The majority of the Somali community will be leaving Emporia as a result of Tyson Foods’ decision to end its slaughter operation in the city.
Fardusa Council, a prominent leader of the Somali community, essentially confirmed what City Manager Matt Zimmerman told the city commission at its study session Wednesday morning. Zimmerman told the commission the Somalis would be leaving; Council said the majority would be, but didn't know exactly how many.
Council said the Somali workers at Tyson, most of whom work in slaughter, will all be eligible for transfers to other Tyson facilities.
“So that’s the determination, that most of them will be making the transfers to whatever offers them a job,” she said.
Tyson announced in a release Wednesday that it was concluding its second shift slaughter operations at the end of the day, and that second shift processing would end Friday. The company hasn't yet announced when first shift slaughter work will end. Tyson had originally said all affected operations would end within a few weeks after last Friday’s announcement.
Council, who came to Emporia from Norfolk, Neb., said she doesn’t yet know when the Somalis will leave, where the majority of them will be going, or even where she is going to end up. Many came from Minnesota, Council said, as well as Ohio and Washington state.
She said those wishing to leave Emporia who don’t get jobs at other Tyson facilities would return to where they lived before they came here.
“That’s what they told me: ‘We don’t have a job, there’s no job here, what are we staying here for?’” Council said. “See, they came here solely for the job. And if the jobs are cut, then they have no reason, they said, to stay. They would rather be with their families back in the states they came from.”
In the first public announcement of the Somali departure, Zimmerman told the city commission Wednesday morning about hearing the news via an e-mail exchange with Mohamed Abdurahman, the recently appointed Somali refugee coordinator for Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services.
“As I understand it from him, there was a lot of concern in the community about how are... the Somali community going to have some economic security?” Zimmerman said. "Because this has happened to them twice now.”
Abdurahman couldn’t be reached on Wednesday.
About 400 Somalis are employed at the Emporia facility for Tyson, which announced that the closing of the slaughter operation would result in about 1,500 jobs lost.
An estimated 750 Somalis live in Emporia. Many often frequent the Ayan Cafe on 12th Street. Dahir Issa, a Kenyan who works at the cafe, said Wednesday it would be closing sometime around Feb. 15.
“If there’s no Tyson, our business is going down,” he said. “Virtually all the customers we get, (we) get that from Tyson.”
Issa came to Emporia with a diverse group of refugees from Columbus, Ohio, where he still has family. He said he would return there.
“I know I can go to a big city and do what I want to do,” he said.
Zimmerman said that, even as Emporia loses jobs as a result of the Tyson layoffs, the city is trying not to lose population, and as such was disappointed to learn the Somalis would be leaving.
“But at the same time, we know there’s going to be an impact, and this is simply part of that,” he said. “And I hope that they, by and large, felt welcomed.
“I was gratified that I’ve heard from several different locations that it was an economic choice, not a cultural choice.”
antmarching (anonymous) says...
Next up on the Emporia agenda:
1. No more rap music.
2. No more laughing.
3. No more talking.
January 30, 2008 at 12:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
Although I'm sure we'll hear from people who are thrilled the Somalis are leaving, let's think of what it would be like to settle in a town, then get laid off. You move with the company... and you're laid off again.
January 30, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hillbilly (anonymous) says...
Ok,, let me be the first to say what a LOT of you wanted to say but would not because of what the perfect ones will say about you in these forums..........
GOOD they are leaving!~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
there, I will probably have to change my username now, lets see how many more will say what they REALLY want to say, go ahead and admit that the real reason was, the somolians being here, that all of these posts were ever made in the first place, it was just that everyone tried to put a spin on there comments to sound acceptable. good, the warlords have decided to pull up camp and move on.
January 30, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
Just wonder what all these poor Klansmen are gonna do on their Saturday nights now that there's no one to whine about.
Guess they'll have to find another group to hate. Any word on any Jews or Arabs moving to Emporia??
What a bunch of backwards thinking hicks.
How's that hillbilly, I just said what I REALLY wanted to say.
January 30, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
smith_ron (anonymous) says...
Actually, Hillbilly, your name says it all.
January 30, 2008 at 1:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rcakmon (anonymous) says...
Well said, Joe.
January 30, 2008 at 1:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tillie (anonymous) says...
Houndi, you are correct.
January 30, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
Just because people weren't necessarily thrilled about the Somalis moving here doesn't make them racist. At the same time, the Somalis are who have been taking the worst shafting from Tyson through this entire thing. I feel sorry for them, my own family were immigrants to this nation 125 years ago.
