City of Baldwin Park Agrees It Shouldn't Have Fined Citizen for Stating that Council Member Is Corrupt

Picture on the banner

On January 6, 2017, Greg Tuttle and his friends were told that they could put their signs back up. These signs allege that Council Member Ricardo Pacheco is corrupt. They were also told that the City would be canceling their fines, which was previously sent to a collections agency to damage their credit scores.

Here's the background of the case. The City Manager, Shannon Yauchtzee and City Attorney, Robert Tafoya, decided to use the City's code enforcement to fine anyone who had a sign that said that Council Member Ricardo Pacheco was corrupt. In order to fine its residents, Yauchtzee cited residents under a city sign ordinance, which restricted the size of the sign. The ordinance also stated that permits had to be applied for first before political signs could be put up.

Attorney Carol Sobel sent the City a letter to tell them what they were doing was in violation of the First Amendment's Free Speech clause. The City ignored the letter.

The City decided to fine its residents regardless. Tuttle countered. Sobel sued on his behalf in federal court.

At first, the city attorney told the Mayor and Council Members not to worry because the trial would be a year away. Well, he was wrong. Tuttle filed a restraining order, attempting to kill Baldwin Park's signage law.

On December 27, 2016, although the court denied the temporary restraining order, it stated that the City's law tried to control too much Free Speech, which everybody has the right to express. Hence, the court triggered the standard of "strict scrutiny," which almost always guarantees that a government agency will lose. (With regards to Free Speech, the courts apply strict scrutiny when the government makes law controlling content of speech or when it discriminates against a certain viewpoint - called viewpoint discrimination.)

The city made arguments that the court didn't appear too impressed with. It stated that these political signs were like Christmas decorations that were around after the holidays and nobody likes when that happens. The City also stated that the city is so busy with sign permits that it needs such laws, or it would be even busier.

The court stated that the laws violated Free Speech because, under a 2015 Supreme Court Case, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, the City law and enforcement of it controlled too much speech, because it regulated what could be stated on signs. Furthermore, the court stated that the city's restriction on political speech harmed the public interest.

But instead of granting the temporary restraining order, the court wanted to hold a full hearing at the end of January to determine whether to kill Baldwin Park's sign law. It ordered briefing by both parties, and it ordered the City to prove how busy they were with sign permit applications.

After, the City asked for more time to file its brief. Tuttle said more time would only be given if the city cancelled the citations and allowed for the Pacheco signs to be put back up. The City immediately agreed to cancelthe citations. But after much agony, it finally agreed that the Pacheco signs could be put up again

Tuttle was thrilled. He said, "It's so hard for people to get these results without public interest attorneys. These people think they could do whatever they want. But, we're proving them wrong."

Tuttle, resident Juan Rios, and owner of Prestige Mercedes are planning to put up their signs before the end of the day. 

2017 - The Year of the Phoenix

Phoenix illustration

Did you know that 2017 is the year of the fire rooster? (The Chinese Zodiac runs on a twelve year cycle, and every twelve years is linked with one of five elements: earth, fire, water, wood, and metal.) I don't know of many fire birds, but the most well-known one is the phoenix.

The phoenix is a mythical bird that set itself on fire every 500 years to be born again from the ashes. The origin of such birds came from Egypt, but the Christians also took the symbol to be a representation of Christ, and the Christian life cycle to die to one's self and to be born again.

When I lived in Australia, the aborigines in Kakadu (the wetlands of the Northern Territory)  told me that real phoenixes lived there, and I saw them.

The Northern Territory has black parrots, but they have a splash of red color underneath them. It's amazing to see the black birds fly in a flock from above. You see a fury of red and black darts soaring above. Apparently, a fireball shot up from a bush fire and hit the parrot's tail, burnishing it a bright red. The smoke forever covered the white parrot, changing its color into a raven's black. And, that's how the Australian phoenix was born.

Globally, there were stunning events this year, from the British Prime Minister David Cameron getting booted to the election of billionaire entertainer, Donald Trump. There were notable deaths of entertainers. El Chapo was arrested. And in Los Angeles, the Academy Awards was boycotted for not nominating anyone of color for its awards. So, a lot happened globally this year.

In Baldwin Park, locally, we've fought (and fought hard) for the people's right to speak freely in this city. The year opened up with the City having to pay $67,500 for arresting, strip-searching me by a female officer, and arresting me, all for leafleting in the park. In January, the year also opened up with the court issuing it's fourth order against the City of Baldwin Park to release records.

