Paris attacks

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

<snip>To plunk them in Detroit, where they don’t have the support of a community similar to themselves,
expecting them to find employment paying enough for a family to live on,
no less rehab an abandon (and likely gutted house), is ludicrous. <snip>

The concept of settling refugees in Detroit was only one of several presented in my earlier post.
I don't remember having previously seen or read about such an idea.
But as this tread has developed, I did a search in Google News.
Guess what ! The concept was not original with me.

Here is one article from just last September... It includes a reference to an opinion piece
published in May of 2015: Let Syrians Settle Detroit

It is just a little ironic that the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder,
who now is a GOP ringleader of this witch hunt, was a serious advocate
of welcoming Syrian refugees into Michigan, and specifically settling them in Detroit.

Syrian refugees eager to build new lives in metro Detroit
Detroit Free Press - Niraj Warikoo, - September 30, 2015
Up to 100 Syrian refugees have arrived in Michigan this year, with more expected in coming months.

Gazing through his living room window in a quiet block in Garden City,
a 48-year-old Syrian refugee ponders his new life in America.
"In Syria, there's no safety; it's too dangerous," Moustafa Assad said
from a sparsely furnished home he rents, with his two sons sitting next to him on his couch.
"At least here, it's safe for them. There's no war. ... I want to stay here
for my kids' future so they can go to school and learn."

Assad's hopes are echoed by up to 100 Syrian refugees who have arrived in Michigan this year,
one of almost 1,500 who came to the U.S. in 2015, fleeing Syria's four-year civil war and refugee camps.

In Michigan, state officials, elected representatives and Arab-American social service agencies
are keen to welcome refugees, saying they could help the region and repopulate areas like Detroit.

An opinion piece in the New York Times in May, cowritten by a Stanford University professor
who called for bringing Syrian refugees to Detroit, has sparked discussion about how refugees could help the city.

"This will add to the population of Detroit," said Haifa Fakhouri, president of the Arab American and Chaldean Council.
"And it will bring economic benefits."

Fakhouri, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Gov. Rick Snyder say the state should be welcoming.
On Tuesday, Snyder said that refugees can be an asset to Michigan's economy,
saying that some of them "were professionals; they were people who hire people and tend to create jobs."

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said through a spokesman that "everyone is welcome in Detroit, including refugees from Syria.

My point is that quite a few government officials and community leaders
have looked into and supported this is as a valid concept for Detroit.

At least until the GOP scare tacticians got busy...
BE AFRAID ... BE AFRAID ... BE AFRAID


Yes, I know. I have cherry picked items for this post.

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