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Myrie: Jamaican workers owed an apology
Leamington mayor dealt with a serious issue in the wrong way
ByEvelyn Myrie
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When Mayor John Paterson of Leamington told reporters a few weeks ago that harassment carried out by Jamaican migrant workers was like a "cancer" in his community, it got a lot of people angry. And rightly so.
When I called to ask him why he would say such a thing, he told me he did not use the word "cancer" (the word was used in a direct quote from him at the police services board in several media), but admits that he was angry that Jamaican migrant workers are harassing the women in the town to the point that he had to take the issue to his local police board.
I gather from the mayor that his daughter and other women in the town of Leamington are being barraged with cat calls from "Jamaican" male migrant workers and that they were afraid of venturing into town to get on with their lives because of these men. He wanted to put a stop to the harassment. Not only did he take the issue to the police board meeting, he also proposed a no loitering bylaw to prohibit migrant workers from hanging out downtown. When asked about the perception of what he was doing, he defended his stance by telling reporters he was not racist. "Not to be bigoted, not to be racist, not to be anything, it is directly related to some of the Jamaican migrant workers that are here"
The response from the mayor is disturbing to say the least. And here is why: He castigated a whole group of people in his accusation — and he failed to deal with the issue at the individual level. It's easier to condemn a whole nationality of workers who have arrived in the community each year for the past 50 years to do jobs that no one else wants to do. Cheap labour and deplorable working conditions abound.
By choosing to condemn an identifiable group or nationality … the mayor comment is fuelling hate against these workers.
The response is a classic one: It's divisive as it sets up the dichotomy of "us" vs. 'them." The perpetrators of the alleged sexual harassment are not "of us"; they are foreign.
The issue of sexual harassment is real for women across this country. Unwanted attention and harassment are unacceptable and should not be tolerated whether done by someone who is new to Canada or a long-time resident. But instead of addressing the complaint, the mayor capitalized on the growing anti-migrant sentiment that's rearing its ugly head in towns like Leamington, which sees more than 5,000 migrant workers (about 20 per cent from Jamaica and 80 per cent from Mexico and other Caribbean nations) arrive in their town of 28,000 each year for the farming season.
By choosing to condemn an identifiable group or nationality instead of the alleged individual perpetrator(s), the mayor's comment is fuelling hate against these workers.
As an avid women's equality advocate, I welcome steps to end all kinds of oppression against women. The mayor and council would make great advocates for equality — but not in this manner. Stereotyping and pitting residents against migrant workers is a highly irresponsible way to bring justice for women and any others.
The mayor's castigating remarks on the workers leave groups like Justicia for Migrant Workers wondering if this was truly about sexual harassment or was there more than meets the eye. The group that advocates for the rights of migrant workers sent a letter to the mayor highlighting what they and others see as a pattern of anti-migrant workers actions in Leamington. This makes them wonder if the recent remarks by the mayor are not about harassment but another attack on these workers. The letter reads:
"In the past several years, the open hostility that your council has shown towards migrant workers represents the most blatant displays of anti-migrant sentiments we have ever witnessed. Recent comments in the media, have disparaged the use of public library facilities by migrant workers; made allegations that there are too many migrant workers 'loitering' downtown; and criticized the presence of too many 'ethnic' businesses serving the migrant worker community. In each instance 'cultural differences' have been used to justify the wider community's adverse reaction to the presence of large groups of migrant workers in visible local spaces."
Read the rest here...
Myrie: Jamaican workers owed an apology
Leamington mayor dealt with a serious issue in the wrong way
ByEvelyn Myrie
SEE MOREarticles from this author
When Mayor John Paterson of Leamington told reporters a few weeks ago that harassment carried out by Jamaican migrant workers was like a "cancer" in his community, it got a lot of people angry. And rightly so.
When I called to ask him why he would say such a thing, he told me he did not use the word "cancer" (the word was used in a direct quote from him at the police services board in several media), but admits that he was angry that Jamaican migrant workers are harassing the women in the town to the point that he had to take the issue to his local police board.
I gather from the mayor that his daughter and other women in the town of Leamington are being barraged with cat calls from "Jamaican" male migrant workers and that they were afraid of venturing into town to get on with their lives because of these men. He wanted to put a stop to the harassment. Not only did he take the issue to the police board meeting, he also proposed a no loitering bylaw to prohibit migrant workers from hanging out downtown. When asked about the perception of what he was doing, he defended his stance by telling reporters he was not racist. "Not to be bigoted, not to be racist, not to be anything, it is directly related to some of the Jamaican migrant workers that are here"
The response from the mayor is disturbing to say the least. And here is why: He castigated a whole group of people in his accusation — and he failed to deal with the issue at the individual level. It's easier to condemn a whole nationality of workers who have arrived in the community each year for the past 50 years to do jobs that no one else wants to do. Cheap labour and deplorable working conditions abound.
By choosing to condemn an identifiable group or nationality … the mayor comment is fuelling hate against these workers.
The response is a classic one: It's divisive as it sets up the dichotomy of "us" vs. 'them." The perpetrators of the alleged sexual harassment are not "of us"; they are foreign.
The issue of sexual harassment is real for women across this country. Unwanted attention and harassment are unacceptable and should not be tolerated whether done by someone who is new to Canada or a long-time resident. But instead of addressing the complaint, the mayor capitalized on the growing anti-migrant sentiment that's rearing its ugly head in towns like Leamington, which sees more than 5,000 migrant workers (about 20 per cent from Jamaica and 80 per cent from Mexico and other Caribbean nations) arrive in their town of 28,000 each year for the farming season.
By choosing to condemn an identifiable group or nationality instead of the alleged individual perpetrator(s), the mayor's comment is fuelling hate against these workers.
As an avid women's equality advocate, I welcome steps to end all kinds of oppression against women. The mayor and council would make great advocates for equality — but not in this manner. Stereotyping and pitting residents against migrant workers is a highly irresponsible way to bring justice for women and any others.
The mayor's castigating remarks on the workers leave groups like Justicia for Migrant Workers wondering if this was truly about sexual harassment or was there more than meets the eye. The group that advocates for the rights of migrant workers sent a letter to the mayor highlighting what they and others see as a pattern of anti-migrant workers actions in Leamington. This makes them wonder if the recent remarks by the mayor are not about harassment but another attack on these workers. The letter reads:
"In the past several years, the open hostility that your council has shown towards migrant workers represents the most blatant displays of anti-migrant sentiments we have ever witnessed. Recent comments in the media, have disparaged the use of public library facilities by migrant workers; made allegations that there are too many migrant workers 'loitering' downtown; and criticized the presence of too many 'ethnic' businesses serving the migrant worker community. In each instance 'cultural differences' have been used to justify the wider community's adverse reaction to the presence of large groups of migrant workers in visible local spaces."
Read the rest here...
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