September 11, 2008 9:48 AM
Several people have told me that they plan on attending the Sept. 16 immigration day at the Suffolk Legislature and they waqnt to speak. They have asked how they get on the agenda. It is remarkably simple.
First, show up at the Legislature by 8:45am. You need to fill out a card requesting time to speak before the Legislature during what is called the "public portion". The clerk will either set up a table in the lobby where you can fill out the card or they may be given out in the clerk's office right off the lobby.
When you turn in your card it will be numbered. This is the order in which you will speak. At 9:30am the legislative session will begin, typically with some brief preliminary ceremonies. Then speakers will be called up in order. Each speaker is given a strictly timed three-minute period in which to speak.
When you speak, idenitfy yourself and tell the legislators that you are here in support of Suffolk's immigrants. Don't waste time on preliminaries like how glad you are to be here or how nervous you are. Just get to the point. You may want to tell a story about you life as an immigrant or of an encounter with an immigrant. You might talk about how immigrants impact on you business or how they helped revitalize your downtown. Do not direct any personal attacks at legislators. If you do, you may be interrupted by the chair, reducing your time to speak.
You might be worried about being questioned by a legislator. Don't worry. During the "Public Portion" legislators don't ask questions (unless you personally insult them).
I think I will. But would also like to take this opportunity to speak out loud to anybody that would listen. Today another conmemoration was celebrated honoring those who perished on 9/11. Again, I am reminded of the many undocumented inmigrants that also perished on the attack, but have never been officially acknowledge or recognized. Again, their names wuld not be mentioned or printed. And again, I, as well as thousand of others, bowed our heads and felt in our hearts their plight. Although we'll never see their faces or hear their names ever mention, we won't forget, and we'll continue fighting for a humane and comprehensive inmmigration reform on their name. They are our silent heroes.
...and about the suffolk legislature, I pose the following question: its all right for them to direct a collective attack on our communities, but yet we must refrain, its alright to be insulted by them, but yet as citizens we can not tell them how we feel, even if it means telling them the truth. Go figure.
By Modesto Ramirez September 11, 2008 03:36 PM