The Wall Street Protests: Why the media gets it wrong even when trying to get it right

Written by Jill Garvey

When the Occupy Wall Street protest began three weeks ago, major media outlets ignored it. Then the media resorted to labeling it as leaderless and muddled – giving the overall impression that the unrest in lower Manhattan was a pointless exercise in democratic freedom. Journalists seemed to take special pleasure in focusing on the more outlandish elements of the protests.

After over 700 were arrested marching across the Brooklyn Bridge, media outlets begrudgingly covered the surging movement – tinging their newscasts and editorials with confused contempt.

Now, with similar protests springing up around the… Read more

Immigration

Alabama Turns Its Back on Progress

Written by Jill Garvey

Alabama’s track record of etching racist laws into America’s historical record continued last week.

In a ruling that now makes Alabama the home of the harshest anti-immigrant laws  in the country, a district judge upheld provisions of H.B. 56. According to a report by Center for American Progress, the following measures are now in effect as a result of the ruling:

  • Alabama Schools must check the immigration status of every student and parent and report that information to the state.
  • Schools are authorized to report students and parents they believe to be undocumented to the federal government.
  • Police officers must ask anyone they stop who they think might be undocumented to prove

… Read more

Report on Secure Communities Fuels Program’s Illegitimacy

Written by Jill Garvey

The much-maligned Secure Communities program took more blows last week when a report by the Program’s task force to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was leaked. The task force describes itself as “a broad-based panel made up of local and state law enforcement and homeland security officials, attorneys with expertise in immigration practice and criminal law, labor union officials who represent federal immigration enforcement workers, academics, social service agency leaders, and others.”

At the same time the report was leaked, Task Force members began dropping like flies – choosing to resign rather than continue attaching their names to recommendations that identify serious problems with Secure Communities, but not enough serious solutions. The report… Read more

Politics

Mapping the Anti-Immigrant Movement in America

Written by Jill Garvey

Today, the Center for New Community released an updated map of the anti-immigrant movement in America and its most influential leader, white nationalist John Tanton.

In 2009, the Center released a similar report on the John Tanton Network and the anti-immigrant movement. At the time, few recognized the name John Tanton or knew of his 30-year mission to build a nativist empire of organizations consisting of lobbyists, lawyers, legislators, and “experts” that have permeated the very depths of social and political debate.

What appeared to the public as a variety of voices advocating for severe immigration enforcement was nothing more than a series of front groups, “coalitions,” and spin-offs seeking to overwhelm reasonable… Read more

An End to the Immigration Nightmare?

Written by Jill Garvey

Daily life is difficult for the folks with family members or friends stuck in the immigration system. It’s even harder for those who are actually ensnared.

Millions of American citizens and immigrants are impacted every day by the chaos that comes with our broken system – leaving those with an uncertain status and their partners, children, parents, employers, and friends, with a crushing burden.

People put their lives on hold for years, and spend endless hours navigating a bureaucratic nightmare and untold resources just to get un-stuck. It’s not pretty, it’s not fair, and it just keeps getting worse. As a result, nativist activity has risen to historic levels, racist laws have passed in states… Read more

Big Time Bigots Come Out to Defend AZ Senator

Written by Jill Garvey

With a vote to recall Arizona State Russell Pearce just around the corner, Pearce’s powerful friends are coming out of the woodwork to try to keep him in office.

Politics

Delegation Visits Atlanta Amid Resistance to Georgia House Bill 87

Written by Jill Garvey

Today, the Center for New Community, a national civil rights organization, was joined by university students from around the country and members of Sixth Sun Media for a five-day delegation to Atlanta.

It’s Called Transparency: NPR, The New York Times, & Media Accountability

Written by Jill Garvey

On July 7, National Public Radio (NPR) welcomed on Mark Krikorian, head of anti-immigrant group Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), to discuss Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who recently went public with his undocumented status. On its website NPR then inexplicably published an article entitled, “Why Jose Antonio Vargas Should Leave The US,” which is devoted entirely to Krikorian’s own comments.

Nowhere in its coverage did NPR inform its listeners and readers that

Politics

Cross-Post: Anti-circumcision Comic Hero Called Anti-Semitic

Written by Jill Garvey

It’s really too bad that advocates of what some have deemed a human rights issue are resorting to anti-Semitic attacks to garner attention for their cause. The individuals behind these comic books conveniently leave out some important facts: in 2005, 56% of newborn boys were circumcised before they left the hospital (that’s 1.2 million procedures).  The entire Jewish population in the United States is a mere 5.2 million – making up about 1.7% of the U.S. population. Safe to say therefore that 98% of circumcisions in the U.S. are being performed by non-Jews.

There’s no doubt that some folks are advocating against circumcision for the wrong reasons. The people on the same side… Read more

Immigration

The Anti-immigrant Movement’s Bizarre Take on Gay Immigrants

Written by Jill Garvey

Writers with anti-immigrant group Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) have a strange preoccupation with same-sex couples. Especially for a “non-partisan” organization that is apparently only concerned with the issue of immigration.

Last week, David North wrote on the CIS website about Attorney General Eric Holder’s recent move to overrule a decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals to deport an immigrant who is in a civil union with a U.S. citizen.

North described the various reactions he expected to Holder’s decision and then gave his own opinion:

“supporting marriage rights (such as non-deportation of married aliens) of gays will have only the slightest immediate impact on the burgeoning population of America and none… Read more