Local Teaches the Brutal Lessons of Berlin Wall

Neither heat of the afternoon nor modest turn out would dissuade Anke Otto-Wolf from commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall.

The lessons were far too important, said Otto-Wolf, a native of Berlin.

On Saturday, the Redlands resident and author of “My Peace of the Wall,” welcomed people who came by Ronald Reagan Park in San Bernardino to see an actual section of the Berlin Wall.

Many were killed trying to get across to the west side. Families were torn apart, Otto-Wolf said.

“It isn’t just about a physical wall, it’s about the emotional destruction of the people” Otto-Wolf said.

The City of San Bernardino, and subsequently San Bernardino County, is one of the few places that features a slab of the 7-foot wall that once cut through the heart of a country torn apart by a dictator.

One side of the wall is smooth and has a mural of President Ronald Reagan, an American flag flowing behind him. The words “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” The other, which faced the west, is marked by what might be sledgehammer blows and paint balls, said City Councilman Chas A. Kelley who presented Otto-Wolf with a proclamation during the gathering.

“If you see the other side, you see a lot of color. Freedom brings color because you chose to change the colors,” said Daniel Centeno, from Arcadia. “Some people like blue, or red, some green. If you see on this (east) side it’s just black and white.”

Centeno, a native of Argentina, lived in his native country during Juan Peron’s presidency. Peron, known as a demagogue, led Argentina for 10 years before he was deposed.

“Peron was pro-German,” Centeno said. And there was sympathy for Nazi views. The wall serves as a reminder that many people suffered under brutal leaders.

In Germany, where the Berlin Wall’s impact was deep, there were commemorations, Otto-Wolf said. But in the Inland Empire -- which draws people from around the world thanks to hospital towns such as Loma Linda and Colton, and university towns such as Redlands and Claremont -- the day went largely unnoticed except for the people who stopped by the park in north San Bernardino.

“The significance of the wall speaks for itself,” Kelley said. “You cannot put a value on having a historic artifact like this in our city.”

Kelley said the council wants to see more people visiting the piece of the wall and taking away the lessons. He and the city is working with Assemblymen Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) and Tim Donnelly (R-Hesperia) to put up signs along Interstate 215 directing people to the park.

Otto-Wolf, whose family was divided by the wall, has made it her goal to promote the existence of the wall section in San Bernardino and will be working with the councilman.

And with political views dividing this country so much, Otto-Wolf said it is more important that ever to revisit those lessons.

There is not much difference between a wall made of metal and wire and one made from hate and political lines, she said.

“People will say it’s German history but it’s not,” she said. “It’s history. It’s all of our history.”