By Gunther Blitz
One would assume that destroying a world-renowned museum artist and architects works would be enough to satisfy the money-mongers, crooked politicians, slime-ball lawyers, lap-dog crooked cops and hired guns at The Santa Fe Quail-yard Arts District, however, if you do a bit of research, you will find that the same creeps who destroyed one of Americas most significant artists and architects, are still at it as they continue to strain themselves by utilizing fraud, misrepresentation, insurance fraud and blatant violations of New Mexico and Federal guidelines of ethics and law to cover-up, what is, in our opinion, one of the most horrid, violent and evil series of violations in American history.
In order to articulate this essay properly, I must first begin with rather a brief summary of artist-architect Neil Bernstein's history.
We will begin in my home-land of West Germany, where Neil was Communications Supervisor for Pershing Missile-Special Operations during The late Viet-Nam Era-Cold War.
Bernstein was responsible for many troops in West Germany, and, worked under General Patton the second. He maintained a Top-Secret clearance, and, engaged a number of operations that in his own words:
"I am not and will never be at liberty to discuss the details of my service as it pertains to military duty-it should suffice to say that there are many of us who take the security of America and our allies quite seriously. I am a soldier, and, will always maintain my military bearing in order to serve and protect our great nation and its allies. When our nations leaders call us up I report for duty. It is a great honor and a lifetime commitment to protect America on all fronts. The lawyers from Santa Fe and Albuquerque insulted both verbally, and, in writing the military medals and decorations that I wore to the settlement conference. One is my fathers "Country Of Occupation" medal from Japan in 1945. The World War 2 Veterans , Viet-Nam Era Veterans, more recent Veterans Of War and various federal agencies that are watching every move that these individuals make do not appreciate that. Like my dad, I have given my heart, my soul and my life- to honor and protect our great nation and its allies. I really do not appreciate some personal injury lawyers diminishing and insulting our service to America. They sent me a really insulting email about my Army medals when my x-lawyer flipped and started helping the other side. You can't trust any of these people. All that they care about is money. They have absolutely no honor, integrity or morals. What has happened to our country?"
At the settlement conference, in federal court in Albuquerque, a few months back, attorney Hatchet of Santa Fe and his co-conspirators hid in another room from Bernstein and the judge, then offered Bernstein $10,000 to settle his 2 million dollar federal court case, after Matt Romero-the brutally anti-Semetic big-mouthed-bully-thug, admitted, during his deposition, that he did, in fact, run Neil Bernstein down with his four-wheel-drive pickup,and push him 30 feet until Neil "disappeared" under his truck.
Mr. Hatchet also submitted paperwork to destroy world-renowned art appraiser Bernard Ewell-Neil's principal professional witness. Hatchet and his co-conspirators in New Mexico would destroy Bernard Ewell if he dared to testify on Bernstein's behalf, and, they had one of their hoodlums scare the life out of poor Bernard.
"Bernard is a wonderful, insightful and brilliant art historian and appraiser. He is the last of the real gentlemen of the twentieth century. A true scholar. That these under-educated, money-hungry thugs would try and destroy Bernard Ewell in his golden years, is unthinkable-absolutely criminal. It is a disgrace to Education, The Humanities, The Fine Arts, Western History and The American Judicial System."
Neil's X-attorney Jam Shavez-a personal injury lawyer from Albuquerque, repeatedly refused to take the deposition of Hallie Fuller or petition the internal investigation report from Santa Fe Police Detective Lieutenant Lentenberger that Bernstein launched in 2012 in order to expose the cover-up by the assailant Matt Romero's crooked cop buddies.
"It became obvious to me that Albuquerque was still within the range of criminal control from the politicians, crooked cops and crooked lawyers from Santa Fe who are trying so hard to bury this case.
We have motioned Judge Hererra in Federal Court to move this out of New Mexico-out of their crooked political reach, and into Philadelphia, so that these people can no longer intimidate court personnel, witnesses, attorneys, politicians and jurors. We will never get a fair trial in The State Of New Mexico, because the politicos who own Santa Fe own the state.
"Lets face it, if this case ever gets to an honest courtroom and an honest jury, allot of people from Santa Fe and Albuquerque are going to fry. Hatchet and Matt Romero are simply pawns in a much bigger game that includes crooked-for sale politicians, cops, judges and lawyers all the up the ladder."
" Now they are scrambling to keep Judge Hererra, and, The United States Federal Court Of New Mexico from re-opening the case after they, without my knowledge, authority, presence or permission, fraudulently- very quietly settled and vacated my 2 million dollar case for a measly ten-thousand ($10,000) dollars."
I don't think that Judge Herarra is going to be too pleased when she sees what these guys did to pull the wool over her eyes, and, the eyes of The Federal Government Of The United States.
These guys are accustomed to getting away with murder in the Santa Fe court and judicial system, where they can buy-off cops, judges, lawyers and politicians, but they are blatantly defrauding The Federal Government of United States now, and, I think that the people of America, the media, and, all of the state and federal agencies who are watching every move that these people make, are, not too happy about that.
"I have made it clear to these guys repeatedly, that I want reasonable compensation for what they have done to my museum works, my body, my career and my life.
I have no interest in putting anybody into jail, however, when they insult you, fraudulently settle your cases behind your back, and, continue to abuse you, even after all of the damage that they have already done, you can't help but begin to have second thoughts.
They had better come up with a very generous offer-and they had better do it fast, before the Feds take it out of my hands. That court in Santa Fe had better re-open my $869,000 case against El Museo, which was also fraudulently settled by Mr. Hatchet and his co-conspirators for less than three-thousand ($3,000) dollars. I spent tens of thousands of dollars and years pursuing that case, and, the document is obviously forged. The date for the destruction of the 9/11, Katrina, and Border museum-works is more than a year off, and, its not even notarized.
You can see that The Hatchet was nervous, and, in a big hurry. The ridiculous and fraudulent document, like everything else that these thugs have done to destroy me, is pathetic."
"These creeps had better leave Bernard Ewell, Hallie Fuller, Isabella Rojo and my other witnesses alone, and, stop the threats and lies, or, I will bring every one of them out into the light-before our Federal Government, the people of the world, the press and God."
