Lady Liberty - El Monte, California

My plan for this blog is to tell stories of encounters on the road. Those encounters may be places or people or both, but I am hoping to limit them to things are are at least a little out of the ordinary. Since I'm not "on the road" yet, initially the tales will be limited to somewhat local oddities or at least those visited in my limited travels.

Thus, we come to the story of Lady Liberty in El Monte, California.

How many Statue(s) of Liberty are there?

If you're like me, you've always assumed just the one, near Ellis Island in New York. Turns out, there are more. Depending on your requirements, MANY more. This is the story of just one!

When I first was transferred to El Monte, I was pretty sure it was a transfer to hell or at least something closely resembling it. One of the first interesting things I saw though was a "Statue of Liberty" sitting outside the Civic Center, proud as could be.

The mural honoring the fallen police officers behind Lady Liberty was actually erected after my arrival in December 2007, but it makes a pretty poignant backdrop in my not so humble opinion. My first reaction to the statue was pretty much, 'HUH?" I had no clue why or how or who put it there. I had assumed there was only one such statue. I had never seen or even heard of another.

The inscription on the plaque reads, "Dedicated to the citizens of El Monte on the occasion of the kick-off ceremony for the year long diamond jubilee celebration commemorating El Monte's 75th anniversary of incorporation." So, I guess that gives me the "why" it is there, but now the who and the how.

The statue was dedicated on November 18, 1987 but further down the plaque, it seems it was donated over a year earlier, July 4, 1986. Again, according to the inscription it was donated by "Dr. Jung T Wang, Paul Mu and Victor Chiang". So I guess we have the "who" now as well.

It's the "how" that really intrigues me, more specifically, "how it came to be." According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, dated July 25, 2002, the 23 foot, fiberglass, one ton statue has both its admirers and its detractors. The article tells that the statue was donated by a local physician who operated a clinic in El Monte for 29 years. He obtained the statue in exchange for forgiving a $50,000 debt. Dr. Wang, a Taiwanese immigrant, said that he knew he wanted to donate the statue to a city near a freeway. "so that people could see it when they drove by." Although the location of the statue in front of the Civic Center does not allow passing motorists on the freeway a view, it has become a sort of mecca to many.

Apparently, some have called it "akin to a plastic lawn flamingo". To others, the statue is an important symbol to the community. El Monte's population, according to census numbers, is more than 1/2 foreign born and only one in five households speak English at home.

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001, many laid flowers, wreaths or candles around Lady Liberty. In a bizarre act of misguided patriotism, a man from a nearby city attempted to commit suicide in front of Lady Liberty because he was not allowed to serve in the Persian Gulf War.

So, here in El Monte, we have Lady Liberty, similar in her inspiration to the "huddled masses" but on a smaller scale physically. She has become a symbol of the city, adorning the city's webpage and much of the city's stationery. She remains remarkably void of any of the maladies of the city like graffiti and vandalism. I pass her every day, but now I know her story.