We are pleased that a dialog is beginning between our two platforms. I wouldn't necessarily peg us as an anti-287g movement. We are an educational platform who has come to the following logical conclusion based on the information we have been able to find on this issue both from outside sources and internally from the Village of Suffern. I would suggest one more step in a more successful way in which to dialog about this issue. Open online forums on both our sites and a blog on Support287g.com. This way both sides can comment real time on each others findings while making your valuable information available to not only those on your email distribution lists but for the public to chime in who may not have an opinion in the matter, yet. Also, Support287g.com should really post my submitted comments to put into perspective your comprehensive response.
You wrote (in italic):
"Mr. Gutierrez, Thank you for your positive comments on our website. I have had a chance to look at your site and it is the opposition to the Federal Program 287(g). Our site, support287g.com, was created to support the Program as it moves forward. The Program 287(g) was not created for the purpose of racial profiling. The Federal Government has given local administrations and law enforcement additional means and another avenue to enforce the law. By continual reference to profiling made by the opposition, it IS creating a fear in the undocumented communities. Anyone living in the Village of Suffern should not live in fear. It is for the CRIMINAL Illegal alien. The illegal CRIMINAL need not remain among the people they have no respect for."
Response to above paragraph: If its cool with you, you can call me Dave. And I saw the latest email by Support287g.com. Was it necessary to put my name in big bold letters? This issue is not about any one person. It's not about Biensy, and it is most definitely not about a white, unshaven guy like me. I would like to have a conversation regarding your thoughts in my next blog. And kindly, thank you for the mention.
Sincerely, Community Power is thrilled that you agree that 287g is NOT an illegal immigration initiative. We totally agree that it is, in fact, an initiative to remove violent criminals that are not documented citizens of the U.S. However, when many Suffern residents made it an issue of "illegal latino immigrants" at the public meeting, it was the Latinos that emerged in an effort to set some boundaries around its implementaton. Funny thing is, Communitypower.tv is not a Latino platform. We intend to review many different issues in Suffern, like the new development of this 440 unit condo project at our recently sold gravel quarry. Doesn't that just feel like there is more to that issue? Also, we intend to spin off the Latino platform to its own section of the site called "Poder de Communidad" (spanish for community power). We wanted to clear something up based on one of the emails you sent out describing us as supporting crime by not supporting 287g. Please...help us in curbing this perception as NO ONE in our community wants that at all. Thank you in advance for clearing that up.
Your site makes reference to 2 towns where the program was not received well or implemented. There are currently 47 active 287(g) Memorandum of Agreements (MOA’s), nearly 700 officers have been trained and certified through the 287(g) program and there are more than 90 pending requests as of April, 28, 2008. Sr. Fran Gorsuch of Good Samaritan Hospital met with Chief Osborn; please speak to him for an updated on that meeting.
Our Response: We do not argue the updated facts above regarding the number of agencies adopting or in the process of implementing 287g, but there is much more conversation about the facts of how 287g has negatively effected nearby towns/villages that tried or even adopted this program. Again, we are not coming out and saying "287g is wrong" based solely on its social impact. It is bad for many other reasons. Simply do a case study on Danbury, Connecticut and see how 287g has devastated this community. Here is an affluent community whose residents include people like Martha Stuart (at least that was what I heard). The impact on the downtown businesses has been devastating. It is worth looking into. Also, could you give us an update as to the meeting with Osborn and Good Samaritan Hospital. I do not have any information on that.
Your post states “We will continually dissuade individuals that we feel are leveraging this issue incorrectly on the "con" side of 287g”. Each time a reference is made to profiling, it implies that this is not a welcoming Village, that people are afraid to live here. You further state: "How we integrate will determine the greatness of our village." Help to maintain the history of this Village and Town not implied badness. Using profiling as the opposition to 287(g) is the fear we are speaking of. This community is aware of many different types of immigrants around us who are producing and creating good things for us here. Your site is concerned about the Latino community. This program does NOT target a particular community; it targets CRIMINALS of all origins who are here illegally.
And, thank you for being professional and correcting my typographical spelling error of the word "disuade". :) But we mean it. If there is someone who is against 287g that is taking advantage of the situation to create fear around this subject, we will deal with it quickly. Again, a lot of the fear the Latinos are feeling is based on some current experiences they are having with the code enforcers, one of which created a website that had been calling for the INS to sweep Suffern for years. AND, the Mayor and Osborn have not delivered on their promises to this community. Trust exists until it is broken. No word from the Mayor or his brother-in-law regarding soccer fields and soccer leagues, No word from Osborn regarding a liason between Latinos and the police, where Latinos could begin to report all the crime they see, but have been to afraid of deportation to report it.
The Latinos where very disappointed after an encounter with Sgt. Alvarez at the street fair when we asked him the status on our recommendation that he be the liason between Suffern police and the Latino Community. He actually seemed genuinly unfamiliar with the conversatoin. Sgt. Alvarez, do you understand the privilege it is for a culture of people to request that you to be their voice? It makes perfect sense. You are better at understanding Spanish then you are speaking it. Your meant to hear their hearts in their native tongue, with the responsibility to communicate it to those who can now become intimate with the cultural issues surrounding 287g. Your absence in this role has greatly effected the progress of healing this issue.
Also, when we asked you if Chief Osborn was working on his promise to deliver this long standing request, and you said that you where out of the loop (paraphrasing). Chief Osborn, we have you on tape at one of our meetings offering different solutions that you have not delivered on. Why shouldn't Latinos be suspect of what you are saying based on what you are not doing. We are not busting your stones, we want you to live up to your word. A meeting is being organized with the Mayor immediately to understand where he is at with his promises as well.
Lisa. Respectfully, Suffern is not integrated. Diverse we are. Integrated we are not.
The only people who should be concerned to live here are CRIMINALS who are illegal. If they commit and are convicted of a felony they will be sent back to their place of origin. There will receive due process, upon completion of their sentence they will be deported not released back into our community. It is a wiser use of taxpayer money.
There is no hatred toward Biensy Rosa; there is opposition to her position. Her contribution to the community as a merchant is welcome. We cannot censor the blogs especially anonymous comments. We do not agree with any rude or derogatory comments. We expect people to use the power of the petition and their right to vote as means to communicate their position.
We thank you again for your positive acceptance to our site and service of education. We look forward to the acceptance of the Program 287(g) and what it offers to all.
Our response: Suffern is like Pleasantville. I can't think crime is attracted to our village. Crime is not attracted to a 2.5 block chill downtown with a police force of 40 police officers of 7 Sgts., bike cops, beat cops, a killer canine unit, a deuce of Harley Davidson cruisers, and, I'm guessing, 7 or so other cruisers with Headquarters holding it down by one bad ass Chief of Police. Not to mention our dozen or so auxillary police force. And it appears that they are currently deporting 8-9 individuals as we speak. It appears that the deportation process for violent criminals and non-violent criminals is working without 287g. I think this has been our point all along.
In regards to some of your latest communications, thank you for making this about 287g and not the individuals who are contributing to the process of getting the information out, like yourself and Biensy. We realize you cannot police all of the crap that you see on the Lohud message boards, but chiming in once in a while to show disapproval to worthless rhetoric is key. And although I applaud your total belief in 287g, I don't believe that it is actually sustainable on the village level. Out of all the people who adopted it, I don't believe any villages of our size actually have done it. I could be wrong.
Thank you for responding to our post. Click here to see our original post.
Suffern is awakening.
Community Power
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