Meeting Minutes: March 11, 2017

Cumberland Valley Rising

Think Critically. Show Up.

March 11, 2017 * Meeting Minutes * The Ribbon Mill, Carlisle, PA

NEXT MEETING: SUNDAY, MARCH 26 AT 1:00 pm

Number attending: 186

Announcements:

• Many thanks to member, Leslie Collins, who has brought “Hate Has No Home Here,” yard signs and bumper stickers for sale at cost.
• If you are not getting emails, check your spam folder.

The following committees will meet after the presentation:

• Elections and Voting
  New candidate support and education; gerrymandering; get out the vote and local politics
• Policy and Advocacy
  Human rights; economic justice; executive administration; healthcare and education; environment and racial justice
• Social Justice Education
  Educational opportunities and events for CVR members to learn about responsibly becoming involved in social justice work
• Events
  External, non-partisan educational events (fake news, Human Library, civic literacy) and fundraising for CVR
• Membership and Communications
  Best practices for CVR communications; meeting set-up and staffing; CVR branding

Speaker AJ Marin, Director of Make the Road PA

• Make the Road is the largest LatinX organization in PA, with offices throughout the state. It is an immigrant organization that is also involved with civil rights, women’s rights, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, and others involved in “Power for Justice.”
• The organization started two years ago, based on Make the Road NY, with fights around education and minimum wage.
• During the 2016 election, Trump ran on riling hatred, scapegoating Muslims and Latin communities. Make the Road ran a get-out-the-vote campaign; the size of their group tripled during the election season.
• The community, made up of both legal and illegal immigrants, has been terrified since the election. Many families are made up of both legal and illegal members. The question following the elections was whether to hide or fight. The organization made the choice to fight, and further, to fight side by side with every other group being attacked— those affected by the Muslim ban and the repeal of the ACA, for example.
• Three weeks ago was the first raid in Reading, with agents using the excuse of a warrant for someone in a car with several people in it. There was no warrant; they are not actually looking for criminals. The community is terrified and feeling unsupported in the raids.
• This administration’s definition of “criminal” includes traffic violations, those accused of a crime but never convicted, and those here without permission to be here. Everyone is fair game.
• This week, John Kelly (US Secretary, Dept. of Homeland Security) has announced that DHS will begin separating parents from children, with parents going into detention centers and children going into foster care. Detention and foster care are profit-making ventures. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has decided to go into immigration imprisonment as a profit-making enterprise.
• Asylum seekers are not in violation of the law by coming to the US and requesting asylum. That is the only mechanism for being admitted to the US from most countries in Latin America or Africa. Asylum seekers are kept longer in detention centers when beds are empty— for profit.
• The sheriff in Berks County is filing to use the Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g), deputizing the entire police force as immigration agents, allowing racial profiling.
• Reading is over 60% LatinX, but the surrounding area is not, and is very conservative, so voting this type of sheriff out of office is nearly impossible, because it’s a county-wide position.
• On Friday, Make the Road was asked to help a single mother who is the sole support of two children with special needs. She has had multiple stays of deportation through the Obama administration and her children are US citizens. She has a check-in appointment with ICE coming up and is justifiably terrified, since people are typically being deported directly from check-in appointments.
• There is a rally against 287(g) on Saturday, 3/18 from 12-2 at the County Office Building in Reading.
• May 1st will be a nationwide day of immigration mobilization— demonstrations and strikes.
• What can Make the Road and allies do?
  • Make raids and attacks toxic
  • Hold politicians accountable
  • Interrupt business as usual
  • Go to representatives’ offices when there is a raid, get in the way
• Questions and Answers:
  • What about schools?  There have not been raids in schools here yet. There is a campaign to strengthen school security. There are sanctuary campuses of some colleges and universities. Stephen Bloom is co-sponsoring a bill to remove funding from any sanctuary college.
  • Stephen Bloom is having two local Town Hall meetings, one in Carlisle on Thursday at 8:00 AM. Sign up is required; call 249-1990 to sign up.
  • ACLU?  Make the Road will be speaking with them on Monday about 287(g). 
  • How do we know about/respond to ICE raids?  Text “respond” to 313131 for alerts and rapid response texts
  • How do we respond to those who just see immigrants as law breakers?  The majority of Americans want a path to immigration status resolution; anti-immigrants are just more vocal.  There is a “get in line,” response, i.e., that immigrants should follow proper channels. The problem is that there is no “line.”
  • Mass immigration from Mexico is tied to NAFTA. Immigration from the rest of Latin America is directly tied to US political action in Central America.
  • There was a raid last week in the Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg.  There will be an action on Monday, 3/13 at 6:00 at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Harrisburg
  • Those fighting this are the ones at the most risk. How can those who are safe help?  The key to our survival is help from others. Make the Road stands with other groups at risk.
  • What is the argument to be made to fiscal conservatives?  It doesn’t cost taxpayers anything to have immigrants here. Immigrants contribute more to the economy than they cost in services. The cost to taxpayers of deportation through privatized detention centers is $300 to 900 per day, per bed, plus the costs of foster care for children.
  • Looking toward 2018, when is the Berks County Sheriff up for re-election?  The sheriff is believed to be up for re-election in 2019, but will be very difficult to remove because the larger county is so conservative. 
• Fundraising needs of Make the Road
  • Contributions are needed by both the 501c3 and 501c4 arms of Make the Road

Policy and Advocacy Committee Actions Taken and Actions to Take 

• Committee member, Anna Drallios spoke briefly about her own childhood immigration experience. Anna’s family emigrated to the US from a communist regime via Greece.
• The Human Rights subcommittee called all pertinent legislators on 3/7 re. SB 10, a bill allowing local police to detain people for ICE without a warrant. Among the downsides to SB 10, police departments can be held liable for injury sustained while someone is in custody, or for mistaken detention. SB 10 builds hatred and mistrust within the community.
• Tuesdays with Toomey will be at the Harrisburg Federal Building at noon on 3/14. This week’s focus will be on immigration, flooded by a march to deliver Statue of Liberty figurines
• Stephen Bloom is having two local Town Hall meetings, one in Carlisle on Thursday, 3/16 at 8:00 AM. Sign up is required; call 249-1990 to sign up.
• 3/14 at 10:00 am is a PA House Judiciary committee meeting Molly Wilkinson spoke briefly about the ACA. She is looking for personal stories about the ACA. Contact the Policy and Advocacy Committee with stories.
• Lindsey Mauldin spoke briefly about SB 3, banning virtually all abortions after 20 weeks, with no exceptions for rape, incest, mother’s health or tragic fetal anomaly. They will be making phone calls to the House Health Committee, and a phone bank will be coming soon.

NEXT MEETING: SUNDAY, MARCH 26 AT 1:00 pm