Why the daylaborer center is Dead On Arrival

The vacant storefront proposed in the Horizons complex.

Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green's proposal for a daylaborer center at the Horizons (formerly Tepper's) complex at West Front and Somerset Streets is dead on arrival.

Whether or not Assemblyman Green is brave and trying to do a good thing doesn't matter.

Whether immigrant laborers are suspicious and feel a center may be used to entrap them doesn't matter.

Whether or not a trustworthy and credible manager can be found doesn't matter.

Whether or not haters might follow the laborers to their work or homes to harass or harm them doesn't matter.

Whether ICE agents might target the contractors and other employers doesn't matter.

Why?

Because LOGISITICS is the silent killer of this proposal, whatever its merits or demerits.

Anyone who has observed the daylaborer transaction will recognize at once that it is composed of a few discrete parts --

• the contractor pulls up at the curb or in a lot,
• potential workers crowd around,
• a brief negotiation ensues over how many workers are needed and what pay will be offered,
• the chosen few are picked and the contractor takes off with his 'crew'.

The whole transaction may take only a minute or so.

Needed? A place to pull over and execute the above sequence.

Now, look at the map above closely. The red outline is the 'vacant' storefront space in the Horizons complex.

It is in front of a NJ Transit bus stop. There is no parking or standing. There is no parking or standing on Somerset Street in the block before the traffic light. In fact, there is no parking or standing on any of the four corners of this, perhaps the busiest intersection in the city of Plainfield.

The metered parking further down West Front is constantly filled with customers for the Dunkin' Donuts and the restaurants in that block as well as the taxi company housed there.

The lot adjacent to the laundromat is reserved for the laundromat and Horizons residents. The lot further back is for Horizons residents.

Contractors would have to park a considerable distance from the proposed center, leaving their vehicles (and tools and equipment) unguarded.

An insurmountable logistical obstacle is my guess.

Dead on arrival.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

2nd Annual Hispanic Fiesta draws bigger crowds

My guess was Saturday night's crowd was between 1,200 - 1,500.

Plainfield businessman Edison Garcia's second annual Latino Fiesta celebrating Central American independece drew bigger crowds than last year to an event with an improved layout.

Held for the second year in Lot 8 between the Green Brook and the stores facing Front Street, a 'midway' was better defined as the principal thoroughfare, leading attendees from the ample parking spaces across Watchung Avenue near the Supremo supermarket to the Fiesta's main focus, the bandstand set against the Somerset Street entrance to the lot.

The vendors were busy both Saturday and Sunday with both food and tchtochkes being sold briskly (I even spotted a child's soccer outfit with an AIG logo of all things!). In Saturday's heat, the man making cones of shaved ice with flavored syrups was mobbed.

Maker of shaved ice treats was mobbed.

Saturday evening was when the crowd was at its largest, I'm guessing 1,200 - 1,500. The area near the bandstand was so crowded you couldn't even get close and the midway was full of folks eating, chatting and strolling (strollers galore!).

Some improvements to the layout were obvious and benefitted the overall flow: an entryway at Somerset Street was added (last year it was barricaded, though often breached) and the kids' moonbounce was moved next to the beer tent (perfectly logical, if you think about it).

Even pooches needed to take a break.

I found it interesting that the Police Division's mobile command unit was on hand Saturday afternoon, but was not to be seen in the evening or on Sunday. On Saturday, I spotted only a single cop patrolling and on Sunday evening just two.

The only thing that might be improved is to find some way to highlight the animal ride and petting zoo. The vendor has staked out the only grassy spot in the whole lot, which is nice for the kids and the animals, but leaves him off the beaten path -- and I am sure impacts his receipts. Hopefully, he will fare better next year.

And then there's the matter of the portajohns. There were only two, the lines were long and they were filthy. The city's Health Officer may want to look into how the sanitation issue can be better managed in what looks to become a regular, and very popular event.

Mountains of corn were consumed.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Hispanic gangs feud in weekend stabbing, machete attack

MS13 gang tag spotted at 6th & Arlington.

Plainfield, it appears, is also facing rising violence among Latino gangs, as witness two incidents from this past weekend.

