What would your reaction be if this man, Davi Rodriguez drove up and down the main drag in the City of Manassas? How about past Coverstone 7-11?

Is his method better or worse than the course of action taken by Mr. Fernandez? You be the judge.

According to Channel 13 news out of Sacramento:

.

A story from CBS 13 in Sacramento, California featured one man ennobled by his passion for confronting day laborers with a trailer-mounted billboard saying “DEPORT THEM ALL.”
Davi Rodriguez drives the sign up and down the streets of Sacramento where day laborers wait for work, sometimes videotaping the reactions and uploading them to YouTube. Workers we talked to say they feel harassed, and they’re losing jobs

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If you squint your eyes, click your heels together 3 times, you might just think you were back in Kansas.

182 Thoughts to “The Flip Side of the Sign: Thumbs Up, Down or the Finger?”

  1. Elena

    I wonder how this person has the time to spend three hours a day, driving up and down the street, wasting his gas at 4 dollars a gallon. I understand that day laborers are an issue, I do, but I imagine there are more constructive ways to deal with this problem. I have a difficlt time, demonizing people, who are willing to work to pay their way. Rod’s comment a thread or two back was great in dealing with day laborer sites and included concrete suggestions for action.

    Thanks for the find Moon-howler!

  2. Ruby

    At least this man is NOT breaking any zoning violations with his sign.

  3. Ruby

    corr: breaking *any* zoning violations.

  4. Okay, this is a man who needs to find gainful employment. Has anyone else noticed that most of the anti-immigrant crowd doesn’t need to work? Who supports these people? -SC

  5. Censored bybvbl

    He seems to have too much time on his hands and deep pockets to afford California gas prices…but at least he’s out there taking his chances with his fellow motorists and the day laborers.

    I think people who do this are viewed as crackpots by most people. At least Mr. F has a thought-out message (agree with it or not) on his sign. This guy merely has the typical trite blurbs.

  6. Moon-howler

    Ruby, I wonder if he causes traffic congestion and presents a traffic nuisance? I wonder how many wrecks can be chalked up to him?

    I drew no conclusions. The story seemed to similar but different to what we have going on right here in Manassas– a sign, daylabor attention, people wanting work, people not wanting them to work.

    I, like Elena, have a hard time demonizing anyone who wants to work. I was raised to think a day’s work was good and not working and supporting your family was ‘triflin’ or worse.

  7. Red Dawn

    My first thought is shared by Ruby in regaurds to zoning. The second one, is a memory of that furniture store adverstising they were going out of business with similar signs but 2 trucks-driving up and down Sudley (234). Then I thought about the life size image of the guy from F.H Furr that looks like he ready to fall out of the back of the truck waving to everyone. They would all seem to be a distraction and a question of safety. Shoot, I think the car washes with all the sign holding and people chanting are just as much of a distraction.

  8. Has anyone thought about driving to coverstone when the HSM Minutemen are on patrol and asking if they would cut your lawn for $20 an hour?

    This is one we do it in Herndon… If you have no problem with the concept of hiring a day laborer, but feel awkward because of the HSM presence this is what you do…

    1. If HSM is present, drive up to them first and ask them honestly if they will cut your lawn and trim your shrubs that day for $20 an hour. (you can guess what they will say to that)

    2. Be sure to mention something about them being a bunch of freeloaders and drive on over to the real daylaborers. The law only states that you cannon knowingly hire an illegal alien, but hey, you are not a professional contractor, you don’t need to check status.

    3. You can trust day laborers in little tasks like mowing your lawn, or trimming some hedges. Common sense would tell you that it’s risky to hire anyone off the street for bigger construction jobs. If you are looking for day laborers to help you out in that, you would be well advised to go to a formal site because they will insure you get a worker who knows how to do the job you need. Most Day Laborers are there to work, not to murder and rape you, but you run a risk with just about any business you do so be sure to be on guard whenever your doing business with any stranger. Being a single man in a crummy house, I don’t have too much of an issue, but everyone has their threshholds of danger and I don’t fault anyone here if they feel unconfortable about hiring a Day laborer.

    4. Be sure to drive away with a smile, the camera footage has just shown that you did not discriminate, that you asked for anyone who wanted to work for a reasonable wage, and some individuals refused.

    Truthfully, I wish circumstances were such that no one would have need to resort to day labor. Not all Day laborers are Illegal immigrants, the ranks are composed of many types people with many types of circumstances. Some can’t get hired because of a previous criminal history, others don’t have the money to join the big unions (though that is not an excuse in free labor Virginia) in some cases, there is just more skill than there is need. As more and more of the construction market wanes all accross the nation, you will start seeing more workers on the street. Some will give up working and beg, others will look for a county or country that has need, some will risk their own lives by standing on corners and hoping against growing odds that someone will have need of them. Day laborerers are motivated by extream necessity, otherwise they would not be there.

