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The Town of Southwest Ranches, Corrections Corporation of American (CCA), and DHS / ICE want to build one of the largest immigration detention centers in the nation within walking distance of thousands of homes; thus, reducing the quality of our life and our community. We do not agree with the federal government privatizing our immigration detention centers throughout the nation when there is clear evidence that privatizing our prisons creates a clear public safety threat. For ICE to continue to privatize these institutions and bring this safety threat through their "secure communities Initiative" to our community is unacceptable. Depriving someone of their liberty is a non-delegable governmental function and privatizing of such a function is infecting our nation like a virus.

The Town of Southwest Ranches has now entered into it's THIRD Fire Contract within the last year now with the Town of Davie, costing taxpayers $120,000 in ramp up fees. They are now closing several roads in western Southwest Ranches charging the tax payers $80,000 for the gates. They have paid an unknown amount of money for lobbying with ICE regarding this prison. They have several lawsuits against the Town, 1- Involving Open Meeting Violations on a November 5th meeting concerning the ICE Detention Center, 2- Open Records Violations, and 3- The Town is putting together a lawsuit to sue Pembroke Pines for breach of contract because the City utilized their exit clause and cancelled for convenience their Fire/EMS contract which included water and sewer at the last minute for the CCA prison. In the contract it states that there should be no third party beneficiaries. CCA would be a third party in this instance.

CCA has also filed suit in Federal court against the City of Pembroke Pines saying they are denying them water however the City had never seen a water application. The City did file for a Declaratory Judgement in State Court but that has been put on hold until the Federal Court hears the suit from CCA.

Is ANYONE CONFUSED as to why the Pembroke Pines/Southwest Ranches Fire Agreement was cancelled? The Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff attempted to "slip" into the agreement a portion that guaranteed water for the prison at CCA's request. This is something that should have been brought up separately. CCA should have brought it forward on their own in a water application. This is sleight of hand that CCA and the Town attempted to do because they were so afraid of CCA being on the Pembroke Pines agenda.

As of June 2012, ICE put out a statement that the site selection was no longer needed due to the fact that the extra bedspace was no longer needed. READ UPDATE HERE!


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Math Lesson For Attorney Keith Poliakoff

Keith Poliakoff's Twitter Feed has been an interesting source of "creative statistics."  He just posted a few Tweets regarding the AWESOME turnout we had opposing his immigrant prison at the SWR Town Council meeting last Thursday, December 8th.   There were over 150 area residents who came out on a rainy Thursday night to express their opinion on an item that wasn't even on the agenda and barely two weeks away from Christmas.


Take a look at the creative math used by our Attorney who will be compensated more than $600,000 this year by the Town for his apparent expertise.  He Tweeted on 12/12:
Since I was just asked, there are 2460 residential households in the Town. 16 households spoke against the CCA Facility, or .0065%.
12 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply
»
Keith Poliakoff
16 total SWR households spoke against CCA Facility at Town's meeting. Town asks CCA to reach out to households not spoken to yet.
Keith is negotiating our contract but apparently doesn't understand basic mathematics.  He claims that 16 households our of 2460 residential households equals a percentage of 0.0065%.  Of course, even an elementary school student knows this math is wrong.

One can only guess at the motive this allegedly smart man had in understating opposition by a factor of 100.  But, it should be a wake up call to the Town Council as to how consistently Keith Poliakoff plays fast and footloose with facts.  He has no compunction about shooting from the hip and emoting whatever is on his tongue at the moment.

The correct percentage of turnout of SWR households was 0.65% (assuming their aren't HUNDREDS of vacant houses in foreclosure in the Town.  But that's a different issue.)  This turnout should resonate with anybody who understands the nature of public turnout and activism.  It is the tip of the iceberg in terms of grassroots opposition.

When is the last time that Poliakoff saw 0.65% of his Town's residents turn out for ANY political issue, especially a non agenda item?  And if 0.65% is nothing to Poliakoff, then perhaps HIS turnout of 4 people at the ICE meeting which is 0.16% is even more telling.   It's more telling that on a widely anticipated and advertised meeting with ICE on 11/5 that took place on a beautiful Saturday morning at 10:00 AM, he was only able to get FOUR SWR residents to go on record supporting the prison.  One was former Councilman Aster Knight.  So really, he got three people who apparently didn't have a dog in the fight to come out.

THAT'S pathetic.

Shame on you, you feckless Attorney.  I hope you understand mathematics or the TRUTH better as you negotiate two prison contracts.  For the sake of us all.

Council take heed.  If you honestly believe that you have 75% of the SWR residents on your side, it's going to be FUN to watch the freight train of residents hit you in November.

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3 comments:

  1. Kathy BirdDecember 14, 2011 at 3:01 PM

    When FLIC did a robosurvey in the summer. Almost 300 households completed the survey. 89% of SW ranches households DID NOT want a massive for-profit ICE prison in their community.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 18, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    Great survey,
    Answered by 6 year olds and people called twice. Real scienticfic.

    ReplyDelete
  3. No CCA Immigrant Prison in Southwest RanchesDecember 18, 2011 at 2:20 PM

    Dear Poole Family Member,

    Please communicate to Sam that we expect appropriate decorum here.

    Why don't you grace us all with the results from YOUR CCA robocall?

    We see that it only generated 4 attendees at the 11/5 ICE meeting.

    Again, I'd really prefer that you do not post anonymously.

    All of our motives need to be clearly on display for our readers. Doesn't this make sense, Sam? If you have a motive because you are a lobbyist for a dirty company like CCA which doesn't even understand it shouldn't rape women under their charge, and buy off our politicians and former Broward County Administrators (hint hint) then the public should know this, shouldn't they?

    Bill Di Scipio (Again, you are well aware of my address, aren't you Mr. Poole?)

    ReplyDelete

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