Which is from this article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2018/02/21/brunswick-adopts-resolution-welcoming-new-residents/comments/
Here’s the introduction of this item for the Council Agenda of 20 February:
Here’s the text of the subject resolution:
As we see it, the key passage in the resolution is this:
When it comes to matters of law, the key words seem to be “without regard to…..citizenship or immigration status.”
Councilor Kathy Wilson, who apparently has the legal credentials we lack, made this comment:
“This isn’t going to change laws,” she said. “What this does is just extend a hand that says you’re welcome here.”
Sorry, but to us, this resolution is tantamout to telling the Police Department to avoid questioning the “citizenship or immigration status” of anyone they encounter within Brunswick’s boundaries. It may not be CHANGING laws, but it sure seems like changing the ENFORCEMENT of laws.
We suppose we’ll take a lot of heat for this, but how does this not amount to the Town Council giving itself the authority to welcome and protect fugitives from justice? What other categories of illegality will Brunswick declare itself to be unwilling to enforce?
How about those with revoked driver’s licenses? Don’t they have rights as well? How about those ignoring court orders for child support and other domestic obligations? Will Brunswick welcome and protect them? How about those on the SOR? Will drug dealers be given refuge here?
We trust the Town Council will promptly direct the Police Department to enumerate those laws that will be enforced within our boundaries, and those that won’t.
More importantly, will the Town Council and the Police Department tell us which freedoms we now enjoy they will no longer respect? How about the freedom to seek a concealed carry permit? If that freedom does not please the council, will it pass a resolution making it null and void? Is the Town Council now a legislative body able to nullify state and federal law that defines either illegality or legality?
This action by the Town Council is just another step down the slippery slope we talked about when they created the Brunswick Human Rights Task Force. Each and every member of the Town Council knows it is political suicide to oppose such feel good actions, and that they will eventually have to up the ante by passing various regulations and resolutions and other virtue signalling expansions in this regard.
And if you haven’t already thought about it, we could now be seen as competition for Lewiston in such matters. We hope “Sanctuary Brunswick” and councilors who supported this resolution are preparing space in their own homes to demonstrate their welcoming attitudes. And changing local ordinances that govern setting up camp on public and private properties. Otherwise, the sentiments expressed are nothing more than moral posturing, and a hollow sentiment designed to put the burden on others who did not sign up for it.
Before we close, we have one more tangential issue that is frying our knee socks. Several years ago we proposed the Council undertake an “Economic Benefit Study” to determine the local effects of the Downeaster coming to town, since that was the primary rationale for investing vast sums of federal, state, and local moneys to make it happen. And in a moment of collaborative inspiration, we proposed it be a joint effort with Bowdoin Economics majors.
We posted many items on the general subject, but this one might be the most relevant at the moment:
http://othersideofbrunswick.blogspot.com/2014/12/an-ostrich-op-ed-challenging-brunswick.html
We were told at the time that we would need multiple councilors to give the OK to make it an item on an upcoming Council agenda….just so it could be discussed in public. As we reported in the post, we could not get anyone we contacted to agree to move the idea forward for discussion.
This Sanctuary resolution, which is pursuant to enforcement of the law in Brunswick, appears to have come before the Council for a vote because of one councilor’s sponsorship.
Pardon us for thinking that standards relating to Council agenda items are lacking in any sort of rigor, and instead, are based completely on emotion, sentiment, and socio-political expediency.
But hey; that’s just us, and we’re in the overwhelming minority on such matters.
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