    And bringing us back on topic, Would this idiot in the truck not be doing more for his country if he would go out and get a real job? what useful purpose is there in harassing daylaborers, using up precious fuel and causing dangerious traffic problems. At least the 9500 Liberty sign is low maintinance. The only reason that sign is up is because of HSM, if they would disband, I guarentee it will come down. Not likely, and my guess is it’s days are numbered, but it’s razing will be worth as much as Sadaam’s Statue falling in Bagdad. HSM will tout it as a huge sucsess and a victory for the rule of law. but it’s the reality on the ground that counts, and the reality is HSM has been compromised, they just don’t know it yet.

  9. Casual Observer

    Assuming the police have made sure the trailer is registered and the sign is securely mounted, I say it’s his gas money to burn. I wonder how strong his continued commitment to this cause will be as gas prices continue to escalate, but that’s his problem. I’m sure he’ll ask for donations at some point, though I’d question the sanity of anybody who would assume responsibility for gassing up somebody else’s vehicle at $4.0+/gallon.

  10. Just Cause

    Umm has anyone noticed that this guys name is Davi Rodriguez !?!?!??? Isnt that kinda……IRONIC!

  11. junkyard dog

    Si, ironic indeed.

    What is this? The morphying of Mr. F and The Order of the Red Circle to recreate some new being?

  12. Just Cause

    and Rod- How can you even begin to compare that the 9500 Liberty street sign is justifiable and Davi Rodriguez isnt??

    The 9500 sign is breaking the ZONING law and Davi Rodriguez isnt breaking ANY law and I guess your assumptions of the 9500 liberty street is that of some sort of tit-for-tat thing against HSM, which one can argue is discrimmination on Mr Fernandez’s part.

    Talk about a double standard..

  13. Yes, I noticed the irony of his name being Rodriguez.
    This is the drive by poster equivalent of nanananana – Mr Rodriguez should grow up and get a life – maybe even try having a relationship with another human being!
    I guess he’s a man of independent means if he has time to drive up and down all day, not to mention the gas.
    He should take the money he’s spending on his sad endeavour and donate it to a local children’s charity…

  14. Just Cause

    Why is everyone in an uproar that he is “spending gas”!!

    Its HIS money, HIS time..What makes you think he has no job?
    (hmmmm I see stero-typing here..shame shame)

    can you say h-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-e!

  15. Rick Bentley

    I think that he is doing a public service, trying to communicate the proper message to the criminals who sit and wait in this country hoping for amnesty. I think that the bleeding hearts who seek to erect day labor centers and fight for the right to loiter and actually doing a disservice to the guys sitting out there. Because those guys ARE going home, and will NEVER be citizens – anyone with any sense who follows the Amnesty debate can see that. That train left the station. It made its biggest push in 2006-2007 and it failed.

    It’s just a question of whether you want more poor unfortunates to come pay coyotes and drug traffickers 10-20K of their money to lead them in here and possibly rape them so that they can try to live in flophouses in suburban neighborhoods until their houses are foreclosed or the owners cited for zoning violations, before they eventually go home. I don’t know what kind of charity it supposedly is to encourage these people to tell relatives to come make such a journey instead of encouraging them to pursue legal alternatives and/or to make something out of their home countries. Doesn’t seem very charitable to me. Unless you think you can get these people some type of citizenship or better living conditions – and that isn’t happening. They come here to be wage slaves, they function as wage slaves, then they leave. So it will be for the forseeable future, with significant threat of deportation and family seperation.

  16. Cat Scratch Fever

    Wasn’t there some dude who used to drive all over PW County protesting taxes? Some of you old timers should remember him. He had a sign he hauled around.

    Memory refresh please.

  17. junkyard dog

    Yea Just Cause, silly us to assume he has no job. Maybe he is a courier.

    Why do you feel it is hypocritical to assume he has no job? Perhaps it is erroneous but I don’t see why it is hypocritical. Please provide further information.

  18. Rick Bentley

    Some of you here should be driving around with billboards that say :

    “Come to America and fight for the rights you are denied in your own country. Come take a chance on your future because it will make me feel good about myself, make me feel I’m doing something to combat world poverty. If it all goes bad you go home and I’ll stay here and find another left-wing cause”.

  19. Censored bybvbl

    Cat Scratch Fever, was that the guy who owns/owned Parson’s on Rt. 234? He used to park his truck in front of the McCoart building.

  20. Cat Scratch Fever

    Yes! That’s the person I was thinking of, Censored. He always parked at the McCoart Building. I don’t know what ever became of him. Old soldiers never die…they just fade away.

  21. Censored bybvbl

    CSF, was he in some sort of dispute about land and a landfill? And then probably the tax assessment on his land which didn’t get used for the landfill? I don’t remember the details. I just remember seeing the truck parked in front of the McCoart building.

