Thread: Waukegan Lt. to Ed:Let's get up and leave...no persecution

I'm going to put this letter on our town's local website but not quite sure how to respond to it yet?! This is the first letter I've seen someone say; Let's get up and leave. See end of letter


Letters to the Editor

November 1, 2007
Waukegan Springfield Chicago

His kind of town

"WOW! Waukegan" is the marketing slogan for the city's development scheme. Wow, was also the word that came to mind as I walked Genesee Street on an average October night.

The bright lights of the Genesee Theatre flickered as the street buzzed with anticipation. "MORRISEY" it exclaimed in bold black letters. Again I wowed. Morrissey in my town.

I was so overwhelmed by all this that I went past the CLC Lakeshore campus, my original destination, and went into a very nice, almost upscale bar, called Bistro 17. The owner asked me what I thought of the place and all I could say was, "Wow."

To understand my astonishment and my mini-celebration, you must understand where I came from and how far Waukegan has come in the past decade. I moved here from Wheeling in 1994. Even at the ripe age of nine I could tell that Waukegan was not the best of places. It had a corroded element to it.

This was very evident when I first saw the John-Manville plant, which overlooks the polluted lake and the highway to nowhere. "What the heck were my parents thinking?" was my sentiment throughout that first year. In perspective, they were doing all they could to house a growing family on a very tight budget which is a strenuous exercise.

So like many growing Mexican families, they found refuge in a town on its downside. Back then the downtown was an eyesore. There was no Wal-Mart Supercenter, Jewel or Target on the North Side, not very much of anything positive going on. Yet, Waukegan grew on me like it did on so many others.

As Mexicans, Waukegan is our kind of town. It is gritty, real and hard working. Slowly, but surely, Waukegan begins to progress and a lot of its "new" citizens started to invest in small grocery stores, shops and other small businesses.

Waukegan no longer carries the same stigma it did 15 years ago thanks to a lot of hard- working citizens, legal and illegal, that stuck by Waukegan through the thinnest. Today, we live in a town we can all be proud of and the fat cats at City Hall are not only taking credit for the revitalization, but also painting us a road out of town with such referendum as 287(g) and other ordinances.

The concept behind the laws I can accept. The timing and subconscious spite behind them I cannot. The dirty work has been done to resurrect a dying community. Yuppies from the city and North Shore want a stake in Waukegan.

It pains me that I can't blame the yuppies; besides, Waukegan is a very charming town with great access to two major cities. Mayor Hyde and his cronies are the ones who suffer from amnesia. Downtown Waukegan is looking nice, but at what cost?

I got an idea if we're not wanted, let us not wait for doomsday. Let's get up and leave. We don't deserve this persecution.

Close your eyes for a second and imagine Waukegan without Hispanics. Is that how you dreamed it up? Wow!

Marco Arteaga
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com

I don't live in Waukegan - but I live in Texas.

I don't want a Texas without hispanics - family members and good friends would be gone.

I do want a Texas without illegals and I want a Texas where the rule of law is once again repected, enforced, and obeyed.

It is suprising, though that he would give the hispanics the credit for the town coming alive. Many towns across the country have revitalized their downtowns and older communities - and with out illegals.

What does the proposition have to do with legal hispanics, though?????

Is this person real - or does he have some political agenda???

Oh brother!

During the time period he is speaking of, most cities and towns were falling is disrepair all across the US because of the economic condition of the country. A recession brought the blight on and illegal aliens didn't fix it, tax payers did.

I've seen pictures from Waukegan. First, the illegal aliens are not building anything, they are just moving in. Secondly, if what they have done is considered improvement to a facade of a building, then hand me a barf bag before I Wow on your shoes.

Dixie

It gets tiring. Illegal aliens have no concept of the term "illegal". They do not recognize it and it does not exist in their vocabulary. It is up to us, American citizens, to introduce to them what illegal means and what laws are for. Period. End of story.

zeezil Oh, they know - they just don't care, and no one has forced them to care about the illegality of it. In fact, it has made them somehow - 'holy'.

I'm going to put this letter on our town's local website but not quite sure how to respond to it yet?! This is the first letter I've seen someone say; Let's get up and leave. See end of letter

Fedupinwaukegan,

Congrats! 287g is working, even before it’s in full force. cool!

It was all worth it then, and lets hope this person really represents most, if not all, the Hispanics there.

I know what I'd say; BYE – BYE, Don’t let tollgate hit you in the butt as you leave.
Heck I’d even buy him a tank of gas to get him going!

Slowly, but surely, Waukegan begins to progress and a lot of its "new" citizens started to invest in small grocery stores, shops and other small businesses

Yeah, and I'll bet many of these so-called "new" citizens were mostly catering to illegal immigrants. Illegals are creating their own demand for services and goods. Get rid of the illegals, and the demand for goods and service in the community will diminish.

You hit it MW. Here is one of those small grocery stores.



Here is another lovely shop.



I have many more shots...

The yellow sign states, " We accept WIC."

Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program

Originally Posted by fedupinwaukegan

You hit it MW. Here is one of those small grocery stores.





I have many more shots...

Something about his letter kept bothering me. Then it came to me.

I have encountered the same idea of 'the illegals revitalized this area or that' on other boards.

Could this be one of their latest 'talking points'?