Thread: Dispute breaks out over immigration vote signs

Dispute breaks out over immigration vote signs

06:44 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 27, 2007

From WFAA-TV Staff Reports

The president of the Farmers Branch chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens may face charges for taking down political signs supporting a proposal to crack down on illegal immigration.

Elizabeth Villafranca, who also owns a restaurant in the city, is accused of removing signs from a local shopping center. She says she had permission from property owners to remove them. Ms. Villafranca said she is being harassed and has contacted the Justice Department.

The spat comes less than two months before voters decide on whether to ban illegal immigrants from renting in the city.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 1b5ce.html



AND ALSO A SECOND OPINION ARTICLE TODAY. THE FIRST ARTICLE WAS HIDDEN AWAY IN THE BACK OF THE METROPOLITAN SECTION.


So the immigration war in FB isn't about race, huh?

06:39 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The fate of the nation does not hinge on whether the voters of Farmers Branch support Ordinance 2903 next month. Whether it's voted up or down, life for the great majority of people who live there will not change appreciably.

But the fallout from the measure already has commenced. No matter which way the vote goes, there's no papering over the raw ugliness exposed by the emotional debate over the presence of illegal immigrants in this one suburban city.

Maybe, if federal authorities had been a little more alert over the years, we wouldn't be having this ill-tempered brawl right here on our front porch. Instead, several decades of studied government indifference on this issue – plus our preference for emotional confrontation over sensible policy – have turned it into a festival of bad feeling.

"This is not about any one race or color," one Farmers Branch resident who supports the ordinance told The Dallas Morning News. "This is completely about the law."

Perhaps, for him, it is. But for an awful lot of people out there, it is about culture. It is about language. And it is about race.

I have tried hard to maintain a sympathetic understanding toward people who are concerned about their neighborhoods, their homes, their quality of life.

It would be an occasion of deep distress to me and, I expect, to my neighbors, if somebody threw up a cheap apartment complex across the street and leased it out to people who drove too fast or partied all night or loitered in the parking lot all day.

That would be distressing, whether they were or were not bona fide legal American residents, whether they were Bavarians or Canadians or college students.

But during all this debate about what should properly be code-enforcement considerations, a dotted line has been drawn between all those undesirable behaviors and having a Spanish surname.

Every time I write about this issue, I get angry, defensive messages from people about the things "they" do.

"They" don't want to learn English. "They" have too many children. "They" have "fiestas" every night.

"Farmers Branch is turning into a Mexican border town," one correspondent wrote. "They crowd in 10 to a house and they watch Telemundo all day."

Another writer, answering a question on our Web site about the lingering effect of last year's pro-immigrant rallies, said the events afforded a pleasant shopping day:

"It was great not seeing all the knocked-up Mexicans with their 4-bambinos-a piece ... wandering around the store spending my tax dollars."

And this isn't about race?

Somebody else bawled me out for writing about Farmers Branch and its growing discord when I personally live in "lily white" Flower Mound "as far from concentrations of Hispanics as [I] can afford" (this person has evidently not met my neighbors who, while predominantly Anglo, are a fairly diverse crowd).

One lady wrote me explaining that, as a fifth-generation Texan, she has an interest in safeguarding our state's heritage and traditions that I evidently lack.

An aside: As a sixth-generation Texan, I'm descended from people who came here when it was Mexico. I suppose that, at the time, the long-suffering alcaldes fretted over the immigrant hordes who couldn't speak Spanish and expected free land for the taking at government expense.

"You won't be happy," another writer said, "until they take over completely, will you?"

If proponents of Ordinance 2903 and others who have legitimate concerns about the effect of illegal immigration on our public resources want to be taken seriously, they might want to urge those among their supporters who make remarks like those to put a lid on it.

How did we reach the point where we can't have a civilized conversation about immigration reform without this dismaying show of rudeness?

Until the feds get off the dime, we'll have more Farmers Branches, more neighbor-against-neighbor, more hysteria over whether the new grocery store sells bananas or plantains. We'll have more ugly generalizations about people based on their names or the size of their families or the music they like.

By all means, let's talk about the law. But if it's really "not about race," let's leave race out of it, shall we?

http://link.toolbot.com/dallasnews.com/70638




I normally like her opinion articles, but I didn't like this weeks!!

TexasGal

I will mention this to, what I posted over on the Farmers Branch board with my own recent experience with the political signs:

Well, things are heating up in Farmers Branch!!

Friday I finally got my "FOR Prop 2903" sign, and Sunday the "Against Prop 2903" people showed up on my door.

A nicely dressed Hispanic lady speaking perfect English showed up on my doorstep with two of her kids in tow (and another guy running for city council who is Against Prop 2903 but supposedly against illegal immigration), asking me to take down my FOR sign and put up her AGAINST sign. She stated that keeping illegals out of FB apartments, the fact that FB was "wasting" hundreds of thousands of dollars on the lawsuits fighting these anti-illegal ordinances, and spending tons of money on FBI training for our local police to be able to catch illegals instead of releasing them is a WASTE of our taxpayer money and NOT the way to stop illegal immigration. She claimed she was against illegal immigration, but I had trouble believing her. Anyone who is against the training of cops so they can better uphold FEDERAL LAW is for illegal immigrants (and probably amnesty).

She believed the money would be better spent on programs for education and the kids of FB (of which many many are the kids of illegal immigrants -- so she wants to continue that program!!).

I didn't want to get into an arguement with her, since she had her kids with her. So I politely said I had done all my research on the issue and I was voting for both Props on May 12th, and I WOULD be keeping my "FOR" sign on the front lawn. At any rate, it think it shows more class on my part by not picking a fight with her and calmly, but firmly, stating my position.

Around five minutes after she left one of the guys back up for re-election to the FB city council (later realizing it was the infamous Tim O'Hare who started the whole debate last year) showed up at my door and thanked me for sticking to my guns and keeping my FOR sign up. (He had somehow heard they were making the rounds and was following a little behind them, I guess seeing if they were swaying anyone to their side -- but since it was Sunday, he might have been at church across the street and seen what they were up to).

I think this lady had a very frustrating day, as when I drove down the main street that I live on later today (a very busy street that is a main street in FB), I saw around 90% of the signs were "FOR" these Props. On the few lawns that had the "AGAINST" signs on them, they had two signs per lawn, I guess due to the fact that they couldn't get enough people to display them.

I think it's ironic that all my neighbors are Hispanic, and all but two of them have NO SIGNS up at all (the two had "AGAINST" signs up). I think they're afraid to show their support against these ordinances and want to lay low, attracting as little attention as possible.

YAY FOR US!!!

The real test will be to see who actually comes out to vote!! This may be the biggest turnout of voters that Farmers Branch has ever had!!

If you live in Farmers Branch, PLEASE VOTE ON MAY 12TH!!

TexasGal

It was up lifting to read your post texasgal. Glad you stuck to your position with grace and dignity. Something most illegals no nothing about from what we've seen of their protests. We're all rooting for FB & Hazelton.

Maybe, if federal authorities had been a little more alert over the years, we wouldn't be having this ill-tempered brawl right here on our front porch. Instead, several decades of studied government indifference on this issue – plus our preference for emotional confrontation over sensible policy – have turned it into a festival of bad feeling.

Right on!!! That goes for every one of these border cities and states!!!!

Who wrote that article?

An aside: As a sixth-generation Texan, I'm descended from people who came here when it was Mexico.

You are more likely to be a descendant of the Mayflower than a descendant from the Austin Collony. I've really got my doubts about this claim.

I happen to know some Hispanics that live in Farmers Branch and they support Ordinance 2903.

Secondly, why do these illegal aliens want to live in Farmers Branch if the place is so hostile and racist? Move to Dallas where the illegals are welcomed with loving LULAC arms.

Dixie

Texas Gal that was the best article I have read today and I needed it...today I feel embattled...
sometimes this octopus has so many legs...and as I cut away at the legs...the keep growing back...
Sometimes I feel like I am in a bad remake of "The Thing"movie
Well let me get off my pity pot...I am recouping from my flip out at the local grocery store(Texans know it as HEB) my last straw in the fresh food section I found only two from the USA...but in the end I had about 10 shoppers listening and agreeing enough is enough and I was not blacklisted from the store... yet!
I am growing of my usual Victory Garden...so I can eat

Dixie,

Farmers Branch is Dallas' unknown gem. It's right in the middle of Dallas and by 3 major freeways. It has cheap homes and it's safe (due to the small size of the city and a decent size police force who will come immediately to your aid in a couple of minutes).

That's the reason I moved here. It's well kept up in nearly all areas (with the exception of a couple of parts of town) due to a legion of bored inspectors who drive around all day looking to see if your grass has grown too tall.

So it is a haven for illegal immigrants, due to most people in Dallas not knowing about it (house prices are around $100,000, and they pack a family of 5 to 7 people in each small 3 bedroom house, which is a very cheap deal for central Dallas). I had no idea there would be so many illegal immigrants in this city, or I probably would not have moved here three years ago.

It really seems like FB will be the next aging part of Dallas that will be torn down and "revitalized" with new homes and huge property values at some point. I've been surprised that will all the rich people in Dallas struggling to find decent pieces of land to build on in central to North Dallas, that they haven't bought up whole blocks of cheap houses in FB to tear down and re-build new houses on .

I don't think the illegals had any idea how the residents of FB felt about them until this whole mess started. Many have lived in the area since they were children, when it was formed in the 1950's, and can't stand to see the whole place go downhill (which from what I've heard from long-time residents, seemed to happen suddenly in the last 5 or 10 years). I know FB had tried to curb the number of people living in a home by stating only so many cars could be parked out front of the home, but that makes NO difference!! They still pack them in (the noisy next door neighbor has between five and six living there -- it may be more for all I know, as I can't tell due to the large number of people and cars going in and out of their house and property, mostly the same people over and over).

No one in this modern age should pack that many people into that small a house!! It's a health hazard!!

TexasGal

(Sorry to vent over the neighbors. And I'm a pretty tolerant person regarding neighbors. I haven't even reported any of them for noise violations.)