Asbarez – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made a statement Thursday condemning an incident last week when an Armenian family received a threatening note after hanging an Armenian tri-color from their home.
“We will not tolerate crimes that are meant not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear. This week, as we remember the victims of the Armenian Genocide, we must also recognize ongoing prejudice against the Armenian community. Disturbing acts of hatred like that suffered by the Chatalyan family have no place in Los Angeles. In this city, we do not push people out, we come together. We must treat one another with love and respect, and reject any ideologies that try to divide us.”
Tujunga resident Hasmik Chatalyan received a threatening, anonymous note in her mailbox as a result of hanging an Armenian flag outside her home. In an statement, the Armenian National Committee of America Sunland-Tujunga chapter said it stands with the Chatalyan family and all Armenian-Americans who have experienced senseless acts of hatred for simply honoring their heritage, and commends the Los Angeles Police Department for investigating this incident as a possible hate crime.
Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also strongly condemned the hate incident.
“An act of hatred like that we saw in Tujunga this week has no place in our community, and I am deeply disturbed that someone would be threatened over their Armenian heritage, or for displaying an Armenian flag outside of their home. Coming so soon after the violence that claimed Armenian lives in Nagorno Karabahk and so close to the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in just a few weeks, this act of hatred is all the more reprehensible. I’m glad that the LAPD is investigating it as a hate crime,” said Schiff.
“I was devastated to learn that this act of hatred took place in Tujunga. I grew up in the foothills and chose to raise my family in Sunland-Tujunga, along with the many other Armenian-Americans, who have made this neighborhood their home and contribute to the vibrant cultural mosaic that is Los Angeles. Today, I ask my neighbors to call on all community organizations in Sunland-Tujunga to come together in the face of intolerance and work toward mutual respect and acceptance,” said ANCA-ST Co-Chair Christine Jerian immediately following the incident.
