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GoogleBut as one examines how other communities have reacted to large numbers of Somali refugees moving in, it is obvious that Shelbyville has adjusted far better than other towns and cities in America.
While many of the VOLAGs (volunteer agencies) like Catholic Charities and other organizations involved in refugee resettlement promote diversity and opening communities up to different cultures, there also have been concerns about the process.
According to one state department official, allowing refugees into the country is not only done out of charity but also out of national security concerns, the Louisville Courier-Journal recently reported.
"When you have people in these hopeless situations, this is where terrorism breeds, this is where failed states come from," Assistant Secretary of State Ellen R. Sauerbrey said.
Sauerbrey said that America has resettled about 50,000 refugees from 67 countries in the past year and 70,000 or more could be received in the coming year.
Criticisms have been expressed about how the various charitable groups involved in the resettlement process are more interested in receiving grants from the government while large groups of refugees move to towns that are not prepared nor capable of accepting them.
According to Shelbyville City Manager Ed Craig, no one let his office know that a large number of refugees would be resettling here. Craig said he has "no idea" when the refugees began to move into the community.
As for the number of Somalians that have moved here, that figure varies depending on who you speak to.
"I started hearing 200, then I heard 400, then I heard 500 ... and the only source I hear that is from the Somalians who say 'this is the size of our community,'" Craig said.
One county offical put the figure at 1,100, while Imam Haji Yousuf, the spiritual leader of the Somali Muslim community, gave an estimate of 250 to 300.
The interaction Craig has had with representives of the Somalian community has consisted of visits by those who were asking how they can work with the city to improve relations between themselves and their neighbors.
Craig said from his perspective, the city didn't need to prepare for the new arrivals, but the county's school system would have to.
According to a report by the National Governors' Association in spring 2007, the nation's governors "continue to be concerned about the lack of adequate consultation on the part of the voluntary agencies [VOLAGs] and their local affiliates in the initial placement of refugees and on the part of the federal government in the equitable distribution of refugees and entrants."
But while Shelbyville has more or less welcomed the Somalis, not every community have accepted these newcomers with open arms.
In Emporia, Kansas, where about 400 refugees work at the Tyson Foods meat processing plant, many citizens are talking about the sudden influx. An estimated 750 to 1,000 Somali refugees are currently living in Emporia, according to locally published reports.
During a recent town hall meeting attended by hundreds, residents in the small Kansas town expressed concern about many issues, including the spread of tuberculosis, due to the fact that 160 of the refugees have latent TB, meaning it is in their system but not active or contagious.
In January of this year, one Somalian who worked at the Tyson plant in Emporia died of tuberculosis. However, the plant manager stated in a news release that TB is not a food safety concern and is not transmitted by food.
The reception was even worse for the thousands of Somalian refugees who settled in the mill town of Lewiston, Maine in 2001-02. They moved from Atlanta because of the low crime rate, but so many came so quickly that the sudden population boom taxed city services, schools and welfare rolls.
It also wasn't helpful that the migration to Lewiston was occuring at the time following the Sept. 11 attacks. Another factor was the release of the movie "Black Hawk Down," and the fact that one soldier who was killed in that battle in Somalia had grown up near Lewiston.
There were no jobs waiting for the Somalians and in 2002, only 40 of the 400 to 500 adults were working. Lewiston's mayor finally wrote an open letter to the refugee community, stating that they had "been overwhelmed ... our city is maxed out financially, physically, and emotionally.
"The large number of new arrivals cannot continue without negative results for all. The Somali community must exercise some discipline and reduce the stress on our limited finances and our generosity," the letter stated.
However, the mayor was accused of bigotry for writing the letter and protests -- both supporting and against the Somalis -- took place.
According to the New Yorker Magazine, last year it was estimated that 3,000 refugees lived there and well over 50 percent of Somali immigrant adults were still unemployed, even after 5 years from their arrival in Lewiston.
The same problem nearly came to Holyoke, Mass., where their city council also opposed resettling Somalis because the city didn't have enough money to educate and train them.
Citizens of Ft. Wayne, Ind., are expressing similar concerns about the resettlement of Burmese refugees, where 700 were placed this year, with another 1,000 planned for 2008. In all, 3,500 of these refugees from Burma live in Ft. Wayne.
