>>Valley Patriot>> |
Since taking office
three years ago, we have made great strides in protecting
the rights of all citizens in the City of Lawrence.
Particularly troubling are those involving City Councilors who stand to benefit from capitalizing on racial tensions in the city by falsely claiming that Hispanic businesses are being targeted by our enforcement personnel because of their ethnicity. I find it remarkable
that there seem to be no complaints of racism, no phone
calls to the Justice Department and no demands for
“justice” in Lawrence during the three-year
span between mayoral elections. Then, suddenly, so called
leaders in the community discover racism when the
mayor’s seat is up for grabs. While I am the first to admit that there are some legitimate concerns to be addressed when it comes to how the city handles violations of city and state laws, politically-motivated allegations of discrimination by our administration are utterly ridiculous. Under my administration, The Human Rights Commission (which had previously been disbanded) was reconstituted so that violations of human and civil rights in the City of Lawrence could be adequately dealt with and resolved. We hired Attorney Judith Kaye, an expert in the field of human rights and anti–discrimination, to consult with the city and train new board members. We funded and appointed a multilingual Latina, as Executive Director of the Lawrence Human Rights Commission. Yet, you would never know that if you listened to the politically motivated charges by those who benefit from stirring racial hatred and ethnic division. They would have you believe the myth that the color of your skin or place of origin is a major factor when dealing with Lawrence City Hall, the Lawrence Police or Inspectional Services. This is nothing but a campaign tactic to divide the community and inflame racial tensions in an election year. It is more than disturbing; it is an injustice to the hard working men and women tasked with enforcing ordinances and laws. Which brings me to Josephine Carabello, who is supposedly investigating and mediating complaints by local business owners in the name of the United States Department of Justice. Her own department and regional director, Frank Amarosso has told me that Ms. Carabello has no business and no authority to be acting on their behalf for any of these bogus and politically-motivated claims of discrimination.
The people of Lawrence deserve elected leaders who strive for true equality and work towards keeping city government free from discrimination and racism. My door is always open to anyone who wants to help us achieve that goal. For those who try only to exploit racial tension for political gain, however, the business of the people of Lawrence is far too important to be sidetracked by such foolishness.
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Ms.
Carabello has been making inflammatory remarks regarding
this situation and has been critical of the time I have
dedicated to the issue. The fact is, not only have I met
with former City Councilor Julio Silverio and many of the
business owners who have complained, but I have
personally visited these businesses myself. I also met
with all parties involved for more than three hours at
the Lawrence Public Library. This meeting, which could
have brought a resolution to all concerned, instead
served as a springboard for more dirty campaign tactics
and false cries of discrimination. 
