BALDWIN PARK, Calif., June 29 (UPI) -- An old California monument that says: "This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is, and will be again," is stirring a hot immigration debate.
The 20-foot structure, which has thus far stood quietly at a rail stop in the predominantly Latino town of Baldwin Park, has become a major issue with a group fighting illegal immigration, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
The Save Our State group, which organized two recent protests, says those words are seditious and liken the town to "occupied territory," the newspaper said.
To others, the artwork and the city itself have become pawns in a larger nationwide debate about immigration, the report said.
"It has awoken us to ... see that racism is still alive and thriving," says Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano.
The town has been forced to hire a press consultant to field calls and spend $30,000 in overtime for its police force.
Judith Baca, the work's creator and a well-known muralist in Los Angeles, says the piece was created only to memorialize Baldwin Park's heritage.
