Below from HERE [1]
Lets all look up ” un-hinged [2]”
Cobb County: In Denial About the Reality and Jeopardizing Public Safety: Latinos and Immigrants Do NOT TRUST Local Law Enforcement Officials
Found in Press Statement ( note from D.A. – an 1000 word press statement?…yawn)
Written by Jerry Gonzalez [3]Posted on 2008-05-22
Cobb County: In Denial About the Reality and Jeopardizing Public Safety
Latinos and Immigrants Do NOT TRUST Local Law Enforcement Officials
By: Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of GALEO
The devolution of responsibility of immigration enforcement to the state and local levels will be mired in controversy. 287 (g) agreements [4] with ICE are active in Cobb ( note from D.A. – we were first in Georgia [5]), Hall and Whitfield Counties and Gwinnett County is next in line for this type of “agreement”. As this continues, we will likely see an increase in racial profiling against Latinos and foreign nationals. Public safety will be undermined, and we will also see serious due process violations.
Based on some of the examples [6]that have been exposed recently by the Washington Post with the deaths of immigrant detainees as well as reports about ICE raids where violations and misconduct have occurred, how can we trust that ICE will adequately train local law enforcement officials to act on their behalf to enforce a broken immigration policy? ( note from D.A. – OH WAIT!)
My Fox Houston [7]
Cop-killing invader killer spared death penalty, victim’s family upset
Houston — The family of a police officer killed in the line of duty says they are “heartbroken” by a jury’s decision to spare the killer’s life. — Some are calling the jury’s decision nothing short of amazing after the illegal immigrant, who confessed to killing a Houston police officer, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday
OK, back to Gerardo
Are we to turn a blind eye [8]away from some of the serious allegations of increased police racial profiling, police harassment, due process violations and other concerns raised by these “agreements”? If ICE [9]cannot do its job effectively, humanely, in accordance with the law, and in accordance with the due process protections afforded to all persons within the United States, what can we expect from the likes of Wild West Cobb County Sheriff, Neil Warren [5]?
Because our political “leaders” walked away from resolving this issue in the U.S. Congress, should we simply accept the enforcement approaches as the only fix for our immigration policy? No, we must not. Furthermore, we must shine a light on these issues, concerns and highlight these cases to bring forward the change that is necessary to truly restore the rule of law while also addressing the millions of undocumented people within our borders.
As an example of the chaos and confusion at the local level, in a previous article in Mundo Hispanico, April 24, 2008, Cobb County officials insisted that Cobb County law enforcement officials do not racially profile Latinos.
Further, Cobb County Chairman Sam Olens accused me of inciting fear. Here is what he said in the article:
Olens considers part of the problem to be the information the Hispanic community is receiving. “Jerry Gonzalez generates fear in the community”, says Olens about the executive director of GALEO, one of the organizations that denounces irregularities in Cobb County.
My response to this false and irresponsible accusation was clear. Through the policies and sanctioning of the elected officials in Cobb County, including the County Commission and the Cobb County Sheriff, there has been the creation of an environment of fear through active racial profiling and intimidation targeting the Latino community within Cobb County. With the implementation of the recently signed law of SB350 (drive without a license and go to jail bill), we will likely see an increase in these tactics and practices by law enforcement officials across the state. We have received hundreds of calls from people in Cobb County alluding to the reality of the situation where they are stopped for no apparent reason. This story evolves into the arrest by local police for minor traffic violations and then handed off to the Cobb County Sheriff for detention and deportation. Thus, the culture of fear continues as Latino families in Cobb County are being torn apart. Considering this reality and the testimony provided by the community, Cobb County blindly denies that racial profiling exists.
In fact, we have had calls from non-Latinos who look like Latinos and they indicated they were stopped for no apparent reason. Once the Cobb County officer determined the individual was not Latino, they were allowed to go on about their business. Cobb County Sheriff has had court orders issued against his jail procedures because the Cobb County Sheriff was detaining people longer than they should. Latino U.S. citizens have been held in jail longer than they should have while their “immigration status” is verified, while similar non-Latino U.S. citizens in the Cobb County jail are not subjected to such “immigration status verification.”
Blurring of the lines of immigration enforcement and local law enforcement is exactly the problem that is brewing in Cobb County. Public safety is being jeopardized by local policy makers. These practices have resulted with the reality that many within the Latino community do not trust the local police in Cobb County. We have received calls from individuals who are victims of crime, yet afraid to report the crime because of their immigration status. The situation has evolved into a dangerous environment because crime is going unreported. Will additional crime go unsolved because a segment of the Cobb County community does not feel like they can trust local law enforcement to uphold public safety without inquiring about immigration status? Due to this volatile environment created by the policy makers, crime will also likely increase as criminals will exploit the vulnerability of the Latino and immigrant communities. Read about it further below as this scenario already exists. Cobb County officials will need to work very hard to rebuild the erosion of trust that has occurred.