Everybody needs to drop the whole race thing now...the Somalis are leaving,it is official. Emporia and the entire area has much bigger problems to deal with, and the Somalis may be the first of many people to decide to relocate.
January 30, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JayJazz (anonymous) says...
Good riddance! Don't let the door hit you in the arse!
I grew up in Emporia when it was actually a nice place to live. Maybe once the trash leaves town with Tyson it can become a decent place again.
January 30, 2008 at 2:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
outsidethebox (anonymous) says...
Now that the problem with the Somalis has been resolved, Emporia can now focus on the real problems at hand. Dogs riding in the back of trucks, the Mexicans, and continue to save the fairgrounds.
January 30, 2008 at 2:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I feel very sorry for the people who moved here for Tyson only to be told, "too bad, so sad, want to try another town/state?" On the other hand, I am relieved that I don't have to worry about what disease may have been brought into the community and poor driving skills. But it sure isn't worth the slam to all the workers and the local economy. How many families will lose their entire income or their primary income? What choice do they have but to relocate where jobs are? You CAN'T live on minimum wage. I tried it in college when cost of living was lower and lived on ramen noodles and bologna with no tv or anything. The "workforce" that Zimmerman thinks will draw new business here will go where the work is not hang around and starve in the streets waiting for a nebulous future job. Get real! Emporia is in big trouble. If Dolly folds the town may well follow. Lets add Dolly to our prayers along with the soon to be displaced Tyson workers.
January 30, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tillie (anonymous) says...
Alfalfa, the worst shafting has been experienced by the Somalians??? I beg to differ. What about people who've been at Tyson for 20 or so years and lived in, owned homes in and supported the Emporia community all that while???
January 30, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hillbilly (anonymous) says...
great, thanks for your fast responses, points are well taken, come on, there has to be more who really want to say what they really feel, how about those of you who were more worried about the cost to the city and county and continued to say that it WASNT the solomians , only that you had community concerns. yes, ronnie, i am impressed by your little comment, your so special,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and thank you to joe for your thoughts also.
you all just didn't get do you.......... oh well
January 30, 2008 at 2:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
I agree Tillie, I misspoke on that one. Everyone who is out of work got a shafting absolutely. What I was trying to say is, whether you liked them or not, the Somalis have been a pawn in this game. They came to this country like millions of people before trying to find a better life, and they are getting used, cussed just like immigrants have always been. But you are absolutely right, people who have worked for Tyson their entire lives got a worse deal than the Somalis, I should have thought my comment out a little more. I am going to stick to my guns on the idea that you didn't have to be happy about the Somalis coming here, that doesn't make you a racist. They brought some things with them alot of people didn't like, and this is America, we have a right to our feelings. Given time, they probably would have worked into the community and been accepted. It doesn't really matter now, does it. By the time all these new jobs arrive, most people affected by this will have moved on.
January 30, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
I get it perfectly Hillbilly.
Bigotry is easy to get, just hard to understand.
I've experienced the poor driving, and some of the other issues that people have whined about. Is that a reason to hate someone?
People try to hide their bigotry behind "health issues" and "poor driving." While these may or may not be legitimate concerns these, in my opinion, are only fronts. If the issues people claim are the reasons that people don't like having the Somalians here didn't exist, then some other reason would have been thrown out there. Excuses man, excuses.
Well Hillbilly, I guess you and some others in Emporia can put your hoods back in moth balls for a while.
January 30, 2008 at 2:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JayJazz (anonymous) says...
Hey Strummer... if you like them so much, why don't you just follow them out of town.
Damn! I just washed my hood again with my red underwear... I hate it when that happens.
January 30, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hillbilly (anonymous) says...
that was the point I was trying to make the joee, people do HIDE behind words, oh well you know me better than I do , where do I get one of those hoods ?? , and Jay, its people like joe who will make me agree with you..........
January 30, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
Not a problem Jay, i'm sure you'll find a new use for that hood soon. People like you and Hillbilly can't go long without finding someone else to hate.....I hear the Chinese student population has increased at ESU......i'm sure they've never seen a burning cross.
Wouldn't it be easier for you to move?? Finding a white bread backwards thinking town would probably be easier then cleansing Emporia of all races sans Aryan.
January 30, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JC (anonymous) says...
What an odd conversation. Where's the compassion?
