Racial attack?  This report doesn't provide enough information to support the title of this post.

Hey Maybeline,

What's to figure out.? Good ol' boys just 'funning' with the minorities. What were the odds. 4 against  2?

Gotta be  the 'you know whats'  against the 'you know whats'. Who else fights like that? Probable victims

were Latinos or Blacks. Look at Shenadoah, Pa. Poor Luis Ramirez got his brains kicked out by 7 thugs  with

similar names. Punishment? Weekend on a ranch. Same oh, same oh. Been going on for 150 years. Nothing changes.

Hate begats more hate, especially during Depressions. Anymore questions?

Not good ole boys they were Oildale peckerwoods...all with real bad attitudes! Probably didn't like the way the were being looked at! But now will be locked up for a very long time with all the parole violations they have between them.

I dunno Lana.  It was out in the swanky area across from Hart Park/Lake Ming area.  Coulda been from anywhere in town.  Even that neighborhood.  They ain't 'Dalians out there....lol.

I think the peckerwoods are getting older and dying oout..the neo nazis are taking their place.

LOL Nancy Unfortunately John harrelson is a peckerwood! and I know of him.  What i don't understand is how they got gas money for the ride there...LOL

KGET reported that the victims were hispanic and the altercation started when one or more of these four men hurled racist comments at the victims. I got the impression that precipitated the fight. Something like this was bound to happen in the current cultural climate. When certain people persist in laying all societal ills on a certain group, eventually a fight is bound to happen between the two groups. Just look at the anti-hispanic comments often posted here that so many barely even bat an eye at. That's a simmering rage issue that's bound to boil over from time to time. History tells us as much.

The only one without a rap sheet is John Thomas.

http://www.co.kern.ca.us/co...

I can hear it now...."Dem thar Messicans is takin' over our Park!"

when was the last time you were out there anti..it was theirs a number of years ago..it just took those boys some time too paddle upstream..

Ed1936

You're right about the criminal records. Harrelson was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm in 2006, a drug offense on 2005, and obstruction in 2006; Burt has several duis and a petty theft; McKinzie has a long record including drugs, drunkenness, reckless evading of officers and several misdemeanors.

This happened on the north side of the river across from the park. I'm not sure what the folks were doing there, but that is a fishing spot. Cops won't tell us what was said, other than it was racial.

Steve E. Swenson

Hart Park is the prettiest park in the Bakersfield area, IMO.  I know some people like the Riverwalk or maybe their nearest neighborhood park better, but I personally have never experienced the sense of peace at any other park that I've felt at Hart Park.  I have so many memories related to Hart Park.  I took my English friends there when I was a teenager and we walked along the creek.  A big group of friends and I brought a blanket and we all hung out there talking and laughing all afternoon another time.  I still have beautiful pictures from the time my sister and a girlfriend of ours were all into photography and took a bunch of lovely fall shots.  Probably the best memory of all, though, was watching my big, strapping Marine nephew-in-law teach my then-3-year-old son how to skip rocks across the river. 

Hart Park is a bit of a drive, but it's worth it, and this kind of story reminds me that it shouldn't be abandoned to drunken criminals.  It needs more moms and dads and kids.  It needs more grandmas and grandpas and nice teenagers who respect others.  I think mine and my kids' next special outing is going to be to Hart Park.   

John harrelson is the most disrespectful, obnoxious,  racist, low-life I have ever met!  Calls everyone including women "stud" thinks he is one of the baddest  uh-huhs that ever walked the earth.   I personally couldn't stand him.  but he isn't in a gang.   He probably yelled White power in front of the cops and that's where the gang participation came in. 

I too like to go to Hart Park.  I just do not go there on the weekends. I never go out to HP by myself any more like I used to.  I always drag along one of my sons or  a friend.  We used to load up the sons and their bikes after work and head out there.  The boys rode their bikes while my husband and I walked about with our dogs.   At that time there was hardly any traffic out there.  These days my husband and the boys often run at Hart Park in the early morning.   Even though the youngest is in high school now he still likes to head over to HP in the early evenings and feed the peacocks.   We do that every once  in a while.  It is fun and the peacocks are entertaining.   I am getting tired of all the negative comments about HP.  Do any of those people even go out there any more or are they just assuming the worst because they heard someone else complaining about the weekend crowds.   I am in HP at least once each week and I've never had any problems with anyone out there.

spam code: Yodas  So here is a quote from Yoda  “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”   

You're right Sioux, but I think it was the last straw when they went over to the north side of the river. LOL

Everyone has a line, and the skinheads saw it crossed. And to make things worse, those illegals rubbed it in by doing the Australian Crawl instead of the backstroke.

