Aldermen clash over need to reaffirm Manchester’s status as ‘welcoming city’

Mayor and Board of Aldermen 02/08/2017 from Eli on InkLink on Vimeo.

MANCHESTER, NH – Tuesday night’s meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen ended in a moment of tension. The meeting was attended by protesters holding signs that read, “I stand with my immigrant, refugee, and Muslim brothers and sisters!” and “No human is illegal.”

According to  Eric Zulaski the protest was organized in collaboration with Granite Roots Action, New Hampshire Unites for Humanity, and Rights & Democracy NH, to protest statements made last week by Aldermen Keith Hirschmann, Ward 12, and Alderman-at-large Joe Kelly Levasseur, in favor of the national immigration ban.

The meeting opened with public comment during which several of the protesters spoke to the board about the importance of reaffirming that Manchester would remain a safe place for refugees in light of recent events out of Washington, D.C.

Prior to the meeting, Zulaski and fellow protester Kim Calhoun met with Ward 3 Alderman Patrick Long to discuss the possibility of making a statement on behalf of their cause.

Toward the end of the meeting, when Mayor Gatsas opened the floor to new business, Long issued a statement.

“I’ve received several calls with concerns from the refugee and immigrant community,” Long began, “I think that we need to reaffirm the vote that we took in becoming a ‘welcoming city’ by pledging to protect and support our residents.”

Hirschmann was the first to respond [around the one-minute mark in the above video.] “I agree that we are a welcoming city for all legal residents and all legal citizens,” he said, “but illegal immigration is a very serious issue.”

The next to respond was Levasseur who addressed Long, saying, “We already took the vote … and it was 14 to nothing … to be a welcoming city. So we’re going to do it again because why? Because politics…?”

He was referring to a formal resolution to make Manchester a welcoming city, which was brought before the board in October 2016, before the election of President Trump and his subsequent Executive Order on immigration. It passed with a full majority in the fall.

Levasseur’s statements were followed by a brief exchange between Long and Levasseur, which had to be subdued by Mayor Gatsas [around the two-minute mark in the video.]

Following discussion, Long’s resolution passed 13-1 with only Alderman Nick Pappas opposed. “My issue I took was [with] the last part of his resolution in which [Long] said that … the fear coming out of the policies of Washington is what’s causing this.”

He went on to call Long’s statement purely political in motive.

Levasseur later commented that his decision to stand with the policies of President Trump came from a standpoint of fiscal conservationism, rather than anti-humanitarianism.

“My issue is the cost. If the feds are going to send refugees into Manchester they should start paying for a portion of the cost … I don’t understand why the country keeps bringing in people without paying its own bills and taking care of its own people,” he said.

Levasseur also said he regarded Long’s decision to introduce the statement as political, “It’s just throwing more gasoline on a fire that’s blazing out of control,” Levasseur said, adding, “I wish all the protesters across the country would act the way these people did … they were civil and polite and got their point across.”

Long maintained that he was doing his part to represent the will of his constituents. “If there’s a segment of your community that’s feeling hurt, I think it’s our responsibility as city government to respond to that,” Long said.

You can watch the full exchange in the video above. Be sure to check back for complete coverage of the protest, the proposed resolution, and what’s next for Zulaski and the protesters.