New Haven Independent

Posted by: nfjanette | December 20, 2006 2:38 PM

Mayor DeStefano also welcomed advocates' request that New Haven be dubbed a “Sanctuary City.� The gesture would distinguish the Elm City from other cities (like Danbury) that have been hostile to immigrants, said John Jairo Lugo of Unidad Latina. “It’s important for the city to take a stand and say, listen, we’re not going to attack the immigrants, we’re going to welcome them.�

Stop interchanging the terms "immigrants" and "illegal immigrants" and perhaps this story would have some credibility. They are not the same.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | December 20, 2006 5:07 PM

Again Politricks At Work. Have You Forgot King John About The Fed Bill That Is Coming Back Call H.R.418 The Real I.D. Act Which The Only Legal I.D. That Can Be Used Will Be Issued From The State DMV!! Also Under The King Bush Patriot Act The Banks By Law Are Required To Verify The Identity Of There New Account Holders, Also Customers Are Required To Give Truthful Information To open The Bank Account,It Takes More Than A Municipal I.D. You Need Three Other Types Of I.D. Wakeup This Is Why King John Calls This A Policy.Policy Can Be Rescind. Again Politricks!!

Posted by: Ned | December 20, 2006 9:57 PM

Without immigrants New Haven would be in worse shape than it already is. Check out: http://www.americancity.org/article.php?id_article=213
to see how Minneapolis is working with immigrants to revitalize that city.

Posted by: TSN100 | December 20, 2006 10:44 PM

I think the activists of Unidad Latina fail to understand the larger context and public opinion regarding the undocumented.

Because of their failure to understand the delicate nature of immigration advocacy, their stunt at the Mayor's office, while getting their faces and names in the press, will ultimately bring a backlash from the larger community.

Couldn't they have simply celebrated with the immigrant community the new general order, rather than feeling "hurt" that they did not get top billing for it?

They would do well to think out the implications of their actions before calling the press.

Perhaps the New Haven Independant, who seems to have a love affair with this group of activists, might help them reflect on public relations.

One can be absolutly correct, but without prudence, the message will be lost..Prudence please. I feel that their stunt will bring more harsh and ignorant judgments on the undocumented living in our community. Thanks Unidad Latina.

Posted by: TominLauderdale | December 21, 2006 2:07 AM

This story is so far to the left bleeding heart I am about to gag on a Taco. Why don't you interview some of the people who's ID has been stolen by these innocent illegal alien land squatters? Oh but they are just here to work so that felony is OK. The rule of law means nothing unless you enforce it.

And stop trying to influence the public by replacing the legal term "illegal Immigrant" with the nuanced term "immigrant" which is totally false and deceiving. The brainwashing of America by the local news. Ain't that great!

Posted by: tony | December 21, 2006 5:47 AM

Illegal immigrants may not have claim to all the rights of US Citizens, but they DO have rights which should be protected. If they are victim to a crime, they should not fear seeking legal recourse. Placing them in that position would be unAmerican. Our country was built by immigrants. They are the pioneers of our age.

Posted by: tony | December 21, 2006 5:50 AM

A passport, a government issued ID card from their home country, a US Tax ID (available to immigrants regardless of status), these should be sufficient to acquire a bank account, or a municipal ID.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | December 21, 2006 10:18 AM

Tony This Country Was Build Not By Immigrants. But Was Build By Force Labor From My Ancestors From Africa Who Have Never Be Compensated For The Sweat And Blood That Build This Country, As We Say Work Till Sun up To SunDown!!! How About A Policy King John That Would Stop The Police From Asking African Americans There Status, This would cut Down On Racial Profiling.

Posted by: Bill Saunders | December 21, 2006 1:48 PM

Sanctuary city??? Are you kidding me?

Have any of you been to Downtown Danbury lately?
What twenty years ago was dubbed the best city in America to live, is now strictly third world.

Go Johnny!

