I have to protest the current column from Mike Young and a response from Cindy Toutant. Mike’s current column is full of distortions, half-truths and outright lies. Undocumented aliens are not eligible nor do they receive free housing, free health care, free money or anything else Mike claims. They come to this country for the same reasons Mike’s ancestors did. They want a better life for their children.
This gets me to what really upset me. Cindy Toutant in her comment to Mike’s column made outright lies about Hamtramck, Michigan. Evidently she watches too much Hannity. She thinks that Muslims took over the town and have passed Sharia laws. Yes, Muslims moved there but they did not storm the city. Hamtramck has always been a town of immigrants. I lived near Hamtramck for most of my life and it has always been a great city. In the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s the town was primarily Polish. The first generation Poles read Polish language newspapers and spoke Polish at home. I went to school with their children who went on to become excellent citizens. Over the years, the second generation Poles moved out to the suburbs and newer immigrants moved in. The first generation Poles were hard workers but they never fully assimilated due to the language barrier. They were no different from the current immigrants.
Now the newest immigrants living in Hamtramck are primarily Muslims from Iraq, Syria, and other war torn countries. They are terrific neighbors and are doing a great job in running the city. Contrary to what Cindy claimed, they are not biased and are not passing Sharia laws. Their children are learning how to be terrific citizens and are going on the college to be teachers, doctors, and every other professions.
I am afraid that the Mesquite Local News has become the home of outright bigots. I do not want Mesquite to have a negative vibe based on these columns. You should ensure that what is written is based on real facts and not outright lies.
Dave Petrillo
I love this. It drives me nuts when people exacerbate issues and use “fake news” as legit resources. Do your research and remember folks the onion is satire.
Thank you for writing this. I’m so tired of false stories from bigots that just want to drum up outrage against immigrants. Too many racists people make up outright lies and spread them around to divide us and make us turn on each other. I’ve been friends with so many immigrants to this country and I swear they have always been the best quality people that are very patriotic and love America. When these people come from a terrible country they seem to appreciate it a lot more, while most native born Americans take it for granted. Most of us don’t realize how lucky we are to live in a country where ALL people are supposed to be free and equal. My wife is a Puerto Rican born in the USA and 100% American and it makes me sick when I hear about someone in Mesquite telling her “Go Back To Your Country”. Come on Mesquite – We’re better than this!
Thank you, Dave. I too am a Michigan transplant and manage to get to Detroit almost every year to visit what few relatives still live there. I also knew a lot of people of Polish decent living in Hamtramck growing up and agree completely with your analysis. I don’t know anyone living in Hamtramck today, but have been aware of the change to many Muslim immigrants living in the town. Several years ago I drove through the city to see for myself what all the noise was about, and again, Dave, your information is spot on. The Muslim mayor who was there when I visited seemed to be improving and running the city with great care. The Sharia Law charges are simply the result of fear-mongering rhetoric.
Thank you SO much Dave. Defending these half-truths and outright lies is getting old. It saddens me that we as a nation are not better educated, which in turn becomes fear of the unknown. Thanks for putting your voice of reason out there!
David, Check your facts, here is how they get free stuff that we pay for. Nobody is required to show proof of citizenship to receive benefits (and they are coached to say they are legal residents). I’m sure you familiar with education requirements to provide for children. (In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states are constitutionally barred from denying children a public school education on the basis of their immigration status. Go to any hospital and they can’t refuse to provide care (Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide free care). Since they have no social security card they pay no income taxes on any work they do. Each state administers most programs and some like California have no ID requirement for aid to dependent children. Low-income undocumented immigrants are also eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which provides food and infant formula assistance, as well as nutritional and immunization. Follow this link for all the free stuff http://www.e4fc.org/images/HEALTHCARE_RESOURCE_GUIDE_HOPE-FINAL_OCTOBER_28.PDF. Most of this is in California but we still pay the bills.
Mike, you are right, kids do go to school. I’m not sure why you think that is bad policy unless you are just being stingy with little kids and trying to make matters worse in the future. And, yes they do get emergency treatment. Again, are you going to let people die in the streets? They get treated and released as soon as they are stable. Remember all or our uninsured citizens get even better treatment because they promise to pay, then don’t. As to work, unless the employer is just flat out breaking the law on purpose, illegal workers do have a social security number. It is bogus, but the taxes are paid for Social Security and Medicare. This money, trillions of dollars, is never collected, It just becomes part of our pool of funds. No one gets food stamps who is not a citizen. Many children are citizens because they were born here, but their parents are not. The kids get the food stamps, not the parents. Your facts are a bit iffy as well.
