The Morgan Hill City Council this week published a “statement of support and assurance” in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s stated national agenda. But some locals don’t think the repudiation of Trump’s policies, seen as bigoted or discriminatory, goes far enough.
“Many of our residents are foreign-born and fear that changes in immigration rules or enforcement could separate their families,” reads the statement, which was approved by the council Dec. 14 and distributed to residents earlier this week. “There are also concerns about proposed federal registries of community members of the Muslim faith. And the recent nationwide spike in hate crimes is causing even more fear. Here in Morgan Hill, we cannot control the events in Washington, D.C., but we can do much to care for each other here at home.”
The statement, which was written in English and Spanish, goes on to assure Morgan Hill that the local police department is committed to enforcing laws against hate crimes and will not be used for federal immigration enforcement, and city officials will monitor national laws or policies that threaten to limit the Constitutional rights of residents.
Morgan Hill resident Ann Horner asked the council to consider publishing such a statement at the Dec. 7 meeting, citing a recent resolution of inclusivity approved by the San Francisco City Council and Board of Supervisors. When the Dec. 14 statement, written by Mayor Steve Tate to be specific to Morgan Hill, appeared on the agenda, Horner and other residents worried it was too watered-down.
Horner thinks the statement should have applied to all Americans, and not just to Morgan Hill residents. Anyone who visits or passes through Morgan Hill should enjoy the same acceptance stated by the council, Horner said.
At the Dec. 14 council meeting, Horner listed off some of Trump’s proposals and reactions to his election that have stricken fear in large segments of the American population: an increase in hate crimes against people of color and the LGTBQ community, insulting women, mocking people with disabilities, a wall on the Mexican border, conducting waterboarding against suspected enemies and “limiting self expression.”
“We need a more unequivocal response, with input from the public,” Horner said. “With more time and input, this could be a more powerful declaration.”
She asked the council to table the item and seek more input from the local community in order to draft a stronger statement.
Rebecca Armendariz, speaking on behalf of Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers President Gemma Abels, said the local teachers’ union supports the city’s statement of reassurance and “all efforts to ensure all community members feel safe in our schools and our city.”
She added that MHFT will host a Jan. 19 Day of Action to display the community’s inclusiveness and demonstrate “a platform for us to act as a community to protect those who might be targeted by (the) president-elect.”
Councilman Rene Spring said as “a member of the LGBTQ community all my life,” he has faced discrimination all his life. It was only in recent years that he was allowed to “marry the love of my life.”
“I don’t want to go back to a time before,” when such discrimination was accepted and widespread, Spring said. “I do think we can make a stronger stand. The community needs to know we stand behind them. There is fear in our community.”
Tate said while parts of the statement are modeled on those of other jurisdictions, he wanted to make it specific to Morgan Hill.
The council approved Tate’s statement 4-0. The motion by Mayor Pro Temp Larry Carr also expressed a desire by the council to come back to the residents and community groups in a couple months and seek input to “make (the statement) more powerful, and more impactful to certain segments of our community.”
