Gainesville Times Review of 9500Liberty Special Screening

Alanna

An article in the Gainesville Times today provides an intelligent, in-depth review of the 9500Liberty special screening to explain the April 29th roll-back of the Immigration Resolution.

For those who were not there last Friday, there is another screening in the works for next week, probably Thursday. In the mean time, here is the more popular of two clips on the 9500Liberty channel, even though the other one is more interesting:

I feel like this was a much more inquisitive piece of writing. The MJM article focused on varying reactions while this article focused on the content of the film:

The film had its share of suspense and drama, even for those who were familiar with the outcomes of each board vote.

Nohe is presented at some points in a fashion similar to a reality television show star who sits in front of a camera and talks about what was going through his mind in between clips of a particular situation.

His most prominent role comes during the climax when the board was trying to decide on a tax rate. At the centerpiece of the funding issue was the $3.1 million price tag to put video cameras in police cars. Deane has asked for the cameras to allow officers to fight the inevitable lawsuits based on charges of racial profiling.

“The whole program’s getting unbelievably expensive,” said Nohe.

Part of the problem was that the resolution had changed several times since its inception.

Originally, it called for police to check the immigration status of every person stopped for a violation. It was later changed to allow police to check the immigration status if the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect is an illegal immigrant. That variation is the one that prompted the chief to ask for cameras in the police cars.

In order to pay for the cameras, the real estate tax rate would have had to be set at 98.7 cents per $100 of assessed value. After the 98.7 rate failed on a 4-4 vote, Principi asked for a 97-cent rate on a motion to eliminate the cameras and require all immigration checks to be done post-arrest.

That failed 7-1.

Viewers find out here that during a behind-the-scenes meeting between Stewart and Principi, the Republican chairman asked the Democrat to go back on his resolution.

“There’s not a hell’s worth of chance that I would oppose it,” the Woodbridge supervisor said he responded, later adding that since their break, he had the five votes needed to get a similar version of his motion passed with fewer cameras and all immigration checks moved to post-arrest.

It passed unanimously, leading Principi, who once said the illegal immigration resolution was “essentially failing,” to tell the filmmakers on camera, “I’m going to declare victory and go home.”

The post-arrest scenario, which is what was finally adopted, means that after a person has been charged with a crime, police will investigate their immigration status. Since every person charged will be checked, there is less concern about racial-profiling complaints.

Just Call the Cops

Alanna

Deja Vu, PWConservative posts about his second encounter(in two months) with a hit & run driver and for the second time he didn’t call the cops. Just to clarify, I have never suggested that the police shouldn’t be summoned to investigate a car accident. If you have property damage and need a police report, call the police! In the same situation, I wouldn’t hesitate to call.

But ,oddly, PWConservative tries to blame me for giving him the “impression that the Gestapo had been going door to door dragging every single Hispanic off to a Deportation Camp.”

Anyway, It’s time to stop the fear mongering, Accusing Conservatives of Xenophobia while using fear tactics to advance a political agenda is not only hypocritical, But it’s also not that different from terrorism.

– Fear mongering? Really.

In both these cases the guys stopped the cars, inspected damage and presumably checked to see if you were alright. In the first incident, there was no damage, you neglected to mention whether or not that was the case this time? Anyways, if someone stops checks, looks etc… that doesn’t sound like the typical hit & run.

Anyways, for clarification, what I have said is the following:

  • Where’s the US’s accountability for this mess? Since we had the proverbial welcome mat out, didn’t enforce our own laws, allowed people to buy into the American Dream of homeownership, etc… Why now is it all the illegal immigrant’s fault? In fact, conceivably they are the only ones who have acted in their best self-interest which is 100% understandable.
  • In terms of the original adopted ‘Immigration Resolution’, the ‘probable cause’ portion whereby the police are filing forms with Immigration Customs Enforcement was a complete waste of time and resources considering they can’t get the worst of the worst out of the jails in a timely manner.

    • “Apparently the County’s resolution wasn’t as drastic as those on the left would have us believe.”

  • Quick refresher, at the introduction of the Resolution, they wanted to restrict park & library access which was the equivalent of the Gestapo.
  • PWC is only 1 out of 60 Counties to adopt the 287(g) and according to the understanding they are limited to 40 prisoners per month. Anybody up for the math on this one? But basically, it means your fender bender/illegal driver guy will never be one of the worst of the worst that ICE is interested in.
  • The resolution has caused people to leave the county, and that viewpoint is probably more promoted by HSM’ers in an attempt to try and convince people that the ‘problem’ is solved. In fact, they(HSM’ers) perhaps more than us have been touting this failure as a success. I’ll be the first to suggest that it’s not the success that it’s cracked up to be.

    • Just do me a favor, call the cops next time.

    NY Times: The Laws Cops Can’t Enforce

    Alanna

    This Op-Ed in the NY Times, hits the nail on the head. We owe it to our law enforcement officers to come up with a workable federal immigration policy that does not force police departments to succumb to political pressures to ‘reduce immigration by using racial profiling and harassment’.

    Without a national immigration policy, a new culture of lawlessness will increasingly permeate our society. In cities, politicians will pressure police departments to reduce immigration by using racial profiling and harassment. At the same time, immigrants who fear that the police will help deport them will rely less on their local officers and instead give thugs control of their neighborhoods.

    Many top law enforcement officials were part of the community policing revolution of the 1980s and ’90s. We have a deep concern for constitutional rights and social justice. We believe that effective policing requires residents, regardless of immigration status, to trust the police.

    We are also students of the mistakes of our predecessors. Past police practices helped lead to the civil unrest of the 1960s, which tore our nation apart along racial and political lines. We do not want to repeat those mistakes.

    …

    America’s police officers deserve thoughtful federal leadership so that we can continue doing our best to provide our country with the security that defines a civilized society.