Members of The
Florida Immigrant Coalition had a message for a flustered Vice Mayor McKay and a very quiet Councilman Jablonski. The message was that people are not for sale and that CCA is profiting off immigrants.
On January 25, 2012, while our Councilmen were being shuttled from meeting to meeting during
Broward Days in Tallahassee, members of FLIC recognized them. Student members of FLIC also knew that Vice Mayor McKay along with the entire Town Council are courting CCA for money from their partnering with them and ICE to build what may be the biggest immigrant detention center in the country.
The students offered money out of their own pockets as an alternate to CCA's money.
Both Councilmen refused to accept the money and the student group theorized out loud that it was because their money was too clean, unlike CCA's and that the Town only wants dirty money.
We urge our elected officials in the strongest possible terms to listen to the near unanimous voice of opposition to this prison. We don't want our community sold out for a siren song of lots and lots of money. In the end, it will never generate the money for the Town that was long promised.
The students appear to be under the impression that SW Ranches needs the money and are offering them theirs. That's really shameful given the
level of affluence here. The perception and completely accurate meaning behind what Town officials are saying and doing is that we can't run our Town without profiting off the incarceration of immigrants and taking dirty money from CCA.
Mr. McKay, you need to learn the real facts. We are self sufficient and affluent beyond most. Doesn't it cause you ANY discomfort to reflect on the image that you are presenting of this Town as being beggars for federal dollars and getting richer by exploiting the immigration problem?
Listen to Mr. Mckay's responses. Can anybody tell us exactly what Vice Mayor McKay said? We hear the words, but there's no meaning.
No, you obviously don't know the issues or facts.
Seriously? They say you are doing it for profit. Sounds like what you say all the time. Are you denying that you are doing this for profit, Vice Mayor? What issues or facts don't they know? Do you know any of the details under negotiation, Vice Mayor? You are about to sign a contract with ICE and you are all ignorant as to what's being negotiated. Shame on you for telling others to get their facts straight. You don't even know the basics of what you've allowed CCA and ICE to negotiate on our behalf.
If you don't get involved in your community, you're not up to speed on events and things that take place.
What? It sounds like everybody IS involved and up to speed (except you). These activists are apparently from Miami and they were motivated enough to find you in Tallahassee. They also understand the issues better than you do and and that's in spite of your Town Attorney's
Cone-of-Silence that ICE and CCA asked him for and his fear of "circling sharks". You all hid behind the cone for months.
What does that have to do with their observation that you are doing this for profit and holding you accountable for it, anyway?
But as we stand here to day, there is a negotiation going on with ICE.
Yeah, negotiation that you all on the Council know nothing about. Shame on you.
See neighbors, these politicians don't understand a bit of what the public is telling them or even the most basic of facts. We want to deliberate the issues with facts and figures and this is what we get in return. What a nonsensical stream of cliche. It's really sad if this is the best we can do for elected officials.
The winds of change are howling.
