"Springfield’s mayor stigmatizes refugees | June 20, 2014
Cities across Massachusetts receive about 2,400 refugees annually from war-torn countries, and Springfield receives a proportionate share — about 300 last fiscal year. But what’s different in Springfield is the combative attitude of Mayor Domenic Sarno. To Sarno, refugees are a human services burden and a strain on the public schools. He is planning to renew his call for a moratorium on placing refugees in Springfield, following a controversial — and ultimately misinformed — four-page letter he sent to the US State Department last summer, urging officials to stop sending refugees to the city.
Very interesting in light of the current immigration crisis.
So Springfield is also a dump point, huh?
Sarno characterizes the situation in Springfield as “alarming” — houses occupied by refugees being condemned left and right, recent arrivals from warm-climate countries like Somalia and Iraq left ill-equipped to deal with the cold realities of New England winter, schools encumbered with non-English speakers.
Aside from the cold winter in an age of global warming, this is another by-product of the ill-conceived and misbegotten wars built on lies.
According to the city, it has condemned nine homes with refugee families in the past 18 months, mostly due to irresponsible landlords. The city convened a task force made up of several refugee stakeholders at the city and state level last summer, but the mayor suspended it this spring, saying he wasn’t getting any answers. While Sarno raises valid points about needing adequate resources to accommodate newcomers, his stance is far too rigid and ignores both the moral imperative to help refugees and the benefits those refugees can bring.
Only the State Department has jurisdiction over refugee placement and, once it determines host cities through a complex evaluation process, it contracts with local agencies to oversee refugee arrivals. These resettlement organizations, using federal, state, and private funds, provide services such as basic needs support, ESL instruction, and employment assistance. Federal data show refugees are assimilating just fine here. Massachusetts is among the top performers in refugee employment: 73 percent of refugees who enroll in state programs find work. Such immigrants can bring new life to struggling cities.
That possibility seems lost on Sarno, who has doted on casinos as an economic growth strategy while seeing none of the same potential in refugees. “Urban centers have become a dumping ground,” Sarno says. “What I’m doing is sounding the alarm. We do not have the capacity to take this on. The burden lands on my doorstep as mayor of Springfield.”
That is not exactly a welcome-to-America message, and those who work with refugees are perplexed at the mayor’s hostile attitude. Susannah Crolious, from the Western Massachusetts Refugee and Immigrant Consortium, says, “It’s bewildering to us why the [mayor’s] energy is being focused on refugees. And there has been no avenue for the initial conversation to continue.”
Refugees are often traumatized when they come to the United States; they shouldn’t also be stigmatized. While there’s always room for improvement in providing services, political leaders should voice a message of accommodation, not alienation.
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Honestly, I'm sick and tired of the agenda-pushing 1% and their wish for cheap foreign labor that won't complain for fear of deportation.
Time to fold:
"Can MGM’s Springfield casino revitalize a poor city?" June 20, 2014
Springfield mayor Domenic J. Sarno finally got his wish: A huge new casino is coming to the struggling city’s South End. Sarno pushed hard for the $800 million facility, sensing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jump-start his ailing city, which suffers from poverty rates nearly triple the state level. After months of review, the gaming commission provisionally agreed to the plan last week. Now, though, comes the real test, for Sarno and other proponents of the state’s 2011 casino law: proving that a gaming palace can really foster broad-based economic revitalization.
To his credit, Sarno negotiated a fairly strong agreement, linking the casino deal to other longstanding needs in Springfield. The developer, MGM, will construct the casino in a part of the city devastated by the 2011 tornado and has agreed to give at least 35 percent of the construction jobs to city residents. The blueprints themselves are innovative; MGM proposed an urban casino that should fit in well with the surroundings, bringing new foot traffic to the underpopulated downtown. The “inside out” design will feel like an extension of the street grid rather than an isolated box; MGM also committed to preserve historic facades and create a public plaza.
