Property owner wants to display permanent sign
Keith Walker/News & Messenger
Gaudencio Fernandez wants to display a sign of protest permanently at 9500 Liberty St. in Manassas.
Like it or not, former Manassas property owner Gaudencio Fernandez is planning on submitting a special use permit application for a much larger, more permanent sign to replace his controversial structure at 9500 Liberty St.
In January, Fernandez came to the city offices for what officials thought would be a building permit application for the existing structure. However, Fernandez instead presented plans for a 220-foot long, 16-foot-high L-shaped structure that would display murals “expressing the community’s ideas.”
“We wanted more room to display the great history of our country and show that it doesn’t just belong to white Americans, it belongs to us,” Fernandez said.
According to Manassas Community Development Director Elizabeth Via, the city denied a building permit for the proposed structure on Jan. 3 because what he was proposing would have necessitated a special use permit. On Wednesday, Fernandez said he would be applying for the special use permit by the middle of April.
Because of the reinforcements that were done last fall on the second version of the sign, the city had requested that Fernandez get a building permit because the city began to consider the once temporary structure permanent. Fernandez never applied for that permit and the case has been passed along to the city attorney’s office for possible litigation, Via said.
City code requires that a written application must be submitted and approved before a structure can be constructed, enlarged, altered or demolished.
If built, the new structure would replace a third version of the sign Fernandez recently placed on the site. It contains the angriest rhetoric yet since cloth was first draped across the remaining wall of the demolished house last summer.
The current sign calls Manassas and Prince William “the national capital of intolerance” and is littered with statements like “the actions of Prince William County and Manassas City Council are similar to the collaboration between local governments and the KKK in the 1900s.”
Fernandez said as long as the city and county back the newly instituted Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) program, he will not take the current sign down.
“As we long as we have not seen any changes, we will not remove our message,” Fernandez said.
The same week the building permit was denied in January, Fernandez and Montclair architect Don Little presented their case for rezoning the Liberty Street property to commercial to allow for a mixed-use building.
Via said a special use permit would require a public hearing and the city’s Planning Commission and Architectural Review Board would each have to review the issue before sending it to the city council.
A recommendation by the ARB would be necessary because the structure is located in the historic district. The property is zoned residential and would not have to be re-zoned to conform with what Fernandez is proposing, Via said.
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Reader Reactions
HSM extremists: “Illegal! Illegal! Illegal!“ Don’t kid yourselves; we all know there are cultural undertones involved. The extremists that post here litter their comments with language that, if not racist, comes close to being racist.
Extremists on the other side: “Racism! Racism! Racism!“ Don’t kid yourselves either. There are many people in this county who see this as a real issue because they truly believe, rightly or wrongly, that “illegals” are negatively affecting this county.
People stuck in the middle: “Taxes are on their way up, property values are still down . . . why are we spending so much time on this issue?“
If this guy can put up his sign, and the City condones it, then can we put up one as well?
Cobra, you are obviously a bright and intelligent man, so let’s switch gears here. Lay out your plan to deport all the illegal aliens: What is your time table? How are you going to fund ICE programs,police training, build holding facilities, obtain funds for deportation costs (12 million illegals x airfare equals what?) How long will these programs take to implement? How will you handle the shortage of entry level workers and the enomonic impact of burger flippers suddenly making $12 per hour (supply v demand, same as a barrel of oil) How will you handle the further implosion of the housing market and the loss of jobs nationwide associated with new construction such as construction workers, factory appliance, carpet and window makers, realtors and mortgage bankers as current housing inventories remain unsold? What happens to all the rental properties when demand for housing plummets? What happens to the county tax base when property values continue to decline and who will pay for the costs to maintain vacated properties? Furthermore, how will you stop new illegals coming in and how will you fund the cost of that border protection? There are a lot of issues my friend, that go beyond stating ‘I want my neighbors to look and act like me’. You’ve held your position on illegal immigration for quite some time now. All these questions should be sorted out already in your mind and ready for ink to hit the paper. Blast me all you want for thinking like a businessman, but show me you have something more than calling me names to offer back.
