Vol. 71/No. 13      April 2, 2007

“The mayor is trying to take away our places to live,” Fernando Sanchez, 37, a day laborer from Mexico who has lived in Freehold for three years working in landscaping, told the Militant. “We are just here looking for a way to raise our families.”

The action was called by Casa Freehold, the United Day Laborers of Freehold, and the Monmouth County chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance.

The demonstrators also condemned the racist comments made by City Councilman Marc LeVine. Last November LeVine wrote that Latino immigrants "expect to subsidize their mistakes in growing large families that they cannot afford to support on their own."

At the city council meeting taking place the evening of the protest, LeVine offered his apologies for these comments. He also felt obligated to repeat the apology in a public statement he read to the protesters outside.

In February, the Rental Property Advisory Committee submitted to the city council a 15-point proposal “to strengthen the enforcement of housing codes” that had a strong focus on overcrowding. In such cases, they suggest giving landlords increased fines, jail time and mandatory community service, and requiring them to “reimburse the school district for children of illegally housed tenants who wrongfully attend Freehold Borough schools.”

These recommendations will be taken up at a future meeting.

“The mayor and city council have always acted against the immigrant community,” said Rita Dentino, a leader of Casa Freehold. “We want the proposal off the table.”

Angel Lariscy from Newark, New Jersey, contributed to this article.
 
 
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