The Hispanic Center Funding: A Letter from the Community
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Dear Mr. Ivon Alcime,
I watched with great interest the segment dealing with the funding of the Hispanic Center on your show on Thursday, June 12.
Bravo for calling it what it is. RACIST.
I am surprised that no one else on the show had the courage to call a spade a spade!
Equally surprising is the fact that no one mentioned perhaps the most objectionable part, Cavos remarks. Among other things, he said, referring to the Hispanic Center, "We can't have an organization biting the hand that feeds them, so because of that we are suspending [ ] for the 07-08 budget ... What I want to make sure of is that when you leave here that if there is any money given back, we're going to be clear that the Hispanic Center and it's board understands that the taxpayers of this city will not stand for any further advocacy against this city, state or county enforcing it's laws. Now, now , we need to be clear on that...."
It should be clear that the denial of funding to the Hispanic Center was the result of the arrogance of the Council and was meant to teach the Center a lesson, to put it in its place, to make a lesson of it to other non-profit organizations that received funding from the City, to send a clear message to these organizations that any dissent from any of these organizations will not be tolerated. In short, to muzzle free speech.
It all started a long time back, when the immigrants decided not to report to work for one day and keep their businesses closed as a mark of protest. At that time Maria Cinta Lowe, that brave woman, urged the immigrants to not send their children to school on the appointed day. There was a hue and a cry against this suggestion. Mayor Mark Boughton issued a veiled threat to the Center about its funding!
The City went after the Hispanic Center . Ultimately, with its funding at risk, Maria Cinta Lowe, the thorn in Mark Boughton's side, was eased out of the Center and a new director was appointed. Its mission statement was modified. An audit of its finances was done. The Center thought that the City would be appeased. And all seemed set for the Center to get the 2007-08 funding unfrozen.
But then the Center took the ad in the News Times expressing a view that differed from that of the City. The City was incensed. How dare the Center do this?!! It needed to be taught a lesson. A clear message had to be sent to all the organizations that received or sought funding from the City. The funding was cut. And, so that there be no mistaking what the message of the denial of the funding was, Joe Cavo spelt it out loud and clear: "We can't have an organization biting the hand that feeds them, so because of that we are suspending [ ] for the 07-08 budget ... What I want to make sure of is that when you leave here that if there is any money given back, we're going to be clear that the Hispanic Center and it's board understands that the taxpayers of this city will not stand for any further advocacy against this city......."
Your co-host (I forget his name) mentioned that when one takes funding from the city, one should understand and accept that it comes with strings attached. He advised people to RUN from taking city funding!
All very well for him to say that. Non-profits that offer services to the community are hard pressed for funds. They rely on city funding. And the city is obligated, in the best interests of the communities it serves, and in the best interests of the city itself, to extend this funding to those non-profits that provide good and needed services. Of course there will be strings attached: good management, provision of services that benefit and are needed by the community, transparency in its accounting and proper auditing, efficient management. Those "strings" are good and understandable. The Hispanic Center complied with all that.
But Mr. Cavo had other "strings" in mind! The kind of strings he wants is unacceptable and violates freedom of speech. Especially when opposition to what the City intends to do is voiced through an advertisement in a paper paid for, not from taxpayer's money but from private donations.
It must also be emphasized that even if "advocacy" at tax payers' expense is a valid ground for withholding funds by the City, what the Common Council had before it were mere allegations of this misdeed (if it can be called that)!. And, the allegations were made by a group generally recognized to be racist. There was no proof of any misdeed having been committed.
I noted that you mentioned that this topic would be continued. I presume you meant in the next program. I do hope you will bring out these two aspects when you continue the two topics.
By the way, congratulations also to Ms.Abrantes. She was the only one, besides you, who really got angry at the show and showed it, even though she also could not bring herself to say that the decision of the Common Council is wrong, unpardonable and the result of RACISM of some of the members of the Common Council, who seem to be more concerned with doing the bidding of the racists among us than doing the right thing, doing what is good for the community and good for the city.