In March of this year, I defended local business owner, Greg Tuttle from the Mayor and Council trying to restrain him from being investigated and won. LA Times story here. In April, we were able to get the Court of Appeals to issue an order that Baldwin Park was running a sham non-profit, and that the Director of Parks and Recreation, Manuel Carrillo, was indeed violating the public records act by not telling us where tens of thousands of dollars were being spent and where all the money was going.

Then, around May, we discovered from the City that in a 58 month period, from September of 2008 to July of 2013, the City of Baldwin Park received $2.3 million dollars from towing 15,247 cars; the towing company, Royal Coaches, made $11.6 million.

Before the year ended, we were able to get the famous First Amendment Attorney, Carol Sobel, to file a federal lawsuit against the city for fining people, all because they put up signs on their buildings that stated that Council Member Ricardo Pacheco is corrupt. (I believe this too, in the sense that he's misspending a lot of city's money on himself and not the residents.) Before the year ended, the federal court denied a temporary restraining order against the City, but the court stated that the city's law against putting up political signs is indeed unconstitutional and in violation of everyone's Constitutional Free Speech Rights.

In terms of travel, I hope I brought to my readers a sense of adventure from different parts of the world. This year, I told you tales from Cabo San Jose, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; the Galapagos Islands; the Amazon Rainforest; Madrid, Spain; Turin, Italy; London; Copenhagen, Denmark; Berlin, Goettingen, Munich, and Dusseldorf, Germany.

My final thoughts remind me of my time in Italy. There, I was reminded that we all have a responsibility in contributing to the beauty of this world, and not the ugliness of it. And in order to create that beauty, people need to be free and to live without fear and have such spaces to express themselves. That's the reason it's important to enforce and fight for our rights to enforce such freedoms. I can only hope that things will then change for the people living in this city.

Last year, I quoted scripture from Joshua and stated that it was important to be strong and courageous. This year, for me, it's going to be important to endure.

The Scripture I think that should inspire this year is from Corinthians 9 (GNT):

Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.

Thus, fight the good fight. Run the good race. And endure to the end.

Reflections on my European trip - Happy New Years!

It's been about a week since I've been back from Europe, and probably more than other trips, I was struggling to make sense of what I was supposed to learn from this one. It was only until yesterday, maybe, I was meant to experience the Christian concept of grace.

At first, I thought maybe I was meant to encourage the people I met. I certainly gave a part of me to everyone I saw, and I tried to share something with them - whether that was a gift, conversation, or meal.

But as I was thinking about it last night, maybe the point was to experience the kindness and hospitality of what these people did for me. I have to call this grace.

The Christian concept of grace is defined as the "free and unmerited favor of God." In other words, the more I thought about how well my friends treated me, it clicked: I didn't deserve to be treated that well. There was nothing I really did to merit such a great holiday from all the people I saw. And that in turn, really helped me feel grateful for everything. So, maybe it's not what I gave them, but how much these people gave me.

I remember starting the winter holiday a bit more down because of shouldering a number of problems. To have a wonderful vacation open up in the middle of it, really brought me rest, peace, and joy and the will to go and fight on.

Perhaps the most important conversation I had was with Eleonora from Italy. (Did you know that in Latin, conversation comes from the word convert? Hence, great conversations are meant to convert or change a person.) Eleonora said often that she believed that we, as a human civilization, wasn't doing enough to preserve and create more beauty.

She was echoing a belief I was already having. In this year, I asked myself often, too, Are we entering the New Dark Ages? The Dark Ages was the only time in Western Civilization that we actually moved backwards, or stagnated, in our progress of knowledge. I asked myself often, we've created better technology, but at what costs? Teenagers can't seem to have a conversation without checking their smartphones every second. Also, it appears that the more fundamental principle of justice appears to be corroding in our world.

So, Eleonora's idea of having a duty to create more beauty for this world has seeded itself in me. She's right.

Here's a summary of the lessons I learned by country or city.

In Spain, I found a new spirit of fighting and endurance.

In Italy,  I found love and beauty.

In London, I found connection.

In Denmark, I found the cold.

In Germany, I found the strengthening of friendships.

So, I learned a lot. I hope you as my reader did too. I still have to cover, later, what the most important lessons were for the year of 2016, which is ending soon. Out with the old and in with the new.

Happy New Years to everyone! 