"Do these people actually believe that our government , and, the people of the world don't see exactly what they are doing?
Do they actually believe that they have the power and influence to refute, twist, and destroy The Constitution Of The United States?
Do they believe that they can pile up enough smoke, mirrors and cash to pervert, cheat and destroy the laws of our great country? Unbelievable.
I suppose that they were banking on me tucking my tail between my legs, and, giving up.
Sounds like someone else we know. Sorry guys and gals from New Mexico and Michigan.
Wrong guy to screw with."
We thought that Bernstein must have been exaggerating, so we checked the court records.
The record clearly shows that Hatchet-the Santa Fe defense, Jam Shavez the personal injury lawyer, and others involved , did, in fact, fraudulently "SETTLE AND VACATE" Neil's 2 million dollar case on January 29th 2013 at 1:30pm in The United States District Court Of New Mexico before The Honorable Judge Hererra, without Neil Bernstein's knowledge, presence or consent.
In fact, and this is where it gets really interesting, Neil Bernstein, in his recent motion to Judge Hererra, to re-open his case and have it moved to Philadelphia, which, by the way, he wrote and submitted on his own, as, Shavez quit way back in early November of 2012-or, at least, that is what he repeatedly communicated to Neil in multiple emails before he acted in concert with the other side to "SETTLE AND VACATE" Neil's locked-tight 2 million dollar case for ten-thousand ($10,000) dollars.
The aforementioned emails from Shavez also contain copies of his "MOTION TO WITHDRAW", that he specifically informs Neil repeatedly, that he has Filed with Federal Court, beginning in early November of 2012.
Shavez also copied this to Mr. Hatchet.
Mr Hatchet last week very nervously writes to Judge Hererra, in his DEMAND TO DENY Neil's MOTION TO REOPEN, that he has absolutely no responsibility in this matter, that it is Neil's problem now, (That he has almost succeeded in destroying Neil's 2 million dollar case for ten-thousand dollars) and, that the same court and judge that he duped, should deny Neil's motion to re-open the case.
Bernstein also sent Hatchet an email-thinking that he was now his own attorney, explicitly communicating to Hatchet, that, there was absolutely no way that he was going to settle his case for ten-thousand ($10,000) dollars, long before Hatchet and Shavez snowed the judge on January 29th at 1:30pm.
UT-OH! INTERESTING!
Bernstein's MOTION TO REOPEN AND RELOCATE" his 2 million dollar Federal Court Case also includes 7 exhibits of emails-letters that begin in early November of 2012, where Bernstein explicitly communicates to his X-lawyer that he will never settle his 2 million dollar case for ten-thousand dollars.
Neil also, very clearly, demands that, Shavez is to cease any and all activity on his behalf, and, that this Shavez character, has absolutely no authority to settle his case or act on his behalf.
The exhibits also include multiple email-letters from Shavez demanding that Neil settle his 2 million dollar damages case for the aforementioned amount of ten-thousand $10,000 immediately.
This, we find most interesting, after the assailant-DEFENDANT Matthew A. Romero, admitted boldly, after, telling several other versions of his story (lies) to the media and under oath, in his deposition, that, he did, in fact intentionally assault and run down Neil Bernstein with his four-wheel-drive pickup truck, and, that he pushed Neil Bernstein about thirty feet until he disappeared under his truck.
One cannot help but wonder why Shavez would have such a sudden change-of-heart, and, why, exactly, he would seemingly cooperate with Mr. Hatchet to "SETTLE AND VACATE" Bernstein's Federal Court case without permission or legal authority for ten-thousand ($10,000) dollars under such circumstances.
Attorney Hatchet's letter of rebuttal is also quite interesting, and reveals allot.
Hatchet is now scrambling, and tripping all over himself, to try and keep the case from being re-opened.
The Hatchet (as Neil calls him), throws Shavez under the bus, and actually tells Judge Hererra that he "PRAYS" that Neil's case remain closed, vacated, and settled for the aforementioned, pitiable amount of ten-thousand ($10,000) dollars!
I have read reams of state and federal court documents and motions over the decades, but, I have never seen a lawyer use the words "I PRAY" in a motion to deny that a case be re-opened.
Apparently, Neil Bernstein is not exaggerating at all, in fact, I think that if we measure the magnitude and depth of damages, fraud, cover-up, and illicit litigation in this case, we, will find that these individuals are responsible for a whole lot more than ruining Neil Bernstein's body, his career as an internationally renowned museum artist, his emotional well-being, his finances, and, ultimately, his life.
2 million dollars doesn't come close to paying for that.
And what price shall we put on the following? :
These individuals seem to have conspired in concert, repeatedly, to defraud the American people, The Santa Fe City judicial system, The people of New Mexico, The United States District Court Of New Mexico, The New Mexico Bar Association, The Federal Government, The United States Veterans, the media (see "Police Say Farmer Didn't Hit Man", and "And Justice For All" etc.), and ultimately, in my opinion, God.
Should you wish to read on, I have supplemented this article with the following:
After he was selected at age seventeen to paint the huge murals upon the World War 2 barracks at Fort Gordon, Georgia in the blazing summer of 1976, Neil shipped out to an un-disclosed Pershing Missile base in West Germany, where he spent his off-duty time with German citizens, his German girlfriend. and studying The Nazi- death camps in and around West Germany.
"I found it difficult to endeavour the death camps, as, they had been completely sanitized, so, I would hide from the bus-tour directors in the forests, and go back at night and dig up the areas around them. What I found was sickening and staggering. There were bones, teeth, eyeglasses and personal effects everywhere. I would make twelve mounds in a circle from the carnage, then, pray, meditate, sleep and dream throughout the freezing-cold nights."
Neil's superiors, after he saved the entire communications systems for "Reforger 79", offered him a career as an officer in the military, but, Neil, returned home and became partners with his father Irving S. Bernstein in I. Bernstein Security Systems.
"They called my dad The Maven of Security-he was Army Intelligence -Special Ops in Japan during the occupation. We did high-level security for the most significant people and organizations in the Philadelphia, Princeton and New York areas. I am not at liberty to discuss this in any detail, however, it should suffice to say that the relationships that we developed remain in tact."
