On February 23rd, over 60 people gathered in the Greenport Firehouse to vote on a resolution declaring the village to be a welcoming community. The resolution, which was first proposed by Trustee Doug Roberts at a previous board meeting, passed, making the town’s welcoming status official.
The resolution includes the following: “By recognizing and applauding the contributions that we all make to sustain and enhance our already vibrant culture and growing economy, we continue to make our community more prosperous and more inclusive to all who call it home.” Mr. Roberts explained that the resolution was a symbolic statement of what the community stands for, one that was important to get down on paper.
“Nearly 20 percent of village residents are under the threat of deportation as a result of the recent executive orders executed by President Trump with respect to immigration…The vast majority of these people are decent, hard working people trying to make a life for their families and their children,” Former Mayor Dave Kapell told the crowd, “Their labor is the backbone of the village and North Fork economy. Without them, the village economy will tank and the school will [be] forced to close.”
While many residents at the meeting were glad that the resolution had passed, they also worried about the hateful rhetoric that is circulating across the country. “If Trump has done nothing else, he’s brought out all the ugliness in America,” Lynn Edwards, a Greenport resident, told The Suffolk Times.
