Immigration Raid and Indymedia

you are the media. you can post stories, write them, research them. you are the person to bring this story to the site. do it, don't complain about others not doing it. thank you

I knew that was going to be the first response.

Yesterday, I was busy dealing with the raid in a bunch of ways.

All I'm suggesting is that the editorial board (or whoever it is) take some time to look at why there was so little reporting on this issue, and if there are ways to connect more to immigrants, immigrant rights activists, and these issues.

an article in full from the Oregonian, and include the offensive statement that: "It is probably the most important story in Portland for some time..." Activists are working on many things in Portland each day. This is the most important issue TO YOU, but not necessarily to everyone else. Why aren't you out protesting the issues I care most about? Why aren't you writing about them? Because they're not the most important thing to you, and I would never say that the things I find the most important are "the most important" (even though I might think so)...and why the hell aren't you spending your time doing what I find most important?

I'm not interested in debating why I think that the arrest (and imminent deportation of over 100 immigrant workers) is an important story, but I am shocked that someone would find that statement "offensive". If Indymedia does not think it's important to be relevant to this community, I'm not really interested in Indymedia.

"All I'm suggesting is that the editorial board (or whoever it is) take some time to look at why there was so little reporting on this issue, and if there are ways to connect more to immigrants, immigrant rights activists, and these issues."


What editorial board? There are a few people whose time gets taken up with a variety of site issues/tasks. It is you, and all the other you's that make this site worth reading. It is a joint effort of lots of people who report on events, do outreach etc. You can look at why, and take some action. Do some site outreach, write a story, talk to some people you know to write a story and so on.

As one person who has editorial access, I can say it is simply overwhelming to try to address all the (worthwhile) shoulds that you and others can suggest. One person says, why isn't there more coverage of the raids? another says why isn't there more coverage of local election issues, another says why isn't there more coverage for X. Nobody disagrees with the various good suggestions. There is a shortage of people to do them. I'm not frustrated with you for your suggestion, just explaining that it really is you who has the chance to make the site better.

I lay blame on all of Congress whom as long failed to step up and failed to hire and train the personell (even temporary)to document- inerview and process all immigration case's that are over 13 years old, and or of different ethnic groups.

Why always target the Hispanic-Latino workers ?

The money Congress and Bush are wasting on Border guards and patrols, could instead be used on the above workers, setting up at a processing gate on heavy traffic area's of the borders.

Hand the paperwork to persons wanting to establish citizenship,register the address that they're going to be at,Make their employeer contact officials upon hiring them.
Create a papertrail,so as to find people later,if they don't complete citizenship by a deadline.

It's no different than trusting a person on parole, to check in with their P.O. Officer. If they allude their probation and it's plan,a warrant gets issued,and sooner or later they show up on somebody's radar

They want to be here, and we do need them contray to what some people say whom claim they cant get jobs,because Hispanic-Latino's have taken them all.
Did any of you unemplyeed whiner's get to the front Gate of the processing plant this Morning to get that Job, that you claim you could not get ?
(You probably don't that IMC exisits either)
I did'nt think so !!!

Now I'm suggesting right here, while feds have these arressted undocumented workers locked -up, hand them the paperwork to take with them to get citizenship in America !! don't just send them away
NoBody gets off the bus without an invite to come back,temporary voter registration forms, and the info for filing for a proper social security card.

Do you in Congress not understand,what you allowed to happen in Portland,Oregon yesterday ?

Years and Years ago when I still lived in Nebraska, and the Grand Island Meat Packing Plant was raided by immigration agents, as it was again recently, my former Congressman, BoB Kerrey ( 9-11 commissioner )was called BY the Governor of Nebraska in an emergency in D.C. re: the raid, and how the federal Bus's were headed to the Nebrask -Colorado border.

BOB KERREY got the Deportation BUS's stopped and at his emergency press conference,He said," you will not abandon all these children( whom are Born in Nebraska-American's by birth right) , whom have come home from school to find both parents arressted and gone.
You will not put the burden of funding the Foster home's and State Healthcare Industry upon the backs of law abiding Nebraska citizen's! "

"Congress has not federally set aside funding for the Orphaned Children, Just Dollars for the Federal Housing arrests of the Parents and all others."

