Time to share
Thanksgiving brings out the best in people; let’s hope that looking at the pictures on page 2 and 7 helps you understand the extreme need existing in the area known as El Cibao in the Dominican Republic. The flooding they have been suffering for many weeks are unprecedented and it doesn’t seem to stop.
Four people have died including two children. Now they must brace for diseases and hunger and it will take years for the recovery. Cattle and farm animals have died as well as all the agricultural production. El Cibao is the most fertile area in the country and it has all been destroyed.
Also destroyed were 17 bridges and there are over 40,000 people looking for any type of refuge.
There is a collection of non-perishable foods and all kinds of household goods, disposable diapers, etc. taking place at 530 Broadway in Lawrence.
In this week of goodwill, do it for your own satisfaction knowing that there is someone who needs you.
Police unresponsiveness
I am happy to report the conclusion of something I wrote last week. After a month and one half, the Lawrence Police Department called the man whose car was stolen and kept in storage since October 4th. The owner ended up paying $300 for towing and storage which is not clear if that covered all of the time they kept it. He was satisfied with putting an end to that ordeal.
Also, they called the lady who went three times to get her fingerprints taken and was told that there was no one who spoke Spanish at the station to translate for her and she had to bring her own interpreter. Out of the blue, one evening last week, she was asked to go down and it was done.
Winter parking
We published the Winter Parking rules in the City of Lawrence and they will appear again next month. You may go to our website www.rumbonews.com and check it out at any time.
Save yourself a big headache (and expense) by avoiding the cost of towing in the middle of the night and storage fees by looking up on that list where parking is allowed from December 15 to April 15. Some streets have an odd/even system while others forbid parking during the day or night in those winter months.
If you have friends or relative coming to visit overnight, make sure they know the rules or they’ll be sorry to have come to see you.
Sanctuary cities
There seems to be some confusion in the media and even Mayor Rivera refers to Lawrence as being a sanctuary city with the passing of the Trust Act. The Trust Act approved by the City Council last year gives the assurance to the public that police officers will not ask for immigration status for traffic violations or other crimes. If arrested, the courts and the legal system will handle that aspect.
I wrote to Police Chief James Fitzpatrick and this was his response:
“I support anything that will foster a sense of trust in public safety. The Lawrence Police Department is not here to enforce immigration laws, we are here to serve and protect the people in Lawrence. All of them. If someone is a victim of crime we do not want them to think twice before interacting with us. I think that the use of the phrase ‘Sanctuary City’ is a misnomer that confuses the issue.”
Sanctuary cities refuse to assist ICE during investigations, arrests or raids and that is not the case here.
