In July 2021, the Armenian Patriarchatesigned a deal with Israeli real-estate company Xana Gardens to build a hotel on 25% of the land that comprises Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter. This portion of land is known asGoverou Bardez, or, the Cow’s Garden. It has historically served as a sanctuary for Armenianrefugees following the Armenian Genocide. The Cow’s Garden is also home to an Armenian church and five family residences.
Photo Credit: (Ahmad Gharabli / Getty). The Armenian car park in the Old City of Jerusalem in December 2023.
Following backlash from the Armenian community, the Patriarchatecanceled the land deal on October 26, 2023. Since then, Xana Gardens has sent bulldozers andaggressive company representatives to illegally seize the Cow’s Garden.
Armenians have lived in the Armenian Quarter since the fourth century. It is also theoldest Armenian diaspora community in the world. For over 1,600 years, the community haspersisted against the construction of Jewish-only settlements in Jerusalem. Armenians, as well as other Jerusalemite Christians, have faced decades of verbal and physicalharassment in the city. Extremists regularly vandalize the Armenian Quarter with hatefulgraffiti, such as, “Death to Arabs and their Armenian Friends” and they also attack Armenian families.
Will Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez Corruption Be Ignored?
Who knew the simple act of requesting an urgent grant for a minority community from a so-called progressive Councilmember in LA could be so difficult and lead to the discovery of systematic discrimination in his district? But it was difficult and painful to ask Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez for support for his sizable Armenian community in his district’s Little Armenia.
That’s why, dear readers, I now share my most recent experience with Councilmember Soto-Martinez and his staff.
Background
I knew Councilmember Soto-Martinez before he was in office, as he ran my friend Sepi Shyne’s first campaign for the West Hollywood City Council. Councilmember Soto-Martinez, whose district includes Little Armenia, took office on December 22, when the Armenian community was going through the most challenging period in its history since the Armenian Genocide. They were experiencing the ongoing Artsakh Genocide, during which ultimately 10,000+ Armenians were massacred between 2020 and 2023, but also witnessing the rise in Armenophobia and anti-Armenian hate incidents and crimes in Los Angeles.
A couple of months after he took office, anti-Armenian flyers were posted all over Beverly Hills that called for the massacre of Armenians and similar ones in Glendale.
Also, the aftershocks of the leaked audio recordings of a private meeting involving Los Angeles City Council members and a union leader that involved racist and disparaging comments, including about Armenians and a prominent Armenian politician, were still being felt. The audio recording captured a conversation between City Council president Nury Martinez, fellow councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (colloquially referred to as the ‘Fed’) President Ron Herrera.
The Ask
So, I spoke to Councilmember Soto-Martinez about what Armenians are facing and what my non-profit advocacy organization, the Truth And Accountability League (TAAL), is doing to address the issue and find solutions to help the community deal with it. TAAL helps everyone regardless of ethnic background, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. TAAL’s services and programs benefit the community, especially all marginalized minorities.
I also told him that the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations and LA vs Hate have chosen TAAL as their partner of choice to advocate for the Armenian community of Southern California. I described our partnership and that we are working on multiple projects together. I told him that we need discretionary funding and asked him if I could apply for a community project grant for TAAL to produce a series of anti-bigotry public service announcements (PSAs) to encourage people to report hate acts, incidents, and hate crimes to the County by calling 211 or on LAvsHate.org. LA Councilmembers offer $5,000 community project grants to organizations that serve their constituents and the local community.
Councilmember Soto-Martinez referred me to his website to apply for a grant.
The Process, Mistreatment, Negligence, Lies, and Excuses
My request was declined after writing and submitting two grant proposals to the Councilmember’s office, multiple follow-ups, contradicting stories, and being ignored by his staff. A staff member told me that TAAL is not based in District 13. After correcting her that non-profits don’t need to operate in the district but only to serve its population, the Chief of Staff stepped in to cover up the lies and games they had played.
While the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations was reporting that hate crimes against Armenians increased by 200% in LA County, the highest increase for any group, Councilmember Soto-Martinez and his staff couldn’t care less.
Next Step
Eventually, I filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the LA City Hall to obtain the list of all organizations and individuals who had received a grant from Councilmember Soto-Martinez’s office. LA City Hall promptly sent me the list. I was curious to see his office’s priorities and what kind of organizations, companies, and individuals were receiving grants.
In February 2024, about a year after I applied for a grant and well over a year after Councilmember Soto-Martinez took office, out of forty-five grantees, not a single one was an Armenian organization, company, or individual. Upon closer scrutiny, I discovered that many grantees received funding through nepotism. I’m publishing the list of grantees below so readers can analyze the names and make their own conclusions.
I then wrote Martha an email, laying it all on the table without mincing words. I copied the City and County’s hierarchy, including Supervisor Kathryn Barger. The outcome was that they gave TAAL a $5,000 grant immediately.
What if I did not have the knowledge and experience to pursue this case, did a FOIA request, and did not have a voice in the community? How many other Armenian organizations and individuals have they discriminated against? Finally, if you look through the grantee’s list, you will see a familiar pattern that demonstrates discrimination, bias, and nepotism.
Importance of the Story
While Councilmember Soto-Martinez talks about diversity and inclusion, reality proves otherwise. His record of helping community organizations reveals that his so-called claims of diversity are subjective and reserved for select people. The evidence and proof demonstrate blatant hypocrisy and double standards. LA City Hall has recently grappled with corruption, fraud, and discrimination. While Councilmember Soto-Martinez was condemning his colleagues, he and his staff were doing the same thing.
Do Councilmember Soto-Martinez’s actions demonstrate progressive values? Does his claim to being an ‘organizer, worker, fighter, City Councilmember’ who ‘builds community power in the thirteenth district’ stand to the test of integrity, honesty, equality, fairness, and inclusion of diversity when such blatant corruption and discriminatory practices in supporting the diverse population of his district stains his track record as a ‘champion’ of his constituents who elected him to office?
Have you ever wondered what is “crypto” and why so many people are talking about it? Some say it is the future of money with which transactions will be conducted. Others think it is merely fool’s gold and holds no intrinsic value. Nobody knows for sure, yet. However, we believe it is important to at least have an understanding of what it is and how it works. If crypto does revolutionize the way the world conducts business in the future, we want you to be prepared for it.
Armenian Crypto School has put together a comprehensive educational program with lessons detailing where crypto came from, what you can do with crypto, how to keep your crypto safe, and much more. Below is the first lesson in the curriculum. We encourage our community to watch it.