Neil became a Drexel trained architect and was a project and construction manager for Grand Central Station, Newark Airport, The Conde Nast Penhouse, The Philadelphia Zoo, and, a number of other high-profile projects throughout the world. He was also a broker in Manhattan, and, sacrificed his license in order to help the survivors of The World Trade Center Disaster.
"I was doing my broker training when the Taliban struck Lower Manhattan, and, I always ate my breakfast in The North Tower of The World Trade Center. My old Mercedes wouldn't start on September 11th, and my buddy who I would ride into the city with was taking care of his sick and pregnant wife that day. You can definitely believe that I would have been up that stairwell helping people get out when the building collapsed. We all still have nightmares about it, and nearly thirty guys from The Merc perished that morning. I got really pissed when I watched day after day, the demo trucks hauling the remains to a landfill. Everyone was falling apart, and, there were no remains for the friends and families of those who died. I was completely preoccupied with them hauling away the remains in tractor-trailers, and, I couldn't concentrate on the trading floor. I was loosing money left and right, and, I knew the rite way to trade-hell, I had two of the best mentors up there.
Finally, one day after a long day of losses in the pits, God said: "Hey moron I need to talk with you downstairs by the water. I said: Hey God, I'm sorta busy here trying to become rich. God said: "Dump your position now, take the eighty-thousand dollar hit, and get your ass down by the water NOW!" I was really pissed, but, the instructions were pretty clear. I took the hit, then rode the escalators down, down, down, to the esplanade. I took off my shoes and put my feet into the water. It was really cold, but, suddenly the wind picked up, and, I heard voices-spirits howling and weeping in the wind. I stood up, and, was turned around facing the still fiery pits of The World Trade Center. God said: Go-and fill your briefcase and all of your pockets with remains. I shit myself.
I marched double-time through the security barriers and started filling my leather briefcase. Immediately, I was accosted by Homeland Security and The W.T.C.. The guys were yelling at me to drop the briefcase and put my hands into the air. I did what they said, and, warned them not to put their hands on me. I showed them my brokers badge and yelled out my Social Security number, repeating don't put your hands on me. The officer radioed in my Social Security number, and, said to the other guys: "This guy is a decorated Nam-Era Vet-and hes a broker-don't touch him!" He said: "What the hell are you doing Bernstein-you can't be over here digging in the pits-this is a secured area, and, why the hell are you taking this debris-don't you know that this is government property?"
"I did my best to stay calm, because in situations like that its really easy to escalate. I said: Look you guys, I am one of you. These are the remains of my co-workers. I intend to make beautiful paintings and sculpture with them so that the people and families suffering from all of this horror will have something solid to connect with those lost, and, I am going to put them up rite here.
One of the W.T.C. guys said: "Well as long as you aren't going to sell this stuff on eBay, I guess that it would be all rite." Then they all sort of agreed, and, they handed me back my briefcase. One of those guys would come to the gallery-exhibition space, and, tell that story to people while he ate his lunch. He was really cool. Word got out pretty quickly, and, the fire-fighters, policemen, and emergency-workers started using the gallery to tell their stories to the international press."
From Ground Zero Bernstein's one-man exhibition traveled to The Johannesburg Museum Of Art-Santdon Civic Center, The Sofia Museum Of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria, then, works from the exhibition were selected by major museum curators for jurried museum exhibitions throughout the world.
Most artists or architects would have stopped here, gotten a big agent, and, spent the rest of their lives selling their works to museums and collectors, but, Neil refused to sell his works saying that they belonged to the people and museums.
With or without realizing it (and I think that Bernstein knew exactly what he was doing), Bernstein broke the back of contemporary art and created a populist revolution, by, making a new "Bernstein Art" that is super-natural, is not for sale (at least not yet), is created, and exhibited with his own money, energy and resources, and, most of all, Bernstein demands that: "The people of the world be allowed to touch the works to mix their DNA with that of the victims in order to connect directly with those lost and with each other metaphysically."-in other words, Neil Bernstein insists that museums and galleries allow their patrons to actually touch his works! OK Neil, that is going to create huge insurance and security problems!
"I am not concerned with the art-for-profiteers. They have their businesses to run, and, I have mine. We answer to different directors. I take my orders from God, and, I don't have the time or luxury to get entangled in ego, money, gossip or stardom. I am responsible for allot of people. I have to bring high art back to the people who can't afford to get to Manhattan or pay twenty bucks to get into MOMA. My work belongs on the front-lines, where people are suffering and dying, and, that's a full-time job. Soon, I will again return high-art to the people, where it belongs, and, together we will blow the lid off of the dumbed-down state of this world. Its not my world, it is Gods-He calls the shots around here, and, I don't have the time to worry about a bunch of petty gossip or bullshit.
Gods people take care of The Earth Plane, and, satan's demons (satan should always be spelled with a small s), the God-less, greedy, self-centered, money-hungry creatures and servants will be judged appropriately.
It has nothing to do with me personally, I just do what I'm told.
Allot of good people are homeless, cold, hungry, frustrated and disenchanted these days, and, the ones who are not are hypnotized by the hyper-machine.
Little girls want to be Orlando princesses. Good kids act like gangstas from the hood.
Video game lunatics are shooting at our children in schools.
Our economy has been taken-over and ruined by greedy people-the same people that We are fighting in Federal Court. They never learned how to share when they were children. Everybody is divorced, dissolving, diminished and dis-enchanted, and, it is my job to do something about it.
Perhaps, that's a tall-order, but, that IS the order, and, the good, the kind, the merciful, and, the just will prevail.
I am not intimidated or afraid of these idiots.
We gave them the rope, and, they hung themselves.
I am a direct descendant of BAAL SHEM TOV, and King David-their DNA courses through my veins. Its a very bad idea to screw around with them."
And so it appears to be. Neil Bernstein is hated by the commercial art machine, but, he is loved by the people. When he walks into a deli in New Jersey, all of the Latino workers rush to greet him, and, exchange stories and power-shakes. The glossy art magazines and The New York Times ignore him, because he is bad for business, but, you will always see him on the front page of the other newspapers and on the 6 and 10 O'clock news throughout the world-wherever he goes.
