Monday, January 31, 2011
Education Committee Hearing
The Nebraska Legislature’s Education Committee Hearing is scheduled to hear LB-657 (Janssen’s anti-NE DREAM Act bill) on Feb. 7 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 1525.
Please oppose LB-657 by writing letters
Please write letters to Education Committee opposing LB-657
Nebraska Legislature Education Committee Members
Sen. Greg Adams- Chair - District 24 - Room #1107
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2756
Email: gadams@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Bill Avery - District 28 - Room #1114
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2633
Email: bavery@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Abbie Cornett - District 45 - Room #1116
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2615
Email: acornett@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Brenda Council - District 11 - Room #1120
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2612
Email: bcouncil@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Ken Haar -District 21 - Room #1017
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2673
Email: khaar@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Gwen Howard - District 09 - Room #1124
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2723
Email: ghoward@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Ken Schilz - District 47 - Room #1202
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2616
Email: kschilz@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Kate Sullivan - District 41 - Room #1118
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2631
Email: ksullivan@leg.ne.gov
Friday, January 28, 2011
William Bratton: Immigration reform vital to community safety and trust.
By William Bratton, a former Los Angeles police chief and former New York City police commissioner.
"On March 12, 2009, Juan Garcia, a 53-year-old homeless man, was brutally murdered in an alley just west of downtown Los Angeles. At first, the police were stumped; there were no known witnesses and few clues. A 43-year-old undocumented immigrant who witnessed the crime finally came forward and told the homicide detectives what he saw.
Because of his help, a suspect was identified and arrested a few days later while hiding in Skid Row. Because the witness was not afraid to contact the police, an accused murderer was taken off the streets. Stories like this are repeated daily in Los Angeles.
Keeping America’s neighborhoods safe requires our police forces to have the trust and help of everyone in our communities. My nearly 40 years in law enforcement and my experience as police commissioner in Boston and New York City, and most recently as chief in Los Angeles, have taught me this.
With the strong influence of community policing and its philosophy of partnership, problem-solving and prevention, beginning in the 1990s, we finally began to push down our horrific crime rates that had steadily risen during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
Police officers can’t prevent or solve crimes if victims or witnesses are unwilling to talk to them because of the fear of being deported. That basic fact led to the implementation almost 30 years ago of the LAPD’s policy on immigrants, which has come to be known as Special Order 40.
Created and endorsed strongly by the late LAPD Chief Daryl Gates, the philosophy that underlies that policy is simple: Criminals are the biggest benefactors when immigrants fear the police. We can’t solve crimes that aren’t reported because the victims are afraid to come forward to the police.
The LAPD does not focus its enforcement efforts on individuals whose only violation is illegal entry. Those individuals are the ones most often preyed upon by violent gang members, and they need to be assured that the LAPD can be trusted to take their crime reports or witness statements without fear that an officer will ask them their immigration status. Special Order 40 provides that assurance.
The idea of engaging all members of the public in reporting crime and identifying criminals helps us not only with short-term and medium-term goals of reducing crime but also with improving relations with community members. We all have an interest in helping our young people develop into healthy, educated and law-abiding adults.
Breeding fear and distrust of authorities among some of our children could increase rates of crime, violence and disorder as those children grow up to become fearful and distrustful adolescents and adults. That is why the LAPD has not participated in 287(g), the federal government program that gives local law enforcement agencies the powers of federal immigration agents by entering into agreements with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Americans want a national solution to our immigration dilemma, as do law enforcement officials across this nation. But the solution isn’t turning every local police department into an arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, nor is it a state initiative like Legislative Bill 48 in Nebraska, which would duplicate many aspects of the comprehensive Arizona immigration laws.
The Police Foundation published a report in April 2009, “The Role of Local Police: Striking a Balance Between Immigration Enforcement and Civil Liberties.” The report confirms that when local police enforce immigration laws, this undermines their core public safety mission, diverts scarce resources, increases their exposure to liability and litigation, and exacerbates fear in communities which are already distrustful of police.