  22. Ricardo Bentley:

    I think that he is doing a public service, trying to communicate the proper message to the criminals

    But wait Ricardo, if he wanted to communicate to the day laborers wouldn’t he have made the sign in English AND Spanish? We are a multilingual country now Ricardo. Freedom of speech is protected by the Rule of Law.

    Because those guys ARE going home, and will NEVER be citizens – anyone with any sense who follows the Amnesty debate can see that. That train left the station. It made its biggest push in 2006-2007 and it failed.

    Amnesty 2009 is on the way….

    You HSM guys are finished Ricardo…

  23. Rick Bentley

    Amnesty 2007 has significantky lkess support and votes than Amnesty 2006 did … no I would not count on Amnesty 2009. It may be the next President’s Waterloo.

  24. Censored bybvbl

    Rick Bentley, some of those guys don’t want to become citizens. They’d be happy to have visas that would allow them to get temporary jobs here. That could be a win/win situation.

  25. Rick Bentley

    The Republicans will fight it like hell after the election – because they know it would mean a generation’s worth of non-competitive elections.

  26. Rick Bentley

    And I think most Democrats will get off the boat as well.

  27. Just Cause

    Yard Dog- because You do not practice what you speak….You are not “true” to your belief.

  28. Censored bybvbl

    The Republicans will fight it like hell after the election

    That’s assuming there are many Republicans left after the elections and that you can count on moderate Republicans to support your agenda.

  29. Rick Bentley

    Everyone and anyone who is anything other than a loyal Democrat will be scared – rightfully so – of an influx of tens of millions of Hispanics who will vote disproportionately Democratic and swing each and every electionmfor the next 50 years. This is one thing that Limbaughs and Hannity’s will pick up and talk to each day that will actually RESONATE with moderates and independents.

    The elitists failed in 2007 and they will never succeed with this. Every time Congress picks this up and gets anywhere near a “comprehensive solution” they hear from their constituents, and the message is not lost on them. this is the new third rail of American politics.

    I’m going to enjoy being part of the coalition that beats either Presidential candidate over the head on this issue after his election, and attempts to define him by it.

  30. Rick Bentley

    It is easier to destroy than to create. Objectively it is fairly obvious that the Amnesty solution is partially destroyed, and will be fully destroyed during the coming year or two. McCain and Bush’s best attempts to falsely define the vocabulary and problem set failed. The genie won’t go back in the bottle. Note that Bush understands it’s over, and is now actually authorizing law enforcement measures for the future viability of his party politically.

  31. Censored bybvbl

    Everyone and anyone who is anything other than a loyal Democrat will be scared – rightfully so – of an influx of tens of millions of Hispanics who will vote disproportionately Democratic and swing each and every electionmfor the next 50 years. This is one thing that Limbaughs and Hannity’s will pick up and talk to each day that will actually RESONATE with moderates and independents.

    Limbaugh and Hannity can talk non-stop and it won’t resonate with me at all and I’m an Independent. I’m socially liberal and more fiscally conservative. I’ve never voted for a Republican at the national level although I have voted for some locally. I’m interested in practical solutions not what some windbag radio/tv host has to say. Except Bill Maher because he’s clever.

  32. Sorry Rick, your Morale breaking propaganda is having no effect. If I were you I’d be more worried about your connections to HSM and Greg, you will soon be getting a nasty suprise and it will come from the inside.

    Your batallion has been surrounded and neutralized on the outside and the inside has been compromised, Greg and the other members have no clue who the plant is, i’m just counting down the days untill the trap is sprung.

    just wait….:}

  33. Red Dawn,

    These type of systems should be outlawed for use by the police. Once, they network this information police can track you wherever you are at any time of the day. Will they use this info in PWC to focus in on hispanics? Possibly. Say goodbye to privacy.

    Where we go and what we do is nobody’s business.

    But I challenge any of you to exercise your constitutionally protected first amendment rights and take a video camera and start recording the police. Be careful…you might end up in pain. The police are not here to protect you. They are government employees who protect you some of the time as a byproduct of their work. Their main job is to be the muscle of those in power. And the powers that be will protect police from you when you bring complaints against them.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ftjgyPPxGg

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e7ZLl8cSwY

  34. Emma

    Rick Bentley, 17. July 2008, 13:46
    I’m going to enjoy being part of the coalition that beats either Presidential candidate over the head on this issue after his election, and attempts to define him by it.

    Both candidates have been desperately sucking up to the Hispanic vote in the last week or so. Whoever wins will realize that it was because he was the lesser of 2 evils, and will pay dearly for his pandering. The short-term gain of being elected will be his downfall if he tries to shove some kind of blanket amnesty down our throats.

