.
Update on 3/4/07: It is not clear to me whether there is still a committee meeting, or if this issue goes to the full legislature. If you are planning to attend, please contact the Workplace Project, who are watching the details closely:
Nadia at the Workplace Project:
516-565-5377
Support Immigrant Workers (and our own civil rights!)
Attend Hearing/Write to the Suffolk County Legislature
dapted from an announcement by Mike O: The political strategy coming out of the recent picketing by the Farmingville Minimen against the journaleros at the shape-up site on Horse Block Rd, consulting their 2 closest and most vocal supporters in the Suffolk Legislature (Carracappa [Republican]& Eddington [Working Families Party]) are sponsoring a bill they will try to get approved by the Public Safety Committee to bring before the legislature making it a crime to stand (loiter) on the side of a county road to solicit work, under guise of public safety.The Public Safety Committee of the Suffolk Legislature will hold hearings this
Thursday, March 1st at 9:30 am
AND
Tuesday, March 6th at 9:30 am
in the Wm Rogers Legislative Bldg, 725 Veterans Highway in Hauppauge, NY
The last anti-immigrant bill passed by the legislature saw the anti-immigrant Minutemen sign up for the first 40 speaking slots, getting there at 8 am. Since they held most of the seats and the first 2 hrs of speakers, except for a sprinkling of opponents, they were able to give the distinct impression the overwhelming majority of Suffolk residents agreed with their ill tempered, anti-immigrant racism.
They completely scared the legislators into believing they had little political choice but to go along with their hysteria. The next 3 hearings, the LIIA did muster up the majority of speakers and held by far the most seats, but to little avail because the legislators had decided their vote and had made their deals on that first day’s hearings. The Minutemen & Sachem Quality of Life cohorts did not even show up for the last two hearings, because they were confident they held the majority of legislators, which they did 16 to 4.
Please call your Suffolk County Legislator and/or the members of the Public Safety Committee to tell them to stop the shameful discrimination and persecution of immigrant daylaborers & be sure to write to:
Jay Schneiderman Jay.Schneiderman@suffolkcountyny.gov
P.O. Box 1827, Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Phone: 852-8400 Fax: 852-8404
AND
Ed Romaine Edward.Romaine@suffolkcountyny.gov
423 Griffing Avenue, Suite 2, Riverhead, NY 11901Phone: 852·3200 Fax: 852·3203
telling them you were ashamed of their last anti-immigrant vote which seems to have only encouraged this mushrooming anti-immigrant hatred.
NOTE From Kimberly: Jay Schneiderman and Ed Romaine are reachable. They have both had progressive moments in their past. Please consider taking the time to lobby them, as well as suggest support for more positive measures, such as a hiring hall, in order to address the apparent problem of crowded streets.
Jay.Schneiderman@suffolkcountyny.gov
Edward.Romaine@suffolkcountyny.gov
The last anti-immigration bill in Suffolk County, IR 2025-2006 (requiring agencies that do business with the county to sign an affidavit that all their employees are legally allowed to work in the US), passed with a vote of 15-3. The three who did not vote for it were Deputy Presiding Officer Vivian Viloria-Fisher (5th district), Legislator Ricardo Montano (9th district) and Legislator Elie Mystal (15th district). They all took a lot of flack for not voting with their Democratic caucus. I’m sure they would appreciate getting letters from constituents telling them how much we admire their courage and that we expect them to continue to vote based on values of human worth and not hate. Kate Browning (working families party, 3rd district) is an immigrant herself from Ireland, and was very close to voting against the bill; maybe she can be swayed this time. Here is the list of members of the public safety committee.
A link to the text of the bill: www.co.suffolk.ny.us/legis/resos2007/i1022-07.htm
Members of the Public Safety Committee are:
Leg. Eddington — Chair (Working Families, District 7)
Leg. Browning — Vice Chair (WF, district 3)
Leg. Caracappa (R, district 4)
Leg. Horsley (D, district 14)
Leg. Losquadro (R, district 6)
Leg. Mystal (D, district 15)
Leg. Nowick (R, district 13)
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What is it you people don’t understand about the word “illegal”? We’re ALL IMMIGRANTS, dummies! Difference is, our predecessors wanted to become Americans, not rape social services and send money to third world ruins. Name one thing the illegal immigrants have done to prove they want to stay here? Keep breaking the law? You people have your heads up your asses I mean, is it fair for the single mother who pays taxes and makes 8 bucks an hour at Wendy’s?
I am so dissapointed to read the HATE in Rugger’s mail. Those are the “values” he is . Remember THE BEATITUDES we were taught. mfhaas
And I’m disappointed in my country. You see, too much tolerance breeds intolerance. We live by laws. We pay taxes. We thank God for the goodness in our lives, and we are willing to help out our neighbors. No one would ever chastise another human being for feeding their family. But when you allow lawbreakers to reap all the benefits of citizens, you are promoting anarchy. Should we build hiring halls for drug dealers too? They’re breaking the law, aren’t they? They’re just trying to feed their families as well. Why not repeal the Rockefeller Laws? Isn’t marijuana just a plant? Why is the single, LEGAL, TAXPAYING, mother who works in a fast food restaurant required to give almost half of her paycheck to pay taxes so these illegal immigrants can use our hospitals and schools? And again, I ask, what have these people done for the community to give back? Western Union is thriving because the money goes back to the illegal immigrant’s country. Most of these people DO NOT want to become legal citizens. I’ve worked with many of them side by side in landscaping, restaurants, and the consensus is the same. They don’t want to be here. It’s all about money. They break our laws, and that’s against the ten commandments. THOU SHALL NOT STEAL. Please stop defending people who break the law.