The report concluded that to optimize public safety, the federal government must enact comprehensive immigration reform. I agree.
Working with victims and witnesses of crimes closes cases faster and protects all of our families by getting criminals off the street. We must pass immigration reform and bring our neighbors out of the shadows so they can get the police service they need and deserve. When officers can speak freely with victims and witnesses, it goes a long way toward making every American neighborhood much safer.
We must have new and effective national immigration policies, not a hodgepodge of state laws that weaken — rather than strengthen — the strong partnerships between local police and the diverse communities they serve and protect."
KUDOS to Howard!
"On March 12, 2009, Juan Garcia, a 53-year-old homeless man, was brutally murdered in an alley just west of downtown Los Angeles. At first, the police were stumped; there were no known witnesses and few clues. A 43-year-old undocumented immigrant who witnessed the crime finally came forward and told the homicide detectives what he saw.
Because of his help, a suspect was identified and arrested a few days later while hiding in Skid Row. Because the witness was not afraid to contact the police, an accused murderer was taken off the streets. Stories like this are repeated daily in Los Angeles.
Keeping America’s neighborhoods safe requires our police forces to have the trust and help of everyone in our communities. My nearly 40 years in law enforcement and my experience as police commissioner in Boston and New York City, and most recently as chief in Los Angeles, have taught me this.
With the strong influence of community policing and its philosophy of partnership, problem-solving and prevention, beginning in the 1990s, we finally began to push down our horrific crime rates that had steadily risen during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
Police officers can’t prevent or solve crimes if victims or witnesses are unwilling to talk to them because of the fear of being deported. That basic fact led to the implementation almost 30 years ago of the LAPD’s policy on immigrants, which has come to be known as Special Order 40.
Created and endorsed strongly by the late LAPD Chief Daryl Gates, the philosophy that underlies that policy is simple: Criminals are the biggest benefactors when immigrants fear the police. We can’t solve crimes that aren’t reported because the victims are afraid to come forward to the police.
The LAPD does not focus its enforcement efforts on individuals whose only violation is illegal entry. Those individuals are the ones most often preyed upon by violent gang members, and they need to be assured that the LAPD can be trusted to take their crime reports or witness statements without fear that an officer will ask them their immigration status. Special Order 40 provides that assurance.
The idea of engaging all members of the public in reporting crime and identifying criminals helps us not only with short-term and medium-term goals of reducing crime but also with improving relations with community members. We all have an interest in helping our young people develop into healthy, educated and law-abiding adults.
Breeding fear and distrust of authorities among some of our children could increase rates of crime, violence and disorder as those children grow up to become fearful and distrustful adolescents and adults. That is why the LAPD has not participated in 287(g), the federal government program that gives local law enforcement agencies the powers of federal immigration agents by entering into agreements with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Americans want a national solution to our immigration dilemma, as do law enforcement officials across this nation. But the solution isn’t turning every local police department into an arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, nor is it a state initiative like Legislative Bill 48 in Nebraska, which would duplicate many aspects of the comprehensive Arizona immigration laws.
The Police Foundation published a report in April 2009, “The Role of Local Police: Striking a Balance Between Immigration Enforcement and Civil Liberties.” The report confirms that when local police enforce immigration laws, this undermines their core public safety mission, diverts scarce resources, increases their exposure to liability and litigation, and exacerbates fear in communities which are already distrustful of police.
The report concluded that to optimize public safety, the federal government must enact comprehensive immigration reform. I agree.
Working with victims and witnesses of crimes closes cases faster and protects all of our families by getting criminals off the street. We must pass immigration reform and bring our neighbors out of the shadows so they can get the police service they need and deserve. When officers can speak freely with victims and witnesses, it goes a long way toward making every American neighborhood much safer.
We must have new and effective national immigration policies, not a hodgepodge of state laws that weaken — rather than strengthen — the strong partnerships between local police and the diverse communities they serve and protect."
KUDOS to Howard!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Equality Nebraska Coalition Meeting
We are having our 1st full meeting regarding LB-657 on:
January 31st at 6 p.m.
