New Haven Independent

A Melody Defies Immigration Battle

by Melinda Tuhus | September 22, 2008 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

three%20people%20.jpg At two competing immigration events, salsa music crossed the divide. Or was that a polka beat?

You could almost say there was musical common ground between the two camps of foes assembled at City Hall Saturday.

In front of City Hall, about two dozen members and supporters of Community Watchdog protested illegal immigration and criticized the administration of Mayor John DeStefano for welcoming undocumented immigrants to the city. (They were also ticked off that a Mexican flag was flying on the Green.)

Inside City Hall people were welcomed at a “Family Day” celebration to sign up for New Haven’s immigrant-friendly municipal ID card, which has caused conservative outside groups assembled by the Watchdog Project to declare a form of political war.

As Watchdog leaders spoke through a tinny sound system on the sidewalk, half a dozen musicians set up about 25 feet away, banging out Latin rhythms on homemade drums and other instruments.

“Their rhythm’s getting better,” one of the Watchdog speakers commented. “I like it.”

Watchdog organizer Ted Pechinski spoke briefly and accused the musicians of trying to drown out the speakers. But he picked up a polka beat to the music.

Watchdog chief strategist Dustin Gold (pictured) said after rallying for awhile, he told his supporters to come in to get some of the free food set out for Family Day. So there they were — sworn enemies on opposite sides of the immigration divide, noshing together.

Toward the end of the two-hour event, a group of anti-immigrant protesters gathered near the musicians, who were still playing their Latin beat. Immigrant rights activists John Jairo Lugo laughed and said, “We’re having more fun over here!”

Asked about the music afterward, Pechinski (pictured at the top of the story) denied the music was a polka, the iconic dance of Poland. But said it had a similar two-beat rhythm.

Asked if he is Polish, first Pechniski said yes. Then he corrected himself: “I’m an American of Polish descent.” Asked if he dances the polka, he responded in the affirmative, and indicated he had pretty darn good moves on the dance floor.

Who Protested, & Why

“I’m a United States citizen,” said Community Watchdog member Joan Morgan of North Haven (pictured).

“I believe very firmly in immigration rights,” she said. “However, I also believe very firmly it should be legal immigration, and I believe people who come here illegally should not be usurping the rights and the services that American citizens are in such desperate need of. I believe our country is becoming more socialistic, where individual rights are not so much respected, as much as global rights for everyone; that [we’re becoming] an entitlement society, and I believe things should be earned, not automatically given to people, and that includes residency in the United States as well as citizenship. I believe John DeStefano and his resident card program has just exacerbated the whole situation about illegal immigrants, and I think it’s hurt the whole state of Connecticut.”

Morgan said she was disappointed in the protest turnout. “I would have expected more people to be here because it affects us all.”

Eric Sleeth (pictured), an East Havener who’s a student at Southern, attended the Watchdog rally despite having a broken ankle. “It required a little determination to get down here,” he said, “but I thought it was pretty important” to support the group’s members who had “revealed” such things as Community Services Administrator Kica Matos’s “prior affiliation with Junta for Progressive Action, where she authored what was essentially the sanctuary city policy.”

When told that the city had publicized Matos’s previous job from the start — that her leadership on the immigration issue was a key reason DeStefano gave for hiring her — Sleeth switched gear. “The biggest problem,” he said, “is that while the city of New Haven is running a huge budget gap, laying off 34 city employees just recently, the mayor and community services administrator are encouraging, by establishing this sanctuary city policy, more and more individuals to come to this city.”

He said he understands that some undocumented workers do pay taxes. But he added that much of their earnings are sent “back to Mexico.”

Why Supporters Showed Up

About 100 people , most with children in tow, entered City Hall to hear another kind of music (the local nine-member Taubl family, singing beautiful harmonies), collect information on city and privately run services, and specifically be invited to sign up for the Elm City resident card.

Josh Smith (pictured) has lived in Westville since last December. He said he came to City Hall on Saturday just to get his ID “so I could use the library and have parking and all the benefits of the card all in one.”