I am told that the stabbing incident on West Front Street on Saturday reported in Plainfield Today on Sunday (see here) and in the Ledger today (see here) was gang-related.

Saturday's stabbing (and stomping) is said to be by members of a local branch of MS13 who attacked a man said to be a member of the 18th Street Gang.

On Sunday afternoon an Hispanic male said to be a member of MS13 was attacked in the 500-block of West Front Street by a group of Hispanic males, one of them hacking his arm with a machete and nearly severing it.

This attack, not yet publicly reported, is said to be by members of the 18th Street Gang in retaliation for Saturday's attack.

I am also told that a previous incident on North Avenue several weeks ago may be related to the same feuding groups.

Tag showing MS13 as killers of 18th Street Gang.

MS13, or Mara Salvatrucha (see here) is a gang that originated in Los Angeles but is now found countrywide, also being involved in the deadly drug wars taking place in the Mexican states along the border with the U.S.

18th Street gang tag.

The 18th Street Gang also originated in Los Angeles (see here) and has spread throughout the U.S. as well. It is sometimes referred to as 'The Children's Army' because of its recruitment of school-age youngsters.

While these two gangs may operate relatively invisibly from the point of the view of Plainfield's dominant 'Anglo' culture, we do not yet have any idea of their impact on the city's growing Latino community.

Meanwhile, as the Robinson-Briggs administration contemplates making the expensive (starting at $1M, with annual fees of $100,00 or so) foray into gun-spotting technology, it is important to note that NEITHER of these incidents involved guns.

ShotSpotter, it seems, will be no defense against machetes and knives.

---

• Plainfield Today: "Gang shooting, other violence and possible arson Saturday"
• Ledger:  "Man beaten, stabbed on Plainfield street"
• Wikipedia:  "MS13/Mara Salvatrucha" | "18th Street Gang"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Attorney General avoids Friday night Plainfield 'ambush'

Fewer than a dozen people were on hand at Plainfield's St. Mary's School Friday evening for an announced meeting of Attorney General Paula Dow with the Hispanic community, when organizers told those present that the AG would not be coming.

Sources later told Plainfield Today that the Attorney General's office made inquiries and, upon finding that no other local Hispanic groups had been invited (other than Carmen Salavarrieta's Angels in Action, which organized the event) and that there was no agenda for the meeting, the office declined to make the Attorney General available.

While there certainly are real issues to discuss in the matter of relations between Latinos and the police -- as well as other issues in Plainfield (gangs?) -- the Christie administration is apparently prepared to rebuff the Robinson-Briggs administration if it will not engage the broader community in attempting to address the issues.

Salavarrieta and the Robinson-Briggs administration need to take note that 'ambushes' are not a good tool for problem-solving, in Plainfield or anywhere else.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

UPDATE: Plainfield Violento

It seems Attorney General Paula Dow WILL be in Plainfield today.

Rather, tonight.

Entering City Hall for last night's planning board meeting, I found a yellow flyer on the table in the rotunda proclaiming a community meeting for tonight, sponsored by Angels in Action and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). In Spanish only.

The flyer was not there on an earlier foray to City Hall. There is no notice on the city's website, where groups may have their flyers posted.

The flyer urges participation by Plainfield's Hispanic community, especially if they have been victims of a racial incident (odio racial).

Am still waiting to hear about the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Committee's status.

---

COMMUNITY MEETING
Hispanic Community - Police Relations

TONIGHT - 6:00 PM SHARP

St. Mary's Church
West 6th and Liberty Streets

Guest: Paula T. Dow, Attorney General
Sponsors
Angels in Action Foundation
American Friends Service Committee

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainfield Violento: Mayor being set up for ambush?

Wilter Sanchez, a 34-year-old Colombian was attacked
by a group of 5 blacks in January 2009. (Photo, El Diario.)

[CORRECTION: New Jersey's Attorney General is, of course, PAULA Dow, former Essex County Prosecutor. Deborah DOWE is a Plainfield activist, supporter of the restoration of Muhlenberg Hospital and former City Council candidate. Apologies for the mistake. Also see my Friday post HERE updating the AG's visit. -- DD]

'PLAINFIELD VIOLENTO' screamed the front-page headline in Wednesday's El Diario (see story here, and in Google's 'translation' here).