Gulamhusein A. Abba
I watched with great interest the segment dealing with the funding of the Hispanic Center on your show on Thursday, June 12.
Bravo for calling it what it is. RACIST.
I am surprised that no one else on the show had the courage to call a spade a spade!
Equally surprising is the fact that no one mentioned perhaps the most objectionable part, Cavos remarks. Among other things, he said, referring to the Hispanic Center, "We can't have an organization biting the hand that feeds them, so because of that we are suspending [ ] for the 07-08 budget ... What I want to make sure of is that when you leave here that if there is any money given back, we're going to be clear that the Hispanic Center and it's board understands that the taxpayers of this city will not stand for any further advocacy against this city, state or county enforcing it's laws. Now, now , we need to be clear on that...."
It should be clear that the denial of funding to the Hispanic Center was the result of the arrogance of the Council and was meant to teach the Center a lesson, to put it in its place, to make a lesson of it to other non-profit organizations that received funding from the City, to send a clear message to these organizations that any dissent from any of these organizations will not be tolerated. In short, to muzzle free speech.
It all started a long time back, when the immigrants decided not to report to work for one day and keep their businesses closed as a mark of protest. At that time Maria Cinta Lowe, that brave woman, urged the immigrants to not send their children to school on the appointed day. There was a hue and a cry against this suggestion. Mayor Mark Boughton issued a veiled threat to the Center about its funding!
The City went after the Hispanic Center . Ultimately, with its funding at risk, Maria Cinta Lowe, the thorn in Mark Boughton's side, was eased out of the Center and a new director was appointed. Its mission statement was modified. An audit of its finances was done. The Center thought that the City would be appeased. And all seemed set for the Center to get the 2007-08 funding unfrozen.
But then the Center took the ad in the News Times expressing a view that differed from that of the City. The City was incensed. How dare the Center do this?!! It needed to be taught a lesson. A clear message had to be sent to all the organizations that received or sought funding from the City. The funding was cut. And, so that there be no mistaking what the message of the denial of the funding was, Joe Cavo spelt it out loud and clear: "We can't have an organization biting the hand that feeds them, so because of that we are suspending [ ] for the 07-08 budget ... What I want to make sure of is that when you leave here that if there is any money given back, we're going to be clear that the Hispanic Center and it's board understands that the taxpayers of this city will not stand for any further advocacy against this city......."
Your co-host (I forget his name) mentioned that when one takes funding from the city, one should understand and accept that it comes with strings attached. He advised people to RUN from taking city funding!
All very well for him to say that. Non-profits that offer services to the community are hard pressed for funds. They rely on city funding. And the city is obligated, in the best interests of the communities it serves, and in the best interests of the city itself, to extend this funding to those non-profits that provide good and needed services. Of course there will be strings attached: good management, provision of services that benefit and are needed by the community, transparency in its accounting and proper auditing, efficient management. Those "strings" are good and understandable. The Hispanic Center complied with all that.
But Mr. Cavo had other "strings" in mind! The kind of strings he wants is unacceptable and violates freedom of speech. Especially when opposition to what the City intends to do is voiced through an advertisement in a paper paid for, not from taxpayer's money but from private donations.
It must also be emphasized that even if "advocacy" at tax payers' expense is a valid ground for withholding funds by the City, what the Common Council had before it were mere allegations of this misdeed (if it can be called that)!. And, the allegations were made by a group generally recognized to be racist. There was no proof of any misdeed having been committed.
I noted that you mentioned that this topic would be continued. I presume you meant in the next program. I do hope you will bring out these two aspects when you continue the two topics.
By the way, congratulations also to Ms.Abrantes. She was the only one, besides you, who really got angry at the show and showed it, even though she also could not bring herself to say that the decision of the Common Council is wrong, unpardonable and the result of RACISM of some of the members of the Common Council, who seem to be more concerned with doing the bidding of the racists among us than doing the right thing, doing what is good for the community and good for the city.
Gulamhusein A. Abba
