Over 800 people from over 29 cities all over Western Michigan and Northern Indiana gathered at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center on Thursday night July 9, to press a set of grass-roots justice-oriented policy initiatives with 22 local, state, and federal public officials.
The diverse audience was made up of church members from local and suburban congregations, homeless people, ex-offenders, and documented and undocumented immigrants who work in a variety of local farms and businesses, who are desperately hoping that federal immigration policies will be changed and they will be able to unite their families and live in peace and security.
The spirit of the gathering was one of excitement and expectation, summed up in the Spanish slogan, “Si se puede!” which echoed through the auditorium throughout the night. There was also music from the praise band of Iglesia Evangelica Misionera, a local Hispanic immigrant church and member of MOP.
As a result of the pressure of being in front of over 800 people united on a common agenda, as well as the spirit and enthusiasm that were so powerful throughout the evening, the following advances were made toward a greater degree of justice:
* Three City of Kalamazoo Commissioners committed to focusing future tax abatements toward companies that make efforts to hire some of their new entry-level employees from among disadvantaged community, including ex-felons.
* State Representative Robert Jones committed to work for legislation that will automatically expunge criminal records 5-7 years after the individual returns to the community and lives with no further criminal offenses.
* State Wage and Hour Head Jack Finn committed to continued work with MOP and the Community Workers Center to clamp down on employers who steal wages and compel their employees to work in unsafe conditions.
* Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley announced a new policy forbidding any kind of racial profiling and assuring immigrants that they will not be identified to immigration authorities unless a serious felony is suspected.
* County Treasurer Mary Balkema pledged to use all the resources of the newly created Land Bank, which she heads, to create increased housing for the homeless.
* Five County Commissioners pledged to support doing research to determine whether a significant number of jail inmates could be diverted from the jail before committing to any expansion of the jail.
* Marc Muelman of the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services and 5 County Commissioners committed to have a mobile dental clinic to serve school children up and running by January, 2010, and a major expansion of the fixed clinic by 2012.
* Representatives of Senator Carl Levin and Representative Fred Upton committed to work with MOP toward Comprehensive Immigration Reform based on the four MOP principles for reform.
MOP board chair Ericka Parkison-Kilbourne summarized the meeting outcome: “Last Thursday this huge crowd of people of diverse backgrounds came together from cities and rural areas with one common goal: to elevate the status of the poorest, most oppressed people in our communities, to guarantee them the rights and dignity they expect and deserve. We spoke with one voice, and all the public officials present realized that it is our common faith that unites us in the holy cause of justice.”
Michigan Organizing Project is a faith-based coalition of religious congregations and community groups who work together to build the power needed to bring about social and economic justice, especially for the poorest and most marginalized people in our society.
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2 comments:
I think many Americans are naturally apprehensive of the sudden volume of activity, politicians supposedly enacting amendments to strengthen our immigration laws? But I suspect this is the lull before the storm, which they will throw into the bubbling cauldron of issues, like health care and cap and trade? Immigration reform is the toxic sediment rising to the surface of the pool. We cannot blame President Bush for the immigration debacle completely, nor Clinton as this complete and utter disregard for border enforcement, has been ignored long before any of these administrations. Illegal immigration really became finally a damaging problem to the United States after the CAFTA treaty. Small farmers in Mexico lost their livelihood, when the giant agricultural consortium's moved in. The (CFR) Council of foreign relations is a signature to an agenda, no borders between the US, Mexico and Canada.
Promoted by the globalists in the (EU) European Union whose planned agenda was the open border movement? Europe has suddenly woken up to the mass immigration which has become a scourge, which is just now being recorded with an adverse impact. The indigenous people have found themselves prioritized into a second class citizenship. In America this is becoming de-javu, as an Americans are hounded by debt collectors and bankruptcy, while illegal immigrants pay nothing for health care services. But then illegal immigrant families cannot be truly blamed for low income services, as they have been drawn across the borders, from other lands by exploiting employers who pay nothing for there settlement here. That remains the burden of the gullible American taxpayer.
Washington has absolutely ignored the millions of foreign laborers and families, who have arrived, now they have no choice but to exact punishment on the US taxpayer by legalizing those who are here. If their immigration reform is just a small fine, learn English and submit to a FBI background check, this will truly unfair to those sincere immigrants who wait for working visas in their country of residence. This to me is AMNESTY--by any other name. This goes against the essence of the US Constitution and our Rule of Law. It seems like Sen. Schumer, Reid, Speaker Pelosi adhere to our laws, when it suits them? The Democratic leadership de-funded E-Verify a while back, but the angry ire of voters appalled by the weakening of immigration laws, fired back with countless phone calls. We can now do the same with AMNESTY. How many realize the damage to our economy, by giving citizenship to over 20 plus foreign nationals in retirement benefits. Those legalized can be to our nation all their family members, known as chain migration.
Outside of complimentary legalization for all those people--mostly poorly educated, unskilled will be competition with US workers of the same status. It makes no any sense to process these people who pay little or no taxes, when we are looking at 11 percent jobless Americans. We can start deporting all these illegal families, the criminals by implementing permanent E-Verify. Not just for Federal Contractors but everybody as a mandatory law. Discrepancies will be dealt with at the Social Security offices. NO MATCH LETTERS--is a supplementary workplace law that shouldn't be rescinded? Don't be misinformed by the pro-illegal immigrant organizations. Call and demand a permanent, mandated E-Verify and NO MORE AMNESTIES! The1986 IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL DIDN'T WORK--NOR WILL THIS? It will take time, but enforced E-Verify with all its updates will remove illegal workers from the office, factory floor. Call your Senator or Congressman 202-224-3121
ATTENTION! Because of the massive payments to illegal immigrant benefits in California, their is now a petition to halt this travesty. Google--TAXPAYER REVOLUTION. Very few newspapers will mention this activist petition. For all the facts about OVERPOPULATION: CAPSWEB, NUMBERSUSA, FAIR & AMERICAN PATROL
Brittanicus -
If you are sincerely worried about taxes, "your tax money", if you truly believe in your heart that you should have a say when it comes to your taxed money, then force our government to stop waisting our dollars in Iraq, and waisting our dollars on weapons of mass destruction technology, and have it be spend wisely. For example force our gov to invest in building and reparing our lives here. Especially my brother, Iraqi War Veteran who is injured for lifen now, blind and paralized from the neck down, and the VA Hospital says they will not continue his medical coverage after he turns 22 (in two weeks).
The majority of us want our money spent wisely like invested in Health (check the polls). We have so much money and endless weapons to protect every inch of our US territory and yet, we let our money go to waist. 90% of our taxes go to fund more weapons. I say, if you really want to talk about "your taxed money", then go get it, but go to where it all sits and waists. May God bless you for it.
Dr. Bolivarett Thanos
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