Posted by: nfjanette | December 21, 2006 2:15 PM

How exactly is waving the banner for the descendants of slavery helping them? Is that a position that moves forward, or rather one which embraces the tragedy of the past? What does the allegation of racial profiling have to so with that legacy?

Posted by: learn to read | December 21, 2006 4:36 PM

Threefifths...you might want to check you information. You seems to think no Irish, Oruental, Italian and evrey other Euporpean nationality built America. You're implication that only African natives built America is way off. In fact, they still can't build functional families, educate their chidren or get off susidized lifestyles. The reason illegal immigrants come here is because your group refuses to do most of the jobs the illegals take, the welfare pays better and they have all day to deal drugs, play rap crap, and then say we owe them.

Posted by: TSN | December 21, 2006 4:36 PM

The mayor is very astute politically. I can not help but be suspicious that this group of activists, known as Unidad Latina, is playing right into the politics around the immigration debate, ignorant of its larger context.

With ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids occurring in various parts of the country, it is unbelievable that a group, who is supposedly for the immigrant community, could be so careless as to call attention to the immigrant community in this way. Are they that starved for attention?

Unidad Latina does nothing more than further poison the waters of this debate by their singular, unilateral, and publicity grabbing antics. So what if New Haven gives municipal identifications? There are more and more immigrants living in the surrounding towns, whose population is, i dare say, less open than New Haven. Unidad Latina, try going to East Haven for a taste of the real world.

Posted by: Cait Sith | December 21, 2006 9:40 PM

Thanks John! Thank you for not caring about HOMELAND SECURITY. Listen folks, this is just a trick by JD and friends to look good politically, nothing more. He clearly doesn't care about the latino community THAT much, otherwise the Ferry Street bridge would have mattered to the City long ago. But it doesn't. Why? Because it's in Fair Haven in a latino community that does not figure prominently in JD's master plan of disintegrating New Haven at his own personal gain.
This is a violation of our right to homeland security. This is a violation of national law. No one is questioning the moral value illegal immigrants have. That being said, in this day and age of post 911 illegal is illegal is illegal. For a reason. You can call an illegal alien anything you want. If you ask someone who is here illegally if they are here to plant bombs or to help their family or to find a cure for cancer the fact remains the same: IF YOU ARE HERE ILLEGALLY IT VIOLATES FEDERAL HOMELAND SECURITY.
New Havener's better be careful. How would you like to be at the Union station when an incident occurs? You better DAMN well have some ID on you or the police will take you for a little walk across the street. From now on, if the police ever stop me for ANY reason I am going to reply: "sorry no English no id".
Stock up on toilet paper New Havener's because JD is flushing us all down the toilet.
www.sinsofnewhaven.com

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | December 21, 2006 11:59 PM

Learn To Read You Need To Check Your information, Your Should Start By Read a Book By Professor Howard Zinn The Peoples History Of The United States, In This Book You Will Find Where The Euporpean Nationality That you stated Built American Stole the Land And One Of The Biggest Euporpean Murder,Rapist,And Thief Was Christopher Columbus, Which You Have A Hoilday Name For!!!
P.S. Also Learn To Read There Was a African On The Ship Name Radigo He Found the Land,Columbus was Asleep.Also How About Strong Thurman Another Rapist Of Slaves!!! If you Check Your Information You Will Find My People Built Pyramids And Bath House And Euporpeans Lived In Caves.Read A Book Call One Hundred Black Inventors.You state That Illegal Immigrants Come Here Because My Group Refuses To Do most Of The Jobs The Illegals Take. Learn To Read If It is Just My Group,Than why Are The Euporpeans In Waterbury who I Saw On Television Who Said That The Illegals are Like scabs Crossing A Picket Line,The Reason My Group will Not Take These Jobs Is That we Know What The Jobs Should Pay Which Is Call Fair Wages.
As Far as Welfare And Susidized LifeStyles There Are More Euporpeans On Welfare Than African Americans This also Is True about Euporpean Corp WelFare!! Lifestyles How about Enron and Savings and Loan scandel.Drug Dealing,Learn To Read What about Oliver North and Iran-Contra, what about Bush Father And Manuel Noriega drug connection!!
Last Rap Crap More Euporpean youth listen and By what you Call Rap Crap My People.If you would live by you Name Learn to Read you will find Facts not fiction!!!!