Sys_Mom, it isn't the Park that is the problem.  In fact the park is a great place to spend time off etc.  It is the people that sometimes go there.  Too bad.  And Lanabuford has this most correct. 

(John Harrelson is the most disrespectful, obnoxious,  racist, low-life I have ever met!  Calls everyone including women "stud" thinks he is one of the baddest  uh-huhs that ever walked the earth.   I personally couldn't stand him.  but he isn't in a gang.   He probably yelled White power in front of the cops and that's where the gang participation came in. )

I have to give a great big star to Lana in calling this one the way it really is.  John, I do know well and the only reason he probably isn't in a gang has to do with the spelling test.  LOL  Lana you did get it right.  And I do believe the most if not all of them were from Oildale,  at least at one point of their lives  But still Oildale doesn't really have anything to do with it other than it was where they lived.

Oildale may not have anything to do with it, but they are the kind of people that give oildale the rep it has.  

lanabuford is right, They all run in oildale even though they dont live there now. but what I dont get is if its racial why was Nicky "Joey" Mckenzie involved. His best friend is a mexican!!

Why wasn't everyone arrested?    was it because the other guys lost the fight? 

I wasn't there for this incident but I've had a few "run-ins" with the local wanna-be punks out of the dale while on the north side of the river by Hart Park & I'm white. Most of it is trying to talk smack or letting their dogs run & scare the kids. Usually it gets handled by not backing down & standing up for yourself & you kids. We go down there to fish & prospect every once in awhile, the ones that live by there come down with the family & dogs but the dogs in this case come down tails wagging & completely ignore you or the kids just to play in the water. Most of the hispanics I,ve run into overthere are either swimmming or just hanging out & not causing problems.

Who else fights like that?

gang members are known to fight like that too.

and of course, with the now gone term HATE CRIME...you know its white, because no one else but whites can hate...

its sad that these lowlifes have taken race relations here in Bako back about 10 years.  I trully hope they get whats coming to them

Jail is the best place for these guys....But  why is it a hate crime because the others were Mexicans? isn't every fight  because you hate the person your fighting? and again WHY wasn't the other guys arrested?  They were fighting too! I guess if you don't want to go to jail lose the fight and say they called you a racist name! 

Peckerwoods are not a gang...And I know John calls himself a peckerwood!   its a name for  the males in oildale and Featherwood is what they call the females.  Why...I don't know,  Its stupid!

Learn: I really can't recall hearing where Hispanics or Asians beat up a white and said racial slurs have you? I may have overlooked that story.  Hate crimes can be against whites too, again I have not heard of a story on that.

Learn: I really can't recall hearing where Hispanics or Asians beat up a white and said racial slurs have you?

www.laweekly.com/2007-01-04/news/long-beach-hate- crime/

happens all the time.....its just not PC to say there was a hate crime against whites......too much liberal guilt i suppose.

also dont forget the duke lacrosse players who had almost 2 years of their lives put on hold because a mentally deranged black woman lied to police and said she was raped....she claimed she made the false allegations because they were "white" and she knew she could get away with it.  That county DA was disbarred for it too

youve never been on the wrong side of town after dark and acosted by hispanic gang members?  Go hang out @ 4th and P streets after sundown on ANY night....you'll see

I don't know why, but the whole "peckerwood" thing intrigued me soooo

http://www.knowgangs.com/ga...

WOW, Ok they are considered a gang!   A gang of idiots!!

I agree..a gang of idiots! I remember in the late 80s when idiots were calling themselves crips & bloods in the southeast & the reaction was - "they're just wannabes." And now they operate as community terrorist, just as their LA namesakes. IMO,the BPD needs to start now with this "perckerwood" thing and handle them as a gang.

I believe I know the area where these misguided idiots were lurking.  It's across the river from the park towards the east entrance.  Tweekers camp out there often along with other vagrants.  Hart Park really was a beautiful park. 

Do you think the community would be interested in restoring the park and turn it into something much, much better? 

Why waste money on something new for them to tear up!...You know tweekers and slobs are allowed in public places.