Actually, if you want any kind of federal help, i.e., food stamps, housing, etc., you MUST show a valid identification. The feds do NOT take your word for anything. You also must prove your housing costs for EBT. Try going into any office to apply for benefits and see if they’ll take your word that you are who you say you are. Undocumented immigrants can not get help without proper ID. I don’t care how they’ve been coached.
First of all Dave, get YOUR facts straight. My name is Carly, not Cindy. Second my research was from sites all over the internet. Third, your constant hate rants against the City of Mesquite are far more bigoted that anything I previously wrote. Fourth, I am not sure if you are an angry Democrat or just plain angry at everything. Fifth, if you love Michigan so much why did you move here? I suggest you do more research before calling someone a liar. Just google Hamtramck, Michigan Muslim City Council.
Guess what? Not everything on the internet is true. You would rather read a false story than to listen to someone who has first hand experience. Did you read Terri Donnelly comment above? He says the same thing. You chose to read what validates your political views. Hamtramck is a wonderful city which has a Polish mayor and a city council that has a majority of US citizens who came from the Middle East. It still has great Polish as well as Middle Eastern restaurants and especially bakeries.
I read another comment the other day that claimed Dearborn MI, the world headquarters of Ford Motor, has “no go” zones. Again, a completely false story. I lived in Dearborn for several years back in the late 90’s and go back on a regular basis. The people in Dearborn laugh at the wild stories they read. The city attracts the crazy alt right types who come to town to protest. The police do a great job in protecting them from the laughter of the locals. One idiot came to town to burn copies of the Koran. He was also laughed out of town. Be careful what you read on the internet.
Darn Dave, you just can’t get right. Why are you still living in this terrible city that you hate so much?
I love Mesquite. I believe that it can be a much better city if it did not rely on the casinos. The gambling corporations are holding us back in attracting new business. The only industry in town that is growing is the retirement industry at Sun City. That is great as more liberals are moving into town.
Boy when does it end with you Dave P.? Now your playing travel agent and trying to sell the good citizens of Mesquite Nevada on Hamtramck Michigan???? I too am a Michigan transplant along with my husband, we both went to college and were union employees so I do know just a tad bit about the Detroit metro area. Hamtramck was and is a very dangerous city, fact: its number 14 and is rated close to 95% most crime ridden of US cities. It is now 90% Muslim population and is rated very poorly income wise. The long time residents there have expressed fear and uncertainties. They and their lifestyles have been disrupted by loud speakers 5 times a day announcing Muslims to prayer starting at 6pm. Original residents are moving out leaving their homes to be rented for reduced rates and the newly planted Muslims are continuing to bring their extended families over to America to fill them up. Let me tell a story if I may, my late Mother had a wonderful friend who was married to a middle eastern doctor who is Muslim also, they both decided to drive down to Hamtramck to visit a restaurant there serving mid eastern food as mom adored it and they got lost, out of no where came about 10 young men who surrounded the car and began to tip it over, thankfully mom’s friend knew Arabic and named dropped to them and they where able to get out of there…they both never returned. Long story shortened: mom’s friend told her “if you think that the Muslims that come over here just love America and it’s people your wrong, and don’t ever forget that.” What happened to my mom’s friend? Her Doctor husband ended up kidnapping their child and went back to his country to be raised there. Now this might sound prejudice it might sound bigotry but I wouldn’t set foot in that town that you were raised in. Those Muslim leaders may be “revitalizing their town but it benefits only them, their children may be educating themselves by going to college but guaranteed it’s paid for by grants and again will benefit them. When you’ve had a nephew who was a 20 yr active duty American sniper blown up my a suicide bomber in Iraq then convince me that this influx of these people from war torn countries is a good idea.We are not the same country that you were raised in back in the 40s, we are not Mayberry or Fred Rogers anymore. It is a very scary place and I fear for my Grandchildren growing up. I will tell you this David, I feel very safe in Mesquite and I have never seen such charitable folks including Vegas in all my years growing up in Michigan. I truly feel that you hate everything about Mesquite and really don’t know why your even here quite frankly…but I do know this..Michigan is a nice place to be FROM.
I feel sorry for you. The entire Detroit area is on a comeback. I feel much safer in Hamtramck than I do in Las Vegas. I read both Detroit newspapers every day and I have never read of any car tipping Muslims. You and your friend have obvious issues with anyone who is different from yourself. Try watching less Fox News.