January 30, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
Hillbilly, if I misunderstood you, then I apologize.
I went back and re-read your first post. I didn't catch the sarcasm the first time around.
That said.....my points are still valid, just not in your direction....I hope.
January 30, 2008 at 3:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
77flint (anonymous) says...
DORKS!
January 30, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Spenser (anonymous) says...
And unfortunately, Hillbilly is legally allowed to vote.
January 30, 2008 at 4:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
phiber101 (anonymous) says...
As a person who grew up in Emporia and have lived (and visited) many different countries, I know what it feels like to be talked down to by living in a country in which I don't speak the language. As I type this, I'm writing this from Germany. I know first hand how the Somalians feel while being discriminated against; however, after coming back to Emporia to visit I've seen the affect their community has had on the town and the people. I personally haven't seen the benefits that the Somalians have had on the community as a whole. They have put money into the economy of course, but I'm sure that the people who would have gotten those jobs if they weren't relocated there in the first place would've made just as much of an impact. I know that working at Tyson's isn't a job most want, but it pays the bills. Tyson is using the Somalians as cheap labor where most big business' would. I'm at a standstill on this one.......so I guess I'm riding the fence!
January 30, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jmb232 (anonymous) says...
OK Folks tell us how you really feel! Seriously, they came to town under less than honest circumstanses. There were a few and then hundreds, some with diseases.(TB) Organizations tried to put a positive spin on persons that were rude to our citizens (particularly women). Their attitude showed through in their driving. Their practices of not using toilet paper and sanitary feminine products while working in a plant where they handled food is just beyond all common sense and safety practices. What on earth did people think was going to happen. The Tyson shut down had "nothing" to do with all this? I got some ocean front property in Olpe for sale?
January 30, 2008 at 4:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
truelovecharlie (anonymous) says...
The only issue I have with immigrants is their refusal to speak our language. I would never dream of moving to another country without mastering the language of said country first. The immigrants come here to do te jobs we Americans feel are beneath us to do. One thing the immigrants don't do is try to tell everyone else where they can smoke, where they can live, what conditions they can live under. If you people think we still live in a free society you are all dilutional. No one has any freedoms anymore because the upper class in this society feels the need to make everyone else conform to how THEY think one should live. As for jobs, there are still planty of jobs all across the nation for those that WANT to work. Move to the Larned area. There are many jobs always available at the Prison and the hospital that start out paying $26,000 plus a year. Housing is very reasonable in the area. A house that would run around $100,000 in Emporia would sell for around $40,000. Many homes are available for less than $30,000. Property taxes are very reasonable. Many times in life one has to GO TO opportunities not just sit around waiting for opportunity to knock on their door. I assure you, I could move back to Emporia tomorrow and make a good living because I WANT to work and I'm willing to work as hard as it takes to make a living and I don't expect great pay for mediocre work. Anyone can make it whereever they are at if tey are realistic and willing to live within the means they are truly worth.
January 30, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JohnDoe (anonymous) says...
The Somalis leaving is probably best for everyone, them included. Unfortunately, as so many others have cited, what caused their departure is catastrophic for the Emporia community. Many people have commented that "Emporia used to be a great town" typically following up with assorted negative remarks on the current status. Emporia still is a great community today. Change has certainly occurred but that happens everywhere.
Feel free to celebrate the Somalis leaving but don't forget there are bigger issues at hand. Chalk it up to experience and we can move on. Mr. Zimmerman & co can't fix this alone. The time is now to help our neighbors and improve the community.
January 30, 2008 at 4:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawks422 (anonymous) says...
It's a shame in this day and age to hear all the racial and hatered overtones. All of you citizens of Emporia will suffer at the hands of bigots...that includes the ones who institutionalize racism from the dirtback redneck all the way up to your white collared city commissioner. I'm so glad I left that community over 10 years ago, I couldn't stand all the B.S. that occurs there. Bad Karma has set in because what goes around has just came back around to bite Emporians in the butt. It's hard enough to lose your job but to have bigotry piled on top is a disgrace. Emporia will be least likely to land any companies now that the bigotry has been uncovered and so much of it, is really a complete shame!!!
January 30, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eddison2 (anonymous) says...
I THINK Spenser said it the best :)
January 30, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Renegade (anonymous) says...
Blame the Government, Catholic Charities and TYSON for what happened to the Refugees. They were brought to Emporia and "dumped" ...Thank goodness for all the people in the ERRA that tried to help them.
