QUESTION: When considering and conveying the perspectives of local Latinos, do you draw a distinction between the law-abiding behavior of large multi-generational Hispanic families who all live together because they’re all related and that’s a cultural tradition, and the law-breaking behavior of Hispanic (and non-Hispanic) property-owning landlords who partition and then rent illegal apartments to unrelated tenants? If so, describe the differences. If not, why not?
Yes there is a difference, but regardless of the reason, culture or economics, there is an ordinance preventing it and while the ordinance is in force, it is not justifiable. The ingredient brought by culture is the ability to live with many people, friends, renters, or families without taking into consideration the difficulties associated. The next ingredient is economics. We know the minorities are at the bottom of the economic ladder. Owning a home is a dream most have, but owning a home takes more than two people working two jobs, thus some rent to family, friends and total strangers. Then there is education. Homes and businesses owned by minorities are increasing at great speed. There is no time to dig through ordinances, there is not time to integrate (remembers to achieve this they have to work harder than you and I) and there is no time to consider the implications, debt have to be paid.
These may be some of the reasons why minorities are identified as the most cases of overcrowding and illegal housing in the DWP report. So, why not integrate emerging minority communities through education and immersion programs to ensure their fast assimilation into North Plainfield culture and to ensure that they know ordinances and why they are in place. Remember, immigrants are coming in at a great speed, by the time one generation establishes; there are three or more in the process. This is why I proposed the minority commission.
QUESTION: Would a bilingual brochure, mailed out with the next quarterly leaf-pickup calendar, be sufficient baseline public education for enforcement to be restarted again in earnest, assuming that by that time, DPW Director James Rodino will be fired or demoted for incompetence, and a new DPW director with good professional and interpersonal skills, and a solid understanding of the property maintenance and zoning codes, will be in place and responsible for implementing a respectful, properly-documented enforcement program?
It will be helpful, but no, it will not be sufficient. The kind of effort needed to deal with this and many other issues is an ongoing effort made up of different ways to reach the community. Remember, the new wave of immigrants is around the corner. I would not expect a program from the administration, if they had intention of doing it, they would have done it by now. I would support the commission because is a legally mandated and supported body run by volunteers not by intrinsically indifferent government. But again, every bit of effort helps.
“Some readers are concerned that I’m being “played” by Mr. Ortega. My take on Norman is not that he’s dangerous, but that he’s awkward - an awkward community organizer.”
Sheesh, I have never been described as an “awkward community organizer”. Thanks for the title though, I will add it to the rest.
Yes, some readers may think I am playing you and I understand why. When it comes to thoughts and ideas, I am not a simple person. Like most, I am all over the place. At the same time, I am not that ambivalent either.
Here is my dilemma:
I believe that in terms of empowerment and political influence minorities are stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side Democrats pretend to give us what we want and need, minority council, a minority member in a commission, etc. That is the end of it, given a selected few who have pledged alliance.
Then there are Republicans, don’t give opportunity to anything that is not GOP and goes further with attacks on language and immigration. This is no issue for those who are democrats or republicans including minorities. For them the issue is solved.
But there are those me, who do not want a show and tell from Democrats and who do not want attacks from Republicans. There are those me like who want meaningful participation for all, in particular minorities whom are the most disenfranchised.
Where do we fit?
So, I tried with the Democrats, it did not work.
I tried with Republicans, not even a reply.
Now I am trying with NPCCR because, whether some readers like it or not, we have common goals.
But before I did that, I had to test the water. NPCCR is mainly Republican and our experience with Republican had not been productive, it has been the contrary.
What should I do? Nothing specific, lets engage and see what happens.
I had private emails with Ms. Watt and discovered that she is as serious as I am about empowerment and participation. Yet, I was afraid of the Republican connection. So, I engage her privately and subsequently publicly; brought in Republicans along with everyone else to solve our differences.
Yes, I have changed and you have changed. We are learning about you and you, NPCCR, Republicans and participants- are learning about us.
The good effects of good old American debate! Now we are collaborating in some things and I hope it goes further. I am happy for that. I mean who would have thought? It would not have been possible without you Ms. Watt, that we would get word from Gatto about immigration and overcrowding and how it is affecting one aspect of the population.
Yes, most of it was cryptic and it had to be solved- but again, nothing was planned things just had to run their course.
