Post by admin on Oct 30, 2007 4:58:25 GMT -5
The many threads pertaining to the Juan Reyes appointment are interesting. I have stayed out of those discussions because I was curious as to what participants would think and find out on their own. In my opinion, and with what I am aware of, most of the information is true. After reading all of the posts, I think most participants get the picture as to what happened. Now it is my turn. I knew about this appointment quite some time ago. I went from being open minded to it to being dead set against it. I believe the Mayor made a very bad choice for all the wrong reasons. For me to give my reasons for my opinions, I have to go back several months and point to several events and experiences.
I have to start at the settlement and give a quick reminder of events. When that settlement was signed, I believe it should have been viewed as a point for our town to put it behind us and move ahead. I say that with respect to all beliefs on all sides. Before the ink was dry on that settlement, the LLA and Casa Freehold people went on the attack. In no time flat, we saw Casa Freehold mouth piece Tom Baldwin receive press coverage, attacking our elected leaders and asking for them to resign. To this day, he still goes into council meetings and attacks.
We had the rental recommendations finally come out. These issues mean a great deal to the lawful residents of our town who want a good quality life here. Before the recommendations were made public an LLA appointee to that committee ran to the papers and took the wind out of the sails of that committee. In doing so he put our governing body on the defence, a trap which they fell for hook line and sinker.
Of course there was the March 6 rally at the town council meeting. I will get back to this in a bit. The bottom line is the pattern of attacking our town continued by radical groups who to this day have never shown an ounce of respect in any public forum for the thousands of legal residents who live here and have very valid concerns. Of course, let us not forget that the Asbury Park Press published an editorial that was not favorable toward Casa Freehold. They are some of the the extremists that councilman Kevin Kane mentioned being stuck in the middle of not too long ago in an interview with local papers.
Now, I mentioned the settlement and the real need to push our town in the right direction. Our town did do something that had great value. Councilman Marc LeVine brought a group of us up to Maplewood to take a look at a program called Fund for an open Society ( FfOS). At least four of us who participate on this site were delegates as well as Frank Freyre from the Latino Leadership Alliance and a few other good people from our town. This is an interesting program and I know all of us who went learned a few good things. The program helps towns, who are diverse, to promote racial harmony.
It was at Maplewood that I first heard the concept of putting a day laborer on the Human Relations Committee. At the time I was luke warm but open minded to the concept. FfOS believed in having everyone at the table. In spirit, I thought that was fair. Even being open minded to it, I still had a few questions about it. The FfOS is a very racially charged program. When asked about illegal immigration specifically, they had only had a little experience in dealing with a small Haitian population. They had no experience in dealing with a large population of any one group of illegal aliens. I gathered that they also viewed our illegal immigration issue as a race based one, something I disagree with. I do not consider illegal immigration to be an issue of race.
The second question in my mind at the time was, why a day laborer? The HRC already had supporters of the illegal alien population sitting on it so I could not, and still can not, figure out what a day laborer would offer that the current members could not. That tells me that the members who are sitting on that committee are not doing their job if there is a need to have another appointee to speak for that population.
Even with the above questions in my mind, I thought the FfOS was a good initiative well worth keeping in mind. Little did we know as we sat at that table, that Frank and his colleagues had a nice reward for Marc and our town just a couple of weeks later.
That reward of course was the March 6 event which I found myself in the middle of because of this web site. Here again, it is important to highlight that the people who came to our town were mostly outside agitators who do not care about this town or the people in it. This was of course Casa Freehold and the LLA among others.
During that time, I was in contact with a number of people which did include the LLA, the APP, and Marc. Most people are well aware of the "outrage" at Marc's comments and the objections to the rental recommendations, but there was more to that rally. The comments Marc made were known about well in advance by the LLA. They used months old comments to boost their cause. This was a well orchastrated and planned attack, not an issue of genuine concern over the commnents. The LLA used Marc as an excuse to put our town on the defence, again, because they had demands. They succeeded in putting our town on the defence with the use of hostility. As always, with no regard to the other people in this town.
At this time I became aware that the LLA had the following demands.
