Thread: OH-Oberlin gathering supports illegal Mexican workers

Oberlin gathering supports Mexican workers: Global Village by Robert L.Smith
Thursday, July 31, 2008 Robert SmithPlain Dealer Columnist
Mark Fahringer was one of the regulars at Oberlin's Casa Fiesta, a Mexican restaurant crowded with students and townies alike. He's also one of many in this college town shocked by an immigration raid that shut down the downtown gathering place and sent five of its workers to jail.

He and other Fiesta fans plan an Oberlinlike response. They will gather tonight in solidarity with the detained workers, most of whom are expected to be deported to Mexico.

Organizers include the Catholic Action Committee of Lorain County, of which Fahringer is a board member.
"We all know our immigration system needs to be fixed," Fahringer said. "When these raids happen in these little towns, suddenly it puts a human face on these issues. There are owners who take advantage of these workers, and yet the workers always seem to get punished."

In a coordinated strike July 23, federal agents executed search warrants at eight Casa Fiesta restaurants in towns like Norwalk, Vermilion and Ashland. They detained 58 dishwashers, waiters and cooks suspected of being in the country illegally.

No executives of the Norwalk-based chain were arrested in the raids, although federal authorities say some managers and owners may face criminal charges for harboring illegal immigrants.

Demonstrators plan to gather at 5 tonight on the southeast corner of Tappan Square, across from the Java Zone, and walk two blocks up Main Street to place signs and flowers at the closed restaurant.

The fiberglass sculptings will be auctioned for charity Sept. 27. Until then, they will lord over an uncommon neighborhood during the Chinese Year of the Rat. Learn more at www.stclairsuperior.org.

When the DPs came:

The "DP" label thrown at refugees who landed in Cleveland after World War II was a reference to their official post-war classification as "displaced persons." But the disparaging nickname failed to capture the essence of the newcomers.

Europe's displaced persons camps teemed with writers, scientists and other intellectuals who could not safely return home. In communist-ruled nations like Ukraine, people deemed pro-Western were sent to labor camps, sometimes executed.

After the U.S. Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, thousands of Ukrainians and other nationalities brought their talents and energies to Cleveland.

The Ukrainian Museum-Archives is hosting a special exhibit that celebrates the 60th anniversary of the act and the people it welcomed. With letters, photographs and official documents, the exhibit tells the story of a refugee wave that breathed new life into the city.

The Displaced Persons Camps Exhibit is open daily except Sunday and Monday through Sept. 6 at 1202 Kenilworth Ave., in Tremont. For information, call 216-781-4329.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

rsmith@plaind.com, 216-999-4024




http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindeal ... thispage=2

Anyone who immigrated here as a Displaced Person should rise up in arms over the insults of now having illegals as DPs. Who the pudding displaced them except their own need for money and a nice coyote that also gave them tips on getting fake documents? The Dps that came here went through the entire immigration process, including medical exams to gain entry. This is garbage!!!!