The CCA Advisory Meeting -- A Place of Surrender

Pembroke Pines Commissioner Carl Shechter warned us about inconsistent messages when they debated the resolution to inform the President that we did not want this detention center.  He said that the inclusion of the 10 demands to ICE "should" they insist on building the prison anyway, sent an inconsistent message and telegraphed defeat.

All those involved, from the 4 commissioners and Mayor to every single public speaker were very clear in that we are not going to negotiate terms of surrender.  The resolution included statements from 19 HOAs representing 90,000 (at a bare minimum) of the 150,000 residents of Pembroke Pines that they STAUNCHLY oppose the immigrant prison.

In order to complete the legitimacy of the process of jamming a prison down our throats, private prison company Corrections Corporation of America, LLC, has been conducting closed-to-the-public advisory group meetings which are by invitation only and spearheaded by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz who is also the chair of the Democratic National Committee in an attempt to justify that the public was listened to and she was correct in endorsing the immigrant prison.

These meetings are being used to undermine your opposition to the prison by bringing legitimacy to the negotiations you are engaged in to give us the best prison we can get.  You are writing our terms of surrender and we have made our voices clear.  NO SURRENDER.

If you disagree with this assessment, please read the following letter from Director of Enforcement and Removal, Gary Mead as he responded to Mayor Frank Ortis' demand that Southwest Ranches be taken out of consideration.  He's actually calling these sham advisory meetings "town council meetings."

This is a travesty of representative government.  Again, the advisory meetings you are attending are by invitation only and they EXCLUDE those who refuse to negotiate for the "best prison we can get" including most members of the Residents Against the SW Ranches ICE Detention Center.

HOA presidents, your attendance lends credibility to their process.  Your actions are undermining opposition to the prison. You need to immediately boycott these meetings especially if you signed on to this resolution in opposing the prison.

There are no negotiations.  We will only discuss THEIR concession to leave our communities alone.

Partial Analysis of Debbie Wasserman Schultz's WIOD Interview

After listening to the Jimmy Cefalo interview of Debbie Wasserman Schultz it's apparent that Debbie has it wrong on many accounts, is perpetuating lying talking points, and sounds like Attorney Keith Poliakoff and Mayor Jeff Nelson.

Before the analysis begins, let's reflect on why the DNC Chairwoman and FL-20 representative is behaving this way supporting her immigrant prison.  She's taken a lot of money from all the parties involved.  They are all cashing in on our misery.  But, Southwest Ranches Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff laid it out best in one of his emails.  He said:

As you probably have seen we have remained incredibly quiet and have been working diligently with our legislative leaders on this matter without pushing the press angle.

As such, I have been fully advised by our DC contacts that we should remain fully quiet on this one and to let our DC Leaders help without sparking a fire that will make it more difficult for them to assist.

So, the motive and the conspiracy are all here on display for us all to see.  Now,  a number of the Congresswoman's quotes are analyzed here for accuracy:

DWS: You know, what I did was wrote a letter... a sort of cursory letter of support because...

She did not write it. It was on Senator Bill Nelson's (D-FL) letterhead and Debbie cosigned it. It did not even come from her office!  The letter was actually written by Southwest Ranches Attorney Keith Poliakoff and SENT to Nelson and Wasserman Schultz for endorsement.  Check the NT blog for the original email containing the letter sent off to them and proving that she's lying.  It's at the bottom of the article.

DWS: Southwest Ranches for many years has been planning on the property already zoned for things like a dump and a MAXIMUM security prison.

The zoning has been for a minimum or medium security prison.  Maximum security is specifically NOT allowed.  Yet ICE requires this as described in their Statement of Objectives. This inconsistency has never been adequately addressed by Debbie (who continues to lie on the issue), ICE, CCA or SWR.

DWS: There have been many many hearings lots of input.

This is patently false which is why Debbie wrote a letter admonishing Mayor Jeff Nelson for a paucity of public information on the prison.  Keith Poliakoff is well noted for gagging his Town's elected officials with a cone of silence and threats that their constituents may even have to register as LOBBYISTS to speak with their Councilmen about the prison.

She then goes on to describe the ICE meeting she set up (even though Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo already began securing this meeting days before).  What she did not tell you is that in clear violation of open meeting laws, residents were barred from entry unless they filled out a card containing their name, address AND position on the prison.  There were people who were threatened with arrest for trying to enter without filling out that card.   She AND General Butterworth should be ashamed for having their names on such a farce.

Further, after review of the public records, the people spoke loudly and clearly.  Of the 333 cards submitted, only 7 cards in total indicated support for the prison.  4 were from SWR.  One was from a Weston resident with the surname Poole.  4 people in SWR came out to support the prison and 1 from Pembroke Pines (who is a Miami Dade Firefighter).  Unreal.  And they are going ahead with the prison.