Coming Home From Dusseldorf and Merry Christmas from Los Angeles

Los Angeles in Winter
Copyright Ghetty Image

I was riding with two complete strangers from Munich to Dusseldorf; the drive was seven and a half hours, and I arrived at my hostel in Dusseldorf at 02:45AM. I put the sheets on my bed. I covered my pillow with its case. I put the comforter in the duvet. After brushing my teeth and changing into my sleeping clothes, I fell asleep right away.

In the morning, the employee wakes me up and tells me to pay. I grumble, "In an hour, ja? I'm still sleeping."

I had to come all the way from Dusseldorf from Munich because I changed my flight last minute. A direct flight opened up from Dusseldorf to Los Angeles. I'd rather take that then leaving from Frankfurt, going to Madrid, changing in New York, and then to Los Angeles.

Dusseldorf, as a city, didn't impress me. My heart was still in Munich. I spent my last day in Germany shopping for German Christmas Cake (Stollen), which has dried fruit and almond paste; chocolates; and Christmas cookies. In old town Dusseldorf, I saw everyone eating a fish soup with a glass of white wine.

I order it. I eat it outside in the winter air. It tastes good and warm and very hearty. I can see why everyone orders it. The wine pairs well with the soup. It's good.

Later, a friend of a friend, who is now my friend, named Henrik, picks me up from the hostel. He drives me to a super-mega-hype-fancy-modern supermarket in Germany. It's huge and clean and has really fresh and good and fancy foods. There are cafes and restaurants and bars inside. We eat in there and buy more Christmas food for gifts back for my friends in Los Angeles.

I buy my cat Jeh Pan some German treats too. I wonder if he'll like them.

One day, on my holiday, my mother calls, worried about Jeh Pan. He didn't come home one night. I tell her there's nothing I could do from Europe. I tell my younger brother to sort it out. But there's nothing he could do too.

But the next day, Jeh Pan comes home tired and exhausted. Jeh Pan didn't even want to eat.

A neighbor tells my mother that he was trying to catch a mouse for a very, very long time. He finally gave up and came home.

I'll have to tell him, when I come home, not to do that again. Perhaps, he thinks he's Santiago from The Old Man and the Sea, and that he needs to prove he's a great hunter. I'll have to tell him, though, he could hunt all he wants, as long as he doesn't worry my mother with his absence. He'll look at me, pretending not to understand. But I know he will.

Back to Henrik. Henrik and I catch up. He takes me to his place. I sleep there. Henrik takes me to the airport on Christmas Eve. He tells me to come back. It was good catching up with him.

I almost miss my flight to Los Angeles. American Airlines forgot to attach a ticket number to my reservation code. In other words, American Airlines made a technical mistake. I call them. I'm a bit panicky. If the lady on the line doesn't fix it in 15 minutes, I'm going to miss my flight.

I stay calm. I don't raise my voice. I just tell her I'm a bit upset because I won't be home for Christmas if it doesn't get fixed within the next 15 minutes. She takes 11 minutes to fix it.

I'm able to check in. I board. I get there right on time.

On the plane, I write to the CEO of American Airline, telling him I almost miss my flight. I request that he refund the last minute surcharges. I hope he does.

My flight is twelve hours. The food is good. It was nice and simple flight.

When I arrive to the airport, it takes me 30 minutes to get my baggage and clear customs. It takes me about two hours to get to El Monte Station. From there, my mother is waiting in my car.

She comes out and hugs me. She likes me in my winter clothes and my new German haircut, which I can't say I like too much.

She says, "You look good."

I say, "Look, I got a German haircut."

She looks at it and says, "It's German?"

"Ja."

I drive to Baldwin Park. I go to the garage. Jeh Pan is sleeping. I say to him, "Jeh Pan, I'm home."

He wakes up. Comes to me. I pick him up. I squeeze him. He meows. I drop him back on the floor. He walks to the kitchen.

I call my friend. They tell me to come to the Christmas Church service with them. I feel tired from not sleeping. I say, "Ok," nonetheless.

I drive there. We go to church. We eat dinner after.

I go home. I think about what I was supposed to learn from this trip. What was the point? But before I could think about it much more, I fall asleep. When I wake up, it'll be Christmas Day.

And that was how this winter's journey ended.

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Seeing Nils and Tobi in Munich

Barber shaving man in Munich
Shot taken by Paul Cook

Nils takes me to a traditional, Bavarian restaurant, where I order a warm soup, served in a fancy Bavarian soup bowl, Nils orders Kaiserschmarrn, Bavarian fried dough with apple sauce. Nils and I catch up. It's been two and a half years, since I've seen Nils. Like Volker, I see where his life was, where it is, and perhaps, where it is going.

