Thread: Fight over English-only bill rages in Nashville

Fight over English-only bill rages in Nashville
Mayor keeps bill off the books, saying it's at odds with civic image
March 25, 2007, 12:39AM


By LAURIE HOLLOWAY
Special To The Chronicle


Complete coverage of immigration issues NASHVILLE, TENN. — The "Friendliest City in America" finds itself in a nasty fight and the national glare because of a language issue tied to illegal immigration.

A recent City Council bill requiring Nashville to conduct business solely in English was quickly trumped by the mayor's veto. But the free-for-all continues, haunting tourism and business officials who fear it will tarnish the city's Southern image.

"We are the friendliest city in America," said Mayor Bill Purcell, who's spending the last of eight years in office. "It is a part of who and what we are. We encourage people to come for the weekend, a week or the rest of their lives. And this law was directly contrary to that."

Councilman Eric Crafton said his bill would force non-English speakers to learn the language faster. He acknowledges that Nashville already conducts business in English but invokes the illegal immigration shadow by saying that the policy could change, because the U.S. government hasn't halted the flow of undocumented workers.

The magnifying glass of "English only" has heated other communities in Texas and the rest of the nation but none as large as Nashville, a tourist-driven city with a metropolitan population of 1.4 million.


Reaction to immigration

Both sides in the bitter fight agree on just two things: Frustration over illegal immigration from Spanish-speaking countries is behind the support for the bill — and the bill wouldn't have done a thing about that anyway.

Regardless, local bloggers now vent over illegal immigration in vitriolic and emotional Internet posts about the bill. Much of it focuses on preserving a way of life.

With his veto, the mayor of the nation's country music capital was "caving in to those who wish to change our state instead of those who wish to preserve it!" read a post on the Tennesseans for Responsible Immigration Policies Web site.

"We have to take back our community and our country somewhere," a resident of nearby Hermitage told a local newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce has called the bill "an official policy by Nashville against inclusiveness." But the organization also felt the need to add that it's firmly against illegal immigration.

"There's a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment, and people are frustrated, justifiably so, because the federal government has failed to act," said lawyer Gregg Ramos, a Hispanic and an ardent foe of the bill. "The federal government has been woefully inadequate. People are venting their frustrations in whatever way they can."

The local Roman Catholic bishop, David R. Choby, stood in support with Purcell as he made the veto announcement. "The characteristics of kindness, for which this city has developed a national recognition, can also be called Christian charity," he said.


Aimed at Hispanics

The factor unmentioned in the bill is the Spanish-speaking immigrants, whose growing presence across the South during this decade has triggered cultural change and unease.

Nashville is home to the nation's largest Kurdish community and large numbers of immigrants from Southeast Asia and Africa, but the controversy has ignored them in comparison.

In recent years, Nashville's immigrant population has swelled, drawn by service industry and construction growth and other parts of a healthy economy. As of 2000, about 29,000 residents, or 5 percent of the total, were Hispanic, and a language other than English was spoken in one in 10 Nashville homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The mayor is careful to frame the argument by saying residents shouldn't fear that he'll speak Lithuanian on television or that Public Works will answer pothole questions in German.

Purcell is clear with his disdain that Hispanic immigration is the real catalyst, mentioning Wal-Mart's recent decision to add Spanish signs to its stores. The school system recently launched a TV spot in Spanish that describes school programs and last year added a Hispanic family outreach coordinator.

"There have been laws like this attempted and passed in lots of different places, and none of them go to the issue that's bothering them," he said.

Purcell, a careful politician who's chosen to make this his first major veto, flips his business card onto his desk in exasperation. On the front his name and number are in English; on the back, in Japanese.

"My business card would have been illegal," he said. "Why is my card in English and Japanese? It's not because I speak Japanese. It's because we are the most successful recruiter of Japanese business and investment of any city off the West Coast of America. We greet Japanese visitors in Japanese at the airport. This law would have said that was illegal. And that's wrong in every way."

Council sponsors couldn't gather the votes needed to overturn Purcell's veto in mid-February, though.

One of their next steps is to petition to put the issue on the ballot in 2008.

Nolan said angry voters may well pass an English law.

