Posted on 10/10/2002 4:52:55 PM PDT by NewHampshireDuo
Members of the Somali community and a coalition of local advocacy groups plan to file a complaint with the Justice Department against the city of Lewiston.
The complaint will ask for a comprehensive federal review of Lewiston's programs and services, from the schools to the police department, to ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of national origin.
The decision to seek federal intervention, which is supported by the Islamic Society of Portland and Peace Action Maine, comes as Lewiston is getting worldwide attention - much of it less than flattering - for a controversial letter sent by Mayor Laurier Raymond to the city's Somali community.
"The reality is that the (anti-discriminatory) policies are not being implemented," said Kathy Poulos-Minot, founder of the National Limited English Proficient Advocacy Task Force in Portland. "Another concern is that when they are being implemented, the services are being delivered in a disrespectful and discriminatory manner by some city employees, and this whole thing with the mayor has made it 100 times worse."
Phil Nadeau, assistant city manager, said the complaint is "unwarranted" and even "laughable." He said he is "incredibly confident" the city will fare well in any federal review.
"This is a work in progress," he said, "and that kind of action suggests that we are somehow consciously not trying to meet the need, that we are somehow trying to skirt around the edges of the issue and do just the marginal work that needs to be done. It's offensive."
In the letter, Raymond asked for help in slowing down the flow of Somalis into the city because, he said, the newcomers are straining the city's finances. Since 2001, more than 1,000 Somalis have moved to Lewiston from other states in search of better schools, less crime and a small-city lifestyle.
"The Somali community must exercise some discipline and reduce the stress on our limited finances and our generosity," Raymond wrote.
Many people in Lewiston have said they agree with the mayor's point of view, but others have called the letter racist because it singles out a particular ethnic group.
The Anti-Defamation League has written to Raymond, saying his letter "raises profound concerns."
"It is a core tenet of our democracy, and of our organization, that Americans have the right to live where they choose," wrote Robert Leikind, the group's regional director.
Jamal Noor of the Islamic Society of Portland has a daughter and grandson who are U.S. citizens and live in Lewiston. Although he doesn't think all Americans agree with what the mayor said, he still fears that the letter could compromise his family's safety.
"The mayor opened the gate of the hate and crime," he said.
Noor said widespread support is being organized for the Justice Department complaint. "We get American friends and also Somalian and different communities," he said. "We hope to turn out together because it's time we need to join together. We stand up."
Wells Staley-Mays of Peace Action Maine said he fears for the lives of his Somali friends "because I do believe this is all about race."
"There are these popular prejudices out there that happen around any immigrant group, that they take up all the money in social services," he said. "The truth is that they pay far more in taxes than they take out in social services. But the prejudice keeps people pitted against each other, and it causes some people to get so vexed that they feel they can take it into their own hands."
Attorney General Steven Rowe sent a letter Wednesday in both English and Somali to members of the Somali community in Maine, pledging his protection and support. He said the "vast, vast majority of Maine residents want you to feel welcome and safe."
The Somali situation has been the talk of Lewiston, with some people defending the mayor and others denouncing him.
"We know the mayor's not a racist or a bigot," Nadeau said. "The message that seems to be getting lost here is this business of fiscal capacity."
Heidi Burgess, 48, of Lewiston said she is not against Somalis resettling in Lewiston "because I know what they've been through."
"But I'm not against what the mayor did, either, because he just said we need to be careful," Burgess said. "We need to slow down receiving any more because our resources are tapped out."
Connie Durette, 55, said she thinks the mayor's letter wasn't strong enough. Angry and trembling, Durette said she feels she is being "taxed to death."
"They take and they don't give," she said of the local Somali community. "I've never been prejudiced before, but this has nothing to do with color. It has to do with the mindset they have that everything is free - free food, free housing, free medical. Nothing has ever been given to me free."
The debate over the Somali immigrants has even found its way onto the Internet sites of hate groups. Steve Hochstadt, a history professor at Bates College and board member of the Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine, said it's not surprising that hate groups have latched onto the issue, but such groups don't have much support in the state.
Both Hochstadt and Leikind of the Anti-Defamation League said the fact that the controversial letter came from the mayor makes ordinary people feel more comfortable about voicing their opinions.
"I do generally think that it's a good thing if people say what they think, even if it's unpleasant to hear it," Hochstadt said. "But I do think that some of the things that have been said foment hatred or bigotry, and that's not good." Leikind said the letter "seems to have appealed to people's baser instincts."
"I think it's not surprising that there would be some people who would seize upon a statement like this to give voice to sentiments that were beyond the bounds of civility even a few days ago," he said. "And that's one of the things that makes it so troubling because . . . it gives permission to a kind of divisiveness that, frankly, we as a society have worked so hard over the last four or five decades to overcome."
"They take and they don't give," she said of the local Somali community. "I've never been prejudiced before, but this has nothing to do with color. It has to do with the mindset they have that everything is free - free food, free housing, free medical. Nothing has ever been given to me free."
If the taxpayers want to succeed, they have to get in the Somalis' face by holding a street protest or something similar of their own.
Like most small town people they'll quietly keep paying taxes and refuse to complain.
But maybe the next time a real conservative runs for the Senate Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe will get flushed. One hopes.
Wonder if Mr. Hochstadt would classify Free Republic as a hate site? I think he probably would, since they disagree with him. He would probably call us racist, too. Typical liberal name caller.
How many non-Somali residents does Lewiston have that have less job prospects than the average American 16-year-old - due to not understanding English, nearly no schooling, etc.?
Native-born Americans who can't speak English probably can't even find work at McDonald's. They are minimally employable at the best of times. Why shouldn't a mayor represent his citizens by saying that his town cannot afford more such people - of any race?
It's just going to get worse if we don't get a handle on this very quickly.
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