And in Hagerstown, Md., the Virginia Council of Churches closed down an office to resettle Somali refugees, citing an "unwelcoming" community, according to published reports.
But members of that town council stated that the organization had exercised arrogance by relocating the refugees to the town before seeking the input of its officials.
Another councilperson said the refugees "were dumped in the city without support and resources," the Hagerstown Herald-Mail reported, and that the organization should have consulted with local government bodies.
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please
The main thing that bothers me, is that the Somalies get to take a break from work to pray, when we, as Americans, can't pray in our schools or other public functions. Do the Somali children in our school system get to stop their work to pray? If so, then why can't our Christian children?
The only way you will get any answers or financial aid to deal with rising costs of community services is to make a lot of noise starting now.You may possibly get some help for county health clinics and law enforcement in say,3-5 years or so.The city and county(meaning local taxpayers) will foot the bill until then.This is not a guess.There is no help forthcoming in Emporia,KS after 3 years.The arrogant attitude from Tyson-Emporia facility and our officials is"Shutup and go away".Be prepared for the same unless you act and make them accountable.
I totally agree with mindyg on this. We've been having to FIGHT for years and years to allow our country to have the freedom to express our religious beliefs without having to go to court or fight Heidi and her crew of atheists. Now these people are here in OUR country, draining our hard earned TAX dollars to support them, and what do they do for us in return? Cause more problems! Take care of our own and send all the others back to their lands. Get our people fed, off the streets, in housing and God bless the United States!
To address the issue of prayer and prayer only...
My childern are christian childern and they are allowed to pray in school they do every morning before they start there work for the day and at there lunch. We just can not have organized prayer at school by a school offical. A teacher can not say bow your heads to pray but they can not stop our childern from praying when ever they want.
At the plant I work at they (Somalians) are allowed to use there break time to pray but are NOT given any extra breaks to go pray.
We as Christians have to stand up for that right and not just talk about it.
Um, if the place you are referring to is Tyson, that is a downright lie. Because when I walked out back to attend a meeting, there were 30 Somalians praying/some talking to each other DURING work hours while everyone else was working.
Out back is not a designated break area, actually it is a place very new people are allow to go because of the equipment located there. So I don't know where you get your information from, but I saw it firsthand.
err new should have been few.
I have to make a slight correction to this article. In Hagerstown, we only had a few Somalis. We had an assortment of Africans and a large number of Meshketian Turks who are Muslims in Russia. Virginia Council of Churches wanted to bring Burmese next, but the office was shut down and the program terminated before many Burmese came.
As a matter of fact, just this week a Hagerstown man, a refugee from the Congo, was evicted from his apartment and the police could not get him to leave his porch and it caused quite a ruckus partially due to a language barrier. Apparently the man had refused to work after a series of jobs that didn't work out. He also reportedly has Hepatitis B. We think he was taken to a shelter and it has been reported he wants to return to the Congo.
This highlights another problem with refugee resettlement---do gooders think that everyone will be happy as pie to live in America, but some refugees who can scrape the money together do go home. I think that the UN and these volags are just busying themselves moving people around the world instead of finding solutions on the continents where the refugees have lived and are comfortable.
Evil Monkey,
My dear I think your whole issue is with Tyson not Somalian's. I would like to know how long you DID work there and how long you have been gone. Yes things use to be worse and that was partly our falt because we did not know. Things are different I would really like to know how long you have been gone. I think that I know who you are but am not 100% sure.
Well, its been 2.5 years since I been gone. Well I don't have a problem with the Somalian's from a standpoint that they have not done anything to me personally. Like I have stated in other posts, the problem I have is that they were dropped here by an organization that profits from it, and bilks taxpayer money. Tyson uses this to their advantage because they get full subsidies back from the Federal Govt for employing refugees.
Now if they hire me for that particular job, they don't get free labor. Yes I said Free, because if they employ a somalian, they get their wages back. The Somalian also gets tax credits, free education, free transportation, free housing, free medical etc. oh and they get a free line of credit (I do not know the specifics in this though).
