Oxnard is a mostly Latino town with an Anglo name.
On the
outside Oxnard is a large commuter town whose middle-class inhabitants constantly move going to
work,
home, or out to consume..
…but the heart and
core of Oxnard is the working-class inhabitants who give life and culture to an otherwise “dead” city. On one end you have Mexicans and Chicanos who had previously been segregated in areas such as Colonia & El Rio, and at the other end you have those with a military background, from the men and women who
work at Hueneme and Point Mugu base, to the Military Brats who terrorize the streets. Military families have added more to cultural the mix in such a highly Latino city bringing people here from all over the place. (Most notably the Ilocano Filipino community in South side) Most people growing up in this area have a damn good understanding of diversity.
Oxnard’s working-class identity at times, transcend mainstream understandings, producing many
underground scenes that are epic yet extremely quite from the Narcore punk scene in the early eighties, to the early House scene, and of course the always constant
underground hip-hop scene. The city is a microcosm of influences that never really is definite.
Being a working class town produces a wide variety of politically conscious people from Liberal Idealist to Straight up
Anarchist. Central to the border debate, many people in Oxnard are angered by the very idea that Native American People (Mixteco folk) are considered “Illegal Aliens” many of whom we see working the fields of Oxnard. The political scene can be very polarized and organizers have yet to achieve their abstract goals, yet most activist in Oxnard see more positive days in the future. Most folks don’t really take part in any of the organizing, but many people do take the
time to support local businesses, eating at the nearest taqueria or grubbin it up at Wins/A Burger/ Buddy Burger.
The people of Oxnard can’t always easily be defined. Of course you have the
average hipster who fully embody brand name, pre-manufactured
bullshit. But those who take the
time to make things happen change Oxnard around constantly, pushing peoples understandings of community beyond what they identify with.
"Oxnard is not just a commuter town, its not just a city you blindly drive away from as you head to
work. And despite the alienating effects of urban sprawl and segregation, Oxnard is more live than anyone person may conceive. Consisting of those who have more spirit, inginuity and understanding than any major city can produce. Its a town
lost in the mass cultures of Los Angeles and out glitzed by the likes of Santa Barbara. The
underdog of anything happening in Southern California. And those who take pride within such potential
will in turn, transform this place into a venue of faith similar to that of Mecca and Medina!"