Posted by: Bill | December 22, 2006 8:49 AM

I was born a citizen of the United States of America. I was taught that freedom is not free and in order to remain free and preserve my rights as an American Citizen it was my duty to put God, Country, and Family before my individual needs.

I have lived my live in this belief that was taught to me by my father and his father before him, God, Country and Family. For the first two thirds of my life that philosophy worked well for me and my country. When my country asked me to serve, I did. When my country asked me from money, I paid my taxes; in the meantime I worked and raised my family.

Over the past twenty years I have watch with great dismay as the philosophy of the majority of my country, God, Country and Family, has been replaced by the leaders of my country with what is best for the individual politician, the political party, and big business.

After fighting cancer and open heart surgery, I have come to realize, as we all must, that I am not infallible. That infallibility has given me a desire to pass on to my children the importance of the freedom that we were born with and was our birthright and heritage as American Citizens. I would love to pass that birthright and heritage on to my children, except that while I was serving my county, paying my taxes, working and raising my family, my birthright and heritage was stolen.

My elected official’s who were elected to preserve the philosophy that made this country great and to protect me and my families rights to freedom of religion, invasion from a foreign force, and to uphold the constitution, stole my birthright and heritage.

This summer I watched in utter dismay as the fruits of your labor to further your individual political careers and to find future voters for your political party came to fruition on the streets of America. I watched as tens of thousands of people who are illegally in my country marching in the cities of my country carrying a foreign flag and screaming at me that I was a bigot because I want my countries immigration laws enforced to protect my family and to take back my birthright.

All of this while you allow hypercritical officials of Mexico to tell you how to protect the borders of my country as the border officials of Mexico rob, rape, and murder the citizens of Honduras and Guatemala trying to keep them out of Mexico.

This mass invasion of illegal immigration has resulted in allowing a foreign government, Mexico, to file and support citizens of their country to file law suites in my country which has resulted in my fellow citizens loosing their home and their land to illegal immigrants.

According to your own government statistics there are over 250,000 illegal immigrants that are also repeat sexual pedophiles and sexual predators in my country and my government has no idea where or who they are and is doing nothing to find and deport them.

Due to the fact that most other countries have not worked to curb diseases the way my country has and whose citizens are allowed to cross into my country illegally at will is now presenting a health problem with tuberculosis infection. Health officials attribute, in part, the increase of tuberculosis to undocumented immigrants entering the country. One third of the world's population, or about 1.7 billion people, are carriers of the bacteria that causes TB.

I am an American citizen because my forefathers came to this country as legal immigrants and wanted more than anything else to be a part of America. They worked hard, learned to speak English and assimilated into American. They did not want to be known as hyphenated Americans, they wanted to be Americans.

Now it seems the most popular way to become an American citizen is to illegally cross the border and have a child that automatically becomes an American citizen. This way the mother and father claims that they have a right to stay in American because their child is an American.

Some of the major imports that is readily visible and attributable to illegal immigrants is crime, gang activity, drugs, health hazards and a drain on state resources that should be spent to make a better life for the legal citizens of America.

We are standing on the verge of anarchy in America; cities, law enforcement agencies, businesses, and even churches have openly defied the government by refusing to obey the immigration laws of America. As I pen this, there is a Mexican woman that has been deported once from America, illegally crossed back into the country and is scheduled to be deported for the second time.

