Tuesday, April 17, 2007


Hispanic Voters Sound Off

At least 75 people attended the second in a series of Neighbor to Neighbor Meet and Greet events hosted by the Oklahoma Democratic Party tonight at the Krumme Center, 4100 N. Lincoln Blvd.

Tonight's event honored the local Hispanic American community. Democrats heard from local Hispanic leaders including David Castillo, Ed Romo, Juanita Sykes-Vasquez, Giovanni Perry, and Arthur Valdez. Catch video from the event on Univision's local station Channel 21.

Each of the leaders urged those attending to call Governor Brad Henry at 521- 2342 and ask him to veto HB 1804 -- the immigration reform bill passed out of the State Senate yesterday. The bill originated in the House and was amended in the Senate. It's expected to land on the Governor's desk within a week. Governor Henry has repeatedly deferred judgment on previous immigration bills saying that it's a federal issue.

The crowd was energized about turning up the volume of Hispanic American citizens in the metro area and was cautioned not to allow Oklahoma to be turned into a "vigilante" state.

Let us know your thoughts on HB 1804 and the consequences to our local economy, community, and reputation.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It was disappointing to see the lack of backbone from the Democrat legislators on this issue. Here was your chance to stand for what is right and support the Hispanic community instead of going along with the Republicans who are not looking at the big picture. Yes, immigration reform is needed, but it should be done at the federal level. HB 1804 will not bring about the desired results. Instead, it will jeopardize Oklahoma's economy and cause non-profits to become immigration officials before helping people in need. It will cause employers to discriminate based on ethnicity, rather than face possible fines and jail terms. The bill is a bad bill and should never have gotten this far. The Democrats could have stopped it, but they spinelessly went right along with the Republicans. For shame!