"Its OK that the art moguls ignore us, they need to generate advertising sales, and, are stuck with what is politically acceptable to their board of supervisors. They see me as a gun-slinger, and, in the commercial art world, you are supposed to kiss their asses. I have no interest in their palatable and socially-acceptable agendas. Agreement makes agreeable art. Real Art is Revolution-all of the rest of that stuff has already been done.
We are too busy saving lives, and, souls to wait around for their permission or approval, besides, they will never have the courage to step up onto the front lines-its far too dangerous for them.
They are too busy trying to figure out how to sell us shoddy goods, T-shirts, pornography, prescription drugs, pseudo-independence, poison foods, phony life-styles and hate-based, anti-individual programming.
We don't have any interest in their predigested, satanic bull-shit.
People need to take a five-year-long walk in the forest alone."
After he spent hundreds of thousands of his own dollars doing the 9/11 exhibitions all over the world, Bernstein moved to Tucson, Arizona to take on what would, eventually, become the most dangerous and for him, personally devastating project in art history.
"The museums and galleries in Tucson were placid-full of photography and southwestern art. I was told by the Tucson Museum of Art that I was "A big fish in a little pond". That was pretty funny. There was only one guy in Tucson with the balls to show my work, and, that was Randy Ford.
Randy is a legend in Tucson-a real misfit. He owned the El Ojito Springs Center For Creativity in the main tourist zone on 4th avenue. Randy hung a bunch of my works, including a giant freezer- boxed out in glass with 2 real bloody and crucified coyotes on iron crosses with spotlights. We were also doing funeral processions with myself and Daniella, my then Mexican girl-friend, in the two steel "Our Lady Of Guadalupe" caskets that were donated by The Tucson Mortuary Company. Daniella is really cool, and, I have been looking for her for more than two years. I don't know where she went, but, wherever you are kiddo, send me an email.
Anyway, the art works at El O'Jito Springs, Randy Ford's Center For Creativity, on 4th Avenue, caused a huge uproar in Tucson.
The other artists at El O'jito removed their works-for-sale in protest."
In 2005 Bernstein received a request from The Pennsylvania State Museum Of Art -via Kathrine Galitz-Curator from The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, to install his "HURRICANE CHAIR"-a huge crack-house-burned-steel electric-throne or hedra that contained The World Trade Debris, soil from the 9/11 crash-site in Pennsylvania, a thousand-year-old HO HO KAM pottery spiral, Martha Stewart cereal bowl, a 1969 Mustang wheel-cover, hot rod paint, and, a super-harmonic conversion unit.
If that's not enough to get your interest check this out: "THE HURRICANE CHAIR"-2004 was designed, built, named, selected by the Metropolitan Museum Of Art curator, installed as the centerpiece at The Pennsylvania Museum Of Art, plugged in and humming madly when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2006! Precognition and magic anyone?
When I questioned Neil about this, he casually replied: "It is simply the metaphysics of purpose-I wrote a book about it called "Four O'clock Gray" beginning in 1986. If you concentrate the corrective energies heliocentrically, ask God for instructions, and, do His will without fear or disruption, the universes will reveal the portals of inverse.
I simply strike a line in the sky, light a fire, and, go from there.
There is no beginning, and, there is no end. There never has been, and, there never will be. This material world is simply thought-patterns bogged down. There are those of us who do God's will, and there are the other fifty percent who preoccupy themselves with greed, power and evil, and, turn their backs on God.
Look around-We must be our brothers keeper. The only reason that we are here in the Earth Plane is to give ourselves over completely to God, ask for direction, and, follow orders-everything else is preoccupation."
When Hurricane Katrina hit, Bernstein drove to Louisiana, low-crawled through nine layers of razor-wire, muck, carnage, wreckage and trenches in the dark in his motorcycle leathers, and, landed-solo in the completely deserted and ravaged Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
"I had to get down there and get the carnage and wreckage before they bulldozed The Lower Ninth Ward, and got it all cleaned up in preparation for disney-Louisiana.
It was only a matter of time before the real estate Nazis turned it into Orlando-West.
The stench was unbearable. There was human carnage everywhere-and dead animals. I don't remember much after crawling through the razor-wire. I lost allot of blood from my right leg.
An old black man with a shopping cart appeared and he knew my name. He introduced himself as "Henry George Washington", and, he took me to all of the Cajun medicine-peoples houses where we collected 2 casket-sized wooden crate-loads of personal effects, prescription bottles, human ash, photos, and voodoo implements. Then he gave me 2 syringes of his blood.
Henry's image appears repeatedly in "THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH WARD-HURRICANE KATRINA DEBRIS WORKS" series, and, I put his blood on the glass under a special poly-protect ant."
The following year Neil donated one of these photo-collage works to a benefit auction for Dinnerware in Tucson, and, the gallery manager scraped the African-American blood from the work prior to selling it to a writer.
Bernstein declined to comment on the destruction of one of his Katrina debris works, except to say: "People do ridiculously stupid things-I can forgive that, but, these morons denied it, and, we had to call them on their bullshit. We gathered as many black people as we could in and around Tucson, and held a big demonstration in front of their gallery downtown. We made big signs in red that said: "YOU CAN'T TAKE THE BLOOD FROM THE FLOOD". The gallery director hired some redneck thug with guns to park in front of his little gallery, and, he hid inside the whole time. Then this guy, launched a campaign, and, littered the streets of downtown Tucson with Nazi-style propaganda that promised to end my career as an artist.
It was really pathetic to watch that little worm squirm.
Do you have any idea how difficult it was to get that blood from Henry's arms?-He was 82.
Not to mention getting it through security check-points with two huge casket-sized crates strapped to the roof of my Mercedes. They took the whole car apart. Thankfully, the guy in charge was black. He was cool.
I will never turn my sacred works over to a commercial gallery again-this is what they do-I don't give a damn about the Tucson art scene-its just a bunch of kids trying to sell five- hundred- dollar artworks and pat each other on the back-There are allot of really cool people in Tucson-I don't have a problem with them-just don't ever screw around with my work or get in my way."