However, keeping in tune with the philosophy that has allowed her to break the law twice before, she feels that she has a right to continue to break the law and thumb her nose at the American legal system. That same philosophy is supported by the United Methodist Church that has allowed her to use the church for illegal asylum.

Anyone who has ever been to Mexico knows what a great job the church has done to help the poor and unfortunate people of Mexico. The church has statues made of gold and precious medals with ornate decorations while poor people beg for food in the streets in front of the church.

Mr. President and Members of Congress, I want my birthright back. It is my birthright to expect that each of you will protect the borders of my country from illegal immigration and that children born to parents that are illegally in this country are not American.

It is my birthright to expect that each of you will protect me from any illegal immigrant that crosses the borders into my country with the intent to harm me or any other American citizen.

It is my birthright to expect that if anyone should receive free medical care, it should be an American citizen. It is my birthright to expect that if money is spent on education that it be spent on American citizens.

It is my birthright to expect that each of you work to enact laws and the means to enforce those laws that will do whatever is required to secure the borders of my country and protect all American citizens from illegal immigration.

This is not about being anti Mexican or anti anything, it is about being pro everything American. We are a nation of laws, without respect for the law there is the anarchy that is starting to be seen in cities across the country. While I speak Spanish, it is my birthright to expect to speak my native language when ordering a cup of coffee in my country.

As for the hypocrisy that comes for each of you concerning the illegal immigration problem, YES, THERE IS A PROBLEM, you should learn another rule to live by that was taught to me by my father, DO THE RIGHT THING.

It is time for each of you to DO THE RIGHT THING and give me and each of my fellow Americans our birthright back.

Posted by: esandmc | December 23, 2006 12:01 AM

Talk about racism!! These "immigrants" take the jobs that no-one else in this country(who are legal) want! They are just here to work and provide for their families. They don't care if they have to work extra shifts etc. They are very appreciative and seldomly complain. Unlike us "Americans" who are always complaining, calling in sick, or leaving early for whatever reason. A lot of the "Americans" actually prefer to be unemployed or collect unemployment before even considering taking a job that they feel is beneath them or pays too low. Yet, what makes me shake my head in disbelief is that we trust these so called "illegals" with our most prized possessions, such as a nanny for our children, or as a maid, landscaper etc in our home…what a crock! This country is made of illegals, remember that! That's what this wonderful country is all about!

Posted by: ab | December 23, 2006 1:20 AM

TSN, we all know who you are. "The mayor is very astute politically"? Dead giveaway. I read that post and I hear your voice.

Posted by: learn to read | December 25, 2006 1:07 PM

Columbus didn't land in America, he landed in the islands and never made it to North America. African tribal leaders sold, and had for many years been selling their own tribe members, or slaves captured in raids...think of 827AD Moors begin invasion of Sicily and Rome. History shows they raped the woman and murdered the men of children that were either too young, or to old to be sold as slaves in Northern African and Egypt.

The pryamids were built by slaves, and not all blacks, and thousands died at the hands of their leaders.

The point is... all races have good and bad, but you are the classic example of the person that continues to use the poor enslaved black only myth. When will you learn that this is what has kept the balck community down and so uneducated. Excuses...so send comment again that legal immigrants did not build this country or die for the abolition of slavery. Then realize that 95% of the men that died in the Civil War to obtain freedom were immigrants from Europe who landed in New York and were promtly enllisted in the Union Army. Additionally, most European immigrants arrived well after slavery was abolished. History also shows that Asians where treate the worst. Read about the history opf the railroad. The books you cite are considered one sided in most circles, on the level of Mein Kampf or The Protocols of Zion.