But for now, those promises are just on paper. To vindicate the city and state’s approach, Sarno and the state gaming commission have to make sure that MGM sticks to all the non-gambling aspects of the deal, even if its casino business fails to match expectations.
In other jurisdictions that have legalized casino gambling, holding companies to their promises has proven difficult. In theory, the state gaming commission has all the power it needs to punish MGM if it strays from its commitments. But in practice, as soon as MGM hires its first local worker, the political dynamic around casinos will shift. Once the casino is open and the paychecks start flowing, the company will suddenly have leverage to demand a more favorable deal from the city, or secure lower tax rates from the Legislature. It has happened before: Some California towns that counted on revenues from tribal casinos have had to agree to lower rates when the casinos claimed they couldn’t survive without them. In Louisiana, a statute meant to limit the influence of gambling by restricting it just to riverboats fell by the wayside when it hurt the casinos’ business. As Massachusetts municipalities welcome casinos, the Legislature, city leaders, and the gaming commission all need to be ready to say no if and when companies try to rewrite the rules.
Of course, if the referendum to repeal the casino law goes onto the ballot in November and passes, the questions will be moot. Wisely, the commission has decided not to formalize MGM’s license until the repeal effort is resolved. But if the Springfield casino does become a reality, it will pose a big political test for a mayor who has staked the city’s future on the gaming industry. After having rolled out the red carpet for casinos, Sarno needs to pivot to being a demanding and aggressive watchdog.
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May not get the chance.
Related: State signs agreement on Springfield casino plan
At least the lawyers get house odds.
Here is why I never go into Springfield, and Lord willing never will:
"18-year-old man slain in Springfield, police say
An 18-year-old man died Friday in a shooting outside a Springfield convenience store, police said. Sergeant John Delaney said officers responded to the Racing Mart store and gas station in the city’s Forest Park neighborhood at about 1:45 a.m., where they found the youth suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center and pronounced dead at about 2:30 a.m. Police did not immediately release the victim’s name pending notification of family. There was no word on arrests, but police say they are looking for a Hispanic male with black hair, wearing a gray T-shirt and black shorts."
"Two fatally shot in Springfield on same day
Springfield police are investigating the city’s second fatal shooting in less than 24 hours. Officers responding to 911 calls found Juan Rodriguez Jr., 33, on the ground outside a residence on Avon Place just before 5 p.m. Wednesday suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Witnesses said they heard a disturbance in the area before the shooting. There had been no arrests by Thursday morning. The shooting occurred hours after Darrell Jenkins, 23, was fatally shot in the city’s Forest Park neighborhood just after midnight Wednesday. There have been no arrests in that case either."
"Two men arrested on firearms charges
Springfield police and federal agents have arrested two armed men they describe as dangerous suspects with prior felony convictions, including one allegedly involved in the illegal sale of firearms. Police and ATF agents surrounded a vehicle at a city gas station at about 4 p.m. Thursday and arrested Tyrone Jones, 26, of Springfield. Police said Jones was allegedly carrying a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun loaded with 14 rounds that had been reported stolen in a Brattleboro, Vt., housebreak. He was charged with various firearms offenses. Police and ATF agents also arrested Dashaun Scott, 24, of Springfield, on Thursday. He is suspected of selling a gun earlier this week (AP)."
"Springfield police make major drug bust
Springfield police have arrested four men in what they are calling a major heroin bust. Officers also seized almost 5,000 small bags of heroin, 223 grams of pure heroin, and about $4,000 in cash while making a street arrest and executing a search warrant at a home on Thursday. Police described the home in the Forest Park section of the city as a ‘‘heroin distribution factory.’’ Police also seized items used in the weighing, cutting, and packaging of heroin."