When an appropriate meeting was held with the public, near 100% unanimous opposition to the building of the prison was expressed.  Does Debbie sound like she got the message or does it sound like she's just aping SWR Attorney Keith Poliakoff's talking points?

DWS: And now I have urged and now it has been done for the Town to create a citizen's advisory council which will be both in Pembroke Pines affected and Southwest Ranches residents too as the facility moves forward give them input and feedback on what they think needs to be addressed.

This is outrageous sham.  What part of WE DON'T WANT A PRISON does this tin-eared politician not understand?  Further, it's NOT made up of we citizens, it's made up of the ELITE.  Not the proverbial 1%, but the 0.01% who are HOA presidents!  None of the opposition to the prison has been included in ANY of these meetings.  This is addressed in the article Announced Advisory Council... Who does it represent?

DWS: ..that many years ago when the town was first incorporated, that property was brought into the Town of Southwest Ranches and it was already zoned for things like a maximum s... there's a prison right next door to the facility...

Debbie, did YOU have anything to do as an elected legislator from the State of Florida for that special dispensation which allowed the town to bring in a non contiguous parcel?  We believe you did.  Your office believes you did as well.  You were an original part of the problem and you still are part of the problem.  Directly.

Again, no zoning of that land has EVER allowed for a maximum security prison to be built.  And the prison next door is a preexisting 700 bed Broward County facility built nearly 40 years ago.  It is not owned nor controlled by the Town.

Would your benefactors at CCA perhaps have their eyes set on taking over that facility too once they get a foothold in West Broward?  We know how you politicians on both sides of the isle are pushing to privatize prisons owned by the people, all over the country.

This is only one minute of her talking. We really can't take any more of her lies, so we will stop here.  She talks down to us and we are her constituents.  She refuses to meet with us personally.  When has a representative refused to meet with her constituents that have issues that are caused directly by that representative? This is unconscionable.  She doesn't care about the children, the women and the men who will be directly affected by this perverse facility going up DIRECTLY in our back yards that SHE supports 100%.

Addendum:

Debbie's defenders and sychophants in the media are doing full damage control for her now.  Check out Channel 10's Roger Lohose's softball report on Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the ICE prison: http://www.local10.com/news/Detention-center-critics-focus-opposition-on-U-S-Rep/-/1717324/4880330/-/view/print/-/oru1kp/-/index.html

Congresswoman, months ago you were given the opportunity to remove your endorsement of the prison.  You have steadfastly refused. You wanted your name on the project? And now you don't? Are we to believe that your's and Senator Nelson's endorsements had no effect on ICE's decision?   Were you born yesterday as you believe we were?

Announced Advisory Council... Who does it represent?

In reality, Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D-FL20) Advisory Council is to provide our HOA presidents the opportunity to ask Prison, Inc. for the BEST prison we can get.  This is as if she's misunderstood our opposition to the entire project as a demand to select the color of the curtains covering the window bars or the genus of shrub that will surround the razor-wired fences.  It's a sham and a farce.

Sam Poole (Berger Singerman lawyer hired by CCA) has announced the Advisory Council will include the HOA Presidents from the following HOAs:

• Chapel Trail
• Rolling Oaks
• Sunshine Ranches
• Green Meadows
• Griffin 345
• Country Estates and Trails of Pembroke Pines
• Keystone Lake
• Laguna Isles 

View ICE Detention Center in a larger map


Deconstructing Debbie's shameless attempt to pretend she's encouraged our officials to listen to us;  here are some of the blatant flaws:

1. We don't want an immigrant prison. Her creation of an advisory council changes the question as to what TYPE of prison do we want.
2. She did not establish the council to make officials listen to the resident's demands to KILL the project.
3. Prison, Inc. has severely limited membership as HOA presidents only are on the council.
4. Prison, Inc. has included non affected HOAs such as Sunshine Ranches who are EAST of 75 nearly 10 miles away.
5. The Rolling Oaks, Sunshine Ranches and Green Meadows presidents support the prison and the federal tax dollars it will bring.  They are being sold a bill of goods. 
6. Prison, Inc. probably included Chapel Trail because a Master Board member is Todd Nelson, brother of SWR Mayor Jeff Nelson.

The bottom line is that Wasserman Schultz is trying to pull a fast one. Many of these presidents have been wined and dined by Prison, Inc. and have even been given an expense paid vacation to Prison, Inc.'s Potemkin Village in Tennessee.  Debbie, what part of "We Don't Want This Prison" don't you understand??