Posted on 12/02/2008 9:04:00 AM PST by goldstategop
It is a little slice of Long Beach, Calif., brought here by a former gang member by way of a federal prison, an immigration jail and then expulsion four years ago from his homeland, the United States, to the homeland of his parents, Cambodia.
The former gang member is Tuy Sobil, 30, who goes by the street name K.K. The boys are Cambodian street children he has taken under his wing as he teaches them the art he brought with him, break dancing, as well as his hard lessons in life.
K.K. is not here because he wants to be. He is one of 189 Cambodians who have been banished from the United States in the past six years under a law that mandates deportations for noncitizens who commit felonies. Hundreds more are on a waiting list for deportation. Like most of the others, K.K. is a noncitizen only by a technicality. He was not an illegal immigrant. He was a refugee from Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge “killing fields” who found a haven in the United States in 1980.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Pass the barf bucket please — the NYT pandering as usual to criminals, misfits, illegals, bums, street thugs, and corruption in general -— anything that typically represents DEMOCRAT votes....
Beg to differ. The guy was a legal resident under the same refugee status granted to many thousands of Cambodians.
And I totally agree that with his record he was properly deported back to Cambodia.
The problem is that lots of the deportees had done nothing more “criminal” than urinating in public or possession of marijuana (both ticket offenses in many jurisdictions).
So out with the felonious criminal trash went a bunch of guys with minor, one-time stupid post-adolescent misdemeanors.
No need to cry about it, they should have been taught better and obeyed the law. But those are the facts.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Why are you telling me what I already know, and clearly stated in my post above.
I said he was properly deported.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
“People judge me. People see me with tattoos and think I’m a bad guy.”
Pretty good judgement, considering you’re a convicted felon.
>>>>>My point is people aren’t deported for jaywalking offenses but for crimes that earn real jail time, like drug dealing, armed robbery, rape and murder.<<<<<<<
You’re clearly not reading what I posted above, so I’ll say it again.
1) Felons like KK should be deported no matter what their status. IMO they should even be stripped of it if they have naturalized citizenship, then deported back to their home country.
...but....
2) Many of the 189 “felons” deported in this program had nothing more serious than urination in public or possession of marijuana on their record, or some other youthful indiscretion. I don’t mean armed robbery like KK or anything truly serious.
3) I am NOT defending this sloppy piece by the NYT, or cheering for a guy who’s teaching Phnom Penh street kids this trashy street dancing from the ‘hood. Now THAT is sad and pathetic (for the poor kids).
4) The poverty in Phnom Penh and the immense number of abandoned street kids is mind-boggling, and nothing like it exists anywhere in America. Doing *anything* to help them is better than doing nothing. Do you know what happened to Cambodia?
Bottom line is that the story is misinformed, and it’s easy to go overboard based on the way its written and what it misses (by the way, there are people right there in Phnom Penh who should have been in interviewed but weren’t).
I wish we could banish more convicted felons.
Send them to work camps in North Korea.
In SE Asia, tattoos mean you're a "cowboy", e.g. a gang member, thug, and criminal.
What good is breakdancing for the average street kid? They will use it to beg for money. How do they better their lives?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.