The solution will require that Cobb County officials recognize the reality and severity of the situation that they alone have created. They must take responsibility for their actions and policies and quit blaming Latino community leaders who respond against these police tactics. They must begin to take steps to rectify the erosion of trust. It will require stopping the practice of harassment and intimidation. Cobb County law enforcement officials must stop the practice of racial profiling. They must implement a process for greater community involvement and greater transparency within law enforcement and allow oversight by community members. Finally, Cobb County Sheriff must sever its relationship with ICE for the sake of enhancing public safety for all in Cobb County. If these steps are not taken, then public safety will keep diminishing because the trust between the local police and the community they should serve continues to erode.
The rule of law is important and must be upheld; however, one’s belief in the rule of law should also respect the due process rights of all persons and should also respect the right not to be racially profiled and harassed by local police. Consistency in enforcement and affording due process protections must be at work. Balancing the rule of law and the importance of upholding public safety must be carefully considered as the debate of the devolution and outsourcing of ICE responsibilities continues in this country.
In conclusion, ICE is not doing an effective job of “enforcement” in accordance to due process rights because our immigration policy is in shambles. With 287 (g) agreements and other state policies, local law enforcement officials are getting a blank check to target a vulnerable community while undermining public safety. We maintain that in order for us to restore the rule of law, enhance overall national security/public safety and maintain a humane and robust immigration system, we need comprehensive immigration reform. Devolution of responsibilities and duties while not respecting due process rights is not a solution we should strive for because this nation deserves better. Our U.S. Congress should demand answers and push for greater accountability on the problems that are unfolding.
JG
Please read the articles included below that we translated into English to provide you with more information and become more informed of the reality within Cobb County and the diminishing public safety situation.
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Below are articles that highlight the reality in Cobb County as reported by Mundo Hispanico:
Defending Their Work in Cobb County: Authorities deny persecution of Hispanics and accuse Latino Leaders of inciting fear (Mundo Hispanico, By: Rodrigo Cervantes, April 24, 2008)
Cobb County does not racial profile. So insists Sam Olen, Board of Commissioners President, along with 3 police department representatives in a meeting with Mundo Hispanico.
“The Hispanic community feels misunderstood (by the authorities) but so do we”, said Marietta Chief of Police, Dan Flynn. “We have been accused by immigrant groups of not being friendly or unequal treatment but we do not discriminate nor do we treat anyone unjustly”, he commented.
According to Officer Anibel Lopez, “the police department has a bad image as the majority of Latinos are poor and come from places where police have a bad reputation”.
“What we want to say to the Hispanic community is that we aren’t the same (as the authorities in their countries) and that they can trust us” added George Hatfield chief of Cobb police.
Read more:
http://www.galeo.org/story.php?story_id=0000004603
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Driving without a license, a sure step into jail? Chronicle of an arrest in Cobb (Mundo Hispanico, By: Mario Guevara, May 15, 2008)
In April, authorities from Cobb County indicated to Mundo Hispánico that, as regards minor traffic violations, they only detained those who had previous court records or those who were not able to prove their identity and/or home address. But María Mejía’s case seems to contradict this.
On April 23, Mejía was driving inside a mobile home complex on Six Flags Road, in the city of Austell, where she resides with her 4-year old son. There, she was stopped by a Cobb County police officer, Aníbal López. The Honduran woman wasn’t wearing her seat belt.
Mundo Hispánico witnessed the detention and the arrest.
Read more: http://www.galeo.org/story.php?story_id=0000004677
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Cobb County: “Day laborers are afraid of police. Prefer to keep quiet when mugged, rather than sent to jail” (Mundo Hispanico, By: Mario Guevara, May 15, 2008)
Fear takes hold of day laborers every time they go out searching for work throughout the streets of Cobb County. They acknowledge fear of being mugged, as it has happened before to some of them. Nevertheless, they prefer to live like that rather than report it to police, whom they mistrust.
Read more: http://www.galeo.org/story.php?story_id=0000004675
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Cobb County Police Respond: Chief Hatfield, “We don’t care if they are documented or not”
(Mundo Hispanico, By: Pilar Verdes, May 15, 2008)
After the detention of María Mejía, (see the previous page), the Chief of police of Cobb County, George Hatfield Jr., maintained his position that the decision to arrest or not a driver without a driver’s license depends on the criteria of the law enforcement officer, even though the detained person may show an address verification document.
“Were we to follow what the law requires, we would need to arrest everybody”, asserted Hatfield.
Read more: http://www.galeo.org/story.php?story_id=0000004674
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Contradictions in Cobb County: Latinos Do Not Trust Police Because of Contradictions, (Mundo Hispanico Editorial, May 15, 2008)
Once again, authorities in Cobb County deny any attacks against the Latino and the undocumented communities while they get tangled up in their own contradictions, as if they were evading their responsibilities.
By Jerry ( Gerardo E.) Gonzalez [3]
Read more: http://www.galeo.org/story.php?story_id=0000004676