The story features mayoral pal Carmen Salavarrieta prominently and my initial reaction was to remember the role Salavarrieta played in the 'ambush interview' North Plainfield mayor Janice Allen found herself caught in back in 2004 with Curtis Sliwa concerning the beating of resident Oscar Romero-Figueroa.

'My God,' I thought, 'is Mayor Robinson-Briggs being set up? Or maybe even Attorney General Deborah Dow?'

Word in the street for days now is that the Attorney General is scheduled to make a visit to Plainfield on Friday. Why? Guesses are that it's about the gang violence which has plagued the Queen City in recent months, AND police/Hispanic relations.

So, is the El Diario story a set-up, designed to embarrass the Robinson-Briggs administration?

Is it designed to cast the discussion of muggings and assaults against Hispanics EXCLUSIVELY as a matter of bias and thus set the parameters of any discussion the Attorney General may have?

I may be too paranoid.

The story rehashes mostly old -- I mean OLD -- incidents from 2004-2005, though one is from January 2009.

El Diario paints an incomplete picture, implying that ALL the incidents were bias attacks, saying then-Police Chief Edward Santiago 'preferred' (se prefirió considerar) to regard theft as the motive.

This completely ignores the finding at the time by then-Attorney General Peter Harvey (see here) after a lengthy meeting in Plainfield with community leaders -- and despite claims to the contrary at the time by Salavarrieta -- that only one of the crimes in that time period involved bias, all the rest being considered 'crimes of opportunity' involving robbery with or without assault.

(State law requires some direct, explicit statement or utterance to qualify a crime as a 'bias' incident.)

The El Diario story also points to two related issues: language difficulties between police and Hispanic crime victims, and fear and distrust of the police by Hispanics.

The Police Division has made great strides over the years with regard to Spanish-speaking officers and at least a dozen can communicate with Hispanics in Spanish. This is at odds with the assertion by newly appoint HAAC committee member Norman Ortega in the El Diario story that the Division has 'never been accessible' (nunca ha sido accesible) to Spanish-speakers.

If the Attorney General does come to Plainfield and does meet with at least some community leaders, there is one other issue that needs to be discussed.

There are persistent rumors among those working with Latinos in the community that there is a quiet relationship between ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the Police Division, where it is alleged local undocumented persons who are not accused of indictable crimes have been swept up and taken away in contravention to the Attorney General's guidelines.

It would behoove Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig and Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs to put this rumor to rest.

If it is true, any hopes for cooperation by Hispanic victims of crimes will bear no fruit.

If it is false, why not just say so. That would be a positive step to encourage trust by the Latino community.

As for whether Salavarrietta will 'ambush' Mayor Robinson-Briggs or Attorney General Dow, we shall have to wait and see.

---

NOTE: I have sent several emails to Mr. Ortega inquiring when the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Committee, nominations to which were approved unanimously by the City Council at its June 21 meeting (see here, PDF), will publish its meeting schedule and time and place of meetings. The Clerk's office informs me that several members have been sworn in, but they have no record of the committee's having organized or met. To date I have no reply from Mr. Ortega. As soon as the schedule is announced, it will be put on the CLIPS calendar.

---

• El Diario: "Plainfield: Una zona de peligro para hispanos"
• Google Translate:  "Plainfield: A danger zone for Hispanics"
• Ledger, 12/13/2005:  "AG meets to discuss attacks on Latinos"
• Courier, 5/25/2010:  "Long-dormant Hispanic affairs commission poised for launch"
• City Council:  "Agenda, Regular Meeting, 6/21/2010" (PDF)
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Botánica a window into a changing Plainfield

A Black Madonnia, but which one?

Those who never walk downtown Plainfield's shopping district are missing a ground-level window into the increasing pace of Latinization of the Queen City.

A case in point is the Botánica San Miguel, just steps from Front Street on Somerset Street. I took these snaps the weekend of the Latin American Independence Festival, when I walked past the shop window crowded with interesting statuary.