My objective is integration of minorities which is good for everyone. North Plainfield is mostly of Italian descent, aside from Italian restaurants which have become part of the American landscape, they integrated though generations. Well, let’s speed up that boat and get everyone integrated as soon as they come.
As far as ass-kissing, don’t hate Ms. Watt. It’s unnecessary. If I wanted to kiss your or anyone’s ass, I would have proceeded in a different way and I would have accepted all the offers of power for loyalty I have gotten through the years. My father says am an idiot, but I know is his way of beating himself on the head because when it comes to integrity, I don’t compromise it for power or anything that is not the good of the public, neither did he.
The compliments have merits so let me tell you why so there is no confusion. You, whatever the reason, brought Republicans to support a totally liberal, left from the far left and more than left ordinance and you sorted through my arguments simply to understand.
So don’t be modest, take them- you earned them.
11 responses so far ↓
KW // May 14, 2008 at 10:36 am
First off, I think it would be good if Mr. Gatto would write up a fairly detailed, step by step description of exactly how he proposes to go about re-starting ordinance enforcement, if elected.
My gut tells me that the Democrats are not going to move on this before the election, which means the GOP have some time to craft and then promote a careful plan that takes into account not only the concerns of the people making the complaints, but the concerns of Mr. Ortega and whichever Hispanic residents happen to more or less agree with his views.
If you do write up such a plan, feel free to outline which of Mr. Ortega’s positions you agree with, and which you find unfounded or illogical and thus not worth addressing in your plan.
I agree with some of what he says, not all of it, and it seems likely that the GOP candidates find themselves somewhere in the middle of that spectrum from total agreement to total disagreement too.
Which brings me to one other clarification: the Self-Governance Ordinance is NOT a far-left strategy for overthrowing corporations.
It’s a grassroots, small-d democratic strategy, being implemented at the local (and therefore mostly non-partisan) level all across the country.
So it gathers support, and also provokes wild hostility, from people all across the political spectrum.
Like I’ve said before, the mainstream “liberal” environmental groups hate the strategy, because they’ve long since been funded and thus coopted by the very corporations that engage in the ecologically and community-destructive behavior to begin with.
And, like I’ve said before, most of the PA town council members who have stood up to the corporate bullies and their lawyers are conservative white rural men sick of getting sick from sludge dumped on their farms because of decisions made by unaccountable, inaccessible corporate directors within an economic power structure created and maintained through Republican and Democratic administrations alike.
KW // May 14, 2008 at 10:47 am
I also think it would be good if Mr. Ortega would issue a formal retraction of his claim that local Republicans are anti-immigrant.
For the time being, the worst that can be said of local Republicans is that Mr. Gatto was unresponsive to Mr. Ortega’s Minority Commission proposals in the past, and the entire GOP slate is still in the early stages of fleshing out the details of their plans to deal with illegal housing, illegal students and immigrant integration into the community.
Their relative quiet on these issues is not on par with the absolute silence and failures (on all those fronts) of the current administration, because Allen & Co. are actually currently in a position to take action and have been for 12 years.
The Republicans do not have that power and haven’t had it for ages.
Norman E. Ortega // May 14, 2008 at 11:07 am
“I also think it would be good if Mr. Ortega would issue a formal retraction of his claim that local Republicans are anti-immigrant.”
I certainly have no problem issuing a qualified retraction. But will that help the situation at all? You see, part of the debate is detangling the “local” GOP from the National GOP which has been anti immigrant to this moment. Nationally, the number of Hispanics supporting Republican has gone from roughly 45% to less than 20% at this time. The drop, of course, took place after immigration took the center stage.
Part of this local debate has been to draw from local Republicans their position on issues affecting minorities, particularly Hispanics. That has not happen until now and as you state Ms. Watt, there is room for clarification.
Before rushing into things, let’s take it step by step because a retraction from me will not necessarily clear the confusion and the situation to a point where we can trust you and vise versa.
KW // May 14, 2008 at 11:31 am
Then perhaps a provisional compromise would be a formal acknowledgment from you that the Republicans also have legitimate concerns about trusting you and your messages.
They need assurances that you represent or at least communicate regularly with an influential segment Hispanic voters and that their good faith efforts to reach out to Hispanic voters will not blow up in their faces, should it turn out that you secretly are simply trying to get Democrats re-elected, as some of them currently suspect.
