“If they’re speaking Spanish, I tend to think they are illegal.”
JC
There isn’t much to say on this because it really speaks for itself. Basically, some more anti-immigration backlash. Springfield, Tennessee is considering banning Latinos from the town’s public parks (make sure to check out link to view the videos of the news pieces that covered this issue). I’ll just leave you with a WHAT-THE-GOOD-GOD-HELL?!
“In last month’s Mayor and Aldermen Meeting on July 18, City Manager Paul Nutting and at least one Alderman made negative comments about the large number of Hispanics that populate the park on the weekends.”
“In last month’s city meeting, Alderman Ken Cherry expressed concerns for safety in the parks because of the big Hispanic crowds on weekends. Monday, he admitted his sentiments are not limited to the parks. He said, ‘If I could do what I wanted to do, any illegal alien would be holed up in a barbwire tent and we’d haul them up to where they came from and turn them loose.’”
“When asked to comment on the possibility that not every Hispanic using the park was an ‘illegal immigrant’, Alderman Cherry responded, ‘If they’re speaking Spanish, I tend to think they are illegal.’ … On Tuesday he said, ‘The comment that I made about if they’re speaking Spanish they’re illegal immigrants, that’s probably a little strong. In my mind, that’s an indication that the possibility may…
…exist.’”“Not all members of Springfield’s Board of Mayor and Alderman, however, are in agreement with Cherry’s position on the issue. Assistant City Manager Gina Holt said, ‘If you polled all seven of them, they’d all have a totally different opinion probably and as a board they have not taken any action yet as far as establishing any policies related to the parks or any other services right now.’”
“Springfield’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen plan to hold a community meeting on September 7 to discuss the issues they’ve encountered with what Alderman Cherry terms the ‘growing Hispanic problem.’ … Assistant City Manager Gina Holt said the goal of the September 7 board meeting is to achieve an arrangement that is fair and equitable for all.”
In the 1960’s, Nashville closed its public swimming pools rather than allow them to be open to desegregated use.
Stuff like this really makes me crazy. Who are these people? And why are they stuck in the Twilight Zone? Another great reminder that we aren’t all on the same page…[Jen crawls out of her idealistic bubble in the heart of NYC…but quickly jumps back in. :)].
Lyonside wrote:
Aw, come on, I was just starting to get over my Fear of the South (like Song of the South, but much more timid). I mean, I had no problems in Houston, NOLA (wait, does that count as the south?), or Atlanta… then again, I was with large groups and avoided the sticks.
If I were a philanthropist, I’d pay for billboards to be put up around town with this message on it: http://www.demockratees.com/englishonly.htm
Posted 19 Sep 2006 at 9:05 am ¶
al wrote:
now, i wasn’t -in- nyc when it happened, i was in newark, but we were all waiting for the train to nyc. and most of the people waiting were speaking spanish. there was some confusion as a train came in, because it wasn’t going to nyc. everyone got on, realized the mistake, and got off. not ‘everyone’ but most of us. so some assrag says to his companion, “they should learn english, they’re in america.” i should add that while there was an announcement in english about the train not being the right one, it was garbled and don’t most of us ignore those announcements at this point? i do. and i speak english.
i was amazed that this guy assumed that because people were speaking spanish they couldn’t speak english. but then he said, “it would be different if they paid taxes.” !! because of course spanish speaking people are all illegal immigrants. not, you know, puerto rican, which much spanish speaking new york is. and they couldn’t possibly be immigrants who came legally from spanish speaking countries. since our government doesn’t allow spanish speaking people to immigrate, right?
i did not kick this guy in the shins and run, which was my impulse. and i didn’t say anything at all, because i am part of the problem. i keep saying to myself, next time, next time, i’ll do the right thing and call a stranger on their shit. but i haven’t had a next time yet.
Posted 19 Sep 2006 at 12:46 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:
Al:
Next time try this one:
¡La gente bilingüe existe!
Phonetically, la hen-te bee-ling-we exis-te.
Bilingual people exist!
Posted 19 Sep 2006 at 1:22 pm ¶
Adrianna wrote:
What an Ass !!
Posted 20 Sep 2006 at 4:07 am ¶
Ajax wrote:
I second that
Posted 20 Sep 2006 at 9:10 am ¶