No one is asking to stop immigration, we are encouragimng LEGAL Immigration. Do you understand the difference? Did you read Bill's comments, which are very acurate about the health issues? Do you know that New Orleans is overrun with illegals that are draining the inadequate health care facilities that have managed to open. Have blacks returned to rebuild their communities? The pay for construction work is very good, but less than 15% of the workers that arrived there are balck and/or from New Orleans, much less any part of the south. Most likely you just want to live with the excuse instead of encouraging self reliance. Plus, you cannot compare straight numbers of those on welfare, instead look at the percentage of the population of each race. Proportionally you are very mistaken, but I am sure in your mind it is some master plan by europeans. Building countries hah justlook at Sudan, Darfur, Somalia, The Ivory Coast and show where the leaders are, and explain where your ancestors would be had they return to the home land they were sold from.
In fact, just look in New Haven...most of the shootings are by kids for you ancestory that come from broken homes, unwed mothers and missing fathers. Many can't learn due to prenatal developmental damage associated with drug use. By the way America was stolen from Native American Indians and many southern blacks were as guilty as europeans after the civil of murder in the Indian Wars as America moved west, but they are not even discussed in most writings.

Jobs that pay well typically require an education. Do you know the graduation percentage in America for you favored group? It's low and dropping, so you would be wise to support legal immigration, especially since minimum wagee is rising, if that is the only reason for not working. Oh now to really throw you I am African American ands my family has been in this country for over 150 years. I was educated prior to 1960, and I work with New Haven Youth, and sit on the board of various organizations in the Hill, Dwight and Newhallville neighborhoods.

Posted by: maybe this will help | December 25, 2006 1:41 PM

Threefifths and Learn to Read

Thousands of records of transactions are available on a CDROM prepared by Harvard University and several comprehensive books have been published recently on the origins of modern slavery (namely, Hugh Thomas' The Slave Trade and Robin Blackburn's The Making Of New World Slavery) that shed new light on centuries of slave trading.
What these records show is that the modern slave trade flourished in the early middle ages, as early as 869, especially between Muslim traders and western African kingdoms.

For moralists, the most important aspect of that trade should be that Muslims were selling goods to the African kingdoms and the African kingdoms were paying with their own people. In most instances, no violence was necessary to obtain those slaves.

Contrary to legends and novels and Hollywood movies, the white traders did not need to savagely kill entire tribes in order to exact their tribute in slaves. All they needed to do is bring goods that appealed to the kings of those tribes. The kings would gladly sell their own kins.

This explains why slavery became "black". Ancient slavery, e.g. under the Roman empire, would not discriminate: slaves were both white and black (so were Emperors and Popes). In the middle ages, all European countries outlawed slavery (of course, they retained countless "civilized" ways to enslave their citizens, but that's another story), whereas the African kingdoms happily continued in their trade. Therefore, only colored people could be slaves, and that is how the stereotype for African-American slavery was born. It was not based on an ancestral hatred of blacks by whites, but simply on the fact that blacks were the only ones selling slaves, and they were selling their own kins.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | December 26, 2006 1:19 AM

Learn To Read, If you Are A African American as You Stated, I Find It Strange That You Woild Use The Term Your Group. If You Are a African American Are You Not Apart Of The Group?Second It Is True That Some Of the Tribal Leaders Sold Slaves, But To Inslave A People Or Take A Country Over You Must Have Traders And Collaborates. This Is Why You would Have Native American Who Work To Capture Other Native American!! Read Walter Rodneys Book How Europe Under Developed African And Lerone Bennett Book Before The MayFlower!! Today We Call Them Sambo And AuntJermin.Your Also State That Aisans Have It Worst,I March In New York For Sean Bell Shot Fifty Times by NYPD How About Amadou Dillo Who Was Not One Of the Drug Deals who you Claim That We Are, How About Malik Jones!!! Can you Please Tell Me What Aisans Have to Deal With This Type Of Abuse!!You Have Also Stated That The Enslaved Black Myth Is what Keeps The Black Community Down And UNEDUCATED, Wrong Again, It Is The Small Job Market Beacuse Of Outsourcing Of Jobs, Look At winchester, Bayer Of West Haven And We Cannot for get The Big Ford Motor Company Layoff Next Year.Also the Reason why The Black People Did Not Get the Jobs In New Orleans Is That King Vicepresident Of corp welfare Dick Cheney Old Company Haliburton got the contract To Rebuild New Orleans and Who Did They Hire Immigrants,Buy The Way this Is The same Company That Charges Fourty dollars For a Case Of Cocacola soda For the troops in Iraq.Bottom Line Even Those Who Have Education Are Now Starting To Sink In to Poverty.Last Read Lou Dobbs Book War On The Middle Class A Euporpean Who I Had The Chance to Meet In person and Have Great Respect For Has Stated In His Book That You Can Have All The Education In The World But It will Not Stop The Monster Of Outsorceing And The Wiping Of Of The Middle Class Who Are Living Pay Check to Pay Check and who Jobs are Being Replaced By Immigrants Here And Aboard.

