Thread: The Politics Of Bologna Sandwiches

08/21/2007
The Politics Of Bologna Sandwiches
By: Gregg MacDonald

Despite pleas from both a Catholic priest and a family member at last week's council meeting, Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis was unable to retain the ability of local charities to provide food and clothing at the Herndon Official Workers Center.
At the vanguard of the recent controversy over the special exception permit for the HOW Center, on Sterling Road in Herndon, was the issue of donated food and clothing being distributed at the day-labor site.

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Some council members - Bill Tirrell, Connie Hutchinson, Charlie Waddell and Dave Kirby - said they believe that food distribution at the site encourages illegal aliens to congregate there.

After two days of public testimony, the council agreed to renew the permit for the controversial workers center but ban the distribution of free food and clothing. The site's food vendor may continue to sell there.

Kirby said on the second night of last week's two-night public hearing that he felt the site, "should be limited to just a day-labor site without any other items of food and clothes that will continue to attract the illegal aspect of the people who show up there."

"We are not saying that you can't distribute food or that you can't distribute clothing, we're just saying don't do it here," Hutchinson said. "It is an official workers site, it is not a social services center."

"I don't think there is a need in the world why we have to provide these services at a day-labor site," said Tirrell, also making the argument that free food distribution undercuts the profits of the food vendor who sells food at the site.

Jenny Albers, former strategy coordinator for the HOW Center and the mayor's sister, let her feelings be known.
"To deny workers of our excess food would be senselessly wasteful, unusually cruel and mean-spirited, to say the least," she said from the dais as she faced her brother seated directly in front of her.

Father Art Johnson, a priest at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Sterling, took the argument further, citing scripture from the Bible. "First book of Deuteronomy says 'Remember, your God is a God who befriends the alien,'" Johnson quoted to the council. "'So you too must befriend the alien.'"

Johnson went on to say that he and members of his church have been making sandwiches for the workers at the site since February 2006.

"This was our way of at least helping to ensure that they would not go hungry because there was no employment for them that day," he said. "Providing bologna sandwiches, feeding the poor, is really not only an act of charity and compassion ... this is a pretty minimal decent human thing to do. ... This is human decency, one of the hallmarks of our country. It would indeed be a tragedy to prevent the donation of food."

Councilman Harlon Reece attempted to have the language banning the food distribution stricken from the resolution renewing the labor site's permit.
"I don't believe we ought to be in the business of restricting church programs and activities," said Reece. "I don't want to be known as the town council that would do that."

DeBenedittis, seconding Reece's motion, said, "I don't have a problem giving people who may need food, food, and giving folks the opportunity to help other people."
When that motion failed 4-3, DeBenedittis made another attempt, trying to use humor to diffuse the tense situation.

"We've heard that the center is not the right place and I think that may be right," he said. "But when Billy The Kid was asked why he robbed banks, he said 'because that's where the money is.'"

The second motion also failed 4-3. Vice Mayor Dennis Husch, standing by the mayor on the issue, was the third losing vote on both motions.

As of Tuesday, the Town said that attorney Richard Kaufman was looking over the resolution to determine whether the ban on food distribution took effect upon the resolution's passing, or will take effect at some later date, such as when the original special exception permit expires on Sept. 15. No definitive answer was given.





©Times Community Newspapers 2007
http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab5 ... 1691&rfi=8

Well by them giving out free food with vendors there you are affecting there business! Its like handing out food in a deli but you give the person free food before he enters the deli! The street vendors have a right to be there to peddle! You are interfering with there business and if you want to hand them out free food do it in you house of lies and law breaking shelters!!!

"We've heard that the center is not the right place and I think that may be right," he said. "But when Billy The Kid was asked why he robbed banks, he said 'because that's where the money is.'"

Now isn't that profiling or targeting or something to assume that people at work centers need free food? LOL Just like it's not a far stretch to assume when someone runs at the sight of a cop, doesn't speak English, has no documents or has fake documents that it's a pretty good guess they might be illegal?

Why not have them come to the church for their free food? Or is there a reason you don't want them there?

Why not have them come to the church for their free food? Or is there a reason you don't want them there?

Now Cliff......that actually make sense. That's what we've always done before.......and now it's just not right. Maybe we need to eat some more lead filled candy to get our brain cells firing in this new mode of thinking they are shoving down our throats. Left is right, down is up, wrong is right, ignore the obvious......