Bernstein created a series of gigantic muscle-car paintings covered in and coded with the drugs, photos, human ash, blood, architectural salvage, signage and religious articles that he dragged from The Lower Ninth Ward on the roof of his old Mercedes Benz to his enormous outdoor studio in Tucson. Margret Regan of The Tucson Weekly wrote a wonderful article about this series called "Grief Stricken Power" in 2006, and, challenged Bernstein to "Howl his rage" about what was happening just sixty or so miles south along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Apparently, Neil took Regan's challenge seriously.
" The first time that I went down to the border, it was to collect materials for "ARRANCAR-THE VISION OF THE PEOPLE". This is a life-scale Javelina (desert boar), winged, wrapped in bloody hospital bandage, covered in Latino creation ash, with girls jewelry I found, and, a thousand-year-old HO HO KAM pottery spiral on its third eye.
"ARRANCAR-THE VISION OF THE PEOPLE" was selected from tens of thousands of works for the 21st Century International Jurried Exhibition at The New Jersey Center For The Visual Arts-sister museum to The Whitney.
"ARRANCARR-THE VISION OF THE PEOPLE" is also the first piece destroyed by the anti-Semetic vandals in Santa Fe.
These idiots not only destroyed "ARRANCARR" , but, they shattered the HO-HO-KAM pottery spiral that was the main-section of a sacred thousand-year-old HO-HO-KAM Burial Vase. They will pay forever for destroying that."
The second time that Bernstein went down into the borderlands of Nogales, Naco and Arrivaca, he went deep. Very deep, into the most dangerous and treacherous areas, where, even Border Patrol agents hesitate to go.
"It was absolutely frightening. On the second day-after spending the night with some people from Mexico, I found the body of a three-year-old girl riddled with American-fifty caliber bullets. As I peeled her body from the cholla, I burst into tears. I set her little body onto the earth and covered her with my blanket. I prayed, and prayed and prayed for God to take her little soul back to heaven. I was there for a long, long time. I fell asleep through the night, and, awoke weak and thirsty. A giant man from El Salvatore with sparkling emerald eyes carried me back to my car, then disappeared into the desert. That night I had a dream. I dreamt of a beautiful sparkling golden bridge. There were children and people all around it drinking fresh water and eating loaves of bread. Everyone was singing the most beautiful song that I have ever heard. Then, Jesus and John The Baptist came down to us from the mountains in Mexico. He touched me on the forehead, and, I awoke.
It was strange for a Jew, I thought, to have such dreams when I awoke, but,there, out the big window next to my bed, in the night time sky, was the magnificent "GOLDEN GATES BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED BORDERS". She was rite next to The North Star.
I said: Common God, you have got to be kidding-they will kill me for this!
His reply was short and simple: "Stop feeling sadly and get to work NOW!". That was enough. I pulled on my red union suit, tattered jeans, old construction boots, hat and gloves, and, drove back toward Arrivaca."
Bernstein spent more that five-thousand of his own dollars, hired border-crossers and paid them fifteen dollars an hour to help him build the golden water-filled bridge in Arrivaca. Local newspapers did front-page articles, and, almost immediately neo-Nazi activists from Tombstone destroyed the bridge. Bernstein persevered, and, built another, and, another,and each time, the neo-Nazis destroyed it "THE GOLDEN GATES BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED BORDERS."
"Some moron came in a white Ford pickup truck and stuck a rifle in my face and said: "We don't want no New York Jews down here helping the illegals-this is our territory-you better get the hell outta Dodge" That conversation ended abruptly, that's all I have to say."
That night the neo-Nazis came and destroyed the bridge again, only this time, they shattered every pipe, and, left the American flag on the ground. (see NBC Channel 4 news clip online).
Now Bernstein was pissed.
"We decided to move the next bridge to Tombstone-the home-base of the infamous neo-Nazis. We knew that they would destroy it again, however, it was important to send them a message-We are not intimidated by your bullshit, and, high-school antics. These are real people, and, its not cool to be hunting them with rifles, and, shooting children with fifty caliber machine-guns. They never had the balls to confront us head-on. We were there for two full days building the Golden Gates Bridge. They came at night, after it was finished with pickup trucks, shattered every pipe and every joint, dragged sections of the bridge half a mile into the desert, and stole my fathers American Veterans Grave Flag. That's why these guys wear hoods when they march. They are too embarrassed to show their faces before God, and The People.
They operate just like the neo-Nazi-anti-Semetic cowards in Santa Fe-in the shadows-ashamed of their sins before God. Do they think that He doesn't see what you do when they put women and children into ovens? Shoot innocent people who walk hundreds of miles to work for five bucks an hour to feed their families in South America and Mexico?
How un-cool is that?
Do they actually believe that God doesn't see them lie, cheat , steal, destroy, and run-down with four-wheel drive trucks, anything that stands between their greedy, money-hungry, elitist, anti-God agendas and their precious- Lets use the Indians who we have slaughtered and impoverished for centuries, one more time, to lure un-knowing Americans into our newly renovated disnified-commercial-retail-Santa Fe Qailyard Farts District, after we get rid of the artists and poverty-stricken inhabitants, to open their wallets and checkbooks and blow their hard-earned money on over-priced commercial crap, sporting goods, t-shirts and Chile peppers grown by anti-Semetic thugs."
Apparently so.
Bernstein, exhausted after months of fighting the neo-Nazis in Arrivaca and Tombstone, decided to take a short vacation with his girlfriend Hallie Fuller-a brilliant Waldorf-trained poet and artist from Kennybunkport, Maine, in Santa Fe in June.
Neil and Hallie were carousing the museums and art galleries in Santa Fe when they met Tom Romero the director of El Museo duh Santa Fe-a forty-thousand square foot museum located at the center of the Santa Fe Qailyard Farts District.
A note of history is required here: For decades The Santa Fe Railyard was a run-down-dumpy part of the city, full of warehouses, artists studios and off-beat museum spaces, most of which barely survived, however, the real estate and money-mongers in Santa Fe decided that they would dump millions of dollars into the area, kick out most of the artists and poor, and, establish a new Santa Fe Qailyard Farts District that was more like a Beverly Hills style mall.