The biggest question I have is, How did they even know or decide that Shelbyville, TN was the place for them to settle? The leaders of this town HAD to know, if not, then why was it even allowed?
Then yes, Evil Monkey a lot has changed. A LOT
As far as how did they know where to come. That is easy many because yes a lot more of them speak english now have told me that there family told them to come here, or a friend that had a friend. Oh some have said that yes employment agencies in other towns and other states told them just go to a Tyson they will hire you because we can't help you.
As far as the grants my understanding on this that I have read which is way more reading than I would ever want to do in a matter of a couple of weeks again. That they the Somalians must Exhaust all means of finding employment for the company to get part but not all money from the goverment. That is my understanding. I did do a lot of reading at one time so....
I assume that a lot of them would probably not fit into this catagory because it did say that they had to be looking for a job for 8 months before this would take affect. Most of them that I talked to were working here within 2-6 months of being BROUGHT to America.
Does the company still get tax breaks, probably. They also get tax breaks for hiring veterans, people on food stamps, disabled, and I know that there are several other "groups" that every company gets tax breaks on.
Ok so how would I know you there?
Don't know EVIL MONKEY, because after you said you have been gone for 2.5 yrs I knew you were not who I that you were.
I have worked at the plant for more than 5 yrs and in those five years I have seen a lot of changes.
Do I like them all no, Do I strive to make where I work better. Yes, and if every employee did that I think that not only Tyson but all of the plants around here would be better
What shift and dept?
1st and I have worked in all departments at one time or another.
Then I don't think you know me.
I have read the Employment Subsidy Program about 4 times now and have yet to find where it says that they must be unemployed for 8 months.
It does say that it will reimburse employers for up to 100 percent of the employment wage (including fringe benefits), for a maximum of nine months.In exchange for the salary subsidy, the employer agrees to provide the refugee employee additional supervisory assistance in learning the job and to retain the refugee employee in this position after the wage subsidy has ended. If insufficient funds are available to continue the position, the employer agrees to assist the refugee employee in securing other employment.
Now do you think this COULD be the reason the Somalis do not stay in one place very long...tranfered maybe to another Tyson Foods where the Employment Subidsy would start all over again.
Naw....Tyson wouldnt do something like that would they
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/data...
I am sorry I did miss read this (at least this is one of the things that I have read) They must be here a year, then after that must be in the community for 3 months. Maybe you are reading form another one that I might of over looked something on. I do have this bad habbit of reading all of something so I do not jump to any conclusions because I do hate being wrong.
Once again, I am not saying that I have agreed with everything that our goverment has done. I just fill like a lot of people are blaming the Somalians for still being in shock. Guys this is a shock to most of them. Have any of you read The Lost Boys or no anything about them. I am going to say that I probably felt some of the same as most of you guys do several years ago. I made it a goal of mine to learn more about them because how can you honestly say that you do not like a group of people that you only know the outside of??? Do I like there Religion, nope not me Jesus Christ died for me but through his teachings I have learned that we need to welcome even those who are different and teach them. Has anyone stopped to think that this might be Gods way of getting us to them and witnessing to them???? If the teacher will not go to the student maybe sometimes the student has to go to the teacher... Maybe God has dropped them off in the bible belt for a reason. If we are not doing our job than that is on us. This is just the thought going through my head. We go to jails and witness there, we will go everywhere and witness but I don't think that we have went there yet. Just a idea, just a question, I know it got a little of subject.
Correction:
The Lost Boys Of Sudan (I think that is how it is spelled)
Just so you know, Lost Boys Of Sudan are not Somalis. They are Sudanese.
And you are correct before a company is allowed to receive Employment Subsidy Program on a refugee they must be in The United States for 1 year but during that 1st year Catholic charities are taking care of these people with Funds from the Federal Government (yep you got it's still your tax dollars anyway you look at it)
Not to mention Food Stamps, medical expenses, housing, education for their children, ESL classes all paid for by our City/County.. The small amount of sales tax they pay in Shelbyville is nothing in comparison to what they cost our city.
As far as the "refugees" in Shelbyville go, this is not their first rodeo..they have been in the states quite some time. We do not have Any Somalis here that are fresh off the boat.
