“For them, I am one of those. They label us all illegal aliens,” -Amilcar Arroyo, an immigrant from Peru and United States citizen
Xenophobe-A-Palooza (try saying it) was underway in Hazleton when a when a when a guy with brown skin and a camera was heckled by the crowd and had to removed by the police in the interest of his own safety.
Several in the crowd began yelling at Arroyo after a rumor circulated he was one of the people suing the city for its illegal immigration ordinance, said Pamela Hauptmann, of Bethlehem, who was one of the people who confronted Arroyo.
They told him to“get out of the country” as others called him a “traitor.” Hauptmann, where I have heard that name before? Mayor Lou Barletta said he missed the commotion and said only some feelings were hurt. This time Lou , but the anger you are helping to unleash could get ugly.
How do you kick 12 million people out of the country? I got some helpful advice in the email:
If we expel all the Mexicans it might have a positive economic impact. You would have to have a means of doing it. You can’t truck or bus 12 million people out of the country so the best way to do it would be by train. Not using cattle cars but nice passenger trains with individual seats and bathrooms. This may be a way to rebuild our rail network Before we kick them out they should be screened at collection points so the construction industry (manned mainly by Mexicans) can be kept employed building the new camps. Maybe we could employ out of work teachers to help them fill out the forms that will be required and medical doctors should examine them at the gates of the camps. Just to make sure one of them with TB doesn’t fly around the world.
Photo by Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call
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ReplyDeleteUgh, the first version of this was all full of typos. Let me try again.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Citizens' Voice:
"Arroyo, who serves as his newspaper's reporter and photographer, was escorted from the rally by police for his protection. An unidentified Hispanic man was also taken from the rally after the incident. Arroyo said that man is also a U.S. citizen....Barletta said he did not notice the incident until Arroyo and the other man were being escorted out of the crowd...'I was happy how fast (the police) reacted,' Barletta said. 'No one was injured, except for some hurt feelings, which unfortunately did happen.'"
OK, let's see if I'm reading this right. Mob turns on a couple of people who they believe are either a)illegal immigrants or b)plaintiffs in a lawsuit. Police jump into the fray and do the mob's work for them, removing the assaulted parties from the scene...and all Barletta can say is he's glad the police acted so quickly?
No condemnation of the mob mentality, or the out-of-towners who showed up special just for this rally? No comment on individuals being profiled, of assumptions being made of their citizenship and/or plaintiff status, and attacks being made based on these assumptions?
"No one was injured," Luigi? Sorry, pal. Your credibility's been injured, and the credibility of your anti-immigrant (illegal or otherwise) movement. Exactly what people feared would happen just happened, and all you can do is smile and nod approvingly?
I'm so embarrassed to be from Hazleton. When people ask me where I'm from, I say Wilkes-Barre.
ReplyDeleteAmilcar is friend of our family, and has been an American citizen for 17 years.
The mayor is out to lunch. I think his head is swelling with publicity, and if he doesn't run for something in '08, we'll never have the proper media scrutiny we need on his little experiment.
I'd like to point out that Ms. Hauptmann is a neo-nazi who posted about this incident at Stormfront.
ReplyDelete