I agree 100% percent with Bob Kerrey then, and it still is the same today..!!
The money wasted to search out,arrest,detain,and deport, and then state workers to go round up children left behind,would have more than paid for Government documentation workers, and etablish a nationl registry system,issue temp visa's, collect taxes by issuing social security numbers. etc.

I always say,"their is a solution for everything" We just have to be willing to work together to achieve it."

Now I want to clairify something, the Feds whom did the raid, know whom used what fake I.D. and social security number's to work in that plant, the tax dollars collected off of that illegally gotten social security number should be returned to the worker whom paid it, even with a bogus social security number.
It could be set aside into an account to put toward their own defense,and or toward the fee's of the proper application back into America.

If it is not O.K. with the feds for undocumented workers to be in America, then it is illegal for America to keep ill gotten gains of paid tx dollars.
The Feds got their operating dollars long time ago, so they, the feds, should not justify keeping money from a hard days work.
Most of the undocumented workers can justify not having committed crimes while here already,

I applaud Mayor Tom Potter for stepping up and making his statement today,defending the rights of the arrestee's
I dare him to go one step futher and grant temporary citizenship only in Portland, to all those in the detention center being held.
Yes, he can do it,BOB Kerrey DID, it just takes a lot of Phone calls
Anne Curray,(Oregon Native) reported the Raid story this Morning via NBC's the Today show.

"Bob Kerrey ,Currently University President" ,can be reached at "New School University" in New York City for advice on how to achieve this.

RESPECTFULLY , Teresa

"If Indymedia does not think it's important to be relevant to this community, I'm not really interested in Indymedia."

Of course the story is important. Very important. However, just because one person implies otherwise, does not mean indymedia does not think it relevant (indymedia being all the readers/posters etc). Please, rather than get frustrated with each other, let's stick to the story which is important...

Hey Troublemaker,
Get over how the person wrote their articule,can you guys get back onto the Issue,

Thanks.

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maybe you did not see.

"THE most important story in Portland..." which is different than AN important story. No one would disagree that it's an important story. But some might disagree that it's THE MOST IMPORTANT. There are plenty of important things being reported on here, but you imply that everyone is missing this thing that's more important than everthing else that others choose to focus their attention on, which I disagree with. You can disagree with me, but you need to own your own statement.

OK, I'll admit it--my frustration is more with individuals here than with PIMC as a whole, but choices are made in what to feature. And yes, there were no good stories worth featuring (and the stuff that was highlighted as breaking news was woefully late and inaccurate), but it seems that editors tend to feature certain issues more than others. I'm sure I'll get totally slammed here, but ...actually, nevermind...I don't want to get into that debate about what issues are more important than others. But I will say that it seems like the indymedia community in general is less concerned about immigrant workers' rights than lots of other issues, and I fear that Indymedia will never succeed in breaking out of the community that I suspect it's mostly part of--white, fairly privileged, radical/anarchist fringe.

umm...thanks for the heavy editing of my words. Good thing it's all in print--I said "probably the most important story in Portland for some time".

But seriously, what was more important yesterday than the hundreds of immigrant families whose lives were turned upside down? The naked bike ride?

>> "probably the most important story in Portland for some time"

But not important enough for you to write an article about? But not important enough for you to find someone who was affected by the events and help them share their story? But not important enough to contribute anything but copy and paste from a corporate website?

This is not meant as an insult, just constructive criticism. You could be doing all of these things, and probably far more. I believe you can come up with ways to utilize portland indymedia to support an issue that means a lot to you that I could never think of.

But please understand: the intent of this site is to empower people to report the news themselves and organize their communities. That's what I want to see, from you, and from others. I would suggest that if you want to see more reporting on an issue, the best you can hope to do is lead by example. Show people how easy it is to go out, talk to some people, write up your experiences, and tell people how they can get involved. It's not difficult, but very few people actually empower themselves to do so. And those that do often only around certain issues. But even if you can't get others to step up and follow your example, at least you will have gotten information out to people and empowered yourself to do so again in the future.

Empower yourself and others and see if that cures your feelings of frustration.

"Yesterday, I was busy dealing with the raid in a bunch of ways."

Would you please write an article about those experiences instead of reposting a corporate source? That's what people want to read. You have the power if you choose to use it. I know others that have been working on this issue will do some reporting when they are able to. But when articles come from those who are doing work, it can be unrealistic to expect the reporting to be prompt.