I think it’s horrible that someone can get away with doing something like this!
What happened to we love each other? “We did not bring slaves,we did not kill Indians” I didn’t know that any of us did. Am I wrong in saying that was something that happened 200 years ago and ever since we as a country have tried to get over it. Yet we have people like this guy that can bring it up and show it off again.
I’m so glad that Prince William County is standing up and finally doing something about this crisis!
I hate to think that all my tax dollars are funding illegal immigrants instead of helping out the people in our area that truly need it.
We are paying for their health care, More ESOL teacher, and many other benefits for which they don’t deserve!
I stand behind Prince William County for finally taking care of this crisis that we have been dealing with for the past few years.
For articlewatcher (and others not fluent in English) Webster’s defines racism as “any program or practice of racial discrimination, segregation, etc.“
I think we will all agree that illegal behavior is not assigned to any one race in particular. Our police are very conscience of the need to avoid racial profiling in the performance of their work.
When a person talking about illegal immigration vears off subject and begins to assign behaviors, traits or characterisitics to an individual person simply because that person is of a race, that is racism - and the person making the comment, at that moment, is a racist.
The person that supports the victim of racism is NOT a racist.
So when a comment is made “We are the Capital of Intolerance when one race of people tries to move in and change the fabric of the community by forcing their customs on its neighbors” that person exhibits the defination of racism or perhaps merely just misspoke.
Attempting to label me as a racist for simply pointing out the obvious is quite a stretch even for those who disagree with my opinions, but apparently not for those living in fear of those persons that are different from themselves.
Make an articulate arguement for your cause based on facts and not stereotypes or hypothetical assumptions and perhaps someone will take you seriously.
You guys try hard but we’re not playing chess at the same level.
I find it heart breaking that someone would want to hang a sign up that states the things this one says. We as people try harder and harder everyday to move away from racism yet people can get away with this. “We did not bring slaves,We did not kill Indians”. Well I don’t think any of us have, if anything that is something that happened 200 years ago. I do not want illegal immigrants in my town and I’m so happy that Prince William County is finally doing something about it. I want my tax dollars to go to things that need it, not to support ESOL teachers, free school lunches, or health care or people that should not be here!
Ray Williams is a Traitor. Pure and simple. He wraps himself up in his little diversity blanket each day as if he has some moral high ground on the issue. He say’s he pays his legal Mexican worker $25.00 an hour and we know he is full of it. Why not hire an American for that wage? I’m not paranoid at all or in fear of being called a racist as I’m on the right side of the law unlike Mr. Williams. Time for all the illegal’s to go home and take their children with them. We are no longer responsible for their welfare. There are cities all over the US who are now looking at PW County as a model for their own enforcement initiatives. We are not sitting back any longer waiting for the Federal Government to act. We need immigrants who are willing to come here and embrace our way of life and contribute to our society. We don’t needs millions who come here and send every last dime they have back to their own country and then free load off of us. That’s what I want for my country. We are not responsible for Mexico’s economy.
If you are not legal in this county, then you are usurping our resources. I think, and you cannot disagree, unless you don’t meet the requirements of citizenship…you should get out (although I know you like it here)! The hospitals are losing so much money b/c of people, many illegal, who do not have insurance, and the schools are taxed beyond end. If you want to be here…be here legally!!! If we had more people like Cory in the Fed. Gov’t., we’d get a lot of stuff done!
This should be denied completly. This man needs to go back where he came from. I am so sick of paying out for these people to live her. All of you go home and stop whining
We pay for it in social services, overcrowding, ESL costs and many more hidden costs while the profit takers whine their racist rant.
Absolutely correct! Hmmm, the guy in Manassas can spew his vitriol, but if a legal citizen has something to say it’s racist! Doesn’t look like democracy to me.
I’d rather live next door to an immigrant. Hmmm, again I wonder if it is an illegal one or legal? Suit yourself: admit it and move on and stop blurring the lines of those here legally and those not.
Rest my case!
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