Just came back from the rally down at City Hall. I bring you guys a full report on today's activities including which politicians came out in support of the immigrants, which politicians came out in support of the anti-immigrant group. I also have video interviews from many of the key players at today's event and lets just say that some didn't hold back their feelings about Mayor Boughton, Cheif of Police Alan Baker, the god-awful coverage in the News-Times, and the current state of affairs in the area.
Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
NOTE TO "EVER-SO-ACCURATE" NEWSTIMES:Barb Keidel is NOT from Danbury but from the Waterbury area and if you want a great harrassment story about an encounter she had with two Latinos recently, give Pippa's a call.
ELEVEN DAY laborers were arrested and detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) in a disgraceful sting operation in Danbury, Conn.
The incident began at 7 a.m. on September 19 when the workers were gathering in Kennedy Park to wait for employers to come with work for that day. An unmarked silver van--with construction helmets and day-glow safety vests visible inside--made three stops, picking up 11 laborers in all.
The van was being used by ICE agents--who, under the pretence of being an employer looking for workers, instead arrested and detained the laborers.
The van took the 11 directly to the Danbury Police Department parking lot, where they were transferred to another vehicle bound for Hartford. They were held in Hartford long enough for processing, and were then transferred to a detention facility in Suffolk County, Mass.
In the hours and days that followed, family members grew alarmed at the disappearance of the 11 laborers. But many were afraid to approach the police to ask if their loved ones were on the list of those arrested. "He just didn’t come home," said the nephew of one of the missing workers.
One year ago, anti-racist activists from several groups held a demonstration in the park where the detainees were picked up. The demonstration was a protest against the racist Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control (CCIR), which occupied the park early in the morning, frightening away many workers, documented and undocumented alike, who wait there for work.
The antiracist demonstrators set up across from the CCIR, chanting, "We don't want your racist fear, immigrants are welcome here!" and the racists were forced to abandon their protest early.
A few months before, some 1,300 people held a silent march through Danbury to protest Mayor D. Mark Boughton's plan to deputize local police officers to enforce immigration laws. After the march, Boughton backed down from sanctioning mass deportation sweeps.
Better translation of El Canillita article on ICE arrests of the "Danbury 11"
Time: 8:29 PM
Thanks to a great reader, I can now bring you a better translation of the ICE article that was in the latest edition of El Canillita newspaper. It give a much clearer account on what actually happened than what was reported in the News-Times.
Again, it's still somewhat choppy but it's easier to read than my original translation.
The police said that the events occurred in response to the blocking of traffic in the Kennedy Park area, and with the support of ICE, a federal agency that is part of the Department of Homeland Security, they arrested 11 people who were identified as illegal immigrants, and were later taken to Hartford by ICE agents for processing.
For us it's a public safety issue; we contacted different agencies, it's our job, said Captian Robert Myles of the Danbury PD. "The Danbury Police didn't bring charges against these people, that's an ICE issue," and he made no further specific comment as to the motive for participating with ICE in those activities. He said also that there had already been warnings to day workers in Kennedy Park for about two months regarding the access/blockage problems that occurred.
"We worked with the Danbury Police Dept, we identified 11 people who were in this country illegally, all are Ecuadoran and are under arrest, facing charges on immigration violations, they will be processed," said Paul Grenier, spokesperson for ICE. We arrest people every day for violation of immigration laws, and what happened on Tuesday was at the request of the Danbury Police Dept.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT POSITION:
el Canillita decided to research the position of Danbury local government and contacted Michael McLachlan, Administrative Assistant of Mayor Boughton, who provided comments on behalf of the Mayor, to be *returning from Brasil at the deadline of this edition of the newspaper. "The Mayor supports enforcing immigration laws, he has a definite position in support of compliance with and obeying the laws of the USA, and that's the only statement I can give with regards to the position of local government on the events that occurred."
I can't comment on or speculate on whether these activities will occur again in the future, but they seem to have increased in recent months.