    Rod, I hope you are a very patient person.

    Mackie, I gather you are no fan of Chief Deane, then, since his ” main job is to be the muscle of those in power.” How refreshing.

    Anyway, so that I am not accused of being a “hate bunny,” I will address the thread topic. Mr. Rodriguez, unlike Mr. Fernandez, is not breaking any laws. He is free to speak his mind. The gas he burns is his problem. And how shocking that he is videotaping! Oh, wait, isn’t that what ? Except that Eric lacks the cojones to film people openly, preferring to skulk behind bushes.

    Mr. Fernandez is alienating the community while he willfully breaks zoning laws. The public officials who allowed this preferential treatment to go on for so long will pay dearly for their inaction, because the voters will remember.

  35. junkyard dog

    JC, nice dodge. How do you know what I believe? I ask a question and get a smart ass answer. Why do you consider assuming he has no job to be hypocritical? If he has time to drive around 4 hours a day, I would assume he was rich and didn’t need to work.

    Why are you so combative?

  36. Censored bybvbl

    Mr. Fernandez is alienating the community while he willfully breaks zoning laws. The public officials who allowed this preferential treatment to go on for so long will pay dearly for their inaction, because the voters will remember.

    Would you prefer that the voters cough up millions of bucks to the DOJ or that the City pay added attorneys’ fees? It seemed that the voters were aware of the sign this spring, aware of HSM’s furor over the sign, aware that HSM had a favored slate of candidates, and then the voters, those pesky individuals,voted against those candidates. The City residents have spoken. They prefer to let the legal system take care of the issue and they prefer to move on to building a more positive image of the City.

  37. Remember, you can always place your faith in the police. They always do the right thing.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=LaX0dSRl9zw&fmt=6

  38. Elvis

    ok this is pretty perplexing: a blog owner (elena) complains that a guy is driving around all day (during the work day) when she herself doesnt work? Dont get it. Unless you call coddling illegal aliens work, you shouldnt talk.

    maybe the guy took the day off, maybe the guy is just plain lazy or…maybe the guy got canned from a job that an illegal alien took for less money. the possibilities are endless however I dont think for a second that a wannabe activist who doesnt have a job, cries at bocs meetings, supports the illegal alien left and is the poorest example of an honest person I can mention deserves to comment about this story.

  39. Emma

    Censored, do you even live in the City to know what the hell you are even talking about? The three candidates for City Council, Wolfe, Way and Smith, ran unopposed for three vacancies in May. “The City residents have spoken,” indeed.

  40. Emma

    Censored, who was on the HSM “favored slate of candidates” for City Council? They must have been written in invisible ink on the ballot.

  41. anon-100

    Jobless Rate for Youths Is Increasing
    Competition Fierce For Low-Skill Summer Positions
    By Kari Lydersen
    The Washington Post, July 15, 2008; A02
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071402406.html

    So tell us again that illegals are only doing the jobs Americans wont do.

  42. DiversityGal

    Emma,

    You seem to have a big problem with Eric. Maybe I’m wrong, but I have seen exactly one YouTube video shot from behind some bushes. The rest of the endless amounts of footage contains interviews (some with Greg), HSM meetings, BOS meetings, etc. How does one clip amongst the others show his preference for the hidden camera? Is there something on that clip that bothers you?

    and now…to continue the thread…

    As for the Liberty Wall, I agree with Censored bybvbl that Mr. Fernandez seems to have put more thought into things. Oooo, he put the words of one of the most respected and influential non-violence/civil rights leaders of all time (Gandhi) on his sign…how dare he?! In any case, these guys are both exercising their rights…even if I don’t agree with Mr. Rodriguez.

  43. Emma:

    Mackie, I gather you are no fan of Chief Deane, then, since his ” main job is to be the muscle of those in power.” How refreshing.

    Actually, I haven’t heard any bad things about Chief Deane except from the lunatic HSM types who want to draw and quarter him for resisting the resolution. He seems like an ok Chief to me.

  44. Censored bybvbl

    Yeah, Emma, I do know what the hell I’m talking about. Dave Core and Maureen Wood ran for the Republican nomination and lost. Since the Dems fielded no candidates, the Republicans’ choice gives a hint that Manassas City residents weren’t enamored of HSM’s candidates. The majority of residents apparently prefer to move on with their lives and concentrate on improving their community, their schools, their business appeal.

  45. Emma

    Ok, Mackie, so who are the bad cops, then? The ones who caught you breaking the law?

  46. El Guapo

    A redneck drivin’ his pick-up truck up and down Main Street all day long. There’s a rumor on the internet that the sign used to say, “GIT ‘R DUNN!” before he painted the anti-immigrant language over it.

  47. Red Dawn

    Mackie,

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcROvivYkw4

    LOL, you better stay awake…just kidding 😉

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