Hartford is a city of Immigrants. Come out to the city council meeting.

Marquita of Connecticut Working Families party sent this to QWB today. If anyone is available please join the rally and attend the council meeting.

There are so many issues up in the air in Hartford right now it’s tough to keep track. Between Library closures, retiree healthcare increases, and Board of Ed firings, working people have to be on our toes.

There’s another critical issue I want to make sure you know about. Hartford City Councilor Luis Cotto (WFP) has introduced an ordinance that will come to a vote at Monday’s Council meeting that would make life a little less scary for one of the populations that has it the toughest: undocumented immigrants.

The ordinance would do two things. First, it would require all city services to be available to all, regardless of immigration status. Second, it would ensure that immigrants in Hartford could cooperate with the police without fear of deportation.

Councilors Cotto and Deutsch are fighting the good fight, but some City Councilors are still on the fence about this.

Click here to send the City Council an email in support of Hartford’s immigrants.

Hartford is a city of immigrants. And regardless of legal status, people come to Hartford to seek more opportunities and a better life. When we make one group of people in our city into second-class citizens who are afraid to access basic city services, or who can’t report crimes in their neighborhoods for fear of being deported, we weaken the whole city.

At the federal level, there have been no real solutions to provide a path to citizenship for millions of hard working people trying to take care of their families, who are contributing to society. And in the mean time, it makes no sense to have our city’s police, who are already stretched thin, have to spend time and money enforcing federal laws as well. 

All Hartford residents need to stand together on this one. Please take a minute to send an email to the City Council and tell them to pass Councilman Cotto’s sensible resolution. Thanks

-Marquita McElya
Hartford Area / First CD Organizer
Working Families

PS. The good news on all of these issues is that we’re showing that when the people of Hartford come together and make our voices heard, we can get our leaders to listen.

There’s another rally at Hartford City Hall, before this Council Meeting, and I hope you’ll come to speak out on jobs, libraries, healthcare and immigrations (yep, everyone will be out there.)

The rally is outside City Hall starting at 5:30. To give a public comment, you need to sign by 6:15, and the Council meeting starts at 6:30.  I hope you’ll join us. We’re stronger together. Please bring your signs and banners!