Chelsea Immigrant Community: Town Hall Meeting on SComm MONDAY 6/4, 6PM

Dear Friends,

Tonight we had a planning meeting for the Monday Town Hall meeting on
SCom. We just learned that the anti-immigrant opposition will be
mobilizing for our event. It is of great urgency that you mobilize your
membership / constituencies to support the Chelsea immigrant community.
Please be prepared to testify or ask questions.

Thank you for your solidarity,

Gabe
________________________________________

PRESS ADVISORY: For immediate Release

Chelsea Immigrant Community Will Hold a Town Hall Meeting to Discuss
"Secure Communities"

Chelsea residents and community leaders will express their concerns to
City Officials and the Chief of Police about this federal program, which
looks to divide and alienate the immigrant community.

Chelsea, MA - Monday, June 4 - Dozens of Chelsea residents will come
together for a Town Hall meeting in response to the federal mandate to
implement the program "Secure Communities" in the state of
Massachusetts. The meeting is a part of larger state-wide efforts to
stand with and protect our immigrant brothers and sisters and to send a
strong message to local police departments that we do not want this
program implemented in our communities.


"Secure Communities" is a Federal program (under the Department of
Homeland Security) which mandates that police departments share
fingerprints of immigrants that have been arrested or booked Immigration
and Custom Enforcement (ICE). This would force police departments to
submit fingerprints not only to criminal databases but also immigration
databases, giving ICE access to information on all individuals who are
booked. Even though local police departments will not be mandated to
enforce immigration laws, the program opens the door to many unanswered
concerns, including: racial profiling by police agents, mismanagement of
the detainees' information, errors and inaccuracy in the system and a
complete breakdown of trust between the immigrant community and local
police agents.


Residents and community leaders in Chelsea will bring their concerns and
questions to the Chief of Police, Brian Kyes, elected officials and
other panelists on Monday's Town Hall meeting. One of the most voiced
concerns raised is that the relationship, cooperation and trust between
the police department and community members are at risk in Chelsea as
well as all over Massachusetts. This is especially concerning given the
role the immigrant community has played in reporting, testifying and
providing key information during police investigations which have helped
solve crime. It also raises concerns about the fear domestic violence
victims who happen to be immigrants would have to call the police and
report abuse.



WHAT: Town Hall Meeting



WHEN: Monday, June 4th at 6:00 PM



WHERE: Chelsea High School, 299 Everett Avenue, Chelsea, MA



WHO: Residents and community leader of Chelsea, Chief of Police Brian
Kyes and elected

officials



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--
Maria Belen Power
Workers Rights Organizer
Chelsea Collaborative
Tel.: 617-889-6080 X115<tel:617-889-6080%20X115>

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the
powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral"
-Paulo Freire