" ... My sense is there's a lot of frustration in the general community, and that would be reflected in the vote," he said.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4657816.html

The TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights) is at every turn to stop anything they deem anti-illegal immigration, though they disguise it as anti-immigration Many in Nashville recognize what is happening to a very well known southern city and the transformation due to an enormous illegal alien population.

The seriousness of the situation has resulted in implementation of the 287 (g) by Sheriff Daron Hall and other measures such as the English only bill etc.

Illegal Landlord/Business Bills Deferred Indefinitely

English Only Bill Advances to Third Reading

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the Nashville Metro Council meeting last Tuesday night, and who has contacted Nashville Metro Council members in recent weeks to oppose the three anti-immigrant bills under consideration. Approximately 200 community members showed up on November 21st to oppose the discriminatory ordinances, and our efforts have been rewarded. Two bills down, one to go. The third and final reading for the English Only bill is on December 5th, and we have just one week to prevent our city from joining an unseemly club—the host of local governments around the country that believe making life harder for immigrants will somehow fix our broken immigration system or safeguard our national identity.

EMAIL THE METRO COUNCIL HERE

What Happened at Tuesday's Meeting?
(Tennessean coverage / City Paper coverage)

Illegal Landlord / Illegal Business ordinances (Jim Gotto, 883-3087), DEFERRED INDEFINITELY —In a welcome show of respect for constitutionality and the law, Councilman Gotto said that it would be in our city's best interest to wait until the Hazelton case is resolved in the courts before pursuing similar measures in Nashville (our ordinances are taken from a single ordinance in Hazelton, PA; in fact, the name "Hazelton" is still included in the text of one of the Nashville bills). While these bills are only deferred and not defeated, it is unlikely that Councilman Gotto will choose to ignore the concerns so vocally expressed by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Council legal department, civil and immigrant rights organizations, and thousands of immigrant community members.

English-only ordinance (Eric Crafton, 352-780, PASSED ON SECOND READING—The sponsor argued that it's "a curse" to be a bilingual nation, and such legislation is necessary to prevent the US from becoming one. "No nation can withstand the antagonism, tension and conflict brought about by multilingualism and multiculturalism." He went on to argue that forcing people to speak English will "allow [them] the dignity of taking responsibility for their own lives and actions." Apparently, immigrants can't be dignified if they need some translation assistance.

As expected, the English-only ordinance did pass on second reading. The encouraging news is that it passed with only 21 votes in favor, the bare minimum of support it will need to pass on third reading and become law. (On third reading, a bill needs the majority of council votes, and there are 40 council seats in all; any "no" vote, abstention, or absence counts against the bill). Click here for a printable vote count.

Also on an encouraging note, the council voted to support Councilwoman Neighbor's pro-immigrant/pro-English resolution, which asks the Mayor to study the impact of English Only legislation, and to determine if it might actually slow English acquisition among immigrants who are linguistically isolated. We need to highlight the passage of this resolution when we talk with our council members, and point out the potential unintended consequences of restrictive and punitive legislation. We can all agree that English acquisition is vital for the success of new immigrants; we wouldn't want to advance public policy that actually slows this acquisition or prevents further integration into our communities.

SIX DAYS LEFT TO CONTACT COUNCIL MEMBERS!!

Please continue to contact your council member to oppose this bill (see talking points and how your council member voted below). Every council member can be reached collectively at the group email address: councilmembers@nashville.gov. If you prefer, you can go to the council's webpage and find each council member's individual email address and phone number.

Please also consider contacting council members in bold letters below. It is very important that we contact council members who abstained from voting or were absent, and make sure they don't shift to the "yes" column. There are also several council members who voted "yes," but who are known to be open to reasonable arguments. Finally, please take a minute to thank your council member if he or she had the courage to vote "no" on second reading.
ABSTAIN votes (5)

Buck Dozier (Madison), buck.dozier@nashville.gov, 615-868-4042
Diane Neighbors (At-large), diane.neighbors@nashville.gov, 615-262-2807
Walter Hunt (Whites Creek), walter.hunt@nashville.gov, 615-876-3367
Anna Page (Nolensville Road), anna.page@nashville.gov
Jim Hodge (Haywood Lane), hodgedistrict30@bellsouth.net, 615-255-2703, ex17
ABSENT for vote (4)