The Refugees were brought to Emporia by TYSON...they took jobs that apparently our locals didn't qualify for( so they say).....and, Tyson wouldn't rehire anyone that wanted to go back to work.
I, for one, fought against the Refugees...Not because of any racism or hatred of them, but because they were victims of Tyson too. They were brought to our Country...and with the help of Catholic Charities, dumped in Emporia...They would never have assimilated, because the elders wouldn't let them.
First they stopped off at Norfolk, Nebraska...then sent to Emporia, Kansas.
Now they are going...Tyson is going...The Refugees will follow Tyson and go through the same awful experience in another town...probably with TYSON.
Someone posted that Emporia hadn't grown in years....Well, that's because we put all our " eggs in one basket"...TYSON....and, now we don't know what to do.
Factories, and Manufacturing plants, are not the answer anymore...They are disappearing...This is 2008.
So lets find some new businesses, and, listen to people with a Vision....and move on. Maybe we can keep our ESU College Graduates here, in the near future.
Emporia will grow....and, if any of you has some disposable income, and want to invest....Buy property in Emporia!! Interest rates are going down, and property value in Emporia will go up in the next 5 years....Now, that we have the opportunity to GROW.
Anyone wanta bet?
If I sound optimistic, I AM....I feel sorry for anyone going through a job loss...and for anyone that is the victim of TYSON. (which, includes all of us)!!!!!
January 30, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
morethenenough (anonymous) says...
VICTIM.......>>???? IF anyone took the time to know a samolian they might hear the heart ache of what A VICTIM really has gone thru from a war torn country.......
TYSON provided jobs for people that needed JOBS....as with all WHO work there.......
TYSON is a company.....that has bills to pay as every other person or business here.......business decisions are made for reasons YOU or I cant or will not understand from this level as with ANY COMPANY......
TYSON is not gone...........THEY ARE still THE largest employer IN TOWN.......get off the victim cry and start encouraging a company thats TRYING to survive in TODAYS economics let alone a worl of hate......THERE are still many here in town WHO have JOBS at TYSON...STOP making it harder for those employees WHO are DOING THEIR job.
January 30, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
Im not racist but the fact is I really didnt believe this community was suited for such people in many ways. All I am going to say on the matter is......When in Rome!!!! And they didnt want our Rome, they wanted their own ways and expected us to change to accomadate.
How in the world are the banks cash machines going to fit all the languages that we are expected to learn except English?
January 30, 2008 at 6:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hillbilly (anonymous) says...
morethenenough, just for your information, tyson is NOT the largest employer in emporia now,
!. Dolly Madison
2. ESU
3. tyson.
yea yea, go ahead tell me that dolly will close, probably not before tyson does!!!!!!.
January 30, 2008 at 6:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
etown (anonymous) says...
Wow! Based on some of the ignorant comments here, makes me glad I no longer live in Emporia. Instead of complaining about the race of people hired for jobs, why don't you direct your anger towards the companies that drive down the wages. Then again, that might require some effort on your part. Probably best the Somalis go to a larger city where the focus and paranoia won't be so strong.
January 30, 2008 at 6:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
been_there (anonymous) says...
Actually HILLBILLY - if the Gazette was correct in the numbers they reported in Saturday's paper and if my calculations are correct, TYSON is STILL the largest employer in Emporia,
Tyson 2365 - 1500 = 865
ESU - 791
USD 253 - 783
Dolly - 682
NRH - 549
And it 'aint over til the fat lady sings!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crap, now I'm being racist!
January 30, 2008 at 7:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dontwannaknow (anonymous) says...
1) Hillbilly you are stupid...get a life. 2) Tyson is scandalous. 3) That was a lot of comments and some were not even worth reading. Did some of these people finish Jr High?
January 30, 2008 at 7:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
I have another simple question: The original layoff statement said Tyson would be "offering bonuses and incentives for QUALIFIED employees who are willing to transfer ".
This article says "Somali workers .... will ALL be eligible for transfers to other Tyson facilities"
Just asking - are ALL employees affected eligible for transfer, or just ALL Somalians?
Again, I'm just asking for clarification....
January 30, 2008 at 8:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Emporia_Spartan (anonymous) says...