I think you are reasonably trustworthy on both those points; your “rock and a hard place” description about your sitting between Democrats and Republicans makes sense to me.
However, I can also see why Republicans would feel extremely wary about walking into a race-based electoral trap with you as the bait.
Race-based traps have been laid for them before, and understandably, they didn’t appreciate it when the trap sprang closed.
I think clarifications like that from both sides will help the situation, because distrust is at the root if the impasse.
Norman E. Ortega // May 14, 2008 at 12:04 pm
“Then perhaps a provisional compromise would be a formal acknowledgment from you that the Republicans also have legitimate concerns about trusting you and your messages.”
Ms. Watt, none of this is and should be about me. I am only trying to explain why Hispanics, a significant sector of North Plainfield, are not voting and supporting Republicans, a part of the electorate they need to significantly win. The message is there, it’s either embraced or rejected.
“They need assurances that you represent or at least communicate regularly with an influential segment Hispanic voters and that their good faith efforts to reach out to Hispanic voters will not blow up in their faces, should it turn out that you secretly are simply trying to get Democrats re-elected, as some of them currently suspect.”
No, I am not trying to get anyone reelected, but I do understand the power of political influence and if Democrats are not empowering minorities, perhaps Republicans can compete for that sector of the community by at least amending what has been said nationally and providing a way for good faith integration. Both Republicans and Hispanics will benefit.
No, I do not represent any particular segment and if I did, I would not be part of a reach out effort. This is something Republicans will need to do themselves. My guess is that any effort at courting that vote will be productive should they try. Start by inviting Hispanics to participate in internal committees and perhaps have a Hispanic on a future slate.
“I think you are reasonably trustworthy on both those points; your “rock and a hard place” description about your sitting between Democrats and Republicans makes sense to me.
However, I can also see why Republicans would feel extremely wary about walking into a race-based electoral trap with you as the bait. Race-based traps have been laid for them before, and understandably, they didn’t appreciate it when the trap sprang closed.”
I see that wariness too and this is one reason I am staying out of the picture and advising them to go at it on their own in good faith. This is not new to political parties; they are used to courting votes from different segments of the population. There is no race base involvement or issue here, unless the issue is so prevalent at the core of the party that it prevents its candidates from reaching out to other segments of the community.
I think clarifications like that from both sides will help the situation, because distrust is at the root if the impasse.
Distrust indeed- but they need not trust me at all. What they need is the trust of Hispanics and other minorities’ voters out there. That, I am sure they can get on their own. Trust me, it will benefit them.
KW // May 14, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I think it’s a bit misleading to suggest you’re “staying out of the picture.”
In the absence of many other Latino voices on the blog, you are the picture, which is why your voice seems so loud.
Your idea to create a Spanish parallel blog is a good one, and I’ll do what I can to facilitate it; that might generate more crossover participation, which would be good.
Also, I have heard from a number of people that many people of color, when approached to run on local tickets or take other local leadership roles, have run in the opposite direction.
Another trust issue, I think.
I’ve heard several accounts of racist and sexist, for that matter, remarks (mostly directed toward African-Americans) by official Borough representatives or in the presence of Borough police, and those individuals have not been disciplined in any way.
That might very well explain why many people of color don’t yet feel the political climate is safe for them to take on visible public roles, and is another aspect of creating a new political culture that’s more open to all participation and more strict about publicly condemning exclusionary or derogatory behavior.
Norman E. Ortega // May 14, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Ms. Watt:
I once told you that I am out of politics. Staying out of the picture is the best for all since I am not supporting anyone. As said before, what I am bringing you here is what I hear and read out there from Hispanics. The reasons, I have stated many times. The rest is up to all of you to consider if you so desire.
The reason why I clause myself out of serving in the proposed commission was to remove any conflict of interest. Same here, Republicans don’t need me. They just need to understand a bit our situation and they can determine whether it will benefit them. They can also determine the best way to approach an alienated community that may help them bring about change.
Yes, I think that having a version of this blog in Spanish will benefit residents to understand the dynamics of politics and culture here. It will also help you and anyone who wish to participate and give them the opportunity to interact with more residents of this community.
“In the absence of many other Latino voices on the blog, you are the picture, which is why your voice seems so loud.”
