Cowboys, indeed as this tiny town wrastles its demons. There's controversy in the air in Palm Springs from "hypersexed gays" to mayors who won't apologize.
First the gays. Robert Julian who's lived here for two years decided he'd delve deep into the gay community here by joining organizations and acting in plays. He became well-known in some circles and well-liked. Then he wrote a book about it all. Some parts of the book were not pretty, so not pretty that the L.A. Times picked up the story, a story which describes elder gays married to lurid sex. Well...so much for gay marriage and a sneaky gay spying on other gays.
Next--the mayors who won't apologize. Way back when in the 1960s about 1000 African Americans were forced out of their homes right in the center of Palm Springs, an area of Indian owned land called Section 14. Some of the blacks relocated to the north end of the city and are scared that they'll be moved again because the high brow people are moving in. A few of the blacks who were displaced in the 60s want an apology from a couple of mayors. Frank Bogert is one. He's in the picture above. Right now he's 99-years-old and still going strong. When asked if he'd apologize for what happened to the blacks under his watch, he won't budge. And...the big news...the current mayor, Steve Pougnet, won't even comment on the matter. Come on guys an "I'm sorry" for past wrongs is at the very least civil and at the very most, a tiny bit of aknowledgement that, yes, indeedy, Palm Springs was a Jim-Crow-kinda place. And it might still be.
