at Monday night’s event. “Morgan Hill is so rich in culture and you just enriched it today.”
Morgan Hill Police Captain Shane Palsgrove told spectators that people from outside Morgan Hill tried to divide the community, but instead “the opposite effect occurred and made us stronger as a community.”
Parent Diane Hernandez-Bettancourt, of Morgan Hill, stood front and center in the crowd with an American flag, a Mexican flag and a Mexican balloon in hand as various other speakers made their statements.
“I wanted to come out here today because I saw outside influences portraying Morgan Hill in a negative light,” said Hernandez-Bettancourt. “This rally shows exactly what I knew Morgan Hill was about—which is a deep respect for our culture and, most importantly, that those Patriots were the most unpatriotic group.”
Her daughter, McKenna Bettancourt, a student at Jackson Academy of Math & Music, held a sign that said “Proud to be Mexican-American.” She said coming to the rally was a way to “support our culture and others in our culture.”
Eric Acedo, 23, a 2008 LOHS alumnus, convinced his friend Alan Reyes to join him at the peace rally to show their support for uniting the community.
“I think there’s a rise in a culture that’s very divisive in Morgan Hill as seen by the two protests in front of Live Oak today,” Acedo said. “I wanted to come out and support unity of all cultures and ethnicities.”
Among those in attendance at the Monday night event were MHUSD trustees Claudia Rossi and Rick Badillo, Santa Clara Valley Water District Director Dennis Kennedy and Morgan Hill City Manager Steve Rymer.
