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The Justice Department Is Wrong
Council Should Stand up For What’s Right

The City Council didn’t have enough courage to fight a lawsuit by the Justice Department when they ordered the city to redistrict and reshape the makeup of the City Council and School Committee.

Instead they cowered like a school girl and gave in to the unreasonable demands by allowing our at large school committee seats to be elected by district. They allowed the Federal Government to trample on our local control and agreed to redraw district lines for district City Council seats. And the Council, in a random act of wisdom, decided to keep the three At-Large City Council seats.

But that’s not enough for the meddling Justice Department or the so-called Hispanic leaders who want to do away with At-Large seats completely in the city. Their premise is that At-Large (elected city wide) Councilor and School Committee seats are a racist tool to keep down minorities and prevent them from participating in the American electoral process.

At least that’s what they are saying.

If you follow their line of reasoning, our Mayor, Governor and even the President are all elected by a racist system which is designed to keep down minorities because they are elected city wide, state wide, and country wide (receptively) by the citizens. It’s a ridiculous notion, of course, but try selling that to the self anointed leaders of the Hispanic community who seem to be more concerned with gaining power and controlling government money than they are with fairness and equality.

The City Council has an opportunity here to make things right in this fight with the Justice Department over redistricting. What they can, and should do, is let the Jjustice Department take us to court and appeal any losing decision to every court in the country. This is an issue we can win on the foundation of law and on principal.

At Large seats in local, state and Federal government positions ensures us the ability to give everyone the same voice regardless of race. We shouldn’t be drawing district lines and changing the structure of our city government to make it easier for members of any ethnic group to get elected. Just as we should never draw district lines and change the structure of our city government to make it harder for a minority group to get elected. That’s the definition of fairness.

If the Justice Department wants to take us to court over the council’s recent decision over redistricting we should welcome that fight, take them head on and fight for our rights under the constitution. I truly believe in local control and I am offended that the Federal Government in Washington can come in here and tell local people how to govern themselves. Our elected leaders on the Council should be offended as well.

The fact is, there is absolutely no evidence that city wide representatives on the School Committee or City Council put Latinos at a disadvantage. They are 60% of the population but only 12-15% of the registered voters in the city. And yet, despite that startling reality Marcos Devers and Ralph Carrero have both been elected city wide through hard work, diligent campaigning and a willingness by the majority white voters to vote for them regardless of their ethnicity.

Using the cry of racism is a tool misused by some in this community and in Government agencies to try and stack the deck in the favor of minorities under the false pretense of fairness. This action by the Justice Department is anything but fair. It tells the citizens of Lawrence that 60% of the population is shut out of the election system because more people from the 40% care enough to get involved and vote. It tells local people that those who are uninterested in the process and fail to get involved should be given the same political clout as those who do. It also tells Latinos in Lawrence that they don’t have to be involved in the election process, go to meetings and advocate for issues in local government because they (The Federal Government) are going to make sure they have representation in government whether they choose it or not.

If Latinos, or any ethnic group, wants to be more involved and have more minority representation in government they should get off their ass and get involved. You don’t need the Federal Government in order to sign up to vote. You don’t need a lawsuit to attend a City Council meeting and you certainly don’t need the self anointed leaders of the Hispanic community in order to receive government services. All you have to do it take it upon yourself and go do it.

So do it! The rules are the same for everyone. If you don’t vote and you don’t get involved you have nothing to complain about. You certainly don’t have anyone to blame but yourself. Finger pointing solves nothing, grassroots political action does. There is plenty of apathy among whites and Latinos in Lawrence. But you don’t see non Latinos in the community crying for special treatment every time they don’t get their own way. Because this is America and the political power in this country is reserved for those who care enough to participate.