I am just the Emory. The only difference is that use my name.
I agree with you on your assertion of distrust in North Plainfield, in term of politics, parties maybe more effective at that. In terms of culture, well, we are doing it right now for most of the community lets integrate the rest and blog this in Spanish and if anyone who speaks another language volunteers, we can do it in that language as well.
As is, I am preparing everything.
Emory Layne // May 14, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Far more differences, Mr. Ortega, far more.
1) I cite references instead of gossip, and make them available to any and all readers;
2) I don’t make all-encompassing statements about others based on nothing more than my personal opinions; I refer to them only as opinions;
3) I do my homework and post the details, instead of pulling selected figures out of context;
4) I’m concerned about 99% of taxpaying North Plainfielders, the missing 1% being the people in Borough Hall who’ve been abusing the public trust. I care not their skin color or their native tongue.
Curiously, you seem to think that because you say it, it’s a fact. Something right now brings to mind Lloyd Bentson’s comment about John Kennedy in reference to Dan Quayle. You’re NOT me. Not close.
Pin Ball Wizard // May 14, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Do you remember playing pinball at an arcade? Remember how that metal ball bounced all over the place. Remember how it would hit the bumpers and all the lights would flash. Remember how you would hit it with the flippers to keep it in play. Remember when it would escape the flippers or be routed out of play the first time. You would just pull the plunger out and put the ball #2 in play and watch the lights flash until ball #2 was out of play. Then you entered ball #3 until the game was over.
This pretty much sums up the participation of Mr. Ortega online. He bounces all over the place with no rhyme or reason, making lights flash, then bounce away when facing reality. He has put 3 balls in play.
First at NPGOP.org, then NJ.com and now on the blog here. Well, his behavior and postings have now made the game over. He has shown himself as unwilling to take responsibility for his actions, has been disrespectful to all and can not understand that he is doing this. He has only thrown gasoline on the fire to see big flames and then explain that he won’t help put the fire out.
I suggest that we avoid attacking Mr. Ortega, but rather just see that the GAME OVER light is blinking.
HOW TO KNOW // May 14, 2008 at 4:47 pm
[Editor's Note: I don't know which two books this poster is referring to. Will update this when I find out.]
The big question is, of course, how can you know whether someone is a sociopath or not? It is a difficult question and even experts on the subject can be fooled. If you suspect that someone close to you is a sociopath, I strongly recommend you read both of those books I mentioned and think hard about it. Compare that person to the other people in your life. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you often feel used by the person?
2. Have you often felt that he (or she) doesn’t care about you?
3. Does he lie and deceive you?
4. Does he tend to make contradictory statements?
5. Does he tend to take from you and not give back much?
6. Does he often appeal to pity? Does he seem to try to make you feel sorry for him?
7. Does he try to make you feel guilty?
8. Do you sometimes feel he is taking advantage of your good nature?
9. Does he seem easily bored and need constant stimulation?
10. Does he use a lot of flattery? Does he interact with you in a way that makes you feel flattered even if he says nothing overtly complimentary?
11. Does he make you feel worried? Does he do it obviously or more cleverly and sneakily?
12. Does he give you the impression you owe him?
13. Does he chronically fail to take responsibility for harming others? Does he blame everyone and everything but himself?
And does he do these things far more than the other people in your life? If you answered yes to many of these, you may be dealing with a sociopath. For sure you’re dealing with someone who isn’t good for you, whatever you want to call him.
I like Martha Stout’s way of detecting sociopaths: “If … you find yourself often pitying someone who consistently hurts you or other people, and who actively campaigns for your sympathy, the chances are close to one hundred percent that you are dealing with a sociopath.”
KW // May 14, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I’m going to take Mr. Ortega at his word - that he doesn’t want to be directly involved in politics, but simply wanted to convey the message to the Republicans that Hispanic voters may be receptive to voting for local Republicans if local Republicans address some of the high priority issues for the Hispanic constituency.
With that in mind, along with the distraction factor (Ortega controversies eat up a lot of reader time and energy), Mr. Ortega is barred from posting further on any issue related to housing, code enforcement, immigration and related issues, since he’s made those points repeatedly and as clearly as possible.
The candidates can do what they like with the suggestions.
As soon as his Spanish-language blog is up, I’ll link to it from this site.
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