I don't think this is just a local issue, but rather an enforcement effort on a national basis. It looks like it will happen in the future, but not only in Danbury; it could be Stamford, Brewster, Katonah, I don't know, and we don't know where or when it will happen, but these appear to havae been increased in recent months, many of the arrests have nothing to do with criminal activities but solely to violations to immigration laws”.
Testimony from witnesses who were effected
el Canillita interviewed Julia Lebron, mother of Juan Carlos Simbana, 24 yrs old, who is one of the men who were arrested. she commented: Y came from work, I hae a night shift at a printer. when I got to the bus stop at Kennedy Park, about 7:30 am, I saw my son waiting to be contracted. I also saw an American man who picked up two workers, and thought that was to give them work. When my son didn't come home all day, I looked for him and went to the police the next day, we found his name on the list of those arrested."
Juan Carlos Simbana came to this country three months ago and reunited with ims mother whom he had not seen for 16 years, the entire time she'd been living in the USA.
"They have seized my son just as we had barely begun to get reacquainted again... I don't know what will happen with him, but I think that he will be deported," said Julia Lebron, who lives in Danbury and has four other children.
Jose Andrade is a 29 years old Ecuadorian who has been living in Danbury for six years. This is what said for el Canillita:
I arrived at about 7:15 am and was parking my bike on the side of Maine St when I saw a gray (truck or van?) parked on the corner of Main and Kennedy", a un costado del Kennedy Park. Just then all the workers that had gathered on teh corner ran to get hired and I knew taht a man picked up three of t hem to work. About 15 minutes later, the same truck came back and I then ran to ask for work, but other workers got there first ahead of me. An american man put four workers on the seats aanda fifth in the back, at the driver's suggestion. I could see between the truck there were work helmets and safety vestslike are used in construction. I asked the driver if he'd take me so I could work, and even told him that I remembered him, that I had worked for him before, even though really I had never sen him, but it's a strategy that has worked for me in the past. The man looked at me strangely, and he said to me that he would ask his boss. and if he needed more workers, he'd come back for me. I heard that the man told them that they'd be taken to work on construction of a cerca ?? some place near main street, near the library.
After all this, Jose Andrede was hired for a roofing job and left about 7:50 am. He witnessed two occasions in which the truck took workers, but suspected that a third trip before he arrived might have occurred, since a friend of his was on the list of people arrested and he didn't see him in either of the first two groups or during the time while he waited to be hired.
"I feel like now I can't trust anyone, I don't know if I'm going to go into a restaurant and have the person waiting on me be someone from immigration who will arrest me, said Jose Andrade. The police had warned us before that we shouldnt hang around in certain areas of Kennedy Park, but we were there because we needed to work. Besides, I have worked for the police doing gardening work at their own houses."
el Canillita also interviewed Carlos, brother of Luciano Moroches, one of the arrested group, and he said:
I got a private call on my cell phone at 10:35 am on 9/20 (the day after the arrests), and it was my brother. HE told me that immigration had caught him, and explained that he and three other workers were seized by some american men who wore red work helmets, to hire them to make a CERCA. After picking them up in a gray pickup truck as if everything was normal, they drovbe them over near Food Market on Main St and when they got out, the agents were waiting for them and put them in a car "a patadas y esposados" (look up). They took them two by two or three or four to offer them work.. They came back in different cars each time and different people. My borher said to me, I am in the big jail in Hartford, I"m hunger, I haven't had anything to eat or a glass of water since yesterday." He called me secretly from someplace because they were not allowed to make calls, and just then, they discovered him.
Ned Lamont made a visit to my neck of the woods and talked to students at Danbury High School Thursday morning.
The man who's looking to give Joe Lieberman his pink slip answered a series interesting questions from the packed audience ranging from the Iraq War, immigration, and the situation in Darfur, to the No Child Left Behind Law, urban violence and rising college tuition costs.
I have to say, the students asked better question than most other people did on the various Lamont events I've attended. It's promising to see students taking an interest into issues that will have an impact on their lives.