Nils now has a girlfriend, who he loves very much. He tells me they're thinking of moving in together. I like how cheery he is to tell me about this new girlfriend.

When the waitress comes, I pay for meal. She's big and stroppy. She has attitude, but I like it.

I ask her in German, "Do you accept credit card?"

She says, "I accept anything where you can take money from it."

Nils and I laugh. The girls at the table beside us laugh.

I give her my credit card. The waitress says the price and adds in English, "No tip. No included." I think it's the only English she knows and understands, the word: Tip.

"No problem," I say.

I ask Nils for his change. I give her my change too. I say, "Here, it's cash. Are you happy now that we gave you cash?"

She says, "Of course. Money is always good."

"Of course it is," I respond back in German.

We start laughing again. The girls laugh too.

Although for some, all roads lead to Rome, for me, all roads lead to Munich, the classy and rich and beautiful Bavarian capital. I've been to Munich more times than any other European city. It seems like every time I go to Europe, I cross through Munich.

Munich seemed to be busier than last time I was there. I also noticed that more people are speaking English, because of the influx of immigrants. I wonder if English will become the universal language one day.

So, I didn't do the touristy things this time around. I went to one museum, where I saw the modern artists and Picassos. Most of my days were spent sleeping in and planning the rest of my holidays. Nils and I caught up often and ate out and drank spiced wine together at the Christmas Markets. And in Munich, there are so many of them.

Nils is a thoughtful and caring person. And I think if he had the right trainer, he could've been an olympic runner. I remember, four years ago, Nils and Nicole and I, ran in the forest on a winter's day, when it was snowing. The snow landed on our hot heads and steam rose. We ran through the mud and sleet all the way up to Goettingen's castle, up on the hill. And Nils was so strong and fast and his friends said, he's like a beast. He did it so easily, and I never forgot it.

Nils let me stay in his room, which is close to central Munich. He stayed the nights at his girlfriend's. It was nice, sleeping in his king size bed. It was nice sleeping in. And when I opened the 'fridge, there was a Bavarian beer in there with a post note sticking on it that said, "For Paul". That made me smile. Never seen that before. Very thoughtful. I have to remember that one.

(One time, my mother on her walk, found a stash of beer, the good kind too. When I came home, she said, "Paul, I have something special for you." Then she opened the bag and showed me all this high quality beer she found. We could never figure out who would dump such good stuff. I thought that was cute when my mother found beer for me. I thought it was thoughtful Nils did that for me too.)

Nils got me drink. I got him food. Interestingly enough, I ate one of the best pizzas in Munich. I would never think pizza would be so good in Germany. But they baked it in a wood fire oven, and they shaved large pieces of black truffle onto it. It smelled so good. It tasted so good. Nils and I loved the pizza.

One night, Nils, his girlfriend, and I, also ate out at a Croatian restaurant. It was full, full of American too. They served whopping portions of meat and food. We ordered two dishes for the three of us. We still had leftovers. It was slabs of pork and beef and rice cooked in tomatoes and salt. It was a hearty meal for a winter's night.

Speaking about winter, it was in Munich, that I could feel a part of me dying. The nights were long. The days were short. It was cold and gloomy and dark. Although in my mind, I knew that the spring was coming, when you're in winter, you wonder if the spring will ever come.

Coming from Los Angeles, I don't feel the affects of the changing in the season as much. I could certainly feel it in Europe now.

* * * *

I felt sad when Tobi said that he was too busy to see me in the deep south of Bavaria. But I told Tobi, I was coming to Munich, even if he couldn't see me.

It so happened that while I was in Munich, Tobi was there too. He picked me up from Nils' flat.

We only had a few hours. Tobi was so busy.

He took me to a bakery. We both had pretzels with butter and coffee. (Pretzels, if you didn't know, originate in Bavaria.)

We talk and catch up. Because our time is so short, I could feel it running out on us. I haven't seen Tobi in awhile, and I've known him for close to 9 years now.

I could hear the words of T. S. Eliot running through my head:

There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

And Eliot is right, there is a time, a time for Tobi and I to meet face to face and a time to ask questions that drop on our plate and a time for him and me. And he is right, that time will be squeezed into a few hours, before the eating of our pretzels and drinking of our coffee. I feel like it's not fair, though, that the time between us is so short.

