Courtesy of Atif Qarni:
Attached is a letter we sent to the Potomac Nationals Front Office today.
To: Art Silber, Chairman/CEO, Potomac Nationals
From: The Coalition to Combat Discrimination
Re: April 13, 2017 Protest outside of Potomac Nationals Stadium
We are a coalition of people of color and supporting friends. Our group includes members of the African American, Latino, Muslim and other communities within Prince William County. We have a growing concern with the heated, racist rhetoric of Corey Stewart, which threatens the well-being of our community’s immigrant citizens. Your organization has been a significant donor to his political campaigns, indicating your support of his divisive message of hate.
His message creates a threat to all people of color in our community, a community where people of color make up the majority of our citizens. Our constituencies have common interests. We have a simple request of your organization:
(i) Make no more donations in support of Corey Stewart’s political campaigns.
(ii) Demonstrate your support for the immigrant community of Prince William County through public statements, and
(iii) Join with our coalition by denouncing the current 287 (g) Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and calling for the Board of County Supervisors to discontinue it.
We stand united in support of our immigrant neighbors and friends. An attack on one of us is an attack on everyone. We will resist divisive policies that unfairly target residents of our county. On Thursday April 13, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., there will be a protest outside Potomac Nationals Stadium to demonstrate solidarity with Latinos and others of color who are being, targeted by the policies and legislation of Corey Stewart.
Stewart is a big supporter of (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) ICE presence in Prince William County and wants to racially profile citizens and drive out Latino immigrants from our county. Over the last decade, Stewart has targeted the immigrant community and his rhetoric of hate has gotten worse recently.
We will cancel the protest of April 13 if Potomac Nationals Club will consider and act upon the following request by Thursday April 6, 2017. We are requesting you issue a statement to the press, your website, and your social media page stating the following points:
- Potomac Nationals Club and its ownership pledge to, make no future contributions to Corey Stewart’s political campaign because of his hateful rhetoric targeting the immigrant and color community
- Potomac Nationals Club demands that Board of County Supervisors of Prince William discontinue the Memorandum of Agreement with ICE.
Thank you. We look forward to hearing from your office by April 6, 2017.
Signed:
Prince William NAACP
La Colectiva SA
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