The term "Pecker-wood" was around before the War between the States 

Maybelline,

That's an excellent idea to restore the park to what it was in the 40's & 50's. I for one, would love to contribute to that. I apologize if my 1st  response  appeared  to be directed at you, but it was NOT. I just get so frustrated at all the hate in Bakersfield. I remember the 1st vice governor to visit Bakersfield, Melvin Dymally, an African American, noted how backward  the race relations were even in the 50's. People like Anti still refer to any person of color as 'illegals'. My family was in San Antonio, Tx., as founders, when Dave Crockett, Jim Bowie, Daniel Boone  and others came to steal. We put Davey   against the wall and executed  him for  (land) piracy. These three  were the original 'illegals', as they did not have permission to swim the Rio Mississipi. So much for history. Probably not the way noted in US books witnessed by no one. My version was witnessed by over 20,000 residents of San Antonio.

It take less energy to smile than to frown..

Ah Manny, I don't know the history of Crockett and Company's immigration.  Today, however, there are so many tax sponsored elements that are used by those either not paying taxes and those that entered into the country illegally.  Here's just a few items:

water, prisons, roads, air (pollution), fire, police, ambulance, courts, garbage, sewer, DMV

It's a problem that will be very difficult to solve.

Now, as for Hart Park improvements...I believe the facility could be magnificent with volunteers and corporate sponsors.  Do you think any Supervisor would help cut through the red tape?  If so, whom?  Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.

The Dale side of the river?  Out there?  ROFL..that side of the river across from Hart Park has homes most of us dream of having..we'll never be able to afford them.  And they're Dalians? 

You've just gotta love it when anyone complains about illegals or mentions the word "Mexican" all of a sudden it's a hate comment.   I don't give a rap who denies it but drive through Hart Park on a Sunday and tell me who you see.  That's the way I go to grandsons house and on ANY holiday the place is PACKED.  The cops have been closing it by noon on holidays because of the number of people who go there....and like it or not,  most are Mexican.

Now if anyone finds stating a fact racist then you'll just have to live with it.   I don't have any trouble either but that doesn't change the demographics.

Spam code..  XP SHT.  ooooops

Add on, I'm with anyone who wants that fabulous old park to be a better place.   I volunteered to help restore the waterwheel but we were told it was too far gone and needed to just be rebuilt.  Never heard another thing about it.  I'd be happy to donate my time to help re build it.

Speaking of parks..anyone been to Central park since they reopened it?  It's just absolutely gorgous.  And they have a hot spot for wireless and electrical outlets.  The ducks are friendly and waiting for your breadcrumbs.

Off topic I know..but what can I say about wanna be White Trash Gang members.  Is their gang sign a wubbleyew?

Maybelline,

I agree that there are many getting a 'free ride' from our tax monies. There are the wealthy with 'shelters' in the Caribbean, refuges from the endless wars, the undocumented as you stated, and politicians. What I was objecting to was the  stereotyping of all minorites as 'illegals' by people like 'Anti' .  Sorry that history is not your forte.  History is the study of our mistakes, with the hope that we don't repeat them. The only idea that I can offer for help on the Hart Park restoration is contacting the group that retored the Fox theater to it's original splendor. These are tough times to find donors.  I am involved in other ventures to help children in need and am finding this so.

it is a good thing everyone leaving comments are just computer junkies and not judges since you all are already saying to just lock them up without knowing all the facts. why is john the target . does anyone even know him or do you just know of him. so quick to bring up someones past criminal records mckenzie has no gang participation or hate crimes on his record and only one out of the four was on parole. so quick to judge people not a good characteristic.

"The cops have been closing it by noon on holidays because of the number of people who go there....and like it or not,  most are Mexican."

NancyII: you get very upset at the prospect that others might call you a racist. Let me do you a favor: I don't think you are a racist. Again: NancyII is not a racist.

You do, however, have very inexact manners of speech that most would take as racist tendencies. 

Here's a fact for you: you cannot look at someone and declare them a Mexican. That is a matter of citizenship. I could be a Mexican for all you know. (Look at my picture!).

Would it kill you to use a term like Hispanic, which is a descriptor of visual cues as well as an ethnic term? That way you would also be admitting to the fact (you want facts stated, right?) that you know nothing about their citizenship or whether they are, in fact, Guatemalan.

This is, to many of us who have ethnic minorities in our families, a matter of respect.

Thank you for considering my suggestion. No offense intended here, I swear it.