Dear Friends:
I want to extend an invitation to you all.
Friday night, March 30, 7pm at the Ramada Inn (out South Main) the Minutemen have invited me and Rick Castaneda from the Hispanic ServicesCouncil to speak at their organizational meeting.
In the news it's presented as a Minuteman meeting, while to us it has been presented asan open forum discussion on immigration issues.
Despite their rigidcontrol of the meeting (requiring foto ID's to get in and signing your name), we have decided it is important that we participate. We havebeen guaranteed equal time. There will be a Q&A time after speakerseach present for 10 minutes.
I'd like as many advocates for immigrants to be there as possible. Please spread the word.
The Minutemen are an anti-immigrant(especially undocumented immigrant) group that is trying to passdraconian laws in Virginia (such as punishing employers and landlordswho employ or rent to undocumented persons, or agencies that serveeveryone regardless of their legal status).
They "guard" the border inArizona and elsewhere, and are coming in from ourside our area to tryto gain a stronger foothold in Valley to get people to lobby locallegislators. Virtually all of their laws failed to pass in the statelegislature this year, but some by only thin margins, and they areworking hard at grassroots organizing. We need to do what we can to prevent them gaining a foothold in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Countyarea.
Hope you can attend!
Sam Nickels
Cultural Diversity Coordinator
NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center
540-476-4180
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1 comment:
Thanks for posting Sam's letter.
I know that there are many different opinions regarding this very hot button topic and I look forward to hearing the different sides. Hopefully it will be civil!
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