To me it was interesting.

Take the Black Madonna. Is it a Cuban Virgin of Regla? The Brazilian Our Lady of Aparecida? The Costa Rican La Negrita? The Chilean La Virgen Morena?

And the pierced hand of Jesus, which I am told by some is useful in warding off the power of the Evil Eye.

The pierced hand of Jesus,
protecting from the Evil Eye?

To a Latino, the Botánica probably signals a welcoming place where cultural necessaries could be procured and ties to practices and beliefs from a home country be maintained.

Although there are plenty of Latino-owned businesses downtown, Latinization does not mean ONLY Latino-owned businesses.

Downtown Plainfield has turned out to be a place to make a decent living for a diverse group of merchants -- Asians, Jews, Portuguese and others -- who understand the needs and wants of Plainfield's mushrooming Latino population.

Maybe we should have tours to introduce older Plainfielders to their newer community.

La Ciudad Reina, anyone?

---

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Deconstructing Jerry deconstructing the Fiesta

Asm Green's political signs didn't fare well in foot traffic's path.

Carly Simon never did a concert in Plainfield to my knowledge, but after reading Jerry Green's blog post on the Central American Independence Day Fiesta this past weekend (see here), maybe she should have.

Assemblyman Green is in his finest campaign fettle here, but perhaps he should have written the piece and put it in a drawer for a day or two before publishing it.

Why?

First, Jerry takes credit for long and deep involvement in the Fiesta. Which may come as a surprise to those who followed the progress of the request and the Council's approval of same, where the Assemblyman -- and his name -- were far from even mentioned.

Secondly, about that voter registration and volunteer solicitation table. I saw it on Sunday before I went to the Corzine event. Now, wouldn't you think with all the advance participation and planning Assemblyman Green touts the table would have been there SATURDAY also? Twasn't. Also, Jerry doesn't mention the jerry-rigged tent signs made out of his and Sharon's re-election signs stuck together along the top with duct tape and strewn in the walkway, creating a hazard for attendees to stumble over. These also were not present on Saturday. (When I came back after the Corzine event, the tent signs were gone, with effects you can see at the top of the page.)

Thirdly, Jerry, who lives in the 2nd Ward, can never resist an opportunity to use coded language as a put-down. In his blog he says --

Sorry to say, I was hoping the Governor could have stopped by to show his appreciation, since he was in Plainfield, however he had a prior commitment to a group of supporters in the 2nd ward.

The 'prior commitment' was to Corzine's only pre-announced campaign visit to Plainfield, at which Jerry himself was present.

Now, ask yourself this: If Jerry was so involved in the Fiesta's planning, and also in the plans for the Corzine event (after all, he mailed invitations to it to the Dem City Committee members well in advance), and in touch with Corzine's campaign team, how come he didn't ensure either that the events did not conflict or that Corzine made sure to drop by the Fiesta?

Maybe, to paraphrase Gertrude Stein's famous line about Oakland, there is 'no advance advance' there.

As for Jerry's comment about Christian Estevez, who has been granted a leave by the AFL-CIO to work on the statewide Democratic election effort (but NOT in Plainfield, per Jerry's direct intervention), why wouldn't Democrats pull together, just as they did in Bob Menendez' Senate race? (Jerry doesn't mention the truly nasty attacks he made on Chris and his wife Rosa during the primary campaign, for which he should make a public apology.)

Lastly, if Jerry had put all this effort into the Fiesta IN ADVANCE, I am mystified that he did not see to it that the Census 2010 crew was out with a table.

After all, Plainfield -- and Jerry -- stands to benefit from an accurate Census count next spring, and Hispanics are among the most overlooked, least-well-counted portion of the population.

Oh yes, Carly Simon?

Reading Jerry's post, I couldn't get her first big hit -- 'You're so vain' -- out of my mind,

You walked into the party
Like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror
As you watched yourself gavotte

And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and...

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don't you, don't you?

You had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive.
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me.

I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and...

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don't you, don't you?

I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and...

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don't you, don't you?

Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga
And your horse, Naturally, won.
Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun.
Well, you're where you should be all the time
And when you're not you're with some underworld spy
Or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend...

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don't you, don't you?

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
(Fades out...)

---

• Jerry Green's Page: "Central American Independence Day Fiesta"

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Latin American Fiesta could become 'THE' Plainfield event

Costumed dancer poses with young attendee.

Plainfield's first Central American Independence Day Fiesta, thronged with attendees both Saturday and Sunday seems a smashing success, and bids fair to become 'THE' default Plainfield event going forward.

For decades, Plainfield's main visitor attractions have been the July 4th Parade and the Outdoor Festival of Art.

At one time, the July 4th Parade was known as the 'Central Jersey' parade and was orchestrated by a committee including representatives from surrounding towns and actually enshrined in Plainfield's charter (3:14, Independence Day Committee).

Readers will be familiar with Plainfield Today's chronicling of the steady decline of the parade as the City forges ahead alone, without participation by other communities, and shrinks the promotion, publicity and participation in the parade until is has become a mere shadow of its glory days. Unless the Robinson-Briggs administration gets a handle on it, the July 4 Parade seems destined to dwindle into one more of the Queen City's glories celebrated in memory but not present reality.

The Outdoor Festival of Art was the other summer highlight, a juried art show with professional and amateur artists and photographers that drew thousands of attendees (and artists) from the TRI-STATE area. (The first artist I met upon moving here from Brooklyn 25 years ago was none other than A BROOKLYN ARTIST, exhibiting in Plainfield!)

Alas, as I reported earlier this month (see here), neither event is faring well under Robinson-Briggs' stewardship -- this year, there wasn't even a food vendor at the Art Festival.

Organized with a real entrepreneurial flair with the lead taken by the owner of the Los Faraones club, the Central American Independence Day Fiesta was thoughtfully laid out, chock full of vendors -- food and merchandise -- and featured continuous entertainment both days.

It was also a very family-friendly event. Children of all sizes and ages were prominent and the vendors had plenty of merchandise they found irresistible -- from bubble-blowing 'guns' to glow-in-the-dark swords, to colorful tiaras sprouting twinkling fiber optic bristles -- which parted many a parent from their cash.

The food was varied, delicious and uncomplicated -- as street food should be. And at street food prices -- where else would you normally spend $5 for a small paper sack containing six churros? -- the vendors did very well and will surely want to come back.

One carp: The Robinson-Briggs administration and Assemblyman Green missed a great opportunity by not having the Census 2010 crew on hand to explain the importance of being counted in the upcoming Census. As the fastest-growing and traditionally undercounted segment of Plainfield's population, full participation would guarantee a successful Census. Another missed opportunity.

Could the Fiesta be improved?

I think so.

A very popular part of the SID celebration held a weekend ago (see story here) were the brightly-costumed dance troupes who performed in the street, in the midst of the attendees, to the delight of all. I think such a cultural element would perfectly complement the music, food and merchandise, strengthening what is already a very strong foundation.

Lastly, one of the strengths of the Outdoor Festival of Art always was that the triangle of grassy area in Library Park nearest 9th Street was reserved for Plainfield's cultural and nonprofit organizations to display their programs and solicit volunteers and participants. It was the the one-stop-shop for all sorts of activities from the Plainfield Symphony to the Friends of the Library, from the League of Women Voters to Habitat for Humanity, a true marketplace of community activities.

Adding something like this to the Central American Independence Day Fiesta would have a two-pronged benefit: first, organizations could get the word out to a large audience, and second, Plainfield organizations would learn how to adapt to Plainfield's newest -- and growing -- population.

I am eagerly looking forward to next year's Fiesta.

---

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Man shot multiple times Monday evening

Plainfield police officers responding to a shooting call at Berckman and East 2nd Streets administered emergency aid to the victim, an unidentified Hispanic male, who was subsequently flown out by medevac alive, thanks to their intervention.

I wonder if there is any connection to the MS-13 gang tag that I spotted a few days ago on a factory building on Berckman Street near the NJT overpass.

