Why San Diego’s Chicano Park is a battleground in the Trump era

On any given day, San Diegans gather peacefully at Chicano Park to celebrate Mexican-American heritage with art and family picnics. Come Saturday, it will transform into the battleground for cultural identity that it’s been for decades.

On Saturday, a right-wing group plans intends to raise an American flag where Chicano Park currently flies a flag of Aztlan, the mythical homeland of the Aztecs. Defenders of the park’s Mexican-American identity say they too will show up.

What some fear could become yet another heated clash between right-wing activists and counter-protesters was the talk of social media this week with many people preparing for a confrontation.

Chicano Park is no stranger to conflicts. But for the second time in one year, supporters of President Donald Trump have targeted the park to protest its murals and identity.

Here’s how we got to this point:

Who are the ‘Bordertown Patriots’ and what do they claim?

The group Bordertown Patriots Inc. is made up of local conservatives who say there is a stigma over the park’s identity. The group also says “it should not be tolerated to fly only one foreign flag in a city owned park without the accompanying American flag.”

The park, which is the hub of San Diego’s mostly-Hispanic neighborhood known as Barrio Logan, is known for its mural paintings depicting Aztec symbols and Mexican-American icons.

On Facebook, the group touts the event with slogans like “All Lives Matter” and “Make America Great Again,” Trump’s campaign slogan.

What do counter-protesters claim?

Defenders of the park’s identity say the right-wing group wants to foment division and spread hateful rhetoric.

Ahead of a rally by the right-wing group in September, the Chicano Park Steering Committee offered a warning, asking “all visitors show respect for the park and its many beautiful murals and sculptures,” according to La Prensa.

One of the organizers urged others on Facebook to assemble peacefully and avoid engaging with members of the right-wing group.

What happened in September?

On Sept. 3, a brief shouting match erupted between the right-wing group and counter-protesters.

About half a dozen members of the Bordertown Patriots showed up that day, while several hundred counter-protesters did. San Diego police officers were there to separate the two groups, and no one was reported hurt.

How is this new or different from past protests?

Chicano Park became an official public park of the city of San Diego in 1969, but it was an organized protest against construction the following year that cemented its identity. The first demonstration at Chicano Park happened in April 1970 when Mexican-American residents protested the construction site for a California Highway Patrol station.

Others have also taken issue with the park’s mural portraits of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, two icons of communism.

But last year’s removal of a Confederate plaque in downtown San Diego — similar to other Civil War-era memorials across the U.S. that Trump condemned as “changing history” — galvanized right-wing groups to protest Chicano Park’s core Mexican identity.

Are city officials worried?

Yes. On Jan. 17, San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott issued a public letter asking the group to be “respectful of the people who frequent this park, as well as the laws that keep our residents safe.”

Clashes between right-wing groups and counter-protesters have attracted fears since Aug. 12 when a woman was killed during a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the time, white supremacists were protesting the removal of a Confederate statue.