There is hope afterall.
One of the more interesting issues Lamont addressed was the situation in Darfur. For those who don't know, the students at Danbury High are very active in alerting the public about the deplorable situation in Darfur. Recently, the students made a video on Darfur and created a website dedicated to bringing attention to the horrible situation.
"The Promise" is a Danbury High School student video about genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Since 2003, it is estimated that over 300,000 people have been killed in Sudan, with millions more displaced from their homes and at risk of starvation. After school for three months at the end of 2005, a group of students worked with assistant principal Tim Salem on the project. The result is an eight minute documentary meant to raise awareness about the genocide and motivate action. The name "The Promise" is a reminder of the promise the United Nations and the world made in 1945 to hold people accountable for crimes against humanity. With the backdrop of the Holocaust, narration, images and quotations, the focus is on the plight of the children of Darfur. The world was promised "never again". The children and people of Darfur are waiting.
I thought it would be informative for viewers to see where Lamont stood regarding the crisis in Darfur so here's a videoclip of him addressing the issue.
There's so much to talk about regarding this asinine round-up of eleven day laborers at Kennedy park that I don't know where to begin.
From Mayor Boughton's contradicting quotes in the press and the Chief of Police's comment about when he became aware of the day laborer problem at Kennedy Park, to the intolerance, hatred and outright stupidity shown by certain members of the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control (you know who you are), it seems like things in the area are again going downhill with no end in sight.
Here we are almost three years since Boughton put Danbury on the map as the epicenter of the so-called illegal immigration debate in New England and personally, I don't see relations between the mayor and the immigrant community getting better anytime soon. When you add the racist element expressed by the xenophobes stepped up their harassment of the local immigrant population, you have all the elements for a really bad situation that will bring shame to our state.
I'm sure Jodi Rell is really happy about seeing all this nonsense.
Unlike past episodes, there is a sense that the immigrant community as a whole has given up on the mayor. When one looks at Boughton's quotes in the press and comments from his supporters, it's easy to understand why many have lost faith with the present administration and are simply fed up with the status quo.
Unfortunately, due to my limited time, I'll have to save my detailed account on everything that has led us to this point later. For now, I feel that it's important for everyone in Danbury, Connecticut and the nation to see firsthand the frustration that is felt in the area and I think the video from the press conference speaks for itself.
Advocates enraged over the federal roundup of illegal immigrants at Kennedy Park last week announced a protest march Saturday to urge freeing those they called the "Danbury 11."
"People immigrate to this country with the hope of offering their family a better future, not to face persecution, incarceration and deportation," Wilson Hernandez, a member and past president of the Ecuadorean Civic Center, said at a news conference Wednesday in front of Danbury City Hall announcing the march.
[...]
On Sept. 19, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested 11 Ecuadorean day laborers looking for jobs at Kennedy Park.
ICE agents stopped an unmarked van and the illegal immigrants, looking for work, got into the van. They were taken to the Danbury Police Department, then transferred to Hartford for questioning before being locked up in Boston, said Alissa DeRosa, a representative of the Danbury Peace Coalition. She did not cite a source of the information.
"They have not yet been formally charged and have not been able to speak with their families," DeRosa said. "ICE intimidates and harasses the immigrant community," she charged.
[...]
Immigration laws should be changed, said the Rev. Hector Leon of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Danbury.
"If this situation continues, it will become a racial situation," Leon said. "This could have the outcome of hatred."
From all accounts, two of the best speeches at the press conference were from Connecticut AFL-CIO President John Olsen and Democratic Common Council member Lynn Taborsak.
Calling the situation "inhumane" Olsen ripped into Boughton and those who support last week's raid. It's great to see someone who represents the largest union in the state take a stance against this type of treatment.
I've seen Olsen give speeches at various functions over the last year and although I didn't see eye to eye on him regarding his support for Joe Lieberman, I always respected his opinion and his defense of worker's rights.