"Springfield man dies in crash after brief chase by State Police
An 18-year-old man died Friday in a shooting outside a Springfield convenience store, police said. Sergeant John Delaney said officers responded to the Racing Mart store and gas station in the city’s Forest Park neighborhood at about 1:45 a.m., where they found the youth suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center and pronounced dead at about 2:30 a.m. Police did not immediately release the victim’s name pending notification of family. There was no word on arrests, but police say they are looking for a Hispanic male with black hair, wearing a gray T-shirt and black shorts."
"Two fatally shot in Springfield on same day
Springfield police are investigating the city’s second fatal shooting in less than 24 hours. Officers responding to 911 calls found Juan Rodriguez Jr., 33, on the ground outside a residence on Avon Place just before 5 p.m. Wednesday suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Witnesses said they heard a disturbance in the area before the shooting. There had been no arrests by Thursday morning. The shooting occurred hours after Darrell Jenkins, 23, was fatally shot in the city’s Forest Park neighborhood just after midnight Wednesday. There have been no arrests in that case either."
"Two men arrested on firearms charges
Springfield police and federal agents have arrested two armed men they describe as dangerous suspects with prior felony convictions, including one allegedly involved in the illegal sale of firearms. Police and ATF agents surrounded a vehicle at a city gas station at about 4 p.m. Thursday and arrested Tyrone Jones, 26, of Springfield. Police said Jones was allegedly carrying a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun loaded with 14 rounds that had been reported stolen in a Brattleboro, Vt., housebreak. He was charged with various firearms offenses. Police and ATF agents also arrested Dashaun Scott, 24, of Springfield, on Thursday. He is suspected of selling a gun earlier this week (AP)."
"Springfield police make major drug bust
Springfield police have arrested four men in what they are calling a major heroin bust. Officers also seized almost 5,000 small bags of heroin, 223 grams of pure heroin, and about $4,000 in cash while making a street arrest and executing a search warrant at a home on Thursday. Police described the home in the Forest Park section of the city as a ‘‘heroin distribution factory.’’ Police also seized items used in the weighing, cutting, and packaging of heroin."
"Springfield man dies in crash after brief chase by State Police
A 25-year-old Springfield man died Tuesday night in a car crash in Holyoke after being chased briefly by troopers, State Police said. Troopers attempted to stop a car for a motor vehicle violation on Route 391 North in Holyoke just after 8 p.m. Tuesday. The man continued driving, and troopers followed the car until the suspect exited the highway, State Police spokesman David Procopio said. A short time later, they saw that the man had crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Main and Berkshire streets in Holyoke. The man, whose name was not released, suffered fatal injuries, Procopio said in a statement. The operator of the other car suffered serious injuries, Procopio said."
"Springfield officer shoots knife-wielding man
A knife-wielding man who went on a rampage in Springfield, slashing tires and breaking windows, was shot to death early Thursday by an officer after refusing to drop his weapon. The man, David Kingsbury, was brought to the hospital after the shooting at about 12:15 a.m. where he was pronounced dead, Sergeant John Delaney said in a statement. Officers responded to a home after getting a 911 call, but upon arrival, police were told the man had gone into an apartment. Kingsbury, 34, lived at the address. After demanding that the door be opened, officers forced their way into the apartment and confronted a man who was holding a kitchen knife, police said."
That's the new excuse to mow someone down: He had a knife, blam, blam!
At least they got a new bishop. Looks like they need one to perform all the last rites.
"Springfield officer shoots knife-wielding man
A knife-wielding man who went on a rampage in Springfield, slashing tires and breaking windows, was shot to death early Thursday by an officer after refusing to drop his weapon. The man, David Kingsbury, was brought to the hospital after the shooting at about 12:15 a.m. where he was pronounced dead, Sergeant John Delaney said in a statement. Officers responded to a home after getting a 911 call, but upon arrival, police were told the man had gone into an apartment. Kingsbury, 34, lived at the address. After demanding that the door be opened, officers forced their way into the apartment and confronted a man who was holding a kitchen knife, police said."
That's the new excuse to mow someone down: He had a knife, blam, blam!
At least they got a new bishop. Looks like they need one to perform all the last rites.