Posted by: bjfair | December 26, 2006 3:47 PM

I don't believe for a moment that "Learn to Read" is African American. To blame African Americans for the plight they face in this country has got to be the most ignorant statement made. It's mindsets like hers/his who keep racism alive in this country. Yes, Africans enslaved other Africans. The primary difference in the enslavement of the African in Amerikka is that Africans were deemed inhuman.The prison system today reflects the continued inhumanity and indifference to people of color. NOONE (AfricanAmerican or otherwise) wants to work all week and not have enough wages to support their family and I'm certain that Learn To Read is no different. Bush and others like him want to allow ILLEGAL individuals to come here with ONE purpose, to work hard for little compensation. Most Africans don't mind working. They always have. Fact: If the government really wants to welcome ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS give them jobs in the mayor's office, law enforcement, in schools,and in the White House and not as maids, butlers, shoe shiners and drivers but as administrators, state reps, senators, congressmen etc. A little FYI,Families can only receive 22 months (for a lifetime) so I doubt if women are having babies to get 22 months of a very small monthly check that won't even cover their rent. I could go on and on but I am a well educated, (not solely indoctrinated) African American single mom that must get to work. Keep on reading and be careful to decipher fact from myth. Just because the Mexican president stated that Mexicans are willing to take jobs that African Americans don't want doesn't make it true. Despite the fact that some on welfare don't want to work; most are working poor receiving some asistance in making ends meet when they are poorly paid. Drugs and violence occurs in all neighborhoods despite media focusing its lens on innercities. Fatherless homes exist in all areas. People in all nations are fighting and killing each other, not soley in Africa. America is entering its 4th decade of a war on its poor citizens. It's called "The Drug War". Finally,We must talk about the legacy of slavery because the policy of racism continues to dictate the outcome of African Americans in this country to date. It's not an excuse and as long we ignore our past because it makes people uncomfortable we become a barrier to change. We as a people have not healed emotionally from the inhumanity, degradation and separation of families that stemmed from the legacy of slavery. Look at the criminal justice, prison and foster care systems today. The 13th ammendment to the constitution allows the continued enslavement of African people. Because some of us have escaped its tenacles we can't deny its existence. We have a long way to go before we can say that we no longer need to talk about slavery in this country. I have no problems with embracing so called ILLEGAL immigrants because I feel this is ALL God's land. None of us should be illegal whereever we choose to live. My struggle for decades has been to get ALL AMERICANS to embrace the Legal African Americans who have been in this country for over 400 years and that hasn't happened yet. Happy 2007 to all!!!!

Posted by: learn to read | December 27, 2006 12:54 AM

Your hate is apparent. Good luck in all your life goals. I hope you find some happiness in the new year.

Posted by: bjfair | December 29, 2006 12:08 PM

To Learn to read, Your ignorance and bigotry is just as apparent but thank you so much for wishing me happiness and luck in my life goals in 2007.I have been blessed thus far and I pray for it to continue not only for myself,but for you and all of us. Have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!!!!! and remember to read.