Everyone in Emporia has been victimized by Tyson, some more than others, obviously. Tyson doesn't care about its employees or the communities in which it locates. It seems like a totally disjointed way of doing business and unfair to everyone to make an announcement to fire 1500 people; have no help for them in place, and then change the date of stoppage -- all within one week. My heart goes out to all of the affected workers, and I hope that they can find work here or elsewhere very soon. Emporia will recover, but we need to support our Emporia-based businesses rather than shopping in Topeka or Wichita. We may spend more, but perhaps we can strengthen our town. I'm not sure how much money will go out of Emporia because I'm not sure how much of the Tyson earnings were spent in Emporia -- have you been at the post office or Western Union locations when the Tyson workers have been paid and are sending money orders out of the country? I have witnessed A LOT of money flowing out of Emporia, so it's just something to ponder. Also, I hope that the city commission will work hard to attract businesses that will utilize the skilled and well-educated graduates of FHTC and ESU rather than the lower-skilled workers. That is the real way to keep our graduates in the community instead of losing them as soon as they get that diploma or certificate. Emporia has so much going for it as a good place to live, but we must do more to make it a great place to work also. Hopefully, the hatred and bigotry can be put aside as we focus on making Emporia better and stronger for all of us who are here to stay.
January 30, 2008 at 9:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
morethenenough (anonymous) says...
@Hillbilly
I will say it again.............YES TYSON IS STILL THE largest employer.......
VICTIM.......>>???? IF anyone took the time to know a samolian they might hear the heart ache of what A VICTIM really has gone thru from a war torn country.......
TYSON provided jobs for people that needed JOBS....as with all WHO work there.......
TYSON is a company.....that has bills to pay as every other person or business here.......business decisions are made for reasons YOU or I cant or will not understand from this level as with ANY COMPANY......
TYSON is not gone...........THEY ARE still THE largest employer IN TOWN.......get off the victim cry and start encouraging a company thats TRYING to survive in TODAYS economics let alone a worl of hate......THERE are still many here in town WHO have JOBS at TYSON...STOP making it harder for those employees WHO are DOING THEIR job.
January 30, 2008 at 9:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
morethen: You are right on. Post very clear and to the point
January 30, 2008 at 9:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rdgrey (anonymous) says...
I will be so happy when i finish school and move from this town. I hate thinking I have to stay here with my kids trying to raise them right with a town full of racist jerks who forget that there kin was once outsiders too.You make me sick to my stomach, I thought this country was better than that but i see we are no better then some of the other 3rd world countries putting blame on hard times on those easiest to point fingers at. We should all be ashamed. All anyone wants to do is support and shelter there family as well as can be. If we were there in somolia you think if a job offered safe move for your family and a job in the US wouldnt sound good? I think you would jump on it. Tyson ran out on them too and now they are in a strange country surrounded by ppl who hate them. What a great city we live in......stupid $#%^&*$$#
January 30, 2008 at 10:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CSD (anonymous) says...
rdgrey, I think you have a really unfortunate misimpression of Emporians. Perhaps I can put some things into perspective for you.
The Somalians' transfer to Emporia was woefully mishandled from the start. There was no meaningful groundwork whatsoever laid in the community for the relocation of a community essentially the size of Madison, Kansas, and comprised almost entirely with recent arrivals to the America who had a lot of special needs and little or no familiarity with our culture, laws and customs .
Instead of working with churches, charitable, volunteer and civic groups in to integrate the Somalians into the community (a practice which has been successfully employed in other cities in which smaller populations of Somalians have been resettled), Tyson and others handled the material needs of the Somalians (signing up for government assistance, setting up medical appointments, arranging housing), but did nothing to facilitate their social integration into the community.
In addition to not knowing anything about the Somalians, then, many Emporians got the impression that the Somalians had little or no desire to know anything about them or their new home. As the Tyson employee states, "They were here for the jobs." And, candidly, the fact that that was all they were here for was pretty clear.
But while they may have been here solely for the jobs, the unique needs of the sizeable Somali population placed a significant burden on Emporia's already overstretched infrastructure, a burden neither Tyson nor any other social agency made an effort to share.
Literally overnight, staff at the Lyon County Health Department found themselves faced with addressing the significant health requirements of hundreds of people, including, but not limited to, cases of both active and inactive TB. Additional staff had to be hired, including Somalian translators, so that the needs of the Somalis could be met while other individuals, including long-time residents of Emporia, were refused appointments and services simply because the Health Department had too few resources to serve its suddenly expanded clientele.
And while the Somalis tried hard to figure out Emporia - learning how to drive, how to deal with traffic when on foot, how to communicate, the country's laws - many Emporians (including policemen, firemen, teachers, judges, retail clerks and others) tried equally hard to figure out the Somalis and their culture.
