Thread: Hispanics mobilize against city immigration act

http://www.standardspeaker.com/index.ph ... 8&Itemid=2
Hispanics mobilize against city immigration act
Thursday, 29 June 2006
By KENT JACKSON
and KRISSY SCATTON
editorial@standardspeaker.com
Latino supporters from Allentown, Harrisburg, Scranton and New York converged in Hazleton on Wednesday to oppose the city’s anti-immigration proposal, which they believe has national ramifications. “This is another part of the civil rights movement. That is not just for Hazleton. Hazleton is just a mirror of what’s happening in the nation,” Dr. Agapito Lopez, a Hazleton physician, said at the inaugural meeting of the Hazleton Area Latino Taskforce.
HALT just formed and has no officers, said Lopez who told more than 30 people, in addition to media, at the inaugural meeting at the Sport Center Restaurant, 58 N. Wyoming St., that he didn’t expect such a crowd.
The meeting was the first organized opposition to the Anti-Illegal Immigration Act that Hazleton Mayor Louis Barletta proposed and city council tentatively adopted on June 15.
Introduced in response to increases in crime, crowded classrooms and emergency rooms, the ordinance fines landlords $1,000 for renting to illegal immigrants. Firms that hire illegal immigrants face a loss of business licenses, city contracts and city grants for five years. The ordinance also makes English the official language of Hazleton City government.
Copies of the ordinance were available at the registration table, and attorney David Vaida of Allentown told guests to read to pick up a copy “so you can all read for yourselves the hateful language.”
Vaida said he thinks the ordinance is unconstitutional and noted that three representatives of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund came from New York to the meeting because of the ordinance.
“Irrespective of legality, it is promoting state-sponsored racism. It’s going to allow hatred to come out in our neighbors,” Vaida said. “Ultimately ... we need to guard against hatred among ourselves.”
Amilcar Arroyo, publisher of El Mensajero in Hazleton, said the group needed to stick together.
Allentown Councilman Julio Guridy, introduced as the first Dominican elected to office in Pennsylvania, said the ordinance could “keep people from reaching the American dream that many of us want to reach.”
Others at the meeting who introduced themselves came from Pennsylvania Association of Latino Organizations, the state Democratic Party, the Lehigh Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Community Justice Project, and the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.
Anna Arias, a member of the advisory commission from Hazleton, said before the meeting that Barletta disappointed her by backing the ordinance.
“Instead of creating trouble, he should be looking for solutions,” Arias said.
The English language provision has nothing to do with illegal immigration, she said.
“I never hear of undocumented (people) doing business with the City of Hazleton so he’s not punishing them. He’s hurting the ones buying homes, the ones opening businesses,” she said.
Hundreds of people signed up for classes in English as a second language at Luzerne County Community College, and hundreds more would take the classes if the college could accommodate them, Arias said.
She said the provisions for employers will hurt Hazleton’s economy.
“There’s going to be some going out of businesses,” Arias said. “There are jobs here that Americans don’t want to do. I’ve never seen a white person planting and harvesting tomatoes.”
The organization met for three hours in private, after which Lopez exited the restaurant to speak with the media.
He said the group is prepared to go to court to block the ordinance but prefers to convince the city to drop the proposal.
“We went to make life in Hazleton better. We think targeting undocumented workers is not going to do it,” Lopez said.

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I sure hope the mayor of Hazelton doesn't back down. Perhaps we should send him an email of encouragement.

If they do protest it will be yet another in the series of jump the shark moments for their movement. Until they took to the streets May 25 and June 1, many Americans living in areas where immigration wasn't a problem YET, simply weren't aware just how big the problem really was.

Sí se puede, conseguimos deportados!

Originally Posted by Defens

If they do protest it will be yet another in the series of jump the shark moments for their movement. Until they took to the streets May 25 and June 1, many Americans living in areas where immigration wasn't a problem YET, simply weren't aware just how big the problem really was.

Sí se puede, conseguimos deportados!

Totally agree it really is the best thing they could do for us. The people in the surroundung area shall be woken up to just how big this problem is.
I hope they get thousands of people to protest, lets see how many are in that area. Hopefully they will have the American flag turned upside down also so we can see their real feelings about America also.

sd_hog, I am about 75 miles north east of you, we've been living the invasion for the last 20 years haven't we. We yelled, we screamed and no one listened till now. All I can say is WELCOME to our nightmare!