---

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Judge tosses RICO portion of Connolly Properties lawsuit

The racketeering lawsuit against Plainfield-based Connolly Properties reached a climactic juncture yesterday with the dismissal by federal judge William J. Martini of the RICO portion of the case.

Both the Courier's Plainfield reporter Mark Spivey (see here) and the Ledger's Joe Ryan (see here) cover the story in today's editions.

In an email to Flor Gonzalez of the Latin American Coalition, Jose L. Perez, associate general counsel of LatinoJustice, cited Martini's ruling that the --

"...crux of plaintiff's argument is that renting apartments to illegal aliens constitutes racketeering activity because it constitutes harboring, encouraging, or inducing an illegal allien in violation of the INA (Immigration and Naturalization Act). However, no court in this Circuit or any other has ever found this to be the case. Without more, renting an apartment to an alien does not amount to harboring, encouraging or inducing. Thus plaintiff has not alleged a pattern of racketeering activity and the RICO claim can not survive the motion to dismiss..."

As far as I know, this leaves the matter of 'steering' tenants to specific properties unsettled. In a conversation I had with Mr. Perez early last month, it seemed that the allegation that Connolly Properties maintained segregated buildings, with African Americans in some buildings and Hispanics in others, was a portion of the case that might proceed independently of the RICO allegations under federal and state Fair Housing laws.

Additionally, complaints about alleged decrepit conditions in Connolly properties are matters that properly belong to the City's inspections division, though Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' shutdown of the Safe Housing Unit which was responsible for monitoring and correcting just such conditions leaves the Division without the resources to properly monitor and correct any problems.

Because the Plainfield case is part of a tactic that FAIR says it plans to use elsewhere, I am appending a complete list of links on the matter at the end of this post.

---

• Courier: "Judge tosses lawsuit on legality of renting to illegal immigrants"
  
• Ledger: "Federal judge dismisses immigrant housing lawsuit"
  
• Alipac | 6/05/08: "IRLI sues NJ landlord for renting to illegals, discrimination"
• Docket Info: "DelRio-Mocci et al v. Connolly Properties Inc. et al"
  
• Ledger | 6/21/08: "NJ immigration lawsuit employs racketeering laws"
• NY Times | 6/22/08: "Group Wields Racketeering Law Against Landlords"
• Courier | 8/31/08: "Plainfield Hispanic-rights group hires lawyers in immigration suit"
• Courier | 9/29/08: "Motion filed to dismiss renting lawsuit over Connolly Properties"
• Courier | 10/7/08: "Lawsuit against Connolly becomes civil rights battle"
  

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

CNN's 'Plainfield's 'Devil's Cave' story raises questions

In the 'Devil's Cave'. Image: CNN.

Yesterday evening, CNN ran a heart-rending story on a group of homeless immigrants living under the porch of an abandoned Plainfield house which they had dubbed 'the Devil's Cave' (see here).

After describing the horrendous conditions into which the men were forced as the result of the economy's downturn, and how they 'propped up their dignity' as a group, the story turns to how their situation was discovered and alleviated.

Carmen Salavarrieta, planning a Christmas party at El Centro, learned from some of those wanting to attend that they were living under the porch.

The rest of the story is how this latter-day Lady Bountiful worked her magic to rescue the men and how Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs chipped in to help.

And that is where the questions start to come up.

As CNN puts it --

"'I came to take them out of the cave and put them in a shelter. They were allowed to stay there only for three days. So we gave them clean clothes, food and they looked like honorable people. But the three days were over and I did not know what to do, I can not let them out in the street again,' [Salavarrieta] said.

"She was able to put some of the men in a small apartment she owned. Others found places with friends. Plainfield's mayor even chipped in, Salavarrieta said, footing the bill for some hotel rooms."

Those familiar with the provision of emergency housing services will recognize the 'three days' as what is offered to those in obviously emergent need, pending their enrollment in one of the existing, government-funded, assistance programs.

Standing silently behind Salavarrieta's consternation is the possibility that the reason these men could not be further accommodated is that they are undocumented persons and hence not eligible for these services.

