Why a street in North Carolina was filled with Mexican flags
The Zambrano family, from Wilmington, North Carolina, got an unexpected show of solidarity from their neighbors after receiving a threatening note against the Mexican flag on their porch
The letter was addressed to the “head of the household” and in four lines (loaded with insults) it expressed its purpose.
“When you sons of bitches like you raise your Mexican flag shit, that means war. The second amendment gives the right and the duty to use weapons to eliminate people like you and your family from my country. “
” LOWER THE FLAG OR YOU WILL FEEL MY ANGER .”
Jessica Zambrano said she had to reread it “not to misunderstand the purpose” of what it said.
But the letter was very clear: someone did not agree that there was a Mexican flag hoisted next to an American at the entrance of their home in Wilmington , North Carolina.
In that city in the southeastern United States, where more than 75% of the population is white, less than 10% of its inhabitants are Latino, the state has been a conservative stronghold since the 1960s.
The Zambranos are Mexican-Americans and, proud of it, they decided to display it on their porch.
After learning about the threat , their neighbors gave a show of solidarity that attracted attention on social networks and in local and national media in the US
The street was filled with Mexican flags.
“Caring neighbors, letting this person [the sender of the letter] know that their beliefs are not welcome here. They expressed it to us in a time of need and we are eternally grateful, “wrote Jessica Zambrano on Facebook.
Ongoing investigation
American Jessica Zambrano is married to Gustavo Zambrano, a man from Michoacán, Mexico , who has dual citizenship.
“Although he is also a US citizen, that does not erase where he comes from,” the woman explains in a message with thousands of reactions on Facebook.
“We have a Mexican flag on our porch. Well, the person who sent this letter clearly didn’t like that. And he felt it was his ‘duty’ to inform us, ”he adds.
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office told BBC Mundo that, after receiving the threat complaint, an investigation was launched with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Postal Service. USA
Jessica Zambrano told BBC Mundo that last week she spoke with a detective: “They are still investigating.”
The right to have weapons
The Second Amendment to the US Constitution, to which the letter refers, guarantees the right of Americans to own and bear arms, but its meaning has been debated for decades.
“Since a well-ordered militia is necessary for the security of a free State, the right of the people to possess and bear arms will not be violated ,” says the constitutional text.
The meaning of a “well-ordered militia” that seeks the “security of a free State” has historically been debated between those who consider it a personal duty to take care of the sovereignty of the United States, and others who think that this was a reflection of an era. that has been overcome.
“We must expose it and face it”
For Zambrano, the “actions and comments” of US leaders in recent times have been “gasoline” for “extremist groups that feel validated in their beliefs.”
“Racism and xenophobia run through the veins of this country. They are embedded deep in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, everywhere. We must expose it and confront it, “added Zambrano, who believes that the sender of the letter” does not represent the majority of true Americans . “
A few days after its publication, in early October, the street where the Zambrano family lives was filled with Mexican flags.
“The great support we received from our friends and family gave us peace. It gave us hope that one day there will be a place where behavior like this does not exist. Where our children will not feel threatened by the color of their skin, where they come from, the language they choose to speak in public or simply because of who they are, ”said Zambrano.