At the Clyde Malone Community Center,
2032 "U" Street, Lincoln, NE.
Equality Nebraska Coalition
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
ATTENTION - Unity Rally postponed until 1-27-11
The UNITY RALLY is postponed again, due to snow and ice hazardous travel conditions expected tomorrow.
The RALLY is now rescheduled for THURSDAY, 1/27/11. Please join us on Thursday the 27th to show that Nebraska values do not support an Arizona-style law in Nebraska.
UNITY RALLY FOR THE GOOD LIFE
What Happens in Arizona Stops in Arizona
THURS. 1/27/11 at 12:10 p.m.
West side of the State Capitol
14th & Lincoln Mall
Monday, January 17, 2011
President and First Lady Honors MLK
"President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended a special event at the Stuart Hobson Middle School today. The couple and their two children helped decorate the school's lunchroom as part of their day of service to honor the memory of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King."
Friday, January 14, 2011
Peacemaking Workshop XXIV in Lincoln on Janaury 16th
Peacemaking Workshop XXIV
An ecumenical gathering - Sunday, January 16 - 1:30 PM
First United Methodist Church
2723 N. 50th St. Lincoln, NE 68504
402-466-1906
PLEASE Attend and find out more about the immigration in Nebraska
An ecumenical gathering - Sunday, January 16 - 1:30 PM
First United Methodist Church
2723 N. 50th St. Lincoln, NE 68504
402-466-1906
PLEASE Attend and find out more about the immigration in Nebraska
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Archbishop George Lucas writes on immigration
Catholic Teaching Should Guide Our Approach to Immigration
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sheriff says that AZ has become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.
"Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik offered an emotional, angry assessment of the state of America in the wake of the shootings in Arizona, saying that two of his close friends -- Ms. Giffords and Judge John Roll - were among the victims.
Mr. Dupnik called the shooting a "very sad day for Tucson" and a "horrendous, horrendous, senseless, unbelievable crime." And then he blamed the crime on the rhetoric -- presumably political rhetoric -- in the country.
"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government," he said. "The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on this country is getting to be outrageous and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital.
We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.""
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/live-blog-representative-giffords-shot/?partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/live-blog-representative-giffords-shot/?partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig
U. S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords is in surgery after being shot in the head at a public event in Tucson, Ariz. today. At least five people were killed in the shooting incident, including a federal judge.
U. S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords is in surgery after being shot in the head at a public event in Tucson, Ariz. today. At least five people were killed in the shooting incident, including a federal judge.
AZ Rep. Giffords was expected to be a leading voice on immigration and LGBT issues in the new Congress, the xenophobes/homophobes are now killing our leaders......it's time to push back!
RIP - U.S. federal judge, John Roll, who had been involved in immigration cases and had received death threats, was among those killed.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Republicans That Would Be Deported If The 14th Amendment Was Repealed
"If the 14th Amendment would have been repealed years ago — it would have canceled Michele Malkin’s citizenship as well as Bobby Jindal’s – both are ‘anchor babies‘ — which is a derogatory term used by those opposing immigration reform. Governor Jindal’s camp denies claims that he’s an ‘anchor baby’ however it’s reported that his parents conceived while here in America on a student visa." click link below for more info
Republicans That Would Be Deported If The 14th Amendment Was Repealed
NE proposed Immigration Bill = LB 48
LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
ONE HUNDRED SECOND LEGISLATURE
FIRST SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 48
Introduced by Janssen, 15.
Read first time January 06, 2011
Please click the link below for a copy of LB 48
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Intro/LB48.pdf
ONE HUNDRED SECOND LEGISLATURE
FIRST SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 48
Introduced by Janssen, 15.
Read first time January 06, 2011
Please click the link below for a copy of LB 48
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Intro/LB48.pdf
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
UNITY Rally for the Good Life 1/11/11
Join us on the West side of the Capitol at noon on the 11th.
Help send a strong signal to the nation that Nebraska values do not support an Arizona-style law in our state.
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