You can't say that Lynn Taborsak is a person with few words...
The Democratic Common Council member really threw out the red meat for the audience and tore into Boughton with a fire-in-the-belly speech that energized the crowd. You know you're in for a good time and that you'll get plenty of interesting quotes when Lynn gets to the mic and as always, she didn't let anyone down.
Here are excerpts from her speech.
I'm here today to chastise the mayor for a number of reasons.
One, for speaking out of both sides of his mouth on the ICE roundup of day laborers at Kennedy Park. First, by saying in the Danbury News-Times that there would be an increase in immigration sweeps on Kennedy Boulevard then, speaking in an interview on WLAD saying there would be no more sweeps and that any employer can sponsor up to six workers to work legally
[...]
Our Mayor travel to Brazil...at the taxpayers expense to open a line of communication on the issue of immigration...yet he refuses to use the tool of communication with local immigrant groups to work on this issue
As I stated before, I'm really short on time and I'll do follow ups to this story throughout the weekend. Without further delay, here's my video report from City Hall.
Focilon Lliuspe, 37 Juan Barrera, 42 Isacc Maldononado, 36 Carlos Simbanach, 24 Rodolfo Cabrera, 41 Jose Duma, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 27 Daniel Chavez, 30 Manuel Alvaraein, 24 Jose Fernandez, 20 Edgar Predrouan, 29
...developing.
UPDATE 9.29.06: Photos have been corrected and post updated.
It gives a better understanding of what actually happened than what was reported in the News-Times as the reporters for El Canillta were able to talk to relatives of the people who were arrested. Remember, this is a computer-generated English translation so to a certain extent, you have to make out what's being said (although it's translated to English, the grammar seems to stay in Spanish).
In the end, you'll definately get a clearer understanding of what these people went through and how our local and federal authorities operated in regards to the sweep.
Here's an eyewitness account in the article from someone who was on the scene (I'll have someone who can speak better Spanish than me translate this better later. Again, what's important is that you get the main point).
Jose Andrade has been Ecuadorian, been 29 years old and takes living for 6 in Danbury, was there when the facts happened. This is what commented for the Canillita:
“I arrived as to 7:15 a.m.y were parking my bicycle by the side of the Main Street, when I watched a gray van that parked in the corner of Main and Kennedy, to a flank of Kennedy Park. Then all the workers who meet there ran to be contracted and I knew that a man took to three of them to work. Like a the 15 minutes, the same van returned to the place and then I ran to request work, but other workers ran first who I. An American man raised four workers in the seats of the vehicle and fifth he did it in the back part, by suggestion of the conductor. I could see between means of the Van that were work helmets, and vests of security like which they are used in construction. I asked to him the conductor who took me to be able to work, and to inclusively I said him that he remembered to me, that already had worked with him previously, although really never before it had seen it, but is a strategy that has worked to me in other occasions. The man saw me been strange, and he said me that he would ask his head, and if he needed more workers, he would return by me. I listened that the man said to them to the workers who would be taken to work in the construction of close in some place near Main Street, near the library”.
After the previous thing, Jose Andrade was contracted for a work of ceilings and He went of the place around 7:50 a.m. was witness of two occasions in which the van took to the workers, but suspects that there was a third trip before he arrived, because a friend his appeared in the list of arrests and he neither did not see it in first groups or or the time in which Andrade hoped until being contracted.
“I feel that now I cannot trust anybody, I do not know if I am suddenly going to enter a restaurant and the person who takes care of to me will be a migration person and she arrests to me”, comments Jose Andrade. “The police had warned to us previously that we would not have to put in certain zones of Kennedy Park to us but we are in favor there of the necessity to work. In addition, i myself I have worked for police doing workings of gardening in its own houses”.
Represenatives from DACORIM, Danbury Peace Coalition, the Ecuadorian Civic Center, the Connecticut AFL-CIO, and Democratic officials spoke out against Mayor Boughton's illegal immigration policy and the arrest of eleven day laborers last week.
