No Private CCA / ICE Immigrant Prison in SW Ranches: Resident Outrage on the Road Closures in Sun Sentinel

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!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Resident Outrage on the Road Closures in Sun Sentinel

End Southwest Ranches blockade
Congratulations to the town of Southwest Ranches and more specifically the town council. For those of us who live in The Trails and Durango Estates in Pembroke Pines, you have closed off all roads leading to Griffin Road. First there was 199th, 202nd, and 205th Avenues, and now the road that we were taking to get to 208th Lane has been blocked. And just so you know, it has a lock and chain on it so no emergency vehicles can pass through there either.

Please don't tell me this is about anything except the detention center that is at the core of this issue. We all know that the detention center was planned and of course behind everyone's back, even the residents in Southwest Ranches. Had you driven up and down 199, 202, or 205 you would have seen signs that said "No Prison" in both Southwest Ranches and Pembroke Pines. How blind could you have been to the people who put you in office? You really wanted a prison in your backyard, well not really in your backyard, more like a prison that you got all the financial benefits from but in Pembroke Pines.

To the mayor of Southwest Ranches —- that would be you, Jeff Nelson, the assistant principal at Cypress Bay — can you please tell me what lessons you are teaching your students when you do what you do and close the roads to your neighbors? The words that come to mind are isolationist and separatist. Does the Berlin Wall bring back memories of when you were in school, you know that wall they actually tore down not too many years ago? Shame on you.

Danny Zuccari, Pembroke Pines

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/fl-letters-friday-0907-20120907,0,3481431.story#tugs_story_display

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