The Tule Lake Segregation Center in California is the controversial former site where thousands of men, women and children of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated during World War II. Now designated a National Monument, it is now a historic site dedicated to preserving the stories and experiences of those who were unjustly detained at Tule Lake and other concentration camps.
The site is now being threatened by the potential construction of an eight-foot high, three-mile long fence surrounding the Tulelake Municipal Airport that would run through the center of the former segregation center.
Opponents say the fence would destroy the physical and historical integrity of the site. The Tule Lake Committee has launched a petition campaign calling on folks to speak out against the Federal Aviation Administration's proposal to build the fence that would close off the Tule Lake site: Stop the Proposed Fence at the Tulelake Municipal Airport, site of the former Tule Lake Segregation Center, California.
To:For further information, and to sign the petition, go here, and visit the Stop the Fence at Tule Lake Facebook page. For more on the history and efforts to preserve the site, visit the Tule Lake Committee website.
Michael P. Huerta, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
The proposed fence will desecrate the physical and spiritual aspects of Tule Lake. This massive fence will prevent Japanese Americans who while attempting to mourn their own past, will instead be assaulted with the reminder of rejection, exclusion and emotional pain. Surrounding the Tulelake Municipal Airport with a three-mile long fence will have a detrimental and negative impact to the site where 18,000 people were imprisoned during World War II. Site tours would no longer be possible, and visitors could no longer experience the dimension and magnitude of the concentration camp where people walked long distances to eat meals, attend school, do laundry and use the latrines. The site, a portion of which received designation as a National Monument in 2008, housed the largest number of prisoners, stayed opened the longest and was the place where “troublemakers” from other camps were sent.
The Federal Aviation Administration's consideration of Modoc County’s application to construct the fence would run through the center of the former segregation center. There is scant evidence of deer wandering onto the runway or human interference with crop duster planes, arguments cited by proponents of the fence.
According to your staff, in an effort to be more "sensitive" to our concerns, the proposed fence would not be topped with barbed wire. The most sensitive solution is to NOT BUILD THE FENCE.
Sincerely,
[Your name]