At a press conference held at City Hall, it was announced that a march will be held on Satirday at 12:30 starting at Kennedy Park and ending at City Hall where the marchers will picket against the mayor.
I'm in the process of editing and uploading the video footage and photographs and I'll give a full report on today's event later tonight starting at 7:30.
Today, the Chris Murphy campaign released a new ad that rips Nancy Johnson to shreds. Debunking her over her over-the-top "battlestar galatica inspired" television ad, Murphy goes after Johnson for misleading the public on his record and highlights her lock-in-step support for President Bush's war policy in Iraq.
Danbury Ad Hoc Group Calls for Picket of City Hall
Time: 10:48 AM
Several immigrant groups are holding a join press conference today at City Hall in regards to the recent arrests of 11 day laborers at Kennedy Park.
On Tuesday, September 19th, eleven Ecuadorian day laborers were lured into the unmarked vehicle of a police agent posing as a contractor. After entering the vehicle, they were taken to the Danbury Police Department, where local police and federal immigration agents awaited to transport them to Hartford, and then on to Boston for imprisonment. These 11 workers have not been charged and most of them have not even been allowed to contact family members, leaving many relatives searching for information on missing family members.
Danbury has been an integral part of the immigrant rights movement in Connecticut, with the June 2006 Unity March turning out thousands of immigrants and allies. This recent act of intimidation geared at the Danbury immigrant community shows blatant disregard for the rights and safety of the Danbury community at large. What’s worse, the mayor’s office has gone so far as to proclaim that Stamford, Brewster and Katonah are next on the list for federal raids, detentions and deportations.
On Wednesday, September 27th, DACORIM, Danbury Peace Coalition, and the Ecuadorian Civic Center will hold a press conference at 12pm at City Hall to address the situation, to express solidarity with the immigrant community, and to call on the Danbury Community to join a picket line in front of City Hall this upcoming Saturday, September 30th. Picketers will gather at 12:30 in Kennedy Park and proceed to City Hall to peacefully, legally voice their demands to stop the deportations and free the Danbury 11.
Speakers at the press conference include:
Leonel Villavicelcio of DACORIM
Wilson Hernandez of the Ecuadorian Center
Hector Leon of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Juan Sanchez of the Dominican Club
Maria-Cinta Lowe of the Hispanic Center of Danbury and a Representative of NBLON.
Seems like things are going to heat up again in Danbury and unfortunately, there seems to be no end in sight.
VIDEO FLASHBACK: Mayor Boughton gets testy at immigration forum
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 Time: 4:47 PM
(I'm going off to cover a couple of real stories but since the topic of illegal immigration will be around for a couple of more days (I'll explain later), I thought it would be informative t go back in time and watch as Mayor Boughton and Immigration attorney Philip Berns had what could be called a "lively" discussion during a immigration forum.
Please vote in the poll below the video. Based on the votes (if enough people say yes), I'll play back the entirevideo footage from the forum so you'll get a better picture of the cast of characters in the city including the xenophobes who made their prejudices known big time).
(The picture tells the story)
UPDATE: This post has been updated and now contains the video of the exchange between Mayor Boughton and immigration lawyer Philip Berns.
Did Mayor Boughton go too far personally attacking immigration lawyer Philip Berns? Did Berns get under Boughton's skin when he commented that Danbury does not care about the immigrant population?
The topic of conversation among many who attended the forum on immigration Wednesday night wasn't the immigration issue, but the sharp verbal exchange between Boughton and Berns. The two people were invited to speak about illegal immigration in Danbury but things quickly degraded and became personal with each taking verbal shots at each other. Things seem to reach a boiling point when Mayor Boughton personally attacked Berns' career as an immigration attorney.
You missed the forum? Upset you missed the fireworks? Heard about the exchange and want to see for you if Boughton or Berns went over the line? Well, don't worry; we have the videoclip so you can judge for yourself.
