2 years ago Monterey County officials apologized for the county’s part in the Japanese internment, and now State Legislators are expected to approve a resolution to do the same thing for the State’s role. 120-thousand Japanese-Americans were held in 10 internment Camps in California, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arkansas….in the early 1940’s (during World War ll). The Salinas Assembly Center, which is now the Salinas Sports Complex, was one of 15 temporary Japanese detention centers. In 1976 President Gerald Ford officially repealed Executive Order 9066. A Presidential Commission in 1982 identified Race Prejudice, War Hysteria, and a failure of political leadership as the underlying causes of the government’s internment program.
The Japanese American Citizens League of the Monterey Peninsula said this apology is particularly important right now, because of recent national events such as the Muslim Travel Ban and Immigration Detention Centers.