Dianatn,
Yes some of the ones that are here are from The lost boys of Sudan. Not all and maybe not even a majority I am not going and taking a survey or anything. My point to that was that the Somalians have went through the same thing also.
I am not sure what you call fresh off the boat but if they have been here in America and then here in Shelbyville within 3 months of arriving to America I would call that fresh off the boat.
I don't mind my taxes going to that to a certain extent. I would much rather my taxes go to that than A woman laying up in the projects having more kids for the state to support because she has figured out she can get money that way and things handed to her. I would much rather my money go to that than to the person getting food stamps and tencare because they lie about there living situation. You got me there.
To address the issue that some one said before that they will move here for a while and then move away to somewhere else. That might be true for some of them but we do have some at the plant that has been there for 4 and 5 years.
I personally have come in direct contact with about 75-80 percent of the Somalis who live in Shelbyville. None have been in the US about 3 months. They may tell you that but most have been in the US for at least a year some much longer.
I have come in contact with very few who have been in Shelbyville for even one year.
Of course though I am sure your job at Tyson gives you the authority to see their documents and ID's.
Oh wait...mine does though.
And I prefer my Taxes help Americans first and foremost period. Regardless of they are a single mother, an elderly man/woman, a homeless person, a disable couple or whatever the case may be.
My gripe is we should help our own first then after we do that (if ever) then we could consider helping other Nations. But American tax dollars should help Americans First!!!
Dianatn,
I have never said that my job allows me to do that nor implied it. I am suprised that you are saying that your job allows you to see the documents because as many of you have said that almost all of them do work at the plant. I am only going to assume (which means I could be wrong) That A you do work at Tyson, or B you work for the goverment which is the very ones that have said to the Somalian people come on over this is what we are going to do for you.
I am sorry but not all American tax dollars should help Americans first. We have to many people just having childern and not being productive citizens because they have learned to live off the system or have learned to lie to get benifits that they should not get. Take those people out then yes tax dollars should be used on Americans first.
Dianatn, this concerns me this is your first response (at least the oldest one that I found) and you could go from this to basically lets just run them all out of town in a week......
{Quite honestly I do not care how they dress or even so much that they are rude (many Americans are rude also)or even that they are Muslim. Right now my biggest concern is every website I have been reading about the Somali people across the USA are talking about the Somalis bringing TB into their city. I read where the Health Dept in a small town in Kansas has 160 of the 500 Somalis with TB that are working in a food packing plant called Tyson Foods. That is just the ones they are treating this does not count the ones who never come in for medication. It also seems HIV is another problem they are dealing with.
Does this not concern you?
-- Posted by Dianatn on Wed, Dec 26, 2007, at 11:03 AM }
Just guess that I am wondering how you could go from someone who was just concerned to someone that will find every reason to shoot them down and still have not said on positive thing about any of them?????????
Just a question.....
I don't care how they dress or what religion they are, never once have I said I did. Neither does it mean I like them or that I am required to do so. I am mostly concerned with the health risk. I also am concerned with the money not only is it costing Americans but the problems and financial burden it imposes on the city.
As I said before (which if you have been skimming my post you should have already read) I am Liberal and I try to be fair to everyone. But even a Liberal will only bend so far.
And BTW I do not work for Tyson Foods I have never even been inside the place. But I have many Clients who do or should I say Did.
So you get to see the Somalian documents how?? Or is how long some of them been here is just something hta you guessed at.
To be so Libral.. you sure do pass harsh judgement.. Hey I never said bend over backwards for them either. Looking at both sides to this story is hard. Tha American side where everybody is up in arms and so scared of "different" people, and then the somalian side that are unknowing and taking a lot og ques from us.. i.e. yelling, being rude...
All I have said is give them a chance and I understand your concern about the health issues.
You see, this is where you are totally wrong I am not scared of Somalis or anyone else who is different. I am around immigrants everyday and never have I had a group of people who are so rude and disrespectful. Even the Hispanics, that everyone was so up in arms about were respectful and appreciative it is not that way, at all, for the Somalis. They feel they have an entitlement here in America and they do not have any more of an entitlement than anyone else! I have tried to be respectful and nice but when it is not returned by them, then I no longer have any respect for them.
