To "poll" residents about a Common Council resolution he supports, Danbury mayor Mark Boughton used his power over the city's reverse-911 system to "robo-call" citizens with a survey his staff wrote up. He found, through a totally unscientific poll, about 4,700 of 7,000 respondents agreed with him. ("It seemed to me the way it was worded was to make me respond 'yes,'" one resident told the Danbury News-Times.) We found a transcript of the call. It goes something like this...
Hello! This is the office of Mayor Mark Boughton. As you may know, the City of Danbury is considering enrolling in ICEACCESS, a program that allows the Police Department to join forces with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce laws relating to illegal immigration and we'd like to know your opinion.
Press 1 if you're in favor of ICEACCESS and would like to give the police the tools they need to deal with the law-breakers taking refuge in Danbury.
Press 2 if you're against ICEACCESS and want to erode our national sovereignty.
Press 3 if you really do want Danbury Police to swoop down on this legion of illegal invaders, bust up their gang-banging, drug-carrying and human-smuggling operations and tell them to "lick the ICE, hombre!"
Press 4 if you'd like the nutjobs from Big T's Talk and Variety Show and U.S. Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement to form a posse.
Prensa cinco para oír este mensaje en español.
Just for fun, we pressed 5 (cinco) and an unmarked van started circling our building.
If you think this is funny, wait till you see what I and other media outlets have to say about the phone poll that wasted taxpayer's dollars as well as the start to Boughton's 4th disgraceful political term.
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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.
