Junipero Serra Monuments SHOULD be REMOVED, like Confederate STATUES

EVERY CALIFORNIA MISSION was built on the backs and OVER THE BODIES of thousands of Native Americans used as slave labor.

Should BLACK slavery be the only egregious act that leads to Confederate monuments to slavery being torn down?  Why aren't all statues to Father Junipero Serra coming down as well?  

Juniper Serra Statue Defaced in
Mission Hills

In 1771, Serra expressed his “hope” that “we [Spanish Catholics] will see, before long, new and immense territories gathered into the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church, and subjected to the Crown of Spain.” (Writings of Junipero Serra, ed., Antonine Tibesar, O. F. M., Vol. I, Washington, D.C.: Academy of American Franciscan History, p. 209). 

Blogger Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy has a very serious takedown in January 2015 of the news that everyone's new favorite Pope, Francis will name Father Junipero Serra a Saint.   Well done, Dr. Thank you for the enlightenment

MONEY QUOTES: 



 Junipero Serra is not a saint. You can’t credit him with all the good stuff that happened in the missions and then say “all that other stuff, he’s not responsible for, that was OTHER people not him. 

He knew what was going on. He was okay with what was going on. He was the leader of what was going on. He set up the system. I’ll bet he even knew it was wrong. He just didn’t care. That’s not a saint, that’s an arrogant jerk with no morals.

Forcing Native people into slavery and working them to death. They were required to build the missions. If they died while building the mission, they would be buried in mass graves (yup, this process required MASS graves) and the building would go on.

Beating Native people with (sometimes) over one hundred lashes. Sometimes with a wooden club. Sometimes with a “Cat-o-nine tails” or a wooden club with ropes and knots tied at the end of it. 

Starvation of Native people. Feeding them as little as 400 calories a day, rationing their water intake and forcing them to work. 

Forcing Native people to procreate. There is one story about a woman who was not getting pregnant. The padres brought her in and demanded to know why she wasn’t with child. They forcibly did a vaginal exam of her.

Read the full story at the link above...  Well done