As for New Haven being the first city in the country to offer such an ID to all residents, he said, “I think it’s great, because it lets everybody use city services and stay safe and feel more a part of the community. That way they’re more likely to give back to the community they live in.”

Husham Hussain, a refugee from Iraq who arrived in April with his wife and three children, attended Family Day. Even though he followed all the procedures and is on the road to citizenship, he was sympathetic to those who come here illegally.

“They are forced to leave their country, their families, their friends, and come here, and be illegal, and suffer here in America. My heart is with them. I support them, and I wish they can enjoy life here and be legal here.” Click here for a previous story on Hussain and his upcoming job at a new New Haven magnet school. Click here to hear him tell his story.

Hussain (who asked that he not be photographed for fear of retribution against his siblings still in Iraq) works part-time at IRIS, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, which helped settle his family. He also teaches Arabic.

David Muniz (pictured with his daughter, Alexandra, 7), said, “It’s a family day, and this is my family. I’m a single parent, and I thought maybe I could meet some people and enjoy the day.” He said he’d like to buy a home; he was looking for information on raising his credit score. “I just want what everyone else wants,” he said.

Asked if he has a resident ID or was planning to get one, he first said he didn’t need one because, “I’m a citizen.” When told it was for all residents, he said he would relinquish his spot for someone who needed the card more. When told it’s unlimited, he said he didn’t really need the card. But when given more information about its advantages, he said he’d consider it. He said he’d heard rumors that the cards were just for undocumented residents, “to document ‘em, and transport ‘em out.”

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Comments

Posted by: Armand Serio | September 22, 2008 4:10 PM

Saturday September 20th was a beautiful day. Remember, "judge not lest you be judged". And that is exactly what this article did to alot of concerned citizens rallying against Mayor Destefano's "gung ho" policies, that "do not" encompass all of New Havens citizens, but instead,divides them and the resources they are entitled to. Lets not forget that this celebration was paid for with money saved by firing 35 workers,just the day before. There are several Federal Laws that he is breaking and he will have to answer to that in the very near future. Again, I ask. If all at his "Everyone is welcome,Celebration" felt no shame in what he is doing. Why did they all enter through the back door of city hall,off of orange street, instead of Right past their "Junta" "Latino" "Supporters" "Band"? Better yet, why weren't "Junta and Lugo" at the back entrance greeting all their loving "comrades". CHECK AND MATE MY FRIENDS

Posted by: Armand Serio | September 22, 2008 4:16 PM

Hey Melinda, nice photos. But your rhetoric is really biased and disgusting. "Be you,Americano"

Posted by: Josh Smith | September 22, 2008 5:20 PM

I believe we should embrace illegal aliens in the city and get them involved with their communities. Since they are here, and they're not going away anytime soon as a whole (regardless of the legality of the situation), let's help them to help themselves and their neighbors make their communities nicer places to live. Let's get together with them and plant gardens, share a laugh and some food... What ever happened to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"? Guess it doesn't apply to ... racists from the suburbs. Let's give everyone an equal chance in this town. Or would you prefer boarded-up, crime-infested buildings to communities of hard-working people?? Think about it and let me know. K, thanks. :)

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 23, 2008 8:51 AM

Josh......HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!! When was earth invaded by aliens??? Have they come in peace??? Sorry Had to do that.

Armand Serio are you a New Havener?? One thing I notice is a large number of the protester do not live in New Haven. So Why do you care?? This is our city. And weather you are for or against the card the fact is that until the Fed's change policy and laws and or enforce the existing ones....this is helpful to community's that do have a larger base of illegal IMMIGRANTS. That simply.

Posted by: Ted Pechinski | September 23, 2008 8:06 PM

My anger is not at our South American neighbors, but it may be and actualy is directed at politicians such as Mayor John DeStefano. He,like many of our leaders, is "selling out the American middle class."

Let's take a real look at his and Yale's "A city to model?"
1.The highest crime ratein the city than any of his predecessors.
2.Taxes are out of control.
3.Illegals are not arrested even if ICE has notified New Haven that ICE has issued a warrant on their person.