As for Mesquite, I love it here. I do not love that some people here support the Bundy’s or our treasonous President. I do not want to have Mesquite known as the city of right wing wackos. I want our city to be welcoming to people of all nationalities, religions, and beliefs. We need more workers here so I believe that we should bring recent immigrants to the city. Our city council is considering affordable housing which would give them a place to live. With workers, we would be in a great position to attract new industries to town.
First of all David don’t feel anything for me please. Second who elected you to be the poster child for Mesquite, you’ve lived here 5 lousy years. You dislike the Bundys? Why, you don’t even know them just because THEIR beliefs are different than yours? They were here long before you were pal. Boy that’s calling the ole kettle black! You and your grandiose idealism is sickening.You tell Carly “don’t believe everything you read on the internet” yet I’m sure your getting the Detroit free press on line. You have put down our city council, our beloved Mayor, Mesquite local news, Teri, Steve, Gregory Lee, the casinos, calling residents backwords in their thinking and wackos. And since when is Sun city an industry? Hamtramck is dangerous point blank but if you feel safe by all means please go there and live I will buy you a snow shovel and some pepper spray you wouldn’t last a day or night because you feel big behind printed comments, and just because that TRUE incident with my mother and her friend in Hamtramck wasn’t in the paper (because it wasn’t reported) you believed to be made up don’t you? Oh and I never watch Fox news. Boy oh boy your such an asset to this community I can’t stand it! Citizen of the year!!! Opps found that on the internet it’s wrong!
Funny to hear these comments about my town of Hamtramck, the ONLY Muslim majority city in America! My wife and I have lived here for over 20 years, with many Yemeni and Bangladeshi friends. It’s a small walking city, no pretensions, very little crime, and much fun. I’m sorry you can’t experience the amazing joy and love we get from our Muslim neighbors who are very polite and friendly. I know nothing about Mesquite but it sounds like you are pre-judging our little town inside Detroit.
We’re very happy here, and I’d be glad to tell you the truth about Hamtramck anytime.
Bill, The only friend of David P. I’m sure, when your town of Hamtragic’s crime rate is 92 and the national average is 32% that’s pretty bad in my book. I see 2 days ago a young man was stabbed to death in the streets along with a nice high speed chase makes for a good day? I’m sure you are happy there, that’s good, I truly like to see people happy. Now if your buddy David would have raved about the better towns in Michigan like Traverse City or Petoskey or Suttons bay then I would have jumped on his shaky band wagon for sure. Please feel free to visit Mesquite anytime and see what a real police force is like apparently yours needs some funding.
And Bill I meant to say “Hamtragic” as that’s what most people in Michigan refer to it as. Pretty sad when old David P. has to call on his one buddy to stick up for him. Sorry to drag you into this but your buddy is a Mesquite Nemesis who feels like he has to change our town to serve his needs and his persona of what Mesquite should be viewed nationally. I have visited your town, don’t care for it and don’t like it. It’s an old run down GM town just like Flint and not saying which is worse but my guess is yours. Anyone can view your crime rate, taxes, population, and breaking news..sorry Bill, it’s all depressing.
Lisa Jenereaul I love reading your tidbits. You are absolutely right, Dave is a “just can’t get right” guy with a very lopsided view of things who just likes to stir the pot because he is so miserable. He is just angry he was ever born and would be just as miserable wherever he lived. Personally, my wife and I love living in Mesquite. We have been here for 10 years now and consider it our forever home. I do have a long time friend in Flint Michigan. He hates it there now, but after 40 years feels rooted there with his family and friends. I can not imagine any big city being as nice as Mesquite. Most of our citizens are not “David’s” and are very friendly. I think we have a very good and strong city council, with a mayor and city manager who really do have our cities best interests at heart. I look forward to hearing from you again and I am very happy to have a comrade in arms to help people like David understand why they are not in charge.
Thank you Steve, and as always love to read your very intelligent comments as well. As a nurse I took extra classes in personality, psychological and I do understand a Narcissist behavior when I see it, and David truly demonstrates that and it reflects on his written comments. They truly believe “one who screams the loudest, wins!” well not this time because I know this sad sad town that he tried to sell everyone on..who knows maybe he has real estate there..and is trying to get people to visit! At least I was honest and saying an influx of middle eastern people or people from war torn countries is just not a good idea right now, we are no longer the country back in the late 1800 when we needed people, we have problems here we just can’t fix properly. Drugs namely Meth are out of control and our young people are killing themselves, we just got to get a grip on America and not be the savior of the world period.