Imagine all of the shiny polished granite, marble, brass, teak and glass store-fronts.
Imagine all of the MONEY that we can make from tourists when we get the multi-million dollar super-rail completed from Albuquerque!
But there is one big problem. Tom Romero has his forty-thousand square foot museum-a horribly ugly, aluminum sided, shabby old warehouse building with a bad structure and electrical wiring from hell, rite smack in the middle of our precious new Qailyard, and, he refuses to let us force him to make his big, ugly, rusty, leaky, blue shack-like elephant of a nightmare building all nicey-nicey for the tourists with all the MONEY!
Tom Romero had been at war with The City, The Santa Fe Qailyard Community Corporation-(an interesting and contradictory name for a bunch of developers-doncha think?), and, all of the money hungry politicians, lawyers and real estate moguls in Santa Fe for years.
What better way of really pissing them off than to have Neil Bernstein put up a frightening, forty foot tall, graffiti-covered, immigration bridge covered in 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Borderland debris, human ash and carnage with torch-red Our Lady Of Guadalupe covered coffins!
That will definitely make those Lilly-white developers choke on their truffles and champagne!
Neil Bernstein had absolutely no idea that he had been used as a big expensive, and, labor-intensive, PAWN in Tom Romero's slimy little war.
"Romero was there for the first few days. Hallie and I were really happy to be in Santa Fe away from all of the violence and bloodshed at the border. I spent about seven grand on materials, then, the bullshit began. On the fourth day a guy Named Dick Cunzsky from The Quailyard Community Corp showed up, and started drilling me about the sculpture. He was taking pictures, writing down my license plate number, and, kicking my materials around. Then he left in a tizzy.
After that day museum director Romero-not to be confused with Matt Romero-the anti-Semetic lap-dog who ran me over, disappeared.
We simply continued to work on the sculpture, however, before it was halfway up, the same goofball in a suit showed up, only this time he had about ten other suits with him. They asked me what I was doing, and, they knew all about my projects-especially the bridge. One of them flashed a gold badge at me and said that "There is no way that any immigration sculpture is going up in our rail yard".
They were very rude and red-in -the -face. A big fat woman came later and told me that she was so and so, and that I had better take my immigration sculpture and go back to Tucson with it.
"I kept calling Romero on his cell phone, and, asking his secretary to get hold of him, because, suddenly, I was being threatened by a bunch of suits. He refused all of my calls, and, on the sixth day, some bozo-architect from the Qailyard named Rub-its-in came down and started yelling at me about getting a building permit. I laughed at the guy. I said: This is not a building sir, I am an architect myself, and, I don't need a building permit for a light-weight plastic sculpture on private property.
He got really pissed, and, an hour or so later, The New Mexico State Building Inspector Showed up! The state building inspector looked my sculpture over from stem to stern, and said: "It looks really good and sturdy to me-I don't have any problem with this at all-its just a light-weight sculpture on private property."
Ten minutes later, at about four PM, a whole gang of suits showed up with The Santa Fe City Building Inspector. They were all yelling insults at me, and, telling me that there was no way that this "ugly pro-immigration sculpture" was going to be a part of their champagne grand opening in September. One of them said: "This thing is coming down before our opening come hell or high water!"
That was when I called the newspapers. The Qailyard and city officials all lied, and told the papers that "there are safety concerns", this, rite after they clearly stated that it was "the aesthetics and pro-immigration politics" of the bridge that were "un-palatable for our audience".
Bernstein should have gathered up his artworks, taken his losses, and headed home, but, instead, being Bernstein, he stayed and fought for Constitutional Rites. Like our For-Fathers, this would nearly, or completely-depending upon how you look at it, cost him his career as a world-renowned museum artist, most of his artworks, his body, his health, his finances, and, ultimately, I think, his life.
The City and The Santa Fe Qailyard Community Corporation put more and more pressure on Neil, as the sparkling forty-foot tall bridge went up.
They forced Bernstein to put an ugly 10 foot tall, chain-linked fence, with barbed-wire around his sculpture, 9/11 and Katrina works.
Museum director Tom Romero finally showed up one morning and told Bernstein that he was getting a constant stream of threatening emails from The City, Qailyard Cummunity Corporation officials, neighbor Dick Gent, and, that Neil should take his exhibition down immediately.
"I couldn't believe that he would stab me in the back after I had spent well over fifty-thousand dollars, and two months putting the exhibition together. I was finally beginning to see a couple of days off on the horizon after working from sun-up to sun-down for 2 months. I said: Listen pal, there is no way that I am tearing all of this down, I've already put fifty-thousand dollars and two months into this project, and, I have had to deal with all of these suits coming here harassing me everyday. When we began to blog about what these clowns were doing, their lawyers threatened to sue me in writing. I hired an expensive Santa Fe law firm to protect us and to protect the works, but, as soon as things heated up they dropped us.
They also kept the forty-five hundred dollars that I gave them and dared me to try and get it back. They were supposed to deal with the suits and get the insurance information from the museum director-which, he refused to give us.
He told me to get an appraisal from Bernard Ewell, and said that he would file the claim with his insurance company, but he refused to give it to us, and, hid in the shadows for months.
Now, We had a real problem.
We didn't have any protection, the museum director had disconnected our security and lighting system, my 9/11, Katrina. and Border debris works were destroyed, and, I spent tens of thousands of dollars paying lawyers who wouldn't protect us, and, to get a fifty-page appraisal report from that Tom Romero refused to accept. He was nowhere to be found.
It was very important to file the $869,000 claim with the museums insurance company in a timely fashion for the destruction of my works, but, we couldn't get the insurance information from the museum director.
I had to hire another- very expensive lawyer, and a private detective from Albuquerque to take over the case. It was quite clear that nobody from Santa Fe was going to protect us from these guys-they had every judge, cop, politician, business-person, journalist and lawyer in Santa Fe in their sweaty little hands. Anybody in New Mexico who goes against their agendas will be crucified, at least, that's how they are used to doing business in Santa Fe. And, if we can't destroy you-if you fight back, we will send our lap-dog thugs to kill you, and, our crooked cops and journalists to cover it up.