One thing is certain, this issue has angered people on both sides and if last night is any indication, this topic (and the anti-immigration rhetoric expressed by the radical members of the audience) will not go away any time soon.
Boughton returned Sunday from a two-day conference on immigration in Brazil where he met representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, State Department, the Brazilian Federal Police and airline officials from America and Brazil. Consulates from Jamaica, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Paraguay, Panama, Canada and El Salvador also were in attendance.
Through talks with these representatives and through presentations during the conference, Boughton is confident that Danbury is a part of federal investigations in the Northeast that will lead to more illegal immigration roundups.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "is going to do what it's going to do," Boughton said. The Department of Homeland Security "now is taking this seriously, and we likely will see that."
Is the mayor trying to imply that his visit to Brazil was the wake-up call the ICE and Homeland Security needed to know aboout the problems in Danbury? How was what Bouthgon did in Brazil any different than anything he did prior to his visit? Also, ICE came to Danbury several times before last week and it was known that they would be back again as it was reported on in several papers in the area.
Immigration has been a key topic for Boughton, a Republican in his third two-year term, since he began lobbying Congress for immigration reform in 2002.
Boughton also told conference participants about Mayors and County Executives for Immigration Reform, a lobbying group he co-founded that wants secure borders, enforced immigration laws and reimbursement to communities throughout the country for the cost of playing host to so many undocumented people.
Here lies the real issue. Boughton is going to be in a real tough re-election next year. There has been phone polling done in several wards already which people were questioned about several Democrats in a match-up against Boughton.
In short, immigration and fear are going to be used as a political issue which Boughton wants to use now for next year.
By far one of the most controversial presentations was from a gentleman named Eigel Hanson.
Mr. Hanson did an interesting presentation on Human Trafficking and Human Smuggling. He is a worldwide investigator who spends his time chasing the smugglers and traffickers around the globe. He works for the Department of Homeland Security. He first explained that there is a difference between trafficking and smuggling. Trafficking has to do with those individuals who are basically enslaved and brought against their will to another country. Smuggling has to do with “Coyotes” being paid to get people across the border and into the country illegally.
Both situations are tragic.
[...]
People from Brazil pay thousands of dollars to cross the border only to arrive in Mexico and be ripped off or worst. Coyotes peddle the American Dream, take money and don’t care who they hurt. Tragic for those who in many cases give up their entire wealth to come to America and never set foot in the U.S.Getting back to Mr. Hanson. Much of his work for the U.S. is centered around the Tri-Border area. This area is a region of South America that is bordered by Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It is a hotbed for Islamic extremism and has been under intense scrutiny by United States intelligence since 9/11.
In fact, Eigel told us that it is rumored that Bin Laden visited this area of the world in 1995. This area also hosted the group the attacked the Israeli Embassy in Argentina in 1992. Hanson and the Department of Homeland Security are concerned that the terrorists could use the existing network of coyotes to cross the border and some day launch an attack on the U.S. It is a scary thought and illustrates how complex the issue of illegal immigration is.
The idea that a network that is used for people who will do anything to achieve the American Dream is the same network that could be used to smuggle terrorists into the U.S. is a sobering thought.
Get the picture. Using the Karl Rove playbook of 9-11 for a political advantage. Funny how I didn't see any of that inforamtion in the 9-11 commission report? Does the mayor know more than the 9-11 commission?
Again, I'll have more info later but there is more to this immigration story than what Boughton is telling the people. There is NO WAY a two day visit to Brazil resulted in the ICE cracking down in the area and the proof is in the details.
Look, I'm just a blog so I don't have the ability to reach a large audience (trust me, that will change very soon). The stonewalling of the mayor needs to addressed and although the News-Times did a couple of stories on the matter, we need to let them know that they need to stay on the story.
Here's a couple of questions that are still unanswered.
How did the cost of broadcasting meetings go from 60,000 to 90,000? Where did the Mayor get this figure from?
Why are there such a large number of ad-hoc committees in limbo (with some committees going back as far as May)?