Jamie Isabel (Bordeaux), jamie.isabel@nashville.gov, 615-255-1506
Erik Cole (East Nashville), erik.cole@nashville.gov, 615-228-1337
Randy Foster (South Davidson), randy.foster@nashville.gov, 615-834-0562
Jason Alexander (Antioch), jason.alexander@nashville.gov, 615-367-4424
YES votes (21)

Rip Ryman (Goodlettsville), rip.ryman@nashville.gov, 615-859-0409
Billy Joe Walls (West Nashville), billyjoe.walls@nashville.gov, 615-353-6248
Emily Evans (Belle Meade), emily.evans@nashville.gov, 615-356-6294
John Summers (Sylvan Park), john.summers@nashville.gov, 615-386-9660
Greg Adkins (Crieve Hall), greg.adkins@nashville.gov, 615-832-2767
Sam Coleman (Antioch), sam.coleman@nashville.gov, 615-641-5168
Carolyn Baldwin Tucker (At-large), carolyn.tucker@nashville.gov, 615-868-4060
Michael Craddock (Madison), michael.craddock@nashville.gov, 615-226-0521
Pam Murray (Cleveland Park), pam.murray@nashville.gov, 615-248-3556
Jason Hart (Inglewood), jason.hart@nashville.gov, 615-262-6010
Feller Brown (Old Hickory), feller.brown@nashville.gov, 615-847-3958
Jim Gotto (Hermitage), jim.gotto@nashville.gov, 615-883-3087
Carl Burch (Donelson), carl.burch@nashville.gov, 615-883-3695
Harold White (Donelson), whw777@comcast.net, 615-889-6572
J.B. Loring (Donelson), j.b.loring@nashville.gov, 615-885-0780
Ludye Wallace (Downtown), ludye.wallace@nashville.gov, 615-329-4356
Edward Whitmore (North Nashville), edward.whitmore@nashville.gov, 615-321-0795
Eric Crafton (West Nashville), eric.crafton@nashville.gov, 615-352-7808
Vivian Wilhoite (Antioch), vivian.wilhoite@nashville.gov, 615-589-2003
Robert Duvall (Antioch), robert.duvall@nashville.gov, 615-641-7313
Charlie Tygard (Bellevue), charlie.tygard@nashville.gov, 615-646-3295
NO votes (10)

David Briley (At-large), david.briley@nashville.gov, 615-429-6533
Adam Dread (At-large), adam.dread@nashville.gov, 615-485-5683
Brenda Gilmore (Bordeaux), brenda.gilmore@nashville.gov, 615-876-3665
Mike Jameson (East Nashville), mike.jameson@nashville.gov, 615-227-5940
Jim Forkum (Madison), jim.forkum@nashville.gov, 615-868-4164
Ronnie Greer (Woodland-in-Waverly), ronnie.greer@nashville.gov, 615-385-2893
Ginger Hausser (West End), ginger.hausser@nashville.gov, 615-291-6718
Jim Shulman (Green Hills), jim.shulman@nashville.gov, 615-292-4344
Parker Toler (South Davidson), parker.toler@nashville.gov, 615-376-2952
Lynn Williams (Green Hills), lynn.williams@nashville.gov, 615-385-3859
Talking Points

English Only Ordinance (BL2006-1185, Crafton)—declares English the official language and prohibits all Metro communications from being translated/interpreted. The bill was amended to make exceptions for requirements of "federal law or when necessary to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare."

Hurts Nashville's Attempts to Welcome Diversity—This ordinance targets and discriminates against all foreign-born people in Nashville, including refugees who have come to this country to escape discrimination and persecution.

Makes Learning English Harder—Today's immigrants are learning English the same way our grandparents did—by getting out into the community and interacting with native speakers of the language. This ordinance seeks to further isolate immigrants, making it much more difficult to learn English.

Threatens Public Safety—Who will determine what translations are necessary to promote public safety? Individual metro employees? Imposing an artificial language barrier creates confusion, and will threaten public safety for all Nashvillians.

Fails to Address Immigration Issues—This ordinance has nothing to do with illegal immigration, and would harm the lives of all people struggling to learn English, regardless of their immigration status. Immigrants and refugees must learn English before they can apply for U.S. citizenship. Over the many years that they wait for processing, they must be able to access the essential functions of government.