This all sounds somewhat familiar to me-did everybody read "Trinity", and "Exodus" by Leon Uris in high-school?
Do any of you know the story of Washington's Crossing, Pennsylvania, the town where I grew up, and, still live?"
Neil pulled us a little bit ahead of my story, but, that's OK.
I don't think that a bit of pre-supposition will do us any harm.
Neil and Hallie, with the help of 4 immigrants, put the finishing touches on the exhibition on July 30th.
On July 31st, while Neil and Hallie Fuller were out having a leisurely lunch, vandals cut through the fencing, racked the steel supporting structure, cut the main supporting straps, and destroyed The Golden Gates Bridge and most of the 9/11, Katrina, and Border-Patrol museum works.
Please see Santa Fe Police Report 1-08-012121, which, confirms, absolutely, that, in fact, it was an organized act of vandalism that destroyed Bernstein's sacred 9/11, Katrina, and, Border-Patrol museum-works as well as "The Golden Gates Bridge Over Troubled Borders" on July 31st in The Santa Fe Railyard. An complete inspection by 3 officers on the date in question, irrefutably confirms this.
Neil was furious, but City, Santa Fe Qailyard Community Corporation Officials, Santa Fe Journalists and Museum Director Tom Romero breathed a long sigh of relief.
These individuals must not have done their homework on Neil very well, because, Neil , being Neil, not only resurrected the entire exhibition, including the war-torn and shattered 9/11, Katrina and Border-Patrol museum works, at lightning speed, but, with the help of his crew of immigrants, he obtained a set of sealed engineering drawings, set the bridge into 24 inches of steel reinforced concrete with a huge timber-framed barn beneath it so that the only way that you could tear it down would be with a bulldozer and 20 inch chain saws, and, began a series of peaceful demonstrations along the two most traveled streets surrounding the Railyard.
The immigrants, who, Neil paid 15 dollars an hour brought out the caskets and made bloody signs in Spanish and English that read: "CENSORSHIP=DEATH OF OUR FAMILIES", "OUR CHILDREN ARE HUNGRY AND DEAD", and "OUR BLOOD IS ON THE TRACKS OF YOUR RAILYARD".
"The local media turned their backs on us, but the international TV stations Univision, P.B.S. and Telemundo were all over them. THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION attorneys demanded that Tom Romero turn over all of the threatening emails, letters and voice mails from The City and The Santa Fe Quailyard Community Corporation. Tom Romero refused to cooperate with THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, disconnected our electric power again-which made our three-thousand dollar security and lighting system useless, bolted his museum doors closed, and disappeared into the shadows."
City Of Santa Fe Land Use Director John Hiatt issued a long letter demanding that Bernstein's exhibition come down before the grand opening of The Santa Fe Qailyard arts District, or The City would shut down El Museo forever by revoking their lease.
Tom Romero re-appeared in a fury, and, demanded that Neil remove his exhibition immediately or he would do it himself, and, of course, Neil refused.
"He went completely nuts on me-rite out in the middle of the street. He threatened me, and, got rite in my face. He was really scared and angry-like a bully in the school-yard.
I said: Look pal, there is nothing that I can do. You set me up, abandoned us, and refused to cooperate with the A.C.L.U.
Ten years of my museum works are destroyed, and, you refuse to give us your insurance information to file a claim, after demanding that I spend the money for this appraisal report with Bernard Ewell, and, I had to hire another lawyer to try and track you down.
Now you show up here and threaten me with bodily harm?
Sorry buddy,its up to God, and the judges from now on."
On September the 9th, at 6am Neil Bernstein and Hallie Fuller arrived at The Santa Fe Railyard and were preparing the exhibition for the opening of The Santa Fe Farmers Market.
A huge six-foot-eight-three-hundred pound Chile pepper salesman named Matt Romero, a local farmer with a reputation as an un-educated big-mouthed bully, spewed a continuous stream of horrific anti-Semetic and pornographic-sexual insults at Neil Bernstein and Hallie Fuller.
"I knew exactly what this guy was doing. He was trying to get me to take a swing at him so that his cop buddies could throw me in jail. We simply ignored him and continued working."
Apparently Bernstein was correct, and, at approximately 9am Matt Romero finally blew his stack.
Matt Romero tore down a 2 foot sign from a utility pole and flung it Frisbee-style at Hallie Fuller's face. Fortunately Hallie Fuller ducked, and, the rocketing sign missed her face by inches.
The hulking Matt Romero ran away, and, Neil, after checking to see if Hallie Fuller was OK, called 911. Neil was standing on the sidewalk of Paseo de Peralta, on the phone, when Matt Romero came up behind him, jumped the curb with his four-wheel-drive Toyota truck, hit Neil, then, pushed him with the big truck until he collapsed to the pavement. Please see Hallie Fuller's signed and notarized affidavit.
Matt Romero admitted to all of this in his recent deposition.
Then, after assaulting Hallie Fuller, and running Neil down with his truck, Matt Romero got out of his truck, kicked Bernstein in the face, spit on him, said:"Get up Jew I'm gonna kill you", destroyed "WE THE PEOPLE" one of the original works from Ground Zero-a photo-enlargement of The Constitution Of The United States covered in World Trade Center ash, and fled the scene of his horrendous crimes. (also in depositions, statements and affidavits)
The first Santa Fe police officer spoke with Hallie Fuller and other eye-witnesses, then, appropriately wrote Matt Romero up for (please see Santa Fe Police report case number 1-08-014394)
"ASSAULT WITH A MOTOR VEHICLE AND OTHER-AGGRAVATED WITH BATTERY-COMMITTED."
In other words, it was confirmed beyond doubt, by the honest police officer, who actually spoke to eye-witnesses, that Matt Romero did, in fact, not only commit these horrendous crimes, but, that he fled the scene of a motor vehicle accident.
It should be noted here that these are very serious felonies.
What happens next, marks the beginning of the fraud and cover-up of the crimes in question.
