Fowler Mayor blocked Armenian councilman from speaking at genocide memorial, compared event to “quinceañera”

Last month’s Armenian Genocide commemoration in Fowler has resulted in lingering issues about who was allowed to speak at the event, leading to a blow-up at the most recent Fowler City Council meeting.

Mayor Juan Mejia and Councilman Karnig Kazarian argued about a decision to bar the City’s lone Armenian lawmaker from speaking at the memorial, with Mejia comparing the genocide memorial to a quinceañera.

The backstory: Fowler was historically one of the major points of Armenian immigration to the United States, with around two-thirds of the city coming from Armenia in the years after the genocide.

• With Fowler’s deep ties to Armenia, community members honored the Armenian Genocide with an event at Donny Wright Park on April 26.

• Mejia, Fowler’s Mayor, led the organizing of a memorial event with local community members.

• The community is now fundraising for a permanent monument to honor the genocide. The effort has raised $600 so far and is asking for $2,000 in total. Mejia is listed on GoFundMe as the first donor, having given $100.

Kazarian speaks out: Kazarian, the lone Armenian on the council, spoke during last Tuesday’s council meeting about how his grandfather fled the genocide at eight years old. That personal connection led him to take issue with the event organizers not allowing him to speak at the commemoration.

• “I did not decline to participate. I was not asked, and later I was denied,” Kazarian said. “I initially chose not to push to be included because I wanted the focus to remain on the commemoration itself. But after learning shortly before the event that concerns about my exclusion had already been raised with Juan early on and that no effort had been made to include me, I no longer felt comfortable remaining completely absent from something so closely tied to my family’s history.”

• Kazarian said he reached out to the organizers and offered to contribute a 1-2 minute reflection but was told by Mejia that the program was finalized and would not be adjusted.

• “This isn’t about personal recognition or speaking time for me,” Kazarian said. “It’s about inclusion in a moment of remembrance when an event is centered on history like this, it should reflect the voices it is meant to honor.”

• Kazarian hinted that he was left out of the event due to personal and political reasons.

• “Moments of remembrance deserve to rise above that,” Kazarian said. “This isn’t up for debate. It’s something I experienced, and it reflects a lack of sensitivity. Moving forward, I hope we honor history in a way that is inclusive, respectful and reflective of the people it represents.”

Gill offers her thoughts: Councilwoman Amarjeet Gill compared the genocide commemoration to how the community holds an annual Sikh Parade, which is a private event.

• As the only Punjabi person on the council, she has always been told that only the mayor is going to speak at the event.

• “I understand where he’s coming from, but if it’s a private event, they have a schedule, and we kind of have to appreciate that they’re allowing a councilmember or someone to speak on the city’s event,” Gill said.

• Kazarian responded, “I appreciate your continued insensitivity.”

Mejia responds: Mejia told Kazarian that the situation is not about insensitivity, but that the event was not a city-run function and that the focus should be on how successful it was.

• “This was a private sector event,” Mejia said. “We paid for permits. We did everything that any private citizen would do to host an event in a park. I do not see that we did anything wrong.”

• Mejia then compared Kazarian wanting to speak at the genocide commemoration to him showing up at a quinceanera being held in a local park.

• “And the audacity to expect to be a speaker at a private sector event,” Mejia said. “What’s next? Do I go to the quinceanera celebration in the park and say, ‘I need to speak at your event.’ You don’t do that. Those are private sector events that people are entitled to have, to host and to celebrate.”