But I must not ask what is it. We have made our visit.

And in our conversation, though not with these exact words I tell Tobi:

"I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be . . . At times, indeed, almost ridiculous / - Almost, at times, the Fool.

And Tobi tells me, in not-so-many-words "I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do think they'll sing to me."

I tell him, remember, one day, "human voices wake us, and we drown."

He says in his own words, "We'll have to wait and see."

"Let's see," I says too.

He drops me back off at the flat. I give him a hug.

I tell him to tell his parents and sister that I said Hi to them.

I'm happy to see Tobi. I just can't believe that that was all the time we had. Maybe, there will be another time, another time to see each other and share the shards and fragments of our lives with each other. But for now, that was all the time that was given to me.

I could feel my trip was coming to an end. I thought of home and family and the problems I must confront when I get back. I could feel myself pulling away. I could feel I was distancing myself from the Old World and the unreal and fantasy world I was in and soon had to leave. 

Seeing Volker in Goettingen, Germany

The Gänseliesel (The Goose Maiden)
Von Goenttingen, Germany

Volker, Tom, and I drink spiced wine from the Goettingen, Christmas Markets. We take a seat at a stall. The Christmas Markets is a collection of all these craft and food and drink shops that open in German city centers. Around Christmas time, friends and family come to the markets together to eat and drink. I haven't seen Volker in four years.

I tell Tom, Volker's friend, "Do you remember when you told me to call Volker a big and stinky vagina?"

Volker says, "Tom would say something like that."

Tom starts laughing. "I remember. When we were hiking the Harz Forest."

"Ja," I say.

Seven years ago, Volker and his friends and I all did a hike in The Harz Forest. In total, the hike was 66 miles (100 kms), and we did it in three days. Two people, including Volker, went home early, because of the amount of walking we had to do each day. Another guy named Marcus, an East German, also didn't finish the trek. In the end, only three of us finished it: Tom, Nico, and me.

All in all, I was just there to spend time with Volker. I met Volker in my days when I lived and worked in New Zealand. I've known him now for over 8 years. When I think about that, I realize how fast time flies.

Volker was born and raised in Goettingen, a small university city. Volker brags to me, every time I see him, that Goettingen has produced the most number of Nobel Laureates in Germany.

It's a charming and small city. At the center of the city is a sculptor of a girl, holding two geese. She's called the Gänseliesel, the goose maiden. The tradition is that when a doctorate candidate receives his or her doctorate, he or she kisses the goose maiden and gives her a flower.

Well, after receiving my juris doctorate at UCLA, I came back to Goettingen and kissed the goose maiden and gave her her flower. So, I followed the tradition. She's supposed to be the most kissed girl on earth.

In Goettingen, Volker took me to the sauna, the Hannover Christmas Market, the Goettingen Christmas Market, and to his parents' home - where we all chatted. We also ran in the forest for about forty minutes in the sleet. It was cold. And it made me feel like I was training for some boxing match.

I was much slower than Volker in the run, because I was just about finished recovering from a cold. I coughed up a lot of mucus. I thought the run was good for me, though, because it seemed to clear out my lungs and my nose.

Ludo gave the cold to me in London. And Ludo got it from his sister Eleonara. And Eleonara got it from her flatmate Benedicta. And I think I may have given it to Volker's partner, Julia. (I wonder if this is how the Black Plague spread in Europe.)

So, I wasn't too happy when Volker told everyone he beat me on the run. I just said, "I had a cold," which I did have.

It was interesting catching up with Volker. I saw snapshots of his life then, now, and perhaps what will be. I wonder if he noticed the same about me.


PS: Thanks to all those who asked about if I was safe in Berlin; I left a few days before the attack on the Christmas Market there. 

Lessons from Berlin

Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin
The former checkpoint between East and West Berlin

I missed my flight from London to Berlin, because of poor planning on my part. (There were other reasons, like the subway being really late.)

In London, I choose to spend extra time (instead of hauling myself to the airport) in looking at all the suits and coats in London's famous Saville Row, where the tailors stitch a custom suit for you by measuring you from head to toe. The suits were so expensive, but they looked so nice. I couldn't afford one, but when I looked at the coats, it made me think that Detective Sherlock Holmes would wear a suit and coat from Saville Row.

