Racist Rag: The Immigrants are Buffalo’s Misfortune

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A century ago, Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants weren’t considered white or American, as they are today. It took generations for these immigrants to assimilate, and scholars have written extensively about the economic and social interventions that occurred to hasten these immigrant groups’ acceptance by white America as part of white America. The ethnic and racial slurs against these immigrants still exist in our vernacular. Paddywagon, asserting that Irish were criminals. Guinea, insinuating that Italians were African. Polish jokes. 

Today, especially in the wake of the last decade’s global economic crash, an economic uncertainty lingers. Our economy doesn’t look today as it did when people grew up, and things have changed. For some, seeing a woman in a chador or a brown man with an accent offers all the proof they need of who is to blame for these changes and uncertainty. 

It would be the height of racist hypocrisy for Buffalo, which prides itself on its ethnic diversity to the point of holding wall-to-wall festivals all summer, to now reject or condemn new immigrants and refugees en masse. Immigration has always been a uniquely American success story. Immigrants – including undocumented ones – contribute more to the United States economy than they take out. Immigrants are twice as likely to start a business than native-born Americans. They commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. They do not take away from native Americans, but add to productivity. There is effort involved in coming here, and immigrants are loath to waste that opportunity. 

Scapegoating immigrants as an invading horde of rapists, murderers, drug pushers, and social drains has become part of contemporary conservative dogma. It is the signature platform plank of the Donald Trump campaign. 

There are good immigrants and bad immigrants, as it happens for any particular population. So it came with some surprise that conservative radio commentator David Bellavia, who is a veteran of the Iraq war, posted this article to his Facebook wall, commenting that it was “Alot here to digest” [sic]. 

There isn’t, though. It’s practically a word-for-word reboot of Nazi-era anti-Semitic screeds in Der Stürmer – just substitute “Muslim” or “immigrant” for “Jew”.  What it purports to be, on the surface, is a story about the awful Yemeni deli owner in Lovejoy who was arrested and arraigned recently for crimes related to mishandling of EBT accounts. He and his family made quite the spectacle of themselves when they appeared in court, flipping the bird to TV cameras and yelling, “fuck America”. Not nice people. Not good people. 

But is their behavior and alleged criminality to be projected onto the entire Yemeni (if not Arab or Muslim) population in Buffalo? That’s what FrontPage argues, and Bellavia endorsed. 

The article starts with a story about the burning of Buffalo during the War of 1812, and the origin of the “Lovejoy” name. After the destruction, the story goes, Lovejoy was a thriving community just a century later, filled with, “German, Polish, Jewish, and Italian immigrants”. What’s omitted from that passage is the way in which those immigrants were treated by the FrontPageMags of the day. They were all denigrated as invaders – un-American – other. 

In the past decade, Erie County “resettled” nearly 10,000 refugees. Most of them have been inflicted on Buffalo and Black Rock, the same targets as that original invasion two centuries ago that claimed Sarah’s life.

No links to the Beobachter here – but note the scarequotes and use of “inflicted”, like an injury. “Sarah” alludes to Sarah Lovejoy, who was killed defending her home in 1812 from the British and Indian forces. The theme kicks off right away: refugees are invaders. They are an injury, inflicted on a neighborhood to destroy it and kill its inhabitants. Immigration is terror. 

The image that accompanies the article has nothing whatsoever to do with Buffalo. A Google Image Search reveals it to be a photograph of Syrian migrants protesting at the Budapest train station

Buffalo has four resettlement agencies working to bring as many Muslims as they can. Among them is the International Institute of Buffalo which was set up after WWI to bring “war brides” to America, but which now specializes in bringing Muslims here instead. Tickets to the Institute’s big event, Buffalo Without Borders, run as high as $10,000 a piece, and it is billed as “A Party Only the IIB Can Throw.”

