Riverside, NJ Immigrant Ordinance

I live in Riverside, NJ and there has been a lot of craziness going on the past week that had to deal with illegal immigrants. OK that is what Whitey is saying on the outside, but he is really saying ” I hate the Brazilians”. He is basically saying that all Brazilians here are illegal. So Riverside passed a unanimous decision 5-0 on making it illegal to house or hire, illegals. OK wasn’t it illegal to do that anyway? But whatever. I hate the ordinance. I don’t agree with it.

Here is a link to an article that made the NEW YORK TIMES!!! of all things, a little 8000+ population town of SOUTH JERSEY made the NY times! wow.

NY TIMES RIVERRSIDE, NJ article

But I wrote a letter to a writer of the Philly Inquirer, so here it is. Please let me know what you think. And please refrain from the hate comments. If you disagree fine. But remain civil. I’m all for debates, but if you resort to being childish, it just proves more and more your ignorance and incapability to hold an adult conversation.

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Ms. Yant,

I read your article in Sunday’s paper. I happen to be a resident of Riverside for the past 6 years. Before that I lived in the neighboring town of Delran. Recently, there has been quite a stir of emotions and now our town is getting some media attention. I’m not saying that is good or bad, but it has made me examine my view on my town more so recently.

I for one, am against the ordinance. I don’t like the idea of stopping people from working. A lot of these people come here to send money back home. They aren’t some terrorist cell plotting to take over Riverside, NJ and the Riverline. They work hard and keep to themselves. And let me clarify this, when the big, bad, white man screaming at the
top of his lungs during the meeting about illegals, we who live here know its not about the illegal Mexicans or Chinese or whatever culture happens to be here illegally, it’s about the Brazilians. JUST the Brazilians. He is upset at the Brazilian population and the vans with ladders on the roof (apparently their preferred mode of transportation) because they are taking away construction and labor jobs away from us legal residence. The big, bad, white man is making seem like there is some invasion of this culture. Like they are moving in on every street, 20 to a house. But it just so happens that the majority live in a concentrated area. Pretty much the area which surrounds Riverside Park. That is where most of the Brazilians live. Now I don’t know if they are illegal or not, but I do not care. I understand they want to work and send money home for the betterment of their families. I find that honorable. They have a great work ethic that I notice a lot of people around here are lacking. This poor work ethic is passed down onto our lovely red-blooded American children.

If Riverside wants to start passing ordinances, pass one on the teenage kids that go to Riverside Park to smoke, drink, buy/sell/do drugs and even perform acts that are deemed indecent in public. That is what really bothers me. That is what is really wrong. Instead of instilling the ideology of respect, communication, civility, and hard work into our children, we send them out of the house with the punk down the street to play “Monopoly” when they are actually lighting up a joint and getting high in broad daylight in the park. Apparently, our 15 person police force isn’t enough because we can’t even get these kids out of the park. Maybe, I should be like Marsha Whitworth and get a badge and a gun and become the new vigilante law enforcement. Wouldn’t that be the safest thing to do?

Also, I wanted to comment on our civility at the town meeting. We apparently lack it. I understand it is a hot button issue, but if you are going to yell and boo at people with “accents” it is just showing the lack of respect you have for your families that have
come to this country way back when. OK granted, maybe if the “accents” were of Irish or English sounding instead of “Spanish” sounding then the people there yelling, wouldn’t be yelling. They would show the utmost respect. In fact, there probably wouldn’t need the school auditorium for the town meeting. They probably wouldn’t have had a meeting at all.

Thank you for writing this article. I just hope people like me really wake up because this doesn’t just affect the towns that surround the Mexican border (notice how we don’t care about the Canadian border, eh?) but the little 8,000+ population towns across the U.S.A.
This really made me examine that this isn’t an illegal immigrant issue, it is more of a race issue. Personally, I don’t mind if they are here, I would just like to have some sort of registration type deal going on. Anyone would want to know who is coming in and out of
their own country. But to deny someone the right to work for a better living because their own country doesn’t care about them, is just inhumane. We seem to be a country that voted on “morals” during the last election but we are failing miserably in showing any compassion or morals to those that need us. It seems we only pick and choose who we want to help. If you are the right shade, you are deserving of our compassion. I can hear the “Oh great another person playing the race card” chant. But for the Big, Bad White man that is screaming it at the top of his lungs, I have this to say to you, “You are white, you don’t experience the type of prejudice that people like me have had to experience. So you will never, ever understand what someone of a ‘different’ shade has to go through.” I am half white. My mom is Filipino my dad is practically all western European. So being bi-racial, I have experienced prejudice. Granted, I haven’t had to go through the struggles of the 60’s, but it just proves that racism is still alive and well.

I’m sorry that I ranted, but I just wanted to thank you again and I hope you will write more articles, not just about the dealing of the Riverside ordinance, but on this topic in general.

Yours very truly,

Deirdre

Tags: Immigrants ; Illegal Immigrants ; Racism ; New Jersey