Let’s resolve not to play the blame game
Most of us here in Garfield County believe in treating each other like neighbors, no matter what we look like or where we come from. We know our community is stronger and safer when we take the time to get to know one another, and when we respect and support one another.
The Garfield County Commissioners’ recent “non-sanctuary” resolution undermines these values. The resolution invokes racist stereotypes and divisive rhetoric that can foster fear and resentment between neighbors. It blames immigrants for all sorts of community ills while doing nothing to actually move us toward solutions.
The newcomer immigrants that arrived in Carbondale last fall were drawn to the area by the large number of day labor jobs that continue to be offered in unincorporated Garfield County. Many qualify and have applied for Temporary Protective Status so they can work here legally. While their applications are being processed, many are homeless.
Carbondale Mayor Ben Bohmfalk explained that their town council had considered a “do nothing” approach in response to the situation, but decided against it once they realized the likely consequences of doing nothing — from overwhelming law enforcement officers to people freezing to death sleeping outside in the winter months. The town chose a “do something” approach instead. As a next step, they are planning a regional conversation around the issue. The commissioners have said they do not plan to participate. Sound familiar?
Instead, the commissioners passed a resolution which takes no concrete action, promotes racial profiling, and targets immigrants as a catch-all villain for the challenges facing our communities.
Blaming immigrants and people of color for our country’s struggles has become a popular national trend among some lawmakers. The same week that Samson introduced his “non-sanctuary” resolution, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) featured racist stereotypes of immigrants as a central theme in her melodramatic rebuttal to President Biden’s State of the Union Address.
Britt exploited the story of Karla Jacinto, who was sex-trafficked as a young girl, to criticize Biden’s border policy, deceptively implying that the sex traffickers were immigrants to our country. In fact, Jacinto’s abuse happened in Mexico between 2004-2008 and had nothing to do with Biden or his border policy.
This kind of baseless slandering of immigrants of color is typical among MAGA Republicans who would prefer that we spend our time attacking immigrants rather than looking at these lawmakers’ voting records or the fact that the current Republican-controlled Congress has been one of the most unproductive and dysfunctional in American history. The infighting and chaos within the House Republican majority, including repeatedly turning against their own leadership, has kept them from having much time for actual lawmaking.
Nowhere is MAGA Republicans’ lack of action more evident than around border policy. The staunchly conservative Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) represented Republicans in the border bill negotiations earlier this year. The bipartisan bill Lankford helped to negotiate included most of the measures Republicans have been demanding.
Nevertheless, Trump commanded Republican legislators to reject the bill because he didn’t want to lose his favorite campaign talking point of hammering the Democrats on their border policies. Most Republican lawmakers bowed to Trump’s demand. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) stated outright that he was opposed to a bipartisan border bill because it could help Biden’s approval rating.
When the border bill was released, many Republican legislators went on social media feigning alarm at the bill’s content, even though Lankford admitted he had briefed those legislators on the bill’s specifics weeks beforehand.
Less than two weeks after Republicans killed the bipartisan border bill, the three Garfield County Commissioners each took the opportunity at their February 20 meeting to take a jab at the Biden administration’s border policy, as if Republicans in D.C. hadn’t just killed a bill which would have tightened the border.
We rely on our local elected officials to make a positive impact on our lives, not to simply blame others for our struggles. In some Colorado counties, commissioners have taken concrete actions to increase the number of early childcare providers in their counties; in others, commissioners have established improved systems for communication with residents during wildfire emergencies.
Meanwhile, Garfield County commissioners repeatedly let childcare credits from the state go unused and drag their feet when they’re invited to participate in regional efforts to address wildfire safety, affordable housing, public transportation, traffic, or homelessness.
We have elections coming up in November. Together we can elect commissioners who have the energy and desire to roll up their sleeves, collaborate with others, and take concrete actions that improve our communities and foster a mutual respect among neighbors.
Debbie Bruell of Carbondale chairs the Garfield County Democrats and is a past member of the Roaring Fork Schools Board of Education.