Posted by: T Pechinski | September 23, 2008 8:38 PM

Cont. " A city to model" ha ha
5. A cost of $71 million dollars to the tax payers of New Haven to support his sanctuary city program per year.
6. A lost of jobs to the Black American community!
7. A lay off of 35 people because the Mayor can not control his appetite for supporting illegal immigration.
8. I can go on and on, but you get the picture; he does not care about his constituents, but he does care about the $25 million he has, in my opinion, stole from the city to open a bank.

Posted by: Armand Serio | September 23, 2008 11:39 PM

Hey, Cedarhillresident. I was not only born in New Haven but i was raised in New Haven and I also attended schools and worked in New Haven. That is why I am ashamed of all of you New Haveners who don't speak out against your Mayors illegal policies. I moved out of New Haven several years ago due to the influx of illegals and crime in the Fair Haven area, (yes the area i grew up in)(Fair Haven)

Posted by: Josh Smith | September 24, 2008 1:27 PM

An influx in crime should not be related by default to an influx in illegal immigration. The influx in crime in this city is solely due to bad parenting -- parents not being positive role models for their children, and not teaching them right from wrong. At least a couple of the parents at the Chatham Square Festival last weekend were using swear words around their young children, sitting down on benches and letting their children roam free, and that's probably just the tip of the iceberg as to what goes on at home. I was appalled at this, and I almost wanted to leave, because it opened my eyes to a totally different culture -- a culture in which parents just don't care about their kids' futures. When my parents raised me, I wasn't let out of their sight at public events, and when I went out to play with my friends, I had to be in before dark every night. Lack of either the will to (or the knowledge to) raise children correctly is tearing our neighborhoods apart.

We will not solve crime by shipping illegal immigrants home. The only way to tackle crime in this city is to somehow get parents to care about raising their children, rather than just having them and neglecting them. If the parents don't know how to raise their children, we should teach them the proper way. If they don't know that they don't know the right way, or they don't want to learn, that's even more dangerous. People who don't want to raise their children to be upstanding, law-abiding members of society should be jailed, and their children should be raised in a place where we can teach those children the things they will need to know in life, like how to speak proper English, how to take responsibility for their actions, how to treat others with respect (and why all these things are important). That approach would pay dividends to our city in the future, when we would have less crime due to more children growing up learning positive things, rather than continuing the cycle of ignorance of the laws and social conventions of American society.

Posted by: Armand Serio | September 30, 2008 8:46 AM

Hey Josh Smith, If thats your real name. I see you putting up posts all over the local newspapers. You sound like either someone who Mayor Destefano has on his payroll to talk nice about his bull crap. Or you are just plain communistic and don't care to see our country get back on track and survive. Heres an idea, why don't you get a job writing for the New Haven Independant. They don't like to print the truth either, when it comes to this flag issue or illegal alien influx in New Haven. Peace out

Posted by: Josh Smith | October 10, 2008 10:14 PM

Armand,

I post on local newspapers because I enjoy commenting about the issues presented in the stories and debating points in the stories. When comments come from all sides of an issue, it helps to generate good ideas and spark everyone to take action rather than just complaining from the sidelines.

I wish I was on the city payroll, actually -- I'd love to work for the city and be able to push some progressive policies through regarding transportation and traffic. Looking at all the layoffs, though, I don't think that would happen any time soon. I actually don't know much about the mayor as I just moved here in December of last year, except that he's brought the ID Card to New Haven, and he's spending a ton of money rebuilding schools. I like the ID Card, and I don't really care one way or the other about the schools, as I don't have kids and I don't plan on ever having any.

I don't know if the mayor supports Complete Streets legislation (I sent an email to him and no one ever responded) but, then again, I talked to him briefly about cycling ideas at the Oktoberfest event that was held in East Rock, and he kind of seemed interested. So I don't really know if I support him or not -- I'm kind of on the fence about it. I would have to learn more about him and his take on all the issues. As for how I vote, I plan to vote Libertarian this election day and on all other election days, as long as there's a candidate running and I like the Libertarian's stances and voting record on issues that are important to me.

A Melody Defies Immigration Battle

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