The International Institute is an incredibly responsible resettlement agency. It was set up in 1918 to “support immigrants who faced exploitation and discrimination in the United States”, not to “bring ‘war brides'” here like some human traffickers. Right off the bat, the article defames the IIB. From its website, “The International Institute of Buffalo was originally established by the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in 1918 to help prevent the exploitation of women brought to our country as domestic help. The Institute separated from the YWCA in 1934 and incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization. In 1973, the International Institute moved to its current location at 864 Delaware Avenue.

By the way, tickets for “Buffalo Without Borders” run $40. It’s on November 3rd at the Hotel Lafayette. Only the Gold Sponsorship runs $10,000. 

One of these parties featured chocolates “inspired” by Iraqi Muslim migrants.

Why the scarequotes around “inspired”? 

The article explores how an elderly Italian man had until recently owned the corner store that was bought by Ahmed Alshami, who is now accused of welfare fraud. And because Alshami is accused of criminality, the article explains, 

The Alshamis were part of the flood of Yemeni Muslim migrants who had washed up in Buffalo.

And the Muslim Yemeni population has a way of making headlines.

Six Yemenis made up the infamous Buffalo Cell, who had attended the Al Farooq training camp in Afghanistan, met with Osama bin Laden and were convicted for providing material support to Al Qaeda. The seventh member of the cell, Jaber Elbaneh, is a fugitive still wanted by the FBI, which describes him as armed and dangerous.

Floods don’t really “wash up”, and the propagandist goes out of his way here to simply link Alshami to the Lackawanna 6 because they’re both Muslim and Yemeni. Guilt by religious affiliation and nationality. 

The article alleges that Alshami’s business became a public nuisance, quoting Councilmember Rich Fontana on that point. It goes on to point out a few more Arab deli owners on the East Side who have been arrested for some illegality in recent years. So, time to scapegoat all immigrants  – Muslims in particular. 

When politicians promise us that Muslim migration will create small businesses and produce jobs, they forget to mention who will be paying for them. There are some 5,000 Yemeni Muslim settlers in Buffalo. Population numbers have increased as much as 242%. While the traditional population in the area declines, with Christian and Jewish populations falling, the Islamic population continues to grow, fed by refugee resettlement.

Cheerful news stories celebrate how “refugees” are “bringing Buffalo back.” The question raised by the Alshamis and so many of their compatriots is what is Muslim migration doing to Buffalo?

They move into and revitalize decimated neighborhoods. As I wrote last November, the State Department’s underlying resettlement process takes 18 — 24 months to properly vet and screen refugees coming to the US. It’s also safe to say that any refugee seeking passage to the United States from Europe will be subjected to a level of scrutiny about which you or I would become so incensed, that we would write scathing Facebook posts or Yelp reviews condemning it. 

As the Syrian refugee crisis was gearing up, local news outlets reported in September that up to 300 Syrian refugees were likely to eventually settle in western New York. (WGRZBuffalo NewsBuffalo NewsBusiness FirstWIVB). They would not simply teleport to WNY en masse to impose Sharia Law on Erie County.

Let’s go back to the Beobachter: 

Large numbers of Muslims have been dumped in the area from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Buffalo’s heritage and its working class roots are being traded for the Koran and the hijab.

That’s sort of how it works in a nation of immigrants. New immigrants come, and old immigrants hate them. New immigrants take some time to become assimilated. In the meantime, they cluster together, as Poles did in the East Side and Italians did on the West. Nothing is new under the sun. 

Buffalo is listed by the State Department as a “preferred community” for resettling migrants. Sizable numbers of Syrian Muslim migrants are headed there now. It’s even been studied by European advocates for migrants. But the cost to ordinary American neighborhoods like Lovejoy has been overlooked. Media accounts trumpet the Iraqi markets opening up, they don’t look at what those markets are up to. There are celebrations of ethnic food accompanied by the decline of local American communities.