While Bernstein is being loaded into the ambulance in a neck collar and restraints-Neil's neck was broken, his left arm was paralyzed, and, he was experiencing a severe Post-Traumatic-Stress attack, Matt Romero returned to the scene of his crimes with several of his buddies- 2 of which were Santa Fe cops. Matt Romero's cop buddies told Officer Otero to get lost, then, refused to take written statements from Hallie Fuller or anyone who actually witnessed the assault, and, only took written statements from Matt Romero, his buddies, and, a woman who did not witness the actual assault or any of Matt Romero;s violence leading up to the assault, and, who refers in her statement to Neil as "a demonstrator". This, I find most interesting, as, there was no demonstration happening on the day in question-the day of Matt Romero's brutal assaults on Neil Bernstein and Hallie Fuller.
While Neil was in Saint Vincents Hospital receiving IV morphine, Xanax and enduring the claustrophobic nightmare of being stuck in an M.R.I. machine, Matt Romero's crooked cop buddies glued a huge orange "TOW AWAY ABANDONED VEHICLE" sticker and a parking ticket onto the windshield of Neil's 1994 Mercedes Benz while there was still time on his meter.
This is also well documented as another eye-witness, who is a well respected business-woman, was accosted and threatened by Matt Romero's crooked cop buddies when she tried to put more quarters into Neil's parking meter.
Meanwhile, Matt Romero, his liars, some of whom, according to his own testimony under-oath, work for him "under the table", -Hello I.R.S. and F.B.I.?, and his crooked cop buddies-Hello again you guys, were busy trying to get their story straight, and, waiting for the tow truck to take Neil's car which contained his briefcase, the keys to his safe deposit boxes, and, reams of hard-evidence against El Museo duh Santa Fe, The City, The Santa Fe Qailyard Community Corporation and others involved, to the impound, where they would be free to steal everything.
When Neil Bernstein and Hallie Fuller finally arrived back at the scene of the crimes to retrieve Neil's 1994 Mercedes, Matt Romero and his buddies were waiting for them.
"I couldn't believe that this guy was still there, and, that he was threatening to hurt me again.
Hallie and I called 9/11, and the cops REFUSED to respond. It was like some weird Texas Chainsaw movie, only it was real. The cops were there to hurt us, definitely not to help us.
Some of the cops were working for the criminals. Its all on tape."
Matt Romero, according to eye-witnesses, yelled out: Look you guys, the Jew can still walk. I guess I need to run him over again.
"We got into my car as fast as we could, locked the doors, and started her up. Then I saw a Santa Fe Police car coming down Paseo de Peralta. I waited until he was close, then, jumped out in front-waving my hands. The cop driving rolled down his window, and, I said: This guy ran me down with a truck, and, he just threatened to do it again. The cop and his female partner were very aggressive toward us. He said:"Is this your vehicle sir?" Then he wrote me another ticket, jumped in his car and fled. I couldn't believe it, and, Matt Romero and his buddies were ready to jump us, so, we took off, and, drove as fast as we could to get the hell out of Santa Fe. I could barely see straight from the pain, and, my left arm was almost completely paralyzed. I had emergency neck surgery at The Laser Spine Institute which cost me a fortune, rite after that. I need several more surgeries, and, I haven't been able to do anything since. My entire world has been destroyed by these people."
God, time, and Federal agents have an interesting way of working these things out.
Matt Romero folded during his deposition, despite Mr.Hatchet telling him repeatedly to shut up, and, admitted-shamefully that he intentionally ran Neil Bernstein down with his four-wheel-drive Toyota, and pushed him 30 feet until he disappeared beneath his truck.
Mr. Hatchet and Mr. Shavez have flagrantly defiled The Federal District Court Of The United States, and, are scrambling to cover their tracks.
We don't think that Farmers is going to want the reputation that they have spent decades building tarnished by Mr. Hatchet and his Santa Fe anti-Veteran, anti-Jew, anti-Latino, and 9/11 and Katrina memorial destroying thugs. That will be really bad for business in America.
We doubt that they will be too happy with Mr. Hatchet. If they are smart, they will get as far from him as possible, and pay Neil Bernstein for the destruction of his public-service-museum works, and, for the destruction of his career, his body and his life.
In his very-nervous and badly constructed response to Neil Bernstein's (who is now temporarily acting as his own attorney) "Motion To Reopen and Relocate" his 2 million dollar case for the brutal anti-Semetic crimes so flagrantly committed against him, Mr. Hatchet attacked Neil Bernstein-a decorated, disabled Viet-Nam Era Veteran, and world-renowned museum artist, with a spotless record of self-less public service.
Hatchet put in writing, last week, that he "PRAYS" (I have never heard a lawyer use that legal term in a response) that Judge Hererra refuses to re-open Neil Bernstein's case, a case, where Hatchet and Shavez appear to have arrogantly, and, without regard for the law, snowed The New Mexico District Court Of The United States, and, Judge Hererra, and, where both sides appear to have conspired to fraudulently "SETTLE AND VACATE" Neil Bernstein's two-million (and I repeat, that 2 million is far too low for what these creeps did to Neil) dollar injury and damage case for the pitiable amount of ten-thousand ($10,000) dollars, and, expect to get away with it AGAIN.
It will be interesting to see if the folks who helped cover-up Matt Romero's horrendous hate-crimes are willing to commit purgeroy in Federal Court, loose everything they have, and, risk spending years in Federal Prison, under fire from a batallion of highly-skilled state and federal investigators, Philadelphia Lawyers (look that one up in Websters folks), the international media, all of the families of, and, all of the people that Neil Bernstein has helped since 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the U.S.-Mexico border tragedies.
It will be interesting to see what kind of legal crap these creeps and their lap-dogs in New Mexico try and pull off now to hurt Neil Bernstein and cover their tracks.
Mr. Hatchet has already thrown Mr. Shavez under the bus.
Neil Bernstein will never get a fair trial in New Mexico.
We PRAY that Federal District Court Judge Hererra gives Neil a fair chance at justice in Philadelphia-where he now lives, and, where he is safe.
Far-far away from the under-handed maneuvers of crooked Santa Fe politicians, legal representatives, bought-off and intimidated jurors, intimidated witnesses and outright thugs, who will do anything to defraud and destroy anyone who gets between them and their pathetic money-machine agendas.
Lets see what they do now that they have been exposed before all of America, the people of the world and God.
