It always amazes me how some Americans can be so utterly blind and stupid!



http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail ... Id=0,53333

Worthington Trying To Heal After Raid

It's been just over a week since federal immigration officials raided the Swift meat packing plant in Worthington and arrested more than 200 suspected illegal immigrants.

Officials in Worthington who work with immigrants say the events of the past week have really broken down the trust within the Hispanic community, and they are trying to come together to provide for the needs of those families who in some cases are still afraid to leave their homes.

Worthington hasn't been the same since immigration officials arrested more than 200 suspected illegal immigrants last week at the Swift meat-packing plant.

"We work hard all year long to bring people together and this week has done a lot to rip people apart," Nobles County Integration Collabrative Coordinator Sharon Johnson said.

Sharon Johnson is the coordinator for Nobles County Integration Collaborative. She is working with other community members to help the families who still live in Worthington and were impacted by the arrests.

"People were afraid to leave their homes - they wouldn't go to the store," Johnson said.

And that's why community members are delivering food door to door for immigrants who didn't want to go out in public. To help rebuild the trust in town, Spanish speaking volunteers are also handing out food.

"They would go out together to the homes so people would feel safe enough to open the door," Johnson said.

Johnson knows it will take time to build up trust with the Hispanic community again but she says as the Worthington community comes together to help the families, it can also be a time to heal.

"This is a challenging time but it can be a time to unite us," Johnson said.

Johnson says many community groups met last week to talk about the needs in Worthington.

In addition to food, they are also working to provide the Hispanic community with legal advice and telephone numbers to track down relatives.