1. Meetings with the Mayor
2. Latino Festival moved to Main Street
3. Two Latinos appointed to Human Relations Committee
4. For the rental recommendations to be torn up and diminished.
So again, the appointment of a day labor was mentioned during this time. It would be again mentioned in the April Human Relations Committee meeting by Frank Freyre, which is when it was first mentioned on this site.
The above is the recap of my awareness of putting a day laborer on the Human Relations Committee. After reading the posts from readers, I am glad to see that I am not alone in thinking this was a very bad move. There are four issues with this as I see it.
1. Juan is Casa Freehold
2. He does not live in our town
3. He is possibly an illegal alien, but no one is sure
4. He is appointed by Frank Freyre of the LLA.
If he is an illegal alien, that is the least of my concerns. I know several readers will disagree with me, but the Human Relations Committee is supposed to represent all who live in our town. The FfOS model of putting everybody at the table is not wrong, IMO. Some people do not like to hear it, but the illegal population has to be dealt with by our governing body, police department, schools etc. I believe there is a right way and a wrong way to deal the illegals. Right now I am seeing the wrong way. That will be a discussion I will not take part in on this web site.
I believe the appointment was wrong because of what Juan represents and how he got there. I do not know the guy, nor will I. He, as a person, is not the issue. For all I know he could be a great person and turn out to be my best friend.
Juan represents people who are largely outside agitators who have NEVER shown any respect to our town. Outside agitators who should never be given a voice at the table. He is a part of radical groups and does not even live here. He does not belong on our committees. They do not have value for our town.
He got to that committee not by good will, but by way of a continued pattern of hostility toward our town and elected leaders. When we look at the continued pattern of hostility, it has paid off for those people who employed it. They got their reward and they should not have.
If our Mayor and Council really wanted to put a day laborer on that committee, they should have done it themselves without the assistance of the LLA or Casa Freehold. What they have done is validate and sanction the years of hostility that our town has been on the receiving end of. By making that appointment, our Mayor and council slapped every one of us in the face who showed up on March 6 to defend not only a good councilman, but a good town.
Many readers have wanted answers to this appointment. I can think of no good reason why it was done. I am not sure I would want to hear an answer. There is no good one.
The appointment of a day laborer was an idea that once had merit, but it went wrong.
Juan Reyes is a part of a movement that has never shown our town respect. They had the chance many times and the hostility only continued as it will in the future.
Juan Reyes is a tainted appointment. He is the wrong person, in the wrong place, for the wrong reasons.
I have to start at the settlement and give a quick reminder of events. When that settlement was signed, I believe it should have been viewed as a point for our town to put it behind us and move ahead. I say that with respect to all beliefs on all sides. Before the ink was dry on that settlement, the LLA and Casa Freehold people went on the attack. In no time flat, we saw Casa Freehold mouth piece Tom Baldwin receive press coverage, attacking our elected leaders and asking for them to resign. To this day, he still goes into council meetings and attacks.
We had the rental recommendations finally come out. These issues mean a great deal to the lawful residents of our town who want a good quality life here. Before the recommendations were made public an LLA appointee to that committee ran to the papers and took the wind out of the sails of that committee. In doing so he put our governing body on the defence, a trap which they fell for hook line and sinker.
Of course there was the March 6 rally at the town council meeting. I will get back to this in a bit. The bottom line is the pattern of attacking our town continued by radical groups who to this day have never shown an ounce of respect in any public forum for the thousands of legal residents who live here and have very valid concerns. Of course, let us not forget that the Asbury Park Press published an editorial that was not favorable toward Casa Freehold. They are some of the the extremists that councilman Kevin Kane mentioned being stuck in the middle of not too long ago in an interview with local papers.
Now, I mentioned the settlement and the real need to push our town in the right direction. Our town did do something that had great value. Councilman Marc LeVine brought a group of us up to Maplewood to take a look at a program called Fund for an open Society ( FfOS). At least four of us who participate on this site were delegates as well as Frank Freyre from the Latino Leadership Alliance and a few other good people from our town. This is an interesting program and I know all of us who went learned a few good things. The program helps towns, who are diverse, to promote racial harmony.