Posted by: Edward_H | December 31, 2006 2:55 PM

The mayor’s desire to turn New Haven into a sanctuary city for illegal aliens is a shamefully transparent attempt to garner support from legalized American citizens. New Haven already has its fair share of problems without encouraging every illegal alien in the state to flood into the city in the hope of getting an ID card. Concerning this policy of stopping police officers from asking about immigration status unless the person is suspected of criminal activity, I could be wrong but I thought crossing U.S. borders without permission was illegal and thus far criminal? Why not come up with a similar plan for drug addicts who are cheated or “burned� in bad drug deals? I am sure they would like to call the police without fear of reprisal as well. Although I am steadfastly against illegal immigration I wholeheartedly support anyone who is willing to come to this country legally and take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities this country makes available to those who want them.

(THREEFIFTHS and BJFAIR)

Not every African-American subscribes to the mentality of perpetual victimhood that you two so clearly find affinity with. As an American who happens to be of African descent myself I agree with many of the things LEARNTOREAD has posted. How long are people going to regurgitate the same nonsense that has been spouted by every poverty pimp and race hustler who claims to be a “black leader�? This lack of desire to take personal responsibility is the primary reason for the problems in the African-American community, not some conspiracy by “The Man�. Of all the blacks who were shot, stabbed, mugged, car jacked or otherwise assaulted this past year in New Haven how many of those were committed by non-black perpetrators?

Posted by: bjfair | January 2, 2007 9:15 PM

Oh wise one, criminals generally mug, carjack,assault stab and kill those who live around them. Ask those who live outside the innercity how many criminal acts were committed in their community by non-white perpetrators.

Posted by: Help me do this | January 3, 2007 4:27 AM

This is a great forum. Regardless of who judges a racebased on comments. I founded, in New Haven, a 501c-3 corporation to help at risk young adults and ex-offenders teaching first life skills and second various trades. I worked with the New Haven Police, State Probation and the U.S. Department of Justice, and have spoken to State Representatives who fought to get funding for programs, not new jails. Grants are tough to get. If you have the skills to assist in writing them let me know. I will post the progarm overview.

It has to get grants dollars!!!! If you can help, please do. I have no personal gain from this. I founded it to help my family in New Haven.

Read below

Partnership for Neighborhood Recovery

The Program is a grassroots organization that seeks to ensure the lasting rehabilitation of individuals for the overall benefit of their communities. We provide hands-on job training, as well as, a life skills program for neighborhood residents who are at-risk youths or ex-offenders, while expanding the supply of permanent affordable housing in urban areas.

The organization seeks to establish alliances with neighborhood consortiums and existing agencies in order to identify properties that would benefit from the program. Eligible participants will be determined through recommendations from local Social Service agencies, law enforcement, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Corrections. They will undergo a program that includes job training, ongoing life skills, counseling and support services, and a re-entry program to prevent recidivism. We intend to raise capital to sustain this initiative through grants, foundations, and contributions from the private sector.

The expected outcomes from this program include community and participant rehabilitation. We foresee an increase in affordable housing and an improvement to the neighborhood economy. Graduates will become lifelong contributors to the areas with their newly acquired job and life skills. This will be ensured through sustained support.

The assessment plan includes pre and post participant interviews, as well as, pre and post surveys of the involved agencies. A meaningful evaluation will be used to make adjustments and improvements to the program.

Posted by: Edward_H | January 3, 2007 4:49 PM

( BJFAIR )

Thank you for the accolades, I hope to prove worthy of such kind words. Data show in most cases criminals tend to prey on others of their own ethnic class i.e White criminals generally prey on other whites and Blacks generally prey on other blacks. Although you will find a higher percentage of white victims who report a black criminal as a offender than you will find blacks reporting whites as perpertators. You can go to http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm or to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/welcome.html .All the information is there if you wish to research the topic further. Please feel free to post with any other research yoou would like me to find for you. I will gladly do so if I have the time.