[The matter of undocumented persons in this country is a vexed question, one that we all can hope President Obama will take up with more success than Bush was able to muster. In the meantime, I consider this a story of a HUMANITARIAN response to persons in dire need. Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions ALL lay a burden on their adherents to care for 'strangers among you'. Be forewarned: I will not post comments that contain any anti-immigrant rants. Period.]

Salavarrieta found creative solutions for the men (for at least long enough to get media attention) and even involved Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, who '[footed] the bill for some hotel rooms'.

But getting a one-time, heart-tugging story in the media has a troubling aspect: it leaves those who have been charged with doing something about the matter out of the picture and off the hook.

Plainfield probably has hundreds of daylaborers in similar circumstances as the men in this story. Who knows how many of them are living in similar situations? (I have been told that some are in a vacant building on North Avenue directly across from the train station.)

Who is watching out for these people?

Assemblyman Green and Mayor Robinson-Briggs set up a task force to address immigrant issues with great fanfare a year or so ago. Two meetings and that was the last we heard of it.

What is that task force doing about the problems daylaborers are facing?

Assemblyman Green also noted on his blog (see here) that two Plainfielders had been appointed to Gov. Corzine's 'Task Force on Day-Laborers' -- one by the governor, and one at the request of the Assemblyman. Since then, we have heard nothing from the Assemblyman on the matter.

Do we have to wait until what is found under the porch of an abandoned Plainfield house are not disheveled men but frozen bodies?

---

• CNN: "Recession lands immigrants in 'Devil's Cave'"
• Jerry Green's Page: "Governor Corzine establishes task force on day-laborers"
  

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Latinos want Perth Amboy chief held accountable

As the Latino Leadership Alliance prepares to lead several groups in a demonstration tomorrow in Perth Amboy, it seems the city by the bay has a lot of work to do to haul it's ass into the 21st century.

Today's Ledger reports on the plans for the demonstration, as well as the fact that the city is appealing the $1.9M damages award won by a Mexican-American sofficer who sued after the police chief slurred Mexicans during a training session.

The protest focuses on two issues -- calling for Chief Michael Kohut's resignation and for his personal responsibility for the civil damages award --

"You have to be held responsible for your actions," Flores said. "And the taxpayers should not have to pay for his mistakes."

Flores is director of the Middlesex County chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance.

Perth Amboy, which has about the same number of residents as Plainfield, is 70% Hispanic. Read more...

---

Ledger: "Perth Amboy police chief angers Latinos"

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/

Latino Leadership Alliance weighs in on Roselle Park incident

With Roselle Park officials appearing to stonewall, the NJ Latino Leadership Alliance is asking for an independent investigation of Monica Montoya's June 20 arrest after helping an officer at the scene of a traffic accident.

Today's Ledger quotes Dr. Jose Adames, director of the group's Union County chapter --

"Given the disturbing pattern of anti-Latino sentiment being expressed by some police departments in this state, we have no alternative but to call for the New Jersey attorney general to review this case and denounce this type of behavior by local police..."

Dr. Adames is known to many readers as a Plainfield resident and provost of the Plainfield campus of Union County College. Read more...

---

Ledger: "Latino group requests an inquiry into arrest"

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/

State Police host Latino recruitment seminar

To increase diversity within the NJ State Police, the organization is teaming up with the New Jersey Latino Peace Officer's Association to offer a recruitment seminar on Tuesday, June 26.

Latino men and women ages 21 to 34, who meet the newly reformed minimum requirements, are encouraged to attend.

"We are working tirelessly to increase Latino representation within the State Police and throughout law enforcement agencies in New Jersey," says Hector Ramos, president of the New Jersey chapter. "It is our goal to make the New Jersey law enforcement community representative of the communities we serve."

The seminar will cover the following topics --

• Hiring process
• Medical exam
• Psychological evaluation
• Written examination
• Physical fitness requirements
• Background investigations

As lunch will be served, prospective attendees are asked to RSVP by email to Antonio Hernandez, contact person for the event.

---

Latino Career Day at the New Jersey State Police
NJ State Police Museum
West Trenton
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
10:00 AM

Directions to the site:
NJ State Police Museum


The NJ Latino Peace Officers Association

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/