WESTMINSTER, Calif.—After months of controversy, including a failed recall attempt of one of the city’s councilors, the Westminster City Council will vote in May on the design and location of a memorial within Peace Park, commemorating the recapture of a key providence by the United States and the South Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.
Locals have expressed concern about the monument including whether it should be constructed on city property and the issue of possible architectural hazards, or hazards it poses to children and adults near the monument, including its flag poles that could fall and strike an individual’s head. Some have also suggested the project be put on hold until public concerns are resolved.
“I don’t support this design,” resident Dao Tran told The Epoch Times.
Tran said the monument—as currently planned—is too large and that the city has wasted too much money on it after stalling plans when voting to transfer the project over from a private group to city control, spending months on additional planning and city resources to re-do the project.
The Quang Tri committee—formed of 11 people to design the project—recommended a statue depicting five marines of the Army of The Republic of Vietnam standing on top of ruins, with two holding the South Vietnam flag. The monument would memorialize the Second Battle of Quang Tri which resulted in the South Vietnamese recapture of the Quang Tri Province on Sept. 16, 1972.
The current design’s base is 20 feet wide with a 25- to 30-foot vertical panel measuring 5 feet in thickness and 10 to 12 feet tall. This would be the same length and slightly taller than a miniature school bus.
Resident Lan Quoc Nguyen also said the memorial is too large and that it does not reflect the city’s Vietnamese community’s desire for its design.
“The difficulty [the council is] facing now is that they don’t have support from the community,” he said.
Another resident who chose to remain anonymous yes added the monument would only create “polarization” between the Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese community.
“It’s not representative of the citizens of Westminster … if they’re not Vietnamese,” the resident said.
Two city committees will provide final recommendations, projected on May 11, for the monument: one regarding its location in the park, and the other on the monument’s inscription—in both Vietnamese and English—and its seal.
Controversy surrounding the project began last July when a slim majority on the city council voted to remove the project from the hands of a private foundation sponsoring it.
During that city council meeting, councilmembers Carlos Manzo, Tai Do, and Kimberly Ho voted to move the project under the city’s control which resulted in accusations from opposing council members—lead by former State Assemblyman Van Tran—that Ho’s desire to move the project under the auspices of the city was “political gamesmanship.”
Anger surrounding the project escalated when some residents initiated a recall against Ho, which ultimately failed in February by 285 signatures.
The issue will next be discussed at the city’s council meeting May 11. If approved, the city has said construction will be complete by Sept. 16, which will mark the battle’s 50th year anniversary.