I went in a shop in Saville Row, something I dare not do when I was 19 in London, because they would've known I was too poor to afford a suit. The associate greets me. He's very friendly. But because of spending too much time in Saville Row and spending too much time studying the designs of the posh suits, I missed my flight to Berlin by about 30 minutes.

So, when I get to the customer service line, the guy at the counter tells me I have to pay $80 USD (about 80 Euros) now, because it's a mileage ticket and that's the standard fee. He then says that he's leaving work, and he'll inform his next colleague that I have to the $ 80 USD. The next person takes over.

She waits for the guy to leave.

Then she says, "I've changed your ticket to be on the next flight. I'm not charging you. Just don't tell anyone."

I open my suitcase and find a box of American Almond Roca. I give it to her. And say, "Thank you so much. You made my day. Merry Christmas."

She says, "You made my day too."

Well, my friend Volker and another friend named Karen, both say I'm the luckiest person they've ever met. In fact, my mother says the same. So, maybe I am super lucky.

Then I almost miss my next flight, even though I'm checked in. I started studying World War I and forgot about the time. Also, London Heathrow Airport is huge. You need a lot more time to walk to a terminal than any other airport I've been to. This time, however, I catch my flight to Berlin.

When I arrive into Berlin, the first thing I realize is that I forgot all my German. It's been two and a half years since I've been to Germany. I want to say something in German, and I know I should know the phrase, but in my mind, I draw a blank. Nothing comes out.

It's the first time I think I know what it feels like to have a speech handicap.

I say in German, "I'm sorry. Just a moment please."

Then I say in English, "I'm sorry. I just forgot all my German."

The guy at the counter laughs and says, "Do not worry. It will come back."

* * * *

It's been two and a half years since I've been in Germany. It's been over seven years, since I toured Berlin, on a wild road trip with Volker and his friends. The memories of that roadtrip come back. I remember our tour on the boat and the night clubs and the food and all of Volker's worries on that trip. Now, I'm back in Berlin again.

In Berlin, I went to two museums. The first one was the Käthe Kollwitz Museum. Kollwitz was a famous German, woman illustrator, who captures the pain, poverty, hunger, and the effects of the war on the poor. Although a small museum, I really learned a lot from it. It's the only museum I've been to dedicated solely to a woman artist.

Misery by Kollwitz
Mother suffering over child

Kollwitz was the first woman artist elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts. Because of her father's influence about caring for the poor, most of her art focused on the poor and working class.

I was most impressed by the fact that she stayed to live in Berlin during Hitler's reign, when she could have move elsewhere. The Gestapo visited her and her husband, and they decided to commit suicide if they were sent to concentration camps. Kollwitz opposed war in general, because she lost her son in World War I, and as a result, the themes of pain, loss, and dead children surface and resurface in her works.

The second museum I visited was the Topography of Terror. The museum to dedicated to exposing the horrors of the Nazi regime. It's built on the former headquarters of the SS and Gestapo.

In general, I was rather disgusted and angry to see how an entire state moved towards destroying the lives of the most vulnerable people of their society. The one thing that stood out to me was one of the first steps that the Third Reich needed to achieve to fulfill their plan of total destruction was to wipe out dissent and criticism.

In the early stages of Hitler's reign, those who criticized the Third Reich, were paraded around town, with a sign that often said: "Enemy of the State." They were then ridiculed and humiliated in front of the people.

I had a few thoughts when I saw all those who criticized Hitler and were punished for it. Why didn't anyone in the City protest that humiliation? How could the police accept such orders to parade one of their own citizens around? Why didn't anyone in that town help those out whom were being punished?

Although you can't compare the former German state with Baldwin Park, isn't the same thing happening in Baldwin Park now? When you leaflet in the park, you get arrested and strip searched and jailed. When you plaster signs criticizing our elected officials, you get cited by code enforcement. And why do public officials need to chill such speech?

Because, as we're seeing in South Korea right now, when people lose faith in the character of their public officials, they no longer have the right to represent or rule them. So, such public officials need to silence criticism that tells the truth and stresses the abuse of power of such people.

All in all, the Third Reich terrorized their citizens to maintain control. I can't say seeing these exhibits was all that pleasant.

After finishing my tour there, I walked to the cafe across the street. I ordered a spiced wine and ate currywurst, which is a German sausage, cut up, and tossed into a curry sauce. I caught up on my emails and started making arrangements to see my friend Volker in Germany.

Although nothing stood out to me about Berlin on this trip, it was certainly I place I liked. I felt like I could work and live in such a city.