As far as their documents go ..I am not guessing, as I said it is part of my job. Exactly what my job is, should not be a concern of yours.
My issue is (at this point) that many of you want to put them all in one group.. Is this fair? There are times that I hope people do not judge me because of the group of people I happen to be talking to at the time.
This conversation has became pointless when you can not admit that even one of them were nice or at least not "rude".
I know many of them and I would say out of all of them that about I want to say90% but I will go down to 85% are nice and are not pushy. Do they understand everything no.. Do I think they are trying YES. Will I turn my back on them No, and that is because my savior did not turn his back on me.
I see no end to the conversation and wish you peace and happyness with in. I also wish understanding and acceptance for you.
(this is always my wish for everyone so please do not take it as I am trying to be rude or anything)
God Bless
I assume by the times you post, you work 1st shift..most of the Somalis work night shifts so how is it that you come in contact with 85-90 percent of them? Not that it actually matters but I was just wondering.
No one has ask you not to be their friend if you like them that is YOUR choice but don't go around saying that what others have experienced with the Somalis is not true because You have No idea.
I personally find it Very Strange that everyone else I have spoken to that works on night shifts at Tysons have a problem with them.
I use to work on nights.. I still speak to many of the night shift people everyday. I speak to them out in public. Just because you change shifts does not mean you have no contact. Does second shift have more Somalians, I did not think so when I was on nights. When one shift is coming on another is leaving it is not like there is a big time-lapse between shifts. You have all of one or two departments standing in the hall or siting at the break tables while you have one or two departments trying to get ready to leave. That is a lot of people in one area. Also, Please do not mistake me as saying that I come in contact with 85%-90% of them every day what I wrote was (I know many of them and I would say out of all of them that about I want to say90% but I will go down to 85% are nice and are not pushy) those were my words not that I new 85%-90% of them.
I find it strange also. I was looking around today wondering where do people get this. I saw Anerican, Mexican, Somalian, Chinese, and many other races (this is probably not the appropriate word)working side by side smiling laughing. In our breakroom you see the same you do not see a seperation of our diversity just because we do not have to eat by each other. So yes I find it strange as well. I truly looked around today thinking am I missing something? Even at the change of shift, I did not do as I normally do which is try to hurry and move so everyone does not have to wait on me to get my stuff from the locker. I was asked excuse me please. I looked what am I missing that every one else is saying is so bad, many that don't even work here anymore. I guess I was staring a little funny because a young Somalian man came up to me and put his hand on my back and one on my arm (which is not normal of there men because they do not touch other women) asking me if I was o.k. that he had never seen me look like that. I just shook my head and said ya I'm fine just thinking. I looked and I looked hard today. I tryed being so judgemental today, guess what still didn't see it. So once again your right it is very strange.
I also believe that I have only told one person that they were lying.
Just say one good thing.. Just one..
You are not truly asking everbody to believe that you have not ran into just one that was not "bad" Truly... Just say one good thing...
When they give me just one nice thing to say then and only then, I will say it.
You write:
"The reception was even worse for the thousands of Somalian refugees who settled in the mill town of Lewiston, Maine in 2001-02. They moved from Atlanta because of the low crime rate, but so many came so quickly that the sudden population boom taxed city services, schools and welfare rolls."
The first part of this is true, the Somalians in Lewiston-Auburn did not get a warm reception. However, they did not get settled there from Atlanta, they actually were settled in Portland, Maine (about 40 minutes or so from Lewiston-Auburn). They moved north to Lewiston-Auburn from Portland like most other people who lived in Portland at the time - it got too expensive. How do I know this? I lived in Waterville, Maine (not too far from either of the other cities) at the time and the influx of Somalis was big news at the time.
The "peaceful" religion of Islam…….Honor Killing? Beheadings? Body-bombs? How about female genital mutilation (FGM)?
Brigitte Gabriel, author of "Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America" and founder of the web site ACT For America!, where Ms. Gabriel states, "I founded ACT! for America because Islamic militants have declared war on America....We are in for the fight of our lives...." Become involved in your future and the future of your family. Visit ACT for America's website, chapter info and become involved as a member of an existing chapter or become a chapter leader and start one in your area.