Hurts the Local Economy—This bill says to new businesses and students considering Nashville, foreign people are not welcome. According to the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, investment in Tennessee from Japan alone exceeded $9.4 billion in 2004, creating over 40,000 jobs.

http://www.tnimmigrant.org/TN_Coalition ... 12206.html

It's because we are the most successful recruiter of Japanese business and investment of any city off the West Coast of America

Bull! All the Japanese business (Nissan) are located OUTSIDE Nashville in neighboring counties. I don't know why the mayor wants to take credit for what the governer did!

my letter to the council:
Thank you for taking time to read my email; I will keep it brief.
My suggestion is that as a Southern American, I am proud of my country, my South and my roots. It has been a given that here, one may pass you in the grocery, shopping or on an evening walk through your neighborhood and ask the time of day. That question many times turns into a conversation and friendships are made.
However it has become that now if we stop to ask the same question, we are looked at wildly by those that don’t speak English. In a convenience store I wonder if they are speaking of plans they have with families, or are they speaking of robbing the store or me. They loudly shout their language in public places, in contrast to our polite southern culture. They show up in droves to our public parks, overtaking so that we must wait for the same facilities that our parents tax money and in some cases, they themselves built. We want to speak with them to share, or that we have reservations for an area, but they blow us off with “No Habla English”, and continue on. Many times, I feel like a stranger in my own country, city and neighborhood.
I have looked inward to find racism. I can honestly say I do not feel it. When I came across those from Japan, India, China, and especially the Kurds engrossed in a personal conversation with each other and speaking English, I feel proud of them and grateful they have adopted a bit of my country. I am not concerned about the way they dress, their religion, their accent, or their burkas, but the language they choose to speak can beget feelings inside of me that range from pride to rage. Seeing other country flags displayed in my neighborhood, and hearing another language is disregard for my culture and my people and a sign of disrespect that makes us all furious.
Perhaps this illegal immigration issue would be less tumultuous if all of the Hispanic leaders, Outreach counselors, and those that are Hispanic Advocates, would strongly encourage their people to do whatever it takes to have them adapt, if only in their language. We aren’t making them any less Latino if they were to speak English. But they would bring less attention to themselves and thus the rage would die if they were to assimilate in the English language.

Awesome letter Ronny, I could actually feel the emotion behind the reasons you gave for why we are so angry and tired of the mess that our country has become as a result of an illegal invasion being justified by too many elected to represent AMERICANS.

Because so many of our elected officials live in a financially enhanced bubble, they have no clue how we feel having to press 2 for English; discovering that the businesses we supported financially for decades are catering to illegals who are destroying our middle class, our culture, our communities and our way of life. They don't understand the impact of illegals here arrogantly ignoring our laws, yet always with their hand out, scheming how to continue stealing from the tax payers and never giving us anything in return for our tax dollars; they don't have to worrry about their children's financial futures since our government is securing them at the expense of taxpayers.

I hope they actually read it and think about the feelings you expressed because it sums up the feelings of loyal Americans in a nutshell.

The votes on this issue were divided on the "rich" sections of the city and the "poorer and middle class" districts. Of course those council people in the richer districts were totally against the bill. It doesn't take much to guess why. One of the most vocal was the lady who represents the area where the Governer's Mansion is located. The self righteous rhetoric of these people is disgusting, disguising their real motives of protecting their maids and gardners. The Prez of the Hotel and Motel Association has been lobbying against this as well as every anti-illegal bill. Of course that's their main source of employees!

They are afraid that illegals will be apprehensive and go elsewhere. As it is now, it doesn't matter if someone gets arrested or deported. They just go hire another. The attitude of "throwaway" employees which needs no since of loyalty on either part. The other morning there were 62 Hispanics standing in the parking area of a local convenience store. If that doesn't drive away business, what will?

People in this town are ANGRY! The local talk shows are FLOODED and the newspaper polls show over 80% in favor of ALL anti-illegal legislation, but they continue to IGNORE. Thank goodness we managed to get 287(g) which has already started to identify illegals. ALL the remaining "driving certificates" are expiring this month, and they should be about 40,000 people affected, not to mention the thousands from out-of-state. I imagine there are a LOT of "driving certificates" in NJ, and NY areas. There was a total of about 114,000 issued.

IF WE CAN HOLD OFF THE "GUT BILL" UNTIL AUGUST, THE FOCUS ON THE PREZ CAMPAIGN WILL KILL IT UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION. THIS HAS TO HAPPEN!