It was at Maplewood that I first heard the concept of putting a day laborer on the Human Relations Committee. At the time I was luke warm but open minded to the concept. FfOS believed in having everyone at the table. In spirit, I thought that was fair. Even being open minded to it, I still had a few questions about it. The FfOS is a very racially charged program. When asked about illegal immigration specifically, they had only had a little experience in dealing with a small Haitian population. They had no experience in dealing with a large population of any one group of illegal aliens. I gathered that they also viewed our illegal immigration issue as a race based one, something I disagree with. I do not consider illegal immigration to be an issue of race.
The second question in my mind at the time was, why a day laborer? The HRC already had supporters of the illegal alien population sitting on it so I could not, and still can not, figure out what a day laborer would offer that the current members could not. That tells me that the members who are sitting on that committee are not doing their job if there is a need to have another appointee to speak for that population.
Even with the above questions in my mind, I thought the FfOS was a good initiative well worth keeping in mind. Little did we know as we sat at that table, that Frank and his colleagues had a nice reward for Marc and our town just a couple of weeks later.
That reward of course was the March 6 event which I found myself in the middle of because of this web site. Here again, it is important to highlight that the people who came to our town were mostly outside agitators who do not care about this town or the people in it. This was of course Casa Freehold and the LLA among others.
During that time, I was in contact with a number of people which did include the LLA, the APP, and Marc. Most people are well aware of the "outrage" at Marc's comments and the objections to the rental recommendations, but there was more to that rally. The comments Marc made were known about well in advance by the LLA. They used months old comments to boost their cause. This was a well orchastrated and planned attack, not an issue of genuine concern over the commnents. The LLA used Marc as an excuse to put our town on the defence, again, because they had demands. They succeeded in putting our town on the defence with the use of hostility. As always, with no regard to the other people in this town.
At this time I became aware that the LLA had the following demands.
1. Meetings with the Mayor
2. Latino Festival moved to Main Street
3. Two Latinos appointed to Human Relations Committee
4. For the rental recommendations to be torn up and diminished.
So again, the appointment of a day labor was mentioned during this time. It would be again mentioned in the April Human Relations Committee meeting by Frank Freyre, which is when it was first mentioned on this site.
The above is the recap of my awareness of putting a day laborer on the Human Relations Committee. After reading the posts from readers, I am glad to see that I am not alone in thinking this was a very bad move. There are four issues with this as I see it.
1. Juan is Casa Freehold
2. He does not live in our town
3. He is possibly an illegal alien, but no one is sure
4. He is appointed by Frank Freyre of the LLA.
If he is an illegal alien, that is the least of my concerns. I know several readers will disagree with me, but the Human Relations Committee is supposed to represent all who live in our town. The FfOS model of putting everybody at the table is not wrong, IMO. Some people do not like to hear it, but the illegal population has to be dealt with by our governing body, police department, schools etc. I believe there is a right way and a wrong way to deal the illegals. Right now I am seeing the wrong way. That will be a discussion I will not take part in on this web site.
I believe the appointment was wrong because of what Juan represents and how he got there. I do not know the guy, nor will I. He, as a person, is not the issue. For all I know he could be a great person and turn out to be my best friend.
Juan represents people who are largely outside agitators who have NEVER shown any respect to our town. Outside agitators who should never be given a voice at the table. He is a part of radical groups and does not even live here. He does not belong on our committees. They do not have value for our town.
He got to that committee not by good will, but by way of a continued pattern of hostility toward our town and elected leaders. When we look at the continued pattern of hostility, it has paid off for those people who employed it. They got their reward and they should not have.
If our Mayor and Council really wanted to put a day laborer on that committee, they should have done it themselves without the assistance of the LLA or Casa Freehold. What they have done is validate and sanction the years of hostility that our town has been on the receiving end of. By making that appointment, our Mayor and council slapped every one of us in the face who showed up on March 6 to defend not only a good councilman, but a good town.
Many readers have wanted answers to this appointment. I can think of no good reason why it was done. I am not sure I would want to hear an answer. There is no good one.
The appointment of a day laborer was an idea that once had merit, but it went wrong.
Juan Reyes is a part of a movement that has never shown our town respect. They had the chance many times and the hostility only continued as it will in the future.
Juan Reyes is a tainted appointment. He is the wrong person, in the wrong place, for the wrong reasons.