Why did the mayor say the Democrats didn't bring up the matter of a review of how the city handle grants during the budget meetings when, according to minority leader Tom Saddi, the Democrats did bring it up the matter during that time period? Why was the item pulled from the agenda by the Republicans in August without discussion?
What exactly did Boughton say in Brazil? His blog offers no information regarding what he said and reads more like a "a day in the life" site.
How much did the city pay for his travel expenses? Where did these funds come from?
Is there a public need for a dog park? If broadcasting meetings is too expensive, why is the mayor proposing a dog park which, by his own estimate, will cost the taxpayers 15,000?
If the illegal immigrants are draining the city resources, why give the BRT developers a seven year tax abatement for the Kennedy park condo project. How much will the city lose in terms of the people who will occupy the complex and will receive the tax abatement for seven years (i.e., kids who will go to school, extra traffic, emergency services, etc).Why give the developers free sever hook-up rights? Shouldn't the same rule apply to those individuals who won't pay taxes for seven years since unlike illegal immigrants, they will not be renting but actually owning their real-estate?
These are fair questions and the public is only informed when the media pays attention.
Please call or email the management at the News-Times and encourage them to stay on the story.
* Jacqueline Smith Managing Editor/News (203) 731-3369 jsmith@newstimes.com
* Eric Conrad Editor (203) 731-3361 econrad@newstimes.com
* Mary Connolly Editorial Page Editor (203) 731-3362 mconnolly@newstimes.com
* Walt VanDusen Managing Editor/Prod. (203) 731-3363 wvandusen@newstimes.com
* Valerie Roth: Metro editor (203) 731-3370 vroth@newstimes.com
There are more issues in Danbury besides illegal immigration and the longer the public is attention is diverted to this hot-button topic which is being fueled by angry minute section of the total population, the more questions go unanswered and more things will occur under the radar which will have an impact on the TOTAL population.
Even one phone call or email can make a difference...
Boughton and Republicans not doing the city's business
Time: 12:58 PM
I'll make this simple and to the point. The Republican-majority and Mayor Boughton are not doing their job.
If the Common Council meetings were televised, you would find that an alarming number of ad-hoc committees are in limbo and nothing is getting done at City Hall. The ad-hoc committee on broadcasting meetings has not met once as well as a number of other ad-hoc committees a majority of which were requested by the Democratic minority.
Enough is enough.
The Mayor and the Republican majority are doing a disservice to the community and it's becoming apparent to the public that they've been in control of the city for way too long. Important committees such as a review of the way the city hands out grants, and tax credit for elderly homeowners, and many other issues are not being addressed by this mayor or the Republican-controlled council and it's simply a disservice to the community.
There has been numerous editorials and articles written on the inaction of the Republicans to hold a number of ad-hoc committees including the review grant request and the broadcasting of meetings. Unfortunately, to really know how serious the problem is right now, you actually have to attend the meetings. If you only watch In Our Opinion, you get a very one-sided Republican point of view of what's happening since Lynn Waller can't seem to find it in herself to really criticize the mayor (Republicans stick together). The News-Times has just scratched the surface in regards to the inaction and hypocrisy of Mayor Boughton (i.e., one day it costs 60,000 to broadcast meetings, the next day it costs 90,000 and all the while, he never explains where he got the figures from).
Therefore, this is what I'M going to do for you.
I made a video highlighting the various problems this city is facing, and inaction of the Republicans, and the frustration of the Democrats who want to get something done. Hopefully, after you watch this video, you'll get a better idea of how bad the situation is in our city as it seems like the Republicans have a problem when it actually comes to doing their job.
Email your representatives on the Common Council and tell them to get to work.
Go to the meetings and address the council at the public forum, express your outrage.
Enough is enough.
What we need are politicians who are willing to get the city's job done, not politicians who take trips to Brazil, set up useless self-promoting blogs, and propose building doggie parks with the people's taxes.
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER: "Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
