Demonstrators Demand Executive Order Protecting DC Immigrants

By Adrianna McGinley

Community members, labor organizations and immigrant rights activists held a rally Tuesday urging DC legislators to refuse the Secure Communities program and maintain DC’s status as a sanctuary city.

The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) praised DC for being the first city in the nation to reject the deportation program last year but asked the mayor to keep his promise of making DC “one city” and continue resisting federal pushes to implement the program.

“The mayor ran on a platform against this deportation program, and we want him now that he’s mayor to actually do something about it,” said Sarahi Uribe, National Campaign Coordinator of NDLON. “The mayor is all about one city, but how can we have one city if families are being torn apart.”

Over an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants could be affected by this program, including Matias Ramos, co-founder of the activist organization for undocumented youth, United We Dream. Ramos, a UCLA graduate, attended the rally to speak out against the danger that he says Secure Communities poses in DC.

“One thing that Secure Communities would do is that it would systematically erode the trust between police enforcement and the communities they are supposed to serve and protect, and it would use community policing as a tool to put people through this profiteering scheme,” Ramos said. “I think it’s horrendous, and I think it’s an attack on our communities.”

Former DC Metro police officer and current president of Black Law Enforcement in America Ronald Hampton agreed with Ramos, saying it is essential for police to have a relationship with the communities they serve, and Secure Communities would destroy that.

“Secure Communities will prevent police officers and police departments from creating the must needed relationships that have to take place in order for community policing to work,” Hampton said.

Participants at the rally visited the offices of DC council members and Mayor Vincent Gray to push for an executive order that would protect DC families from deportation. Uribe said she hopes DC will continue to serve as a leader in the national push for immigration reform.

Johnny Barnes, director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had this message for the demonstrators, “Just remember this, the power of the people is stronger than the people in power.”

Hurricane Irene Expected To Hit Inland, May Reach D.C.

In a conference call Thursday the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate warned that the entire East Coast needs to be prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

“This will not just be a coastal storm,” Fugate told reporters. “We can see impacts well inland both from winds that can cause widespread power outages as trees fall down but also flooding.”  

Fugate stressed that residents should be ready to evacuate if told by local officials.

“There is hardly any excuse for people not to know there is a hurricane out there and helping getting the word out about being prepared and ready in case of evacuation,” Fugate told reporters. 

Hurricane Irene is on the sixth day of its destructive path and is currently situated in the Northwest Bahamas. It is moving northwest with 115 mph sustained winds and gusts as high as 128 mph. 

The most immediate concern is North Carolina where Irene is set to hit Saturday morning. From there it will move North and Northeast towards Virginia, the Delmarva Peninsula and the lower Chesapeake Bay. 

Any deviation to the left can bring Irene into the D.C. and Baltimore area. 

Fugate told reporters that FEMA has teams set up throughout the east coast and has pre-positioned supplies, such as major generators, water, food, infant supplies, tarps and durable medical goods, to help residents deal with the aftermath.

Hurricane warnings will begin this evening with the 5 p.m advisory and continue throughout the weekend according to Read. 

Congress Reacts To Metro Crash

By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) addressed Monday's fatal Washington Metrorail collision, saying that he and other representatives from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. will meet with the appropriate officials to determine what can be done to prevent future accidents.

The Majority Leader was reluctant to attribute the crash to a lack of funding.

"I want to wait before jumping to a conclusion that this was a lack of money. We don't know yet whether this was a human error, computer error [or] equipment error," said Hoyer during a pen and pad session with reporters Tuesday. Wednesday, the Majority Leader announced that he and other legislators will attempt to secure an additional $3 billion for Metrorail.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) requested to have the accident brought to the attention of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. According to a statement released by Norton earlier this week, a series of hearings will be held after the 4th of July recess.

Group endeavors hopes to help planet and people

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Green for All and the Service Employees International Union converged in Washington, D.C. today, recommending to lawmakers how they should act following draft legislation recently put forward by Senate Democrats to introduce the Climate Equity Alliance, which is an alliance pushing for strong climate legislation that protects and provides opportunity for low- and moderate-income communities.

Jason Walsh, National Policy Director at Green for All said that, based on shared values, more than two dozen organizations from the research, advocacy, faith-based, labor and civil rights communities have formed this alliance.

“The urgent need of transition to a clean energy economy presents us with some critical choices…. We should therefore approach climate policy not only as environmental policy, though it is certainly that, but also as economic policy and as civil-rights policy that can advance principles of fairness and opportunity and equal access,” said Walsh.

The alliance believes that the best way to advance those principles “is to ensure that the strong policies needed to reduce green house gas emissions, also protect low and moderate income households and expand economic opportunity,” Walsh said.

U.S. climate policy needs to include effective mechanisms that reach all low-income households and effectively offset cost increases and to ensure that quality of life for those families is maintained, said Robert Greenstein, Executive Director at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

“This is definitely doable as part of climate legislation,” Greenstein said. “One certainly doesn’t want climate policy to have the unintended side effect of increasing poverty and hardship... Well-designed climate policy can assure that there aren’t such adverse effects by auctioning emissions allowances and devoting an appropriate portion of the proceeds to effectively deliver consumer relief for low and moderate income households”.

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green for All, said “We believe that if climate policy can fight pollution, it can also alleviate poverty at the same time,” adding that she wants to make ensure that the alliance is equitable and takes in account low and moderate-income communities.

“We want to ensure that climate policies provide equal protection and also equal opportunity for all communities,” she said. “Our hope is that working together, if we do this right, we’ll really be able to make sure that both our planet and the people that inhabit it are not really just surviving but in fact thriving in a clean energy economy.”

Six-party talks only alternative for peace in North Korea?

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

The planned rocket launch in defiance of international law by North Korea should not hinder U.S. hopes of achieving the peaceful denuclearization of the North, an opinion backed by senior-level U.S. diplomats.

“Korea and the U.S. are fully at one voice now in tackling the North Korea missile launch and also in pushing forward the six-party process,” said Han Duk-soo, Korean Ambassador to the United States.

“The six-party talks should be promoted. That is at present the only alternative to the peaceful denuclearization of North Korea,” said Han Duk-soo. “Peace and security and prosperity in this region is very crucial not only for this region but also for the global community.”

Lee Ki-Taek, Vice Chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council said that the launch was a threat. But “It does not matter whether it was a satellite or missile for it was clearly not hope,”he said.

Charles L. Pritchard, President of the Korea Economic Institute in Washington, D.C. said that the Obama administration has shown a “conservative” response to what’s been going on with North Korea.

“The United States, it has been said here already, intends to maintain the six-party talks as the basis of engagement of North Korea. That may not turn out to be quite as accurate as they hoped,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard said that the U.S. has made an emphasis on bilateral ties, and has been directly engaged in the consultation process with North Korea and Japan.

Pritchard suggested that the continuation of the tri-lateral coordination is necessary, but that the idea of withholding visas for North Koreans as a form of punishment should be tossed out the window.