Letters to the Editor

Defund ICE

I am appealing to [decision makers] to act on behalf of the millions of people subject to random and ruthless federal law enforcement actions. No one feels safe, no one is safe. Nor can we count on the courts to employ the US Constitution as a safeguard against state sponsored violence. Without exception, any of us can be physically assaulted, detained, denied access to legal representation, transported across state and national borders. In other words, simply disappeared into a Kafkaesque system meant to exert absolute social control.

Today I learned that Ms. Tipan-Echeverria, a two-year-old American citizen, was deported to Honduras with her mother after being detained in Minnesota, transported and held for days in a hotel room in Texas, and denied the right to contact relatives or legal counsel.

Like five-year-old Liam Ramos and seven-year-old Diana Crespo, who now reside in ICE’s South Texas Family Residential Center, Ms. Tipan-Echeverria has had her young life shattered due entirely to an agenda which sees her as expendable.

Today, in this hellscape, I worry that my son could be at risk. Is camping alone on the Southern California coast, something a 42-year-old Native American can do these days? Will his Calif. driver’s license, U.S. birth certificate and social security card even matter? If he asserts his constitutional rights, will he be detained and will this be justified by a charge of resisting arrest? Could he be shot or simply disappear? Believe me when I say that I am not the only mother who has these thoughts and fears. The history of this nation and its capacity to justify the use of force, be it in war or in our streets, is no comfort.

So, at this juncture, stand up and speak out. Defund ICE. Do what you can to remove all federal immigration enforcement from our communities, including Greg Bovino, who is reportedly returning to his previous job in El Centro. Act to restrain state and local law enforcement from aiding and abetting this campaign to profile, harm and abuse the most vulnerable among us.

Demand basic human rights for all, without exception. Do not limit your efforts or concerns to those who are your voting base, or are white, or are U.S. born, or who immigrated “the right way” or do not say “from the river to the sea” or have no criminal record. Doing so has brought us to this exact time and place where none of us feel safe – because none of us are.

Anna Christensen

Baseball Team Names

Regarding your take on the new minor league ball team & name, it is spot on. [Beachcombing, Jan. 23]

I can think of a few other names that in the time I write this out! How bout’ ... Breakwater, Garibaldies, Landings, Ports, Racers, Stevedors, Wilmores?

Tim Moore

Brick Wall to Debate

It was an interesting meeting at the Bluff Park Neighborhood Association meeting at the Bixby Park Community Center Jan. 22. Cindy Allen, 2nd District councilwoman was the guest speaker. BPNA had audience members submit written questions; they would not allow people to directly ask questions; however, when Allen was speaking, she did say people could ask questions.

Groups can run their meetings how they see fit, and it’s worth noting that it’s a red flag when you prevent folks from asking questions aloud. It shuts down engagement. It also was very obvious that the two men running the show wanted to maintain as much control as possible on “discussion.” They did not want any back-and-forth questions between Allen and audience members, which again shuts down debate and engagement. It’s your group, I get that, but your fear of confrontation is a brick wall to debate, especially when a public figure is present.

Allen was asked about Flock cameras (license plate readers) in Long Beach and the privacy and mass surveillance concerns raised by their use, especially as they are being used to track noncriminals. By the looks on their faces, the two men were uncomfortable with the question about the cameras, and when Allen was asked a follow-up question, they went into shut down mode.

One audience member, not the person who asked the question, was upset at their actions. “Why can’t we talk about this? It’s an important issue?” They also attempted to silence him. Your meeting, your choice, but their actions escalated the situation, and the audience member became upset, started yelling, used profanity, and left. Several audience members clapped and expressed their support for the man.

This incident could have been avoided if they just let the convo continue. They screwed up. They even said that this should be a private conversation to have offline. That conversation should absolutely not be private. Their efforts at control blew up in their face. Their approach was clumsy.

Phillip Zonkel, via Facebook’s Long Beach Politics