Immigrant Boycott's Impact Less on Sales Than on Debate

Washington Post ^ | August 31, 2007 | Pamela Constable

[3AngelaD]

...a boycott called to protest proposed restrictions on illegal immigrants in Prince William County appears to be having minimal impact on the national chain stores that are its chief targets...

But the week-long boycott has sharpened the contradictory emotions and opinions among county residents, highlighting the complexity of a fast-changing region that has experienced the burdens and benefits of immigration.

Some established Latino immigrants, for example, say they sympathize with illegal newcomers but fear the boycott will provoke hostility...

In a hardware store, the non-Hispanic co-owner said he had a "strictly neutral" position on the boycott and the county resolution that provoked it, adding that the issue was a "tough, tough fence" to straddle. A customer, who owns a heating and air-conditioning business, expressed conflicting concerns, feeling "invaded" by a wave of Latino immigrants and worrying about being labeled anti-Latino...

...Ricardo Juarez, who heads a group called Mexicans Without Borders, has denounced as "racist" the county resolution,which would deny services to illegal immigrants and allow police to turn them over to federal authorities. He is leading the boycott and a series of protests to pressure officials into rescinding the measure.

Spearheading the opposition is Greg Letiecq, a computer technician who heads a group called Help Save Manassas. He is passionately opposed to illegal immigration and has spent much of his spare time this week driving past chain stores with a video camera in his truck, hoping to catch members of Juarez's group intimidating shoppers.

"I got a report of an Hispanic male approaching a woman shopper and threatening to write down her license plate," said Letiecq, who was parked outside a Wal-Mart in Manassas..."The residential overcrowding is driving people insane. Then there is crime, and lewd behavior that makes them uncomfortable."

[3AngelaD]

The Washington Post can't bring itself to write the accurate headline: "Boycott a flop, illegal immigrant activists a laughingstock." No, instead we have "contradictory emotions."

[Teflonic]

I suspect all those businesses who put up signs supporting the boycott have taken a greater financial hit than those boycotted. But that side of the story certainly wouldn’t be told by this paper.

[NRA1995]

Soooooo....”Not One Damn Peso Week” was nothing but a burrito fart in the wind?

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Demonstrates the real lack of economic power illegals and their supporters have. Obviously this is not the Montgomery bus boycott of the 50’s.

I think the “contradictory emotions” are being felt by the leftist globalist newspaper.....the boycott doesnt work, but they cant slam too much the business, who are advertisers....there is the “Conflicting emotions”

And Mr Juarez and his group are racists....can you imagine an organization called “Whites Without Borders”

[pnh102]

File this one under "duh."

By definition, illegals earn far less in wages than legals. They also send much of what they do earn back to their home countries. This means they never had any real economic power in the USA anyway, and their not spending their meager amount of disposable income won't hurt anyone.

[bcsco]

This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.

[Graybeard58]

"My father always told me, when you visit a house, you have to follow the rules of the house," said Oscar Alfaro, 30, a legal immigrant from El Salvador, who was eating at a Burger King in Manassas.

Welcome to the U.S. Mr. Alfaro.

[Redbob]

"Some established Latino immigrants, for example, say they sympathize with illegal newcomers but fear the boycott will provoke hostility."

Oh, no sh!t?

These "established Latino immigrants," would they be legal or illegal?
And did the WaPo consider interviewing non-Latino, legal immigrants for this article?

I wonder what THEY would say?
Hey, wait a minute, I'm a non-Latino descendant of legal immigrants, and I can tell you what I'd say...

[Redbob]

Help Save Manassas
http://helpsavemanassas.org/index.php

“Help Save Manassas is the largest chapter within the HelpSaveVirginia network, and joins over 600 residents in the greater Manassas area including Prince William County, the City of Manassas Park and the City of Manassas together in a grassroots organization...”

[Battle of Tours]

I wish they could stage an effective boycott and announce the date. That way I could shop without getting mowed down by Spanish-speaking patrons pushing heavily-laden shopping carts with 4 young’uns in tote, and the lines would be SO much shorter! I say we support this one

[ClaireSolt]

“Obviously this is not the Montgomery bus boycott of the 50’s.” No it is not. The civil rights movement called on our better angels. WE felt we owed the black Americans redress. What do we owe invaders from other countries? Nothing.

[Will88]

“The bad ones cause prejudice against the good,” he added. “My tools have been stolen three times from my van, and it was done by Hispanics. When I came here, you could leave your door open at night. Now, it is getting more violent like the countries we left.”

Something all the open borders nuts need to consider, but they probably won’t; immigrants turning areas of the US into what they left behind.

[AuntB]

No it is not. The civil rights movement called on our better angels. WE felt we owed the black Americans redress. What do we owe invaders from other countries? Nothing.

Be careful, Claire, you'll be accused of not being 'compassionate'.

[Guenevere]

bttt

[CottonBall]

Ricardo Juarez, who heads a group called Mexicans Without Borders, has denounced as "racist" the county resolution,which would deny services to illegal immigrants and allow police to turn them over to federal authorities.

A country without borders.....you know the rest.

And how many times do I have to repeat "Illegal Alien Is Not a RACE". These people are so ignorant.

[CottonBall]

I wish they could stage an effective boycott and announce the date. That way I could shop without getting mowed down by Spanish-speaking patrons pushing heavily-laden shopping carts with 4 young’uns in tote, and the lines would be SO much shorter!

I really enjoy May 1st in CA - the day the illegals decided to boycott the last 2 years. It almost feels like being in the U.S. again to go into a store and hear English, have people being polite and smiling, and merchandise is actually on the shelves instead of thrown on the floor!

[VOA]

bump

[CottonBall]

“The bad ones cause prejudice against the good,” he added. “My tools have been stolen three times from my van, and it was done by Hispanics. When I came here, you could leave your door open at night. Now, it is getting more violent like the countries we left.”

This legal immigrant is obviously more intelligent than most. He sees the big picture and the problems that are coming. He sees that he will be lumped in with all South American legal immigrants (I reserve the word immigrant for those here legally) and illegals and will be judged on that basis. It's not fair to him, but what else can people do unless he wears a T-shirt saying that he's here legally? It's only going to get worse.

[gubamyster]

ping

[NRA2BFree]

In a hardware store, the non-Hispanic co-owner said he had a "strictly neutral" position on the boycott and the county resolution that provoked it, adding that the issue was a "tough, tough fence" to straddle.

Why are people so afraid to say someone is white? They sure have no problem identifying other races, unless it's bad, and then they refuse to identify their race!! I just don't get what the stigma of being white is? I've been white all of my life and I've never had a problem with it. It's really OK to be white. LOL!