Denouncing Racial Profiling

by: Domenick Stampone

Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 09:38:53 AM EDT

UPDATE: you can view the text of the resolution here

Like many elected officials throughout the country, I was shocked and appalled by the recent immigration legislation passed in  Arizona legalizing racial profiling and eroding civil rights.  Immigration is a federal issue that needs to be tackled by Congress - not by local governments and the states.  We need a uniformed policy tackling an array of issues arising out of the problem on the Mexican-American border, not piecemeal attempts by the states to regulate a federal issue.  

In Haledon we have a strong Latino population that has been making strong contributions to our community.  Councilman Reynaldo Martinez - the first Dominican American elected to the Haledon Council - is one example.  In his 4 years on the Council he has been a strong voice in balancing our budget, improving our quality of life, and bringing more people into the democratic process.  We need to encourage more participation by the Latino American community - not dissuade it like the Arizona law will surely do.  

That is why I am proud to announce the resolution passed last night by the Haledon Council denouncing Arizona's actions.  I see first hand everyday the impact the Latino population has in Haledon: a commitment to family values, a hard work ethic, and an investment in making our borough a better place to live. As Dr. Martin Luther King stated in his Letter from Birmingham Jail: "an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  We need to make our voices heard against this injustice.    

By empowering local law enforcement officials to demand a citizen produce documentation of citizenship, we are fueling an already explosive issue. It is obvious we officials will be targeting in Arizona, and I agree with Assemblywoman Nellie Pou in her assessment of this law: it is Un-American.  It chips at our civil rights and instills a fear into immigrants legally in our country of being harassed and detained by law enforcement.  

So please, sign our petition against this Arizona legislation.  We need to let local and state officials all over the nation know that we will not stand idly by and let the civil rights of any ethic group be eroded.