NELA Vets Gather to Denounce Bray-Ali Comments

by News Desk

   A group of NELA veterans gathered together this morning and held a news conference at Veteran's Memorial Square in Highland Park. They met in order to denounce comments written by city council candidate Joe Bray-Ali about the US Flag. The comments were made 10 years ago but are just now coming to light on a larger scale. After suffering the damage of withdrawn endorsements in response to insensitive online comments Bray-Ali made about various ethnic and social groups, his campaign is now dealing with his comments about the Flag. “Let people burn the flag all they want,' Bray-Ali wrote in his blog in 2006, "let ’em put it in their avant-garde art videos smeared in poo, let them destroy it.”

   Veteran group spokesman and Glassell Park resident Mark Quiroz, who is a US Navy veteran, led the effort to gather the troops together at the Square. Lincoln Heights Vietnam Veteran Ben Huston also showed up to the event. "Bray-Ali is in no position to serve as our councilman after those comments about our flag," Huston said. "I take them as a personal insult."

   Bray-Ali has apologized for his comments about Mexicans, Blacks and the LBGT community, and even recently came clean on multiple extra-marital affairs and back taxes. He has not yet apologized for his comments about the Flag. Gil Cedillo's Highland Park field office was contacted by LA1 News for the councilman's stance on Flag protection. "The Supreme Court has said flag burning is protected under free speech," was their reply. "Gil believes flag burning is unacceptable and disrespectful."

   Bray-Ali is challenging Councilman Gil Cedillo in the 1st Council District runoff election on May 16.