Since many of us will be at the party tonight, someone suggested an open thread for follow up comments. I am not sure how many will be able to continue posting on the “party” thread once we reach 300 posts, so feel free to use this thread to continue the conversation, or start a new one!
Mayors Against Workplace Raids
Three West Coast mayors are asking the leaders of other cities to take a stand against workplace immigration raids that they say hurt local economies and may force companies to relocate.
At the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week in Miami, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will ask their colleagues to challenge how the government raids businesses in search of illegal workers.
They want Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus on businesses that exploit workers, such as those that violate wage and safety laws, not “responsible employers” that contribute to economies, their resolution says.
“We’ve never taken the position that you shouldn’t enforce the law,” Villaraigosa says. “What we’ve said is, in a time of limited resources, we should prioritize our enforcement. At a time when we don’t have the resources to go after criminals, we’re going after legitimate businesses and workers instead. That doesn’t make sense.”
The resolution will be discussed by a committee Saturday and, if approved, will go to all the mayors for a vote Monday.
Shoot Yourself, Blame a Hispanic
SPRINGFIELD | The wife of a founder of the Ozarks Minutemen has
pleaded guilty to lying about being raped and shot by three Hispanic
men.
Angela D. Wilburn, 44, appeared in Greene County Associate Circuit
Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to making a false report, a class
B misdemeanor. Wilburn is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 3. She could
face up to six months in prison and a $500 fine.
Wilburn is the wife of Brian Wilburn, who helped form the Ozarks
Minutemen. She was charged with the crime in December, after calling
911 reporting someone had shot her.
Angela Wilburn told investigators that three Hispanic men broke into
her mobile home and that one of the men sexually assaulted her in the
hallway, then shot her in the knee with a handgun.
She soon retracted her story and said she heard a noise, and grabbed
her husband’s gun. She told police the gun went off as she reached for
a flashlight.
By the time Angela Wilburn made the admission, Greene County deputies
had already spent more than 100 man-hours investigating the fictitious
attack.
The sheriff’s department said in December it would seek restitution
from Angela Wilburn for the wasted time. Such repayment could be part
of her sentence, said Greene County Chief Deputy Jim Arnott.