In the end, the Somalis who "came for the jobs" will leave with a lot more than they had when they arrived -- paperwork completed, significant improvements in the overall state of their health, and hopefully a little better understanding of how to function in America where, in some locales, people are more inclined to pull a gun on you for a traffic infraction than subject you to the severe fingerwagging you're likely to get here!
And Emporians wish them well.
January 31, 2008 at midnight ( permalink | suggest removal )
77flint (anonymous) says...
Labeling the whole community as a bunch of redneck rasicts. IS completely idotic! If you are taking a selection of the people posting on this site. This in no way represents the whole or majority of this community. So on that note I don't appreciate that and think you should apologize for having stereotyped the whole with a few. As for those who continue to try and talk some sense into how great it is here and what the people are really like, keep it up.
DAMN PROUD TO BE AN EMPORIAN!!
January 31, 2008 at 8:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bellabrooke (anonymous) says...
Back to the health issues. Spin the TB stuff however you want, but I can't imagine anyone being comfortable the disease in a food processing plant. I'm glad they're leaving. They were rude and unwilling to mesh into our society and that is unacceptable (for any immigrant).
January 31, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
09071976 (anonymous) says...
I keep thinking back to articles that quoted some of the Somali men as saying Emporia was such a nice place to live, it was clean and overall the people were very pleasant. They raved about wanting to become part of the community and make efforts to fit in.
I'm shocked that at the first sign of trouble, Tyson shutting down, that they make a mass exodus for another place. While the good; strong people of Emporia stay behind to defend, rebuild and strengthen the same town that the Somalian population had come to endear, they run like cowards for the next town.
This kind of attitude, the Somali way of thinking, probably has a lot to do with the state of their war torn country. Had they had the will to stay and fight for the good of their communities; their nation, they would not be here getting shafted by Corporate America.
There is no doubt that as a community we are in trouble. We have been hit hard by an economic crisis that will hurt on many levels. My heart goes out to all who have lost and will lose possibly every source of income they had. I understand that the first impulse would be to move on, to seek the refuge of another big business in the interest of a steady paycheck.
I believe this is a time of great opportunity. For those of us that will stay behind to fight and rebuild, there are limitless possibilities. It's time to band together, immigrants from all nations, let's make Emporia a place worth staying in; building in. If you had thought about starting a small business or maybe expanding your current business, the time is now! The workforce is here. There are many people available with many different skills. They want jobs, they are pleading for income.
Start today, fellow Emporians, do what you can. Clean up your yard; put a fresh coat of paint on the front of your house. Pick up trash in the streets and the downtown area. Think positive. If we band together to do the small things to beautify our town, big things will happen.
January 31, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lycomu (anonymous) says...
This has been and will continue to be a capitalistic nation. A nation fueled by commerece. The outrage over Tyson's business practicies are heartfelt but misguided. Good deeds done, or to be done by any company are a direct result of their bottom line. Do i agree with the manner in which Tyson operates.....NO. Do i understand economics....well sort of as if anyone truly understands that concept. Doom and gloom speak will NOT get Emporia back on track. Honest, open discussion of what we can and cant do as a community, followed by efforts directed towards community improvement is the track we all need to be on now
January 31, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
09071976 (anonymous) says...
@CSD- Excellent thoughts. Thank you.
January 31, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bellabrooke (anonymous) says...
09071976 said (and was right)
"Clean up your yard; put a fresh coat of paint on the front of your house. Pick up trash in the streets and the downtown area."
I'd like to add: quit wasting money on stupid things like banners that state "Celebrate Engraving Arts" and maybe look at fixing sidewalks, so I can take my daughters on a walk without the baby getting whiplash from all the cracks and holes in them. No, I don't live in one of the new (read:ritzy) developments, but I'm tired of my hospital area neighborhood being so neglected.
January 31, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eddison2 (anonymous) says...
"Clean up your yard; put a fresh coat of paint on the front of your house. Pick up trash in the streets and the downtown area."
What about the sides and back??? :D
January 31, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
77flint (anonymous) says...
You are so funny eddison2!! Not really.
January 31, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
glarson (anonymous) says...
It's time to move this forum to the News Forum side. Here's the link for Tyson Layoffs:
http://www.emporiagazette.com/forums/...
Gwen Larson
Managing Editor
January 31, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )