Thread: NV: Fence up, day laborers off property

Fence up, day laborers off property
Nov. 2, 2009

You could call it a sign of the times, the desperation to find work.

"It is difficult," said Fissmy, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who is looking for any odd-jobs to support his 8 year old son. He says of lately, it hasn't been easy.

"One day, work, another day, no work, one week, two weeks, no working. It's difficult," he tells Action News in Spanish.

But workers like Feesmy aren't joining the lines at the temp agencies. They take their job hunt to the streets. They're looking for someone, anyone to hire them.

"Lady, lady, lady is what they say constantly," Heidi Prieto says. She's a regular customer at the Star Nursery near Cheyenne and 95.

She says over the past few months, the workers' search for jobs has collided unpleasantly with her search for garden plants.

"When I come in, if I'm not paying attention to my surroundings and they pop up there, my heart nearly rips out my chest."

Action News witnessed that first hand, as we camped out at different stores and found laborers swarming cars, on and outside the property and some people even hiring the workers.

"We should be able to shop without being harassed," Heidi says.

Now, Star Nursery is drawing the line with a fence. Workers will have to peek through the barrier and wait beyond the property line in order to find work near Star.

"We don't support day laborers. I understand people's right and need to work but there's a way of going about that," says Pat Chapin, attorney for Star Nursery.

Chapin tells Action News the nursery has spent $200,000 a year on security to handle the laborers after thousands of complaints like Heidi's, claiming they jump on cars, yell, and approach customers in front of the store.

Chapin says the laborers also broke a water valve last summer, resulting in a $5,000 water bill at one store.

Landscaping has also been torn up, plus urination and defecation on the property.

"Day laborers can still do what they have to do on the public streets but star nursery is telling the public and the community and its customers that it's not going to tolerate this infiltration and this trespass and this aggressive behavior," Chapin says.

Star Nursey isn't the only one putting up a barrier. At Moon Valley nursery in Henderson, they're planning to put up a wrought iron fence to surround their property.

Workers like Feesmy don't like the changes.

"It's discrimination," he says.

Customers like Heidi don't think it's enough

"We witnessed another guy take a knife and cut the 'no' where it says 'no day laborers' out of it- and this is the people you want in your parking lot harassing you? he had a knife in his hand and cut it of the sign."

Metro gets calls from local nurseries and home improvement stores every day, complaining about trespassing.

Metro says they rarely make arrests, instead issuing warnings. Heidi wishes they'd do more.

"It's like a game. You call metro and you sit and wait to do your report because this has happened. Soon as Metro comes they jump off the property, soon as Metro leaves, they come right back on 10

So now police are taking a different approach. Sheriff Doug Gillespie has introduced a new protocol that should be approved soon.

It tells officers how to handle day laborer calls.

"In a problem that we can't necessarily solve right now, this provides some guidance for our officers out there," Captain Chris Darcy of Metro tells us.

A lot of people may not even realize that in the City of las vegas, it's illegal to stop a vehicle in the street to employ a pedestrian. Retailers have been working for years to find a solution to customers' issues with the laborers, but the argument that always wins?

"Day laborers have a right to be out there," says Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the ACLU.

"Having several people on the sidewalk calling out to you saying 'hey give me a job,' that's not harassment," Lichtenstein continues.

The ACLU of Nevada has been against proposals to regulate where day laborers can stand and ask for work, but the ACLU tells us they're okay with Star's fence.

"Fencing off your own property is something that people do all the time that's viable in keeping them off their own property. It will not keep them off the public sidewalk," Lichtenstein says.

The ACLU supports the idea of having an area for the laborers to congregate to lessen customer complaints.

At a Home Depot in Los Angeles, the city operates and pays for the area for the workers to gather. In Las Vegas there is no area for workers to gather and the fence was Star's only solution to their customers' complaints.

They say the fence is working. They say their sales have gone up about 5% at locations with the barriers, and they've received positive customer feedback.

But the barrier doesn't deter everyone. Feesmy tells us, he's still going to be out there, trying to get work- "I am not a bad person. I am a good person and I am like many other people waiting for an opportunity."

Star also just found out that they've been cited by the city and the county for having a temporary fence up. They have until December to take the fence down or apply for a permit for permanent fencing.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11430412

This is so pathetic for these businesses to be harassed like this!

Isn't this big of the ACLU

The ACLU of Nevada has been against proposals to regulate where day laborers can stand and ask for work, but the ACLU tells us they're okay with Star's fence.

"Day laborers have a right to be out there," says Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the ACLU.

Uh NO they don't legally have any right to such a thing. Just cause the AACLU( no, that's not a typo... I add an "anti" in front of this socialist gang) says they do doesn't make it so!

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

This is so pathetic for these businesses to be harassed like this!

Isn't this big of the ACLU

The ACLU of Nevada has been against proposals to regulate where day laborers can stand and ask for work, but the ACLU tells us they're okay with Star's fence.

Oh yes, that IS big of the ACLU. Thank heaven these private businesses have the blessing of the ACLU to put up fences on their private property. I was really concerned about what the Almighty ACLU would think.

Day laborers can still do what they have to do on the public streets but star nursery is telling the public and the community and its customers that it's not going to tolerate this infiltration and this trespass and this aggressive behavior," Chapin says.

Star Nursey isn't the only one putting up a barrier. At Moon Valley nursery in Henderson, they're planning to put up a wrought iron fence to surround their property

Good job Star Nursery! Your customers and Americans in general thank you for your efforts tp combat these aggressive and lawless illegal invaders who are tresspassing on your property!

Now, if the police would only enforce the loitering laws we might get somewhere!

Workers like Feesmy don't like the changes.

"It's discrimination," he says.

The gall! If this is not an invasion, whereby these invaders will attempt to conquer under the guise of anti-discrimination, then I do not know what it is.

The fence has been up for a few weeks now. I shop there and it was awful trying to drive in and out of the nursery with these people there. This has been going on for years. There are at least 20 and more across the streets, at and around the intersections.. I can't understand why people will hire them to come and work at their home knowing the problem we are having here in this country.......

They are also at all the Home Depot Stores and a few have come over to me when I have been loading my car..I notice that some days they are on the side walk other days they are closer in to the store. I quess it depends on who is in charge at the store and how many people complain in a given day.

These two chains seem to have the most problems..why aren't the ICE Agents there at these places checking ID's...and putting a stop to the loitering. It is not like they are hidden from view they are out there in plain site and in big groups.

Kathyet

Originally Posted by builditnow

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

This is so pathetic for these businesses to be harassed like this!

Isn't this big of the ACLU

The ACLU of Nevada has been against proposals to regulate where day laborers can stand and ask for work, but the ACLU tells us they're okay with Star's fence.

Oh yes, that IS big of the ACLU. Thank heaven these private businesses have the blessing of the ACLU to put up fences on their private property. I was really concerned about what the Almighty ACLU would think.

I was thinking the same

Originally Posted by jean

Fence up, day laborers off property
Nov. 2, 2009

At a Home Depot in Los Angeles, the city operates and pays for the area for the workers to gather. In Las Vegas there is no area for workers to gather and the fence was Star's only solution to their customers' complaints.

......

Star also just found out that they've been cited by the city and the county for having a temporary fence up. They have until December to take the fence down or apply for a permit for permanent fencing.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11430412

Los Angeles pays and encourages CRIMINAL behavior by CRIMINALS, the Illegal-Invaders. This is totally insane. The country has gone mad. It is sad to sit and watch the country go to hell.

Then the city is hassling the nursery about their fence. Crazy. Anti-American, anti-business behavior.

Workers like Feesmy don't like the changes.

"It's discrimination," he says.

RAAAACIIIISM. Oh, give me a break. A business can't erect a fence on it's own property without being accused of discrimination. That seems to be the standard line to take whenever the illegals don't like something - discrimination.

Originally Posted by EuropeanDescendant

Originally Posted by jean

Fence up, day laborers off property
Nov. 2, 2009

At a Home Depot in Los Angeles, the city operates and pays for the area for the workers to gather. In Las Vegas there is no area for workers to gather and the fence was Star's only solution to their customers' complaints.

......

Star also just found out that they've been cited by the city and the county for having a temporary fence up. They have until December to take the fence down or apply for a permit for permanent fencing.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11430412

Los Angeles pays and encourages CRIMINAL behavior by CRIMINALS, the Illegal-Invaders. This is totally insane. The country has gone mad. It is sad to sit and watch the country go to hell.

Then the city is hassling the nursery about their fence. Crazy. Anti-American, anti-business behavior.

That's a good one the city pays for the area for them to gather...on who's tax dollars..and where is ICE in all this????

My hope is they will all leave.... our city tends to be on the sanctuary side of the issue, maybe with the economy being the way it is they will wise up and put the cities legal citizens first...

Kathyet