Thread: Boycott organizers enlist business support

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Boycott organizers enlist business support
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article

July 4, 2007

By JUDY MASTERSON jmasterson@scn1.com

WAUKEGAN -- Organizers of a planned boycott of Waukegan businesses hope to sway owners into pressuring the City Council to withdraw its application to the federal government for the authority to help enforce U.S. immigration laws.

Volunteers worked Tuesday, according to one source, to make large orange signs for businesses to post in their windows, assuring undocumented customers and other concerned citizens that they do not support Waukegan's bid to enact 287(g), a section under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act that allows state and local law enforcement agencies to designate officers to perform certain immigration enforcement functions.

They also drafted a letter of support for their cause, copies of which they hope business owners will sign before they are forwarded to the city.

"We're requesting they (the city) withdraw their application," said Jose Guzman, a leader of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement in Waukegan, one of two groups working to organize the boycott. "We're going to stop discrimination even if it means Latino businesses moving out of this city."

Several business owners contacted by the Lake County News-Sun declined to talk about what a boycott of 287(g) might mean.

"Of course I'm concerned," said the manager of one busy Waukegan restaurant, who asked that neither he nor his business be identified. "But I'd rather not get involved. We don't want to take sides."

Tony Soto, whose family has owned a furniture and jewelry store in downtown Waukegan for 50 years, said the store has never taken sides in political campaigns or debates and doesn't plan to start now.

"When it comes to politics, we don't put signs out," Soto said. "That's not good for business. We don't want to get involved."

Soto said most of his customers are American citizens, but a "certain percentage" are not.

"Let's say 10 people want us to put up a sign or sign a petition," Soto said. "Maybe one or two of those will be customers. Others won't want to shop at my store. We keep our opinions to ourselves."

Horacio Lopez, vice president of the 150-member Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Lake County, spoke against 287(g) at a meeting attended by an estimated 2,000 people last week at Holy Family Parish in Waukegan. While he said 287(g) powers will polarize the community, he called a boycott a "radical" move.

"Who loses in the end? We all lose," said Lopez, who owns Pro Data Payroll Services in Libertyville. "I think there has to be open dialogue, and I think we are making progress on that. We have to put programs together that will bring to light what the community is asking for. What are we asking for? We want assurances we won't be taken advantage of with or without 287g."

Carmen Patlan, director of human concerns for Holy Family and associated parishes, said the church is against 287(g) but does not support the planned boycott.

The Rev. Gary Graf, who extracted promises from Waukegan Mayor Dick Hyde to use 287(g) to prosecute only the worst criminals, said he and the church family also made a promise "not to involve ourselves in anything that is going to distract us from a mutual dialogue."

"A boycott could be very, very effective, depending on how well it's organized," Graf said. "But I don't think it's the approach to take right now. I don't think we're at that point. We're asking people to be patient and see if we can move it to a withdrawal of the petition. If I thought the city was outright rejecting all invitations to dialogue and work with us, then we would ask what do we need to do next, and a boycott could be the next step."




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"Who loses in the end? We all lose," said Lopez, who owns Pro Data Payroll Services in Libertyville. "I think there has to be open dialogue, and I think we are making progress on that.

"A boycott could be very, very effective, depending on how well it's organized," Graf said. "But I don't think it's the approach to take right now. I don't think we're at that point. We're asking people to be patient and see if we can move it to a withdrawal of the petition. If I thought the city was outright rejecting all invitations to dialogue and work with us, then we would ask what do we need to do next, and a boycott could be the next step."

Sure, let's talk and talk and talk while the illegal tidal wave grows and grows! Next thing you know Americans don't even have a voice in the conversation. WAKE UP WAUKEGAN ! I hope you folks up there make a list of every business owner who signs that petition and publish it far and wide, including on the internet travel pages where they advertise! Show them who has the REAL clout in America!

"Let's say 10 people want us to put up a sign or sign a petition," Soto said. "Maybe one or two of those will be customers. Others won't want to shop at my store. We keep our opinions to ourselves."

Straight from the horse's mouth so to speak! If those signs go up, the boycott should be by Americans against those businesses. It's time America put some effort into this instead of just lip service!

"We're requesting they (the city) withdraw their application," said Jose Guzman, a leader of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement in Waukegan, one of two groups working to organize the boycott. "We're going to stop discrimination even if it means Latino businesses moving out of this city."

Let them move on out and be replaced by American entrepenuers. I hope every city in America drafts it's own 287(g), and the move out becomes an exodus to the border in the direction from which it came!

P.S. Take the open borders liberals and the socialists with you, they'll come in handy when you arrive home. Just don't count on them for any heavy lifting because they just want to plot and plan for you. You get to do all the work!

Please be sure to go to the article and vote in the poll. Thank you.

Do you think the boycott called by Latino activists will succeed?

Yes
44% 1487 votes
No
55% 1827 votes


Total Votes: 3314