Instead of inciting race-hatred and religious war in Lovejoy, query why Fontana or someone else hasn’t declared predatory businesses as public nuisances. This article, frankly, isn’t deserving of a detailed fisking. It’s nothing but hatred and fear, masquerading as a facile history lesson. Buffalo’s refugee population is overwhelmingly peaceful and hard-working. This article explains just how Buffalo’s refugees contribute to Buffalo’s rebirth. “The four most populous and recent refugee groups now in Buffalo are the Burmese, Bhutan, Somali, and Iraqi communities.” They wash the dishes in your restaurants, they make your black rice sushi roll, they clean visitors’ hotel rooms, and they open businesses to serve their own communities – and the community at-large – as these families struggle to make their way in a new, oft-hostile place. Bellavia’s article would treat the entrepreneurs at the West Side Bazaar like the Nazis treated the Warsaw Ghetto. It’s downright un-American. 

Buffalo has faced catastrophe before and recovered. But the question is how long will it take to salvage it from this latest invasion. America is being targeted, invaded and carved up town by town and city by city. Much as two centuries ago, Buffalo is being invaded. But the invaders are not a weapon being used by a foreign government against Americans. Instead this weapon is being wielded by our own government.

I’ll remember that next time I have pizza from an Italian shop, a pierog from a Polish place, or any ethnic food or product available from myriad shops and restaurants in the area. Every immigrant population has had to go through this kind of blind hatred, and I guess we’re still not beyond that. Here is a pretty typical comment to Bellavia’s Facebook post sharing this abhorrent “article”. 

That’s what the WASPs said about your people 100 years ago. 

Although the 10,000 refugees to western New York came here between 2003 – 2014, the article’s tags are, “destruction, Left, Obama”. 2003 to 2014

Race hate and religious war aren’t a good look, Buffalo. 

Unraveling the Mazurek Campaign

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This isn’t about Democratic factionalism anymore. Every responsible candidate with a (D) after her name wants nothing to do with Steve Pigeon and his ragtag band of upturned palmed ne’er-do-wells. In the race for District Attorney, someone has the chutzpah to accuse John Flynn of Pigeon ties, while Michael Flaherty’s campaign is literally run by Pigeon stalwarts. Time will tell whether this is all Pigeonism’s last gasp, but it goes to show you that it’s all fun and games until the indictments start rolling in. 

There is, however, one candidate – irresponsible though she may be – who doesn’t shy away from her Pigeon ties at all. Steve’s Power of Attorney, Kristy Mazurek, is running for Assembly, and her campaign finances have already been exposed as an illegal, sloppy mess. Today, she reports a negative balance of $1,545. This is not something that is allowed to happen. Campaigns can’t spend more money than they have. 

It may be at least partly attributable to the fact that Mazurek’s campaign had to refund $1,100 in illegal cash donations

For a candidate who brags about how much support she has from the community, her money seems to come from a small number of donors with predictable Pigeon affiliations. 

Mazurek has spent upwards of $11,000 on printing services for palm cards and direct mail, but one donation should raise eyebrows. Mazurek’s campaign manager dipped into a Republican-funded Steve Pigeon slush fund that he controls. 

The shadowy “WNY Freedom” PAC, using Mazurek campaign manager and Marc Panepinto staffer / Pigeon insider David Pfaff’s home address, transferred $2,000 to Mazurek in late August. This particular Pigeon-connected political action committee reports that it was funded entirely by Republican money, including Carl Paladino’s. 

Steve Pigeon set up “WNY Freedom” in late 2013, around the same time that the Preetsmas target WNY Progressive Caucus (a/k/a “AwfulPAC“) was winding its activities down. Its first donations, as the News reported, came from Carl Paladino

Buffalo developer Carl P. Paladino, who also is not suspected of any wrongdoing, said Pigeon asked him to donate $1,000 in October 2013 – immediately after the WNY Progressive Caucus raised $267,000 for opponents of candidates backed by Pigeon adversaries in Democratic headquarters.

For some reason, Carl didn’t just send a check for $1,000, but instead broke it down into five separate $200 donations made by five separate Carl-controlled LLCs, making good use of New York’s execrable LLC loophole. So, Steve says “jump”, and Carl spits, “how high?” 

WNY Freedom later raised an additional $4,700 from the Buffalo Republican Committee. 

To be clear – the only money ever used to fund the WNY Freedom PAC came from Republicans – the Buffalo committee and Carl Paladino. In fact, the Buffalo Republican Committee went broke in part thanks to its funding of a Pigeon PAC. Until now, the PAC itself has reported giving money only to a few local charitable organizations, but to no political campaign. This is false, misleading, and illegal. Firstly, if Mazurek’s 11 day pre-primary disclosure duly noted the $2,000 inflow from WNY Freedom, why hasn’t the PAC itself disclosed this amount

In fact, the WNY Freedom PAC has a habit of not disclosing donations it makes on its own books, while they appear on the books of other campaigns. Again: WNY Freedom reports only ever having raised $5,700 from any source, ever. So, explain this: 

How is it that a Steve Pigeon PAC that has only ever raised $5,700 has the wherewithal to make contributions in excess of $10,500 over the years – including $8,000 reported by the Dick Dobson for Sheriff campaign, which was the centerpiece of the AwfulPAC effort in 2013? 

And where is the Board of Elections on this? Where is the District Attorney or Attorney General on this? These aren’t some newish pikers – this PAC is run by people with decades’ worth of experience as party and campaign insiders. There is no accident here. This is not “mistakes” being “made”.  This is a deliberate scheme to circumvent the law and exploit its inherent weaknesses. Check 1003 to the Lancaster committee; Check 1004 to Mychajliw’s committee on 10/22/13. The Dobson donation was originally reported as being made from AwfulPAC itself; witness this incredible explanation: 

Who funded this? Where did it come from? Why won’t these people just follow the rules? To this day, we have no idea how WNY Freedom came up with $8,000 to give to Dick Dobson, nor has it disclosed any such contribution, or how it might have conceivably been financed. 

It’s just one of several Steve Pigeon-connected political slush funds. There are so many, even their principals have probably lost track of them all. 

By contrast, Mazurek’s opponent Monica Wallace’s campaign committee is $50,000 in the black. Wallace pledges to go to Albany to fight the sort of corruption and campaign finance irregularities that Mazurek embodies. This past weekend, County Executive Mark Poloncarz endorsed Wallace. Underscoring the import of that endorsement, Mazurek exploded, 

Kristy Mazurek today dismissed Mark Poloncarz’s endorsement of her opponent as predictable and irrelevant. “It is hard to believe that this is newsworthy,” stated Mazurek. “This guy is a career politician, a Democratic Party Boss and he doesn’t even live in the district. Why would anyone in Cheektowaga, Depew, Lancaster or Sloan care who he supports,” noted Mazurek.

*Whom. If it’s irrelevant, why comment on it? If not newsworthy, why issue a press release? Is Poloncarz a “career politician”? Hm, not really. He was a lawyer before he sought elected office. Is he a “party boss”? No. Why would people in the 143rd care whom he supports? Because he is the County Executive; they are all his constituents, and he enjoys widespread support in those communities. 

“The only endorsement I want is from voters,” declared Mazurek. “I find it comical the County Executive claims he cares about the people of the 143rd based on his recent actions,” said Mazurek. “He just slashed ALL funding to Polish Arts and Cultural organizations in the 2016 budget and battled over plans with a local landmark in Lancanster — the dam at Como Lake Park.

The issues at the dam at Como Lake Park are aesthetic in nature; silt has built up behind the dam, and Republican County Legislator Tim Morton has been very vocal in demanding that the county clean it up. To do so, however, would cost $1.5 million out of a $1.6 million parks budget, and there exists no need or political will to spend that kind of money on an issue having nothing to do with health or safety. As for the alleged slashing of “ALL funding” to Polish arts and cultural organizations in 2016, that’s a lie. Poloncarz’s administration recommended that the Polish Arts Club receive a County grant of $6,800. No one knows what Mazurek is talking about with her capitalized, “Polish Arts and Cultural” organizations. 

“Furthermore, this is the same crew that endorsed the previous Assembly member time and time again after knowing of his harassing behavior in Albany. They sent him back to Albany, with their seal of approval, to prey on more victims! They should be ashamed,” declared Mazurek

Mark Poloncarz isn’t a “crew”, and never endorsed Dennis Gabryszak. In fact, when Gabryszak’s behavior came to light, Poloncarz was among the first to demand his resignation

“Voters should know that after announcing my candidacy; I opted not to solicit any endorsements from elected officials, labor unions or special interest groups,” explained Mazurek. “For the record I’m a member of several unions, will work with all elected officials to improve our area and am looking forward to telling Albany special interest groups that my only special interest is the people who live in Cheektowaga, Depew, Lancaster and Sloan,” concluded Kristy.

She rejects endorsements from electeds, unions, and “special interest groups”.  She has only accepted the endorsement of shady, non-transparent PACs created by indictee Steve Pigeon with Republican money. 

When you look at Monica Wallace’s disclosure, they’re doing everything by the book. When you look at Mazurek’s, it’s clear that they don’t have the book, and even if they did, it’s doubtful they could read it. 

Primary Day is September 13th. Every vote counts. 

DOT to Pedestrians: Play Frogger

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Suburban arterials no longer run through farmland, yet the State Department of Transportation still treats them like rural routes. Streets like Sheridan, Transit, Niagara Falls Boulevard, Maple, and others are essentially four-plus-one lane highways, and the safety of pedestrians who have to occasionally cross them are not being adequately addressed.

Earlier this week, a man using a walker was struck by a car and killed while crossing Niagara Falls Boulevard. On Wednesday, Channel 7 posted this to Facebook: 

This person appears to be disabled and is crossing at Thistle and NFB. The closest crosswalk is a .1 mile walk south; about 1/4 mile round-trip. For someone with difficulty getting around, that’s a big detour.

On the Boulevard and other suburban arterials like it, the priority is car traffic and pedestrians don’t even have the status of an afterthought. It’s when you see Sudanese cleaning women crossing Transit to get to their bus stop from the Staybridge Suites at Sheridan, with no crosswalk within a reasonable distance. It’s when a girl is struck and killed crossing at Culpepper and Maple to get to a school playground. Could she have used the crosswalk at MacArthur? Sure. Should there be more frequent crossing locations for pedestrians to reach the school? Yes. People who don’t have cars put themselves in danger every time they cross these roads, and the DOT couldn’t care less.

Need proof? How about Channel 7 shaming this woman for trying to get from Ted’s or Anderson’s to home without taking a 1/4 mile detour south to do it. The video’s text informs you that a woman is seen crossing NFB without using a crosswalk. The walker is clearly visible, and she is accused of crossing “in the middle of traffic and without using a crosswalk”. But she is crossing at an intersection, albeit one with no crosswalk despite there being an Anderson’s and a Ted’s on the Amherst side of the street. WKBW shouldn’t be shaming a disabled woman for not detouring a quarter-mile to use a crosswalk, but query why the crosswalks are so far-between. 

I’m no expert, and I don’t know the right answer here – more crosswalks w/ HAWK signals or some other pedestrian-activated lights when needed? Introduction of roundabouts, bump-outs, or some other traffic calming to shorten the crossing distances? But to save lives, towns, the county, and the state need to investigate where people are crossing streets and plan appropriately to protect their safety. Crossings need to be improved to save lives. 

Shame the DOT and elected officials – not disabled women trying to get home from Ted’s. 

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