LATINO CIVIC ALLIANCE STATEMENT:
The Latino Civic Alliance Board of Directors is disappointed to hear the public statement from the City of Kennewick Candidate for City Council, Loren Nichols, that undocumented immigrants should "be shot at the border". This statement is advocating for Americans to reconsider a return to the practice of genocide perpetrated as part of our nation's history. The killing, in whole or in part, of a people without representation and due process is not a value that the American people will tolerate ever again. Acts of Vigilantism are not the solution to the lack of Government leadership and the execution of a comprehensive Federal Immigration Reform.
The Latino Civic Alliance is an organization that advocates for civic engagement and citizenship participation: one of the values is working together through civic engagement to make the United States of America a better place for all. We are a nation that exemplifies the values of our Declaration of Independence that states that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Civic participation is endangered when people take vigilante stances like Loren Nichols is advocating for, which promotes violence and denies due process for the allegedly undocumented people in our country. We invite the people of Kennewick to speak out against violence to the immigrant community. We also invite all public officials, candidates and the community to an open dialogue that brings communities together working toward common goals and viable solutions. The American experiment is a success only when people engage in dialogue and are open to understanding that issues are multi-faceted, and in this case, as it relates to a population of people who come in search of work that is offered to them by American Citizens.
The Latino Civic Alliance is united in its message: that whenever we see issues of hate against any individual or group, we will not remain silent.
Claudia D'Allegri, Chair, Latino Civic Alliance
Board of Directors, Latino Civic Alliance:
Nina Martinez, Vice Chair Dora Morfin Yesica Trujillo
Alexia Iñigues, Secretary Eva Valdivia Jose Iñiguez
Chris Paredes, Treasurer Ricardo Iñiguez Mateo Arteaga
About Latino Civic Alliance: is a state wide non partisan organization that encourages Latinos to participate in civic engagement in city, county, state elections. For more info, please visit http://www.latinocivicalliance.org or face book page
