EASTHAMPTON — As the debate over whether to designate Easthampton as a so-called sanctuary city rages on, a Facebook thread evolved into a riveting conversation on the topic on Tuesday.
City man Ben Renaud, 29, wrote the original post on the “Easthampton MA Group Page,” which has more than 3,000 members.
“I see a lot of these fruity signs being put up all over town,” he wrote. “Let’s be clear. Not everyone is as welcoming as these signs. If you are an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, I do not welcome you! It’s not a race thing, it’s a legal thing. If you are an immigrant from some war torn s— hole and you come here expecting us to cater to your personal beliefs, I do not welcome you!”
In the post, Renaud refers to signs distributed by the Good Neighbors Project, a local nonprofit “that works to engage the community in a dialogue about immigrant rights and what it means to be a welcoming community.”
“No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor,” the signs read in English, Spanish and Arabic.
Dozens of commenters flocked to the page to post about 100 comments, expressing everything from outrage to support, confusion and even comic relief. And that’s what Renaud was hoping for, he said in an interview.
“It got people talking; it got people thinking, and hopefully it got seen,” he said.
“Not everyone in the world is going to agree with each other.”
Plenty of people did disagree, and at times the conversation turned ugly.
One commenter under the name Robert Ives commented with lines from “New Colossus,” the famous poem etched into the Statue of Liberty.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
To which a commenter under the name Peter Sax responded: “Trump’s actually already changed the inscription. Now it says ‘Check out this amazing golden torch. I have a terrific torch. Also I have a really terrific body under this tunic, so sexy and great. Billionaires welcome, but if you’re running away from a war we started, you’re a loser, go back to where you came from.’”
But Renaud, a former Marine, said this has nothing to do with Donald Trump, of whom he said he’s not a fan. Instead, he said, it’s about the law and it’s about safety.
“I do understand the struggles of people trying to get out of bad countries, bad areas and trying to make a better life for themselves,” he said, adding he also knows the path to citizenship is not easy. “But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still illegal.”
Meantime, the City Council is considering a measure that states police officers and other city officials will not work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its efforts to detain immigrants who have not otherwise committed a crime. Many leaders around the country, including those in Northampton, argue that detainer requests issued by ICE run afoul of the Fourth Amendment and constitute an unfunded mandate.
Renaud said he’s concerned that the status would mean the city would no longer receive federal funding — a threat Trump has made.
“If that happens it’s kind of a big deal,” he said. “All that just to protect people who did not enter this country legally.”
Renaud said he’s not racist, that his concerns about his community’s safety stem from a steady tide of terrorism sweeping the globe. He said he does not seek to welcome people into Easthampton who bring with them dangerous ideals. He said his eight years spent as a Marine — including two seven-month tours in Afghanistan — showed him that left-handed gestures get you shot and women are treated as property in other cultures.
“The only time that it becomes an issue for me, is when that religion gets put in my face, when their practices start to impact me and the people I care about,” he said. “I don’t want to see people who are already in this town treat people coming to this town poorly because of skin color. I don’t care where you’re from. I only care that you add to the collective safety of our town.”
Though Renaud had a few supporters in the thread, most were detractors who argued his points were xenophobic. Jeff Napolitano, director of the American Friends Service Committee and proponent of the Easthampton measure, said Tuesday that racism lies at the core of Renaud’s comments.
“When the guy who posted this talks about head scarves and rules for women, that sort of makes it clear the fundamental problem that we’re grappling with, here, is racism,” he said.
“I think when it gets down to it, this fear of other people is a serious problem with a significant number of people in Easthampton. It’s a problem with a significant number of people everywhere — I’ve seen lots of division in communities — but Easthampton is grappling with something that is going to take a while to heal and address.”
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.