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Norfolk/Wrentham - Local Town Pages

Guest Column New Shelter will Negatively Impact Norfolk

By J. Olivieri 
I am part of a group of residents which calls itself “The Concerned Citizens of Norfolk.” This submission is in response to the article titled “The Community Responds” by Joe Stewart, which ran in the July edition of this paper. I’d like to provide readers with a more balanced view of the issue.
Our group’s goals are driven by the following core values:
1) We support LEGAL immigration but not illegal immigration.
2) We believe tax dollars should be prioritized for U.S. citizens and veterans who are homeless and need help.
3) Kids and migrant families are NOT to blame for their presence in our town. Our politicians are.
4) Children, pregnant women and families do not belong in an unsafe, overcrowded environment (e.g. prison) with water, rodent and/or other health and safety issues.
5) Norfolk’s safety and quality of education should not be compromised because of the Norfolk shelter.
6) Neither should the town of Norfolk be responsible for higher taxes and costs to maintain the public safety of the town or to maintain the quality of education in the schools due to the presence of the Norfolk shelter.
7) We have no other political agenda and are solely focused on the issues listed above.
In the published article, it states that the reason the Norfolk Strong individuals were compelled to get involved was because “We’re all immigrants or descendants of immigrants.”  It still amazes me that many people and organizations either cannot discern the difference between legal and illegal immigration or choose to ignore the difference. I am willing to bet that most of their ancestors (like mine) were legal immigrants. Why is that important? If you desire to enter the United States because you respect this country, and you desire to seek relief from oppression, or make a better life for yourself and your family and enjoy more freedom, would your first act be to break its laws? How does “jumping the line” give you the self-respect you need to eventually become an American? Do you even want to be an American or just be in America?
Impact
The Norfolk Temporary Emergency Shelter was approved for 405 individuals in a town of 11,000. Norfolk will be impacted the most of any of the 90+ plus towns in MA based on our population. It would be like sending 25,000 migrants to Boston. We have no physical space in our schools, no sidewalks or streetlights except in the center of town, and one traffic light. The town center is two miles from the shelter, with no sidewalks. There is one drugstore, one House of Pizza and several small businesses that are only open in the daytime. So we contend that there are better locations.
Safety of the Shelter
The Norfolk Board of Health and the Norfolk Select Board have requested an environmental study, including a complete analysis of the water system at the site (which is shared by the largest medium security prison in the state right next door). This request was based on the amount of lead in the water which has quadrupled since 2021. The state’s response was that everything “is within limits” even though families with young children and pregnant women will be located there. The EPA and DEP say that this population is most susceptible to lead, and the goal should be 0. When I contacted the Deputy Director of the DEP, she said “If it’s good enough for the prisoners at the site, it’s good enough for the migrants.” Also, the facility was designed for 277, but the State approved it for 405. If there is illness at the site, such as the flu, there is more likelihood of spread. Why is no one concerned about the safety of the migrants? Where is Norfolk Strong?     
Safety of the Town
One of the people interviewed in the article “highlighted that residents have a stark choice: either embrace these people or reject them.” This seems to be a simplistic, naïve approach to a complex problem in today’s world. Many, if not most of the migrants flowing through our open border have not been vetted despite the state telling us that they have been. There have been many stories in the news over the past several weeks about migrants committing acts of violence and murder. Or eight ISIS members who were recently arrested. Is this fear mongering? No. Most migrants are non-violent. However, since we have let in almost 10 million migrants over the past 3 ½ years, if only one tenth of one percent (0.1%) of them are violent then that would amount to 10,000 people who want to do us harm.  

Summary 
The State of MA is being very generous, giving English lessons, clothing, 3 meals a day, free health care, transportation, cellphones and debit cards. Many veterans and ordinary Americans wish they had these benefits, but they don’t. The politicians